Greek Black Metal band Melan Selas band is releasing a new album called Zephyrean Hymns in September through The Circle Music.
Zephyrean Hymns has a lot of thrash influences, and at the same time they can make it so epic, it's unbelievable. It is quite heavy and rhythmic.
The vocals are amazing, rough, dragged, so different and beautiful. Very black metal style but at the same time so different.
You can tell there are influences from Norwegian Black Metal as well, more in the guitar compositions than in anything else, but it all fits so well as a whole. You might be able to tell by now, how these guys can mix and match such varied influences and styles into a beautiful unique blend. And we are talking of a duo, where D.K. handles all the instrumental part, and Astraea does all vocals and writes all the lyrics. I wasn't aware of this until I finished listening to the whole album. Twice.
I believe Zephyrean Hymns is very unique and special, one of the best albums of 2023, no doubt.
Track 5 Dreadful Dome amazed me, I thought it was going to be my favourite track of the whole album, as it started with very intense keyboards accompanied of very fast blast beats, dragging afterwards the whole composition into a very powerful and enraging level.
But then I heard track 6 Darkened Cliff, and that was it for me, what a perfect song. So emotional, it made me teary for more than once. Such a mix of feelings. Very deep and heavy song. There is the clean female voice reciting some words along the instrumental part, until eventually the main black metal voice comes up and takes over, and all done by one person only.
Then, when you think you can't take the intensity of it anymore, because it is so good and full of feel, it actually slows down.
Melan Selas know how to do it. With perfection.
Another track that might take you by surprise is the last one, Ancient Scrolls. So thrashy and doomy. So unexpected and so good.
I really loved this album, will listen to it so many more times. It is a very special epic and thrashy black metal. It is seductive, addictive, full of rage, power and excellence. Zephyrean Hymns is the kind of album which reminds me why I love black metal music.
Pre order Zephyrean Hymns here:
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