Broken and then reunited again, SepticFlesh managed to release their best album to date, Communion, back in 2008. Embracing classical orchestrations and adding a hefty dose of insanity to their tried and proven atmospheric death metal approach, the band came up with a monolithic record that launched them into the highest tier of modern metal bands.
From the creeping opener, Lovecraft’s Death, SepticFlesh showed us what exactly we can expect in the coming songs. Thick, crawling riffs, epic overtures, and dark, Lovecraftian atmosphere so dense it can be cut with a knife.
In future efforts (except from this year’s Codex Omega, which will be reviewed shortly after this one), the band tried to stuff too many symphonic elements to their music, which worked in most cases on the Black Mass, but often felt overproduced in Titan. But on Communion, the band managed to strike a perfect balance between the aggression of guitars and drums and eclectic melodies of symphonic elements.
Instead of being the driving force of the album, strings and choirs add to the atmosphere, best heard in the epic Communion that sounds like wandering inside the mind of madman composer who can still control his train of thought a bit. Thick riffs, brutal pace, the combination of screams and growls, and that mind-blowing symphonic break during the final third of the song are so rich in textures, different layers, and opposing melodies that it is really crazy. And it gets better further on.
The band’s combination of crushing guitar melodies (along with the signature guitar sound of Christos "Chris" Antoniou), maddening production, and perfectly dosed symphonic elements are mixed incredibly. Guitars and drums dominate the scenery (one of the best examples of how they function together is found on We The Gods, a song stripped of almost all, except necessary, symphonic parts), along with hellish voice of Seth Siro Anton who can deliver both guttural growls (as he did most of the time) and occasional hellish scream or two. On the other hand, Sotiris’ cleans sound so chanting, so viciously calm and vibrant that you’ll get goosebumps once he starts singing the chorus of Sunlight Moonlight.
The most terrific songs of them all is Persepolis, a depiction of Alexander The Great’s burning of the Jewel of The South, revenge for the Persian burning of Acropolis that happened some 15o years ago. The composition is the best example of how classical and metal music can deliver some wickedly right combinations. Epic growls accompanied by strings and guitars, along with “calm before the storm” symphonic parts make Persepolis the most successful fruit offered on Communion.
Communion is a masterpiece; even though the album spans just under forty minutes, it is so thick with quality that I really wonder how Septicflesh could create something this epic and stay sane after recording it. It is like an orchestrated chaos on a short muzzle that can attack its maker any second but stays leashed somehow, even though it looks like it is ready to kill.
