#ApocalypticLeaders 🇬🇷 Eternity

Band: Apocalyptic Leaders
Title: Eternity
Label: War Productions
Release date: 08 April 2022
Country: Greece
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

Sooo what we have here is a Black Metal one-man band hailing from Greece. This country has amply proven to be the cradle of so many talented musicians, this time is Kostas Bililis who does everything in Apocalyptic Leaders. Apart from my admiration for those who are capable of such gigantic and talented work, the fact is that the result usually doesn’t leave me indifferent. Here I go with my impressions about “Eternity”:

The album starts with “The Life of Secret Places”, a crunchy guitar tune leads to energic drums beating hard along with a second guitar joining, and then a harsh scream that tears the air, at the same time that the pace slows down a bit. Very promising way to start! There’s plenty of tremolo picking along with great melodies, and the vocals sound dark, menacing screams with some distortion. Maybe my only “complaint” is that they sound a bit too much in the background… But I really like what I hear, the repetitive guitar passages create a somber atmosphere and I love that.

I find the music in this album a very personal thing, I think it’s normal as there’s only one person behind it all; I see no typical or boring patterns, no standard structures… Kostas unleashes his creativity and his talent all through these 8 tracks, and the result is impressive. Some guitar melodies are played along with mid-paced drums (as in the second track, “Eternity”), until they give a step to the blast that follows, just as a natural thing.

Songs are varied, rich in details, no plain or monotonous at all. There are blasting outbursts here and there, and total calm is a rare thing, although the beginning of “The Legend of the Old Tree” brings some peace to your ears; it has big Heavy Metal vibes, it’s obvious that not only Black Metal has influenced Kostas in his music. I also like the way in which drums annihilate everything in “Nowhere”, and how vocals reverberate in that song; my ears are bleeding in delight! The vicious repetition of guitar notes at the beginning of “Mountain” creates some kind of ethereal ambience, along with wind effect; then drums appear with a mid-paced rhythm, second guitar enters playing an obscure tune… and suddenly everything is destroyed by blasting and furious drums. How I like these contrasts!

The “Eternity” cassette is the reissue of the EP with the same name that was released via Bandcamp in February 2020; it includes three bonus tracks that are exclusive for this new version. It’s been released by War Productions and there are only 50 copies available, this is a great taste of Hellenic Black Metal and it’s really worth it! Just saying. I give it 8/10 Sílvia

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8/10 To Greatness and Glory!
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