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Album Review – Penthos / Erevos (2025)

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This Hellenic horde will darken the skies once again with their sophomore album, conceptually dealing with dark aspects of Greek mythology while sonically delivering Black Metal in the Scandinavian vein.

Having chosen the daimon of grief, despair, and sadness for their band’s name, Athens, Greece-based Black Metal horde Penthos will unleash hell once again armed with their sophomore offering, entitled Erevos (or έρεβος in Greek, which translated into English as “Erebus” literally means “darkness”), following up on their excellent 2022 self-titled debut. Consisting of nine bleak reveries drenched in murky atmosphere, the new opus by Apaisios on vocals and guitars, Vauban and JA also on the guitars, Zizka  on bass, and Algos on drums is an album which has traditional Black Metal written all over it. Regardless of the facts that they hail from Greece and the album conceptually deals with dark aspects of Greek mythology, Erevos doesn’t sound much Greek at all; rather than sonically following in the footsteps of Necromantia or Rotting Christ, the quintet chose to create Black Metal in the Scandinavian vein.

In ancient Greek, Nekyia (νέκυια) refered to a ritual or ceremony involving the evocation of the dead, often to gain knowledge or insight about the future, while in the album it’s an atmospheric and grim tune that works as an extended intro, haunting our souls before the band comes ripping with Dancing Dead, a lecture in old school Black Metal showcasing all elements we love in the genre, from the devilish gnarls by Apaisios to the visceral riffs by the band’s guitar trio, not to mention Algos’ obscure blast beats. Bloodstained Path is another blast of pure evil and darkness by such a talented horde, with the guitars by Apaisios, Vauban and JA sounding even heavier and more piercing, dragging us to the underworld together with them; followed by Όλεθρος (Olethros), which means “destruction”, “ruin”, or “perdition”, and can refer to both physical destruction and to spiritual ruin or death, carrying a connotation of the destruction necessary for renewal, but also implying a final, devastating end. Musically speaking, it’s just as infernal and visceral as its predecessors.

In Greek mythology, Thanatos is a figure who represents death, the son of Nyx (Night) and Erebos (Darkness), and the music couldn’t have sounded more demonic, with the Stygian, evil vocalizations by Apaisios exhaling Black Metal magic. Charon then offers six minutes of absolute darkness and chaos, with the classic blast beats and fills by Algos walking hand in hand with Zizka’s menacing bass while also presenting striking guitar lines and wicked solos for our total delight; followed by Lady in Black (Witch II), the most obscure song of the entire album hands down, with all band members transpiring pure Black Metal, in special Apaisios with his evil screams from the underworld. Echoes from the Sanatorium is another detailed, multi-layered fusion of classic Scandinavian Black Metal with their Greek twist, before the album ends with another demonic Black Metal attack entitled Forlorn Voyage, where their scathing riffs and rumbling bass and drums will pulverize your senses.

Listeners won’t find any anxious attempts at innovation on Erevos; instead, the album presents a professional studio production of over 40 minutes of well-composed Black Metal in the traditional way. Hence, go check what those ruthless Greek black metallers are up to on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their venomous music on Spotify, and of course put your damned hands on Erevos by purchasing it from the Darkness Shall Rise Productions’ BandCamp or webstore (in CD, LP, or cassette formats). Penthos are ready to spread their dark wings over the entire world of heavy music with their second black mass, opening the gates of hell to the sound of their Stygian arias and, consequently, bringing sheer doom and despair to our putrid hearts and souls in the name of classic Black Metal.

Best moments of the album: Dancing Dead, Thanatos and Lady in Black (Witch II).

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Darkness Shall Rise Productions

Track listing
1. Nekyia 4:01
2. Dancing Dead 4:55
3. Bloodstained Path 3:58
4. Όλεθρος (Olethros) 3:48
5. Thanatos 3:59
6. Charon 6:01
7. Lady in Black (Witch II) 4:42
8. Echoes from the Sanatorium 5:32
9. Forlorn Voyage 3:20

Band members
Apaisios – vocals, guitars
Vauban – guitars
JA – guitars
Zizka – bass
Algos – drums

Album Review – Chimera / Gloria Mortis (2022)

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Playing what can be described as a mix of Heavy and Black Metal, this up-and-coming Polish group returns with their sophomore album, as dark and heavy as it is melodic and epic.

Established at the end of 2013 in Warsaw, Poland, Chimera play what can be described as a mix of Heavy and Black Metal, which is exactly what they have to offer us all in their sophomore opus Gloria Mortis, the follow-up to their 2016 debut effort Transmutation. Recorded at Hainrich House Studio, Gloria Mortis is just as dark and heavy as it is melodic and epic, being highly recommended for admirers of the newest wave of extreme music, in special all the new names hailing form the vibrant underground scene in Poland, therefore showcasing all the talent by the band currently formed of Krzysztof Gałecki on vocals and guitars, founder Rafał “Charon” Mazur on lead guitars, Wiktor Waliłko on bass, and Andrzej Ruszkowski on drums.

An eerie intro simply titled I, where Krzysztof distills his Polish words to give it a darker edge, sets the tone for the pulverizing and grim Dunkelheit (“darkness” from German), presenting Black Metal riffs by Krzysztof and Charon while Andrzej hammers his drums powerfully, being at the same time ferocious and melodic, and kicking things off on a very high note. Then investing in a similar sound of its predecessor, Necrosis of Soul is another infuriated creation by Chimera where the band adds elements from Groove Metal and Deathcore to their core essence, not to mention Krzysztof sounds inhumane with his deep roars; whereas Madness sounds and feels even heavier and more demented, with Charon being on fire with his riffage and solos accompanied by the rumbling bass by Wiktor in an electrifying fusion of Black, Heavy and Death Metal. And the thunderous bass and beats by Wiktor and Andrzej, respectively, generate a menacing ambience in Nieistniejąc (“non-existent” from Polish), with the sharp riffs by the band’s guitar duo slashing our ears mercilessly.

The album’s “second act” begins with the horror-movie inspired interlude II, also displaying cryptic vocalizations and morphing into the intricate and groovy Immortal Self, reminding me of the music by several bands from the current American modern metal scene. Moreover, the song’s devilish growls and razor-edged riffs will pierce your mind like a bullet, whereas headbanging guitars and a Stygian atmosphere will embrace your soul in The Bable Tower, where Krzysztof continues to vociferate like a creature from the underworld in a vicious onrush of Black and Death Metal. Then in Asmodeus we’re all invited to slam into the circle pit thanks to its endless brutality, groove and electricity, with Andrzej sounding insane behind his drums supported by the metallic bass by Wiktor, resulting in one of the best songs of the album hands down. And the band keeps delivering their trademark hybrid of violence and intricacy in Dziki Sęp (“wild vulture” from Polish), bringing forward an awesome job done by Krzysztof and Charon with their Black Metal-infused riffs. There’s still time for one last breath of pure insanity entitled Among Wolves, getting heavier and heavier as time passes by, all spearheaded by the venomous vocalizations by Krzysztof before a narration-style outro named III puts a Stygian ending to the album.

If you’re an admirer of a modern fusion of Black, Death and Heavy Metal with a dense background, you should definitely give the new album by Chimera a try by streaming it in full on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course purchase it from the band’s own Facebook page to show your utmost support to the underground. In addition, go check what the band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, including their tour dates, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music and videos. Gloria Mortis is undoubtedly a step forward in the career of such promising band from the Polish metal scene, and I’m pretty sure that we’ll hear more from those guys sooner than we can imagine as their third opus isn’t far from seeing the light of day.

Best moments of the album: Dunkelheit, Madness and Asmodeus.

Worst moments of the album: Immortal Self.

Released in 2022 Independent

Track listing
1. I 1:48
2. Dunkelheit 5:36
3. Necrosis of Soul 4:33
4. Madness 4:02
5. Nieistniejąc 5:15
6. II 1:22
7. Immortal Self 4:01
8. The Bable Tower 4:05
9. Asmodeus 4:30
10. Dziki Sęp 3:28
11. Among Wolves 3:59
12. III 1:07

Band members
Krzysztof Gałecki – vocals, guitars
Rafał “Charon” Mazur – lead guitars
Wiktor Waliłko – bass
Andrzej Ruszkowski – drums