The
first release from Cypriots Diphtheria
came to my hands like a gift from
a time traveler, who went fifteen
years back and brought memories with
him. Back then Diphtheria was one
of the rising forces in the small,
but always remarkable, scene of Cyprus.
Together with Armageddon and Accidentals
(their EP cover will always be a
topic of discussion regarding metal
imagery) they constituted the core
of Cyprus' heavy metal scene,
and the future was looking promising
for them. As always, intervening
factors lead the band to deactivation
for more than fifteen years with
few exceptions. In one of them, back
in 2003, the band recorded eight
tracks for their first album, which
was never released, until now, that
the band came back to life after
the gathering of the original members
and the creation of Pitch Black Records.
Thus it was the proper time to release
this material with the addition of
two tracks from Demo ‘95, namely
the dark epic "Living to Die" and "God
Wanted (Apply Here)".
Spearheaded by one of the most
talented vocalists in Cyprus (and
Greece), Nicolas Leptos (also in
epic metalers Arryan Path), the Cypriot
quintet delivers ten tracks of genuine
heavy metal with several crossovers
between epic, doom and power metal.
Their music owns a lot to Iron Maiden,
Saxon, Warlord and Black Sabbath,
but also receives many injections
of freshness and personality. For
example the opening "Ending
Ceremony", despite starting as
a typical and cliché heavy metal
song, is instantly transformed into
a theatrical exhibition of soul. To
my opinion, Diphtheria always managed
to distinguish themselves from many
European bands in underground heavy
metal (and you can count the True ones
too), due to their fresh and passionate
approach, which resulted in their own
personal mark. It is hard to be conceived
if someone does not listen to songs
like "I Believe", "Sleeping
with the Worms" and "Save
Me" (with huge Sabbathic riffs).
Furthermore, they always appointed
a dramatic tone in their music, as
it is figured in "Behind the
Mirror's Eye" and "As
Darkness Casts Its Veil".
Though most of the songs were recorded
almost five years ago, the production,
which was undertaken by the band,
is fairly good (thanks also to the
additional mastering in The Music
House, Athens, Greece). The album
is a collector's
item, not only because it is a limited
in 1000 pieces release, but because
depicts the production of one of the
most significant bands of Cyprus. Though
it has a plain cover, the inlay is
accompanied by linear notes and photos
from the first period of the band.
In conclusion it is a suggested release
for all metalers, who can order the
album from Pitch Black Record's
website. To end this review, I hope
that we will not have to wait for another
fifteen years to listen to something
new from Diphtheria. |
