Embossed Dream in Four Acts (1998, The End Records)
Lineup: Dimitris Bikos (vocals, guitar), Joseph Nikou (bass), Nikos Baltas (guitar), Nikos
Simigiannis (drums), Irini Tsiklou (keyboards), Christina Maniati (vocals, session)
Style: Doom/death with two (count 'em, TWO) female vocalists and a typical death growling male.
Even though it's not unique or very original for the style, this band boasts three
vocalists: two female singers, one of whom provides the operatic vocals, and another with
a more standard doomish voice, and a counterpoint by the low-key grinding male snarls. The
band has definitely paid attention to Theatre of Tragedy but some of the songs, especially
"The Total Absence of Light, Act I," are unusually sensual and very melodic. The music is
slow, with some repetitive riffing and easy structure. The introduction (it seems everyone
feels bound to record one these days) is a simple grand piano with uneven and haunting melody
(the uncredited borrowing from Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" fits surprisingly well). The
concept album has some great poetry (translated from Greek) and the only annoyance is the
inclusion of "Vampire Hunters," which is taken from Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula." The
original sounded much better, the band being unable to replace an entire orchestra. Mixing
in lines of spoken script does not save the piece. Why is this here? As a first effort, a
pretty decent album. I will be definitely expecting more from these guys and will be looking
forward to their next release; there's a lot of promise in this band.
Verdict: Interesting concept, the first song is definitely worth getting the album.
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