Septicflesh - Communion
Season Of Mist
Epic Blackened Gothic Metal
9 songs (38:08)
Release year: 2008
Septicflesh, Season Of Mist
Reviewed by Goat
Album of the month

One of the lamentable downsides to the Metal underground is the way that great bands can pass by without gaining the attention of the fans. Greek four-piece Septicflesh (previously known as Septic Flesh) split up in 2003 but reformed in 2007 due to fan pressure, and yet this will be the first most have heard of them: Communion, the band’s sixth full-length release. Recorded with classical backing from the Prague Philharmonic orchestra, Communion is a chainmailed fist in the face of conformity, a Black Metal album that isn’t afraid of grandeur and power, a Metallic opera that makes the likes of Bal-Sagoth seem rubbish. Putting it simply, Communion rips shit up; it is as compelling a reason to stay Metal in the year 2008 as you could want, and pushes boundaries that most will never know existed.

Each and every track is a wonder, a journey through fantastic landscapes that rivals Therion for epic Metal glory. Each is different; this is no concept piece that must be listened to as a whole, but a simply ass-kicking experience that can be approached from any angle. What’s more, it won’t take twenty listens before you even begin to understand it – this is instantaneous, and as much fun on the tenth listen as it is on the first, songs standing up to repetition to become classics in their own merit.

It’s really the songs themselves that carry this, at the end of the day. We’ve all heard blastbeats and snarled vocals before, and the limited range of riffage here won’t cause eyebrows to rise. What will uplift those hairy appendages is the way that Septicflesh has gathered the familiar into a new form, made new structures from a form of Metal that reached its peak a long time ago. Imagine Cradle Of Filth if it was interested in pushing itself, a reinvigorated blast of dark, majestic Metal that isn’t afraid of going for your throat a la Nightwish, making Metal that is unapologetically catchy and enjoyable, yet without sacrificing that all-important single element – the Metal itself.

From the first track to the last there’s nary a weak moment here. This is an album that demands to be heard by all, whatever their preferred genre. Like Theogonia, last year’s fine effort from countrymen Rotting Christ, Septicflesh has produced a kickass album that will give the band a new lease of life. Highly recommended.

MySpace
Killing Songs :
Lovecraft’s Death, Communion, Sunlight Moonlight, Sangreal, Narcissus
Goat quoted 88 / 100
Other albums by Septicflesh that we have reviewed:
Septicflesh - Esoptron (reissue) reviewed by Jared and quoted 60 / 100
Septicflesh - Ophidian Wheel reviewed by Mountainman and quoted 95 / 100
Septicflesh - The Great Mass reviewed by Goat and quoted 90 / 100
Septicflesh - Sumerian Daemons reviewed by Crims and quoted 89 / 100
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