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Album Reviews : Septicflesh – Codex Omega

By on July 30, 2017

Many bands are juxtaposing orchestral stylings with heaviness in this day-and-age, and virtually all of them do it extremely well. These Greek gods do it as well as anyone on the planet, however, and it’s in this that they could possibly be deemed to be a little underrated in the greater scheme of things.

Codex Omega is Septicflesh‘s tenth album, and it finds a band at the absolute peak of their myriad powers. It takes a great knowledge of your subject, and incredible skill in the crafting and the execution, when moulding symphony and brutality. These guys have been doing it for so long that they have it down to a fine point. The blend is just about perfect, the overriding effect is that of combative, in-your-face but classy blackened death and extreme metal, but with the orchestra and choral effects (which are tastefully and beautifully used during “Enemy”) making their very strong presence felt, and providing extra bombast and a sweet and sweeping counterpoint to the aggression.

Occasional clean vocals from rhythm guitarist, Sotiris Vayenas add yet further colour, dynamics and melody to the mix.

At the same time, whilst they have been around for almost three decades, they still sound hungry, and that hunger feeds their anger, their creativity and their lust for breaking new ground and creating new sonic palletes. They are not resting on their laurels and letting their songwriting run on autopilot, as many long-running bands appear to.

Best track awards go to the aforementioned “Enemy”, the pounding, pulsating “Martyr” and the mesmerising “Faceless”. But this album is wall to wall might, majesty and quality from these Mediterranean masters.

Ever since Deep Purple released Concerto for Group and Orchestra way back in the late ’60s, orchestral and heavy music have gone together like a metal fist in a perfectly tailored silken glove, and this album adds yet further lustre to that canon of music.

Band: Septicflesh
Album: Codex Omega
Year: 2017
Genre: Symphonic metal
Label:  Season of Mist
Origin: Greece

About

Rod Whitfield is a Melbourne-based writer and retired musician who has been writing about music since 1995. He has worked for Team Rock, Beat Magazine, themusic.com.au, Heavy Mag, Mixdown, The Metal Forge, Metal Obsession and many others. He has written and published his memoirs of his life and times in the music biz, and also writes books, screenplays, short stories, blogs and more.