HEATHENDOM - Nescience

My first contact with the Greek outfit Heathendom was at Up The Hammers III Festival. I dare to admit that despite the difficulties the faced on stage, (we lost the lead guitar for a while) Heathendom, was one of the bands that really impressed me. I recall that I was impressed by two different facts, the vocals and the riffage of them. So the time has come for the band to release their first album, “Nescience” on the Italian label on Metal On Metal records.
\r\nI admit that it took me three times of continuous playing of the album to manage to understand it. So, “Nescience” is an awesome (I mean it!!!)  example of  Power/doom metal, inspired by bands like Memory Garden, Memento Mori and King Diamond. The first element that makes the listener to adore the album is the dark atmosphere, which is managed by the very good use of keyboards and multiple vocal lines and in general a very obscure mood.
\r\nAfter hearing the obvious while digging deeper to the album of course we understand the awesome guitar work with great, inspired riffs and great lead breaks and solos. Moving on to the vocals part, which is one of the hardest part for me to review… just something better than awesome the vocalist owns the ability of transforming his vocal lines from melodic, atmospheric to extremely high – pitched, passionate and in specific parts the vocalist sounds paranoid (in a good way of course) Many backing vocals exist on the album that can be sound from a whistling nursery rhyme of a paranoid undertaker to a song of an E.A. Poe literature hero.
\r\nThe production sounds just perfect; having the guitar lines, “up” in the mix the band manages to groove continuously the listener. From my personal point of view, I ve never heard a band (greek or not) to compose and perform this way. The whole musical direction of the band moves into a more “Swedish” direction, that not even the Swedish bands can perform.
\r\nWithout any trace of exaggeration, I ll state that if there any people out there that still loves heavy metal, Heathedom’s album must be the first album on his wantlist for sure.
\r\nReally I cant imagine nothing better for a debut album for the Greeks, the album has it all, great riffs, atmosphere, raw, in your face metal, awesome vocals and of course awesome compositions, deeply inspired… if you let this opus unheard, then it ;s a grate loss for your musical experience.
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\r\nLampros “Witchfynder” Tennes \r\n