Review Summary: A trip down memory lane to what made the Greek black metal scene of the '90s so special.
To the author of this review, checking Katavasia’s debut was a fairly easy choice. The combination of the dark cover art, the mystical band name and of course the lineup, made this album a very appealing offering. For someone who has been raised on Rotting Christ, Varathron and Necromantia (among others),
Sacrilegious Testament is a voyage to an era where he was young and impressionable. But at the same time, it’s an excellent opportunity to assess the elements that made the Greek black metal scene of the ‘90s stand out in Europe at a time when it was inconceivable for a band from this country to enjoy success internationally.
Katavasia are no strangers to the Greek black metal scene; their singer (Necroabyssious) is one of the leading figures of the scene and the mastermind behind Varathron while other members come from Hail Spirit Noir, Agnes Vein and Aenaon. However, if you’re expecting psychedelic influences (Hail Spirit Noir), post metal passages (Agnes Vein) and progressive song structures (Aenaon) you’ll be disappointed.
Unlike northern European black metal, Katavasia’s music is all about melody, heavy metal song structures and a mystical atmosphere. As a matter of fact, the instrumentation on most tracks is fairly simple, riff based, with epic passages and guitar solos. One can listen “Cosmic Nightmare” at the 1:20 mark and realize what made bands like Rotting Christ and Necromantia so influential. Those epic passages accompanied by monolithic drumming and a dark atmosphere characterize the whole album. The guitar tone is thick and the presence of keys is limited to the point where it adds a sense of mystique when needed such as on the end of “Symphony Des Gravens”. Nevertheless, what definitely categorizes Katavasia as black metal is the vocals. Necroabyssious provides us with a very strong, old school performance; he sounds demonic, tortured and furious. Moreover, the band consciously distances themselves from the whole folk metal movement by using traditional instruments very rarely and only for short time spans. In fact the two tracks that make use of traditional instruments - “Eosforou Katavasis” and “Mater Tenebrarum” - are used in order to add to the dark atmosphere and allow the album to “breathe”.
At the end of the day,
Sacrilegious Testament is not just a ‘90s throwback but an album with its own identity that builds on that classic sound and progresses one step further by using all the characteristic elements with a modern production and new ideas. Whether they’ll release a new album in the future is uncertain but fans of mid-tempo, atmospheric metal should definitely give Katavasia a chance.
