Reviews: SAT133
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Meneapneontes are a band from Greece that plays an epic form of Hellenic black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Promachos" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Murdher Records.
A very dark and melodic sound starts off the album and after a few seconds deep and grim black metal screams make their presence known on the recording along with some solos and leads that also utilize a great amount of melody and spoken word parts can also be heard in certain sections of the recording.
When the music speeds up the music starts having more of a raw black metal style along with a small amount of blast beats and when classical guitars and melodic pagan chants are utilized they bring in more of an epic and medieval atmosphere and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some of the riffs and vocals also bring in a touch of death metal at times while the music is mostly rooted in the 90's style of Greek black metal.
Meneapneontes plays a musical style that goes back to the melodic side of Hellenic black metal that also brings the epic atmosphere of the past, the production sounds very raw and old school while the lyrics cover Greek Mythology and History.
In my opinion Meneapneontes are a very great sounding epic Hellenic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Promachos" "Sons Of The Greeks" "My Earth, My Water" and "Raise The Aspis".
http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.ru/2015/10/meneapneontespromachossatanath.html
When someone mentions the term 'Hellenic black metal', many people will immediately think about bands like Rotting Christ or Varathron. Those bans were the first that came to mind when I watched Meneapneontes' facebook page prior to listening to the album. After listening, the names are still present and I guess I can now add this project to the list of awesome bands from Greece. Sometimes it's good to get exactly what you expect, no?
I can't find a lot of information about Meneapneontes. I know it's a duo, named Takis and Vasilis, aided by some session musicians. I have no idea if they play live and as far as I've seen this is a debut album. But what a debut it has become. Epic, melodic and fierce black metal in perfect Greek tradition and loaded with mythology. Inspiration is gathered from the rich history of the motherland, including its ancestors and gods.
Musically, you can indeed compare Meneapneontes to bands like Rotting Christ and Varathron but I'm also reminded of acts like Ancient Rites or Bal-Sagoth. This is high standard black metal with a decent share of melody and atmosphere. On other occasions, Meneapneontes truly likes speed, intensity and aggression, resulting in punishing passages of epic black metal.
There's also quite a nice amount of experimental dark ambient and dark folk in some of the songs, naturally adding a lot of atmosphere to the whole. These passages are stunning, intensely dark and quite haunting, perfectly fitting in with the rest of the music. Highlights on this album are the brilliant 'Sons Of The Greeks' and the powerful 'Eleley'. But I can definitely recommend this album for anyone like his black metal epic, melodic and with a huge sense of victory.
http://www.merchantsofair.com/reviews/meneapneontes-promachos
Tout droit venu de Grèce, MENEAPNEONTES est un combo se qualifiant de Black Metal hellénique, de part ses origines et de part les thèmes abordés dans ses chansons que sont les valeurs de l'ancienne république hellénique où priment la mythologie, la rigueur, la vertu et l'idéalisme.
Formé de seulement 2 musiciens, Takis à la guitare et Vassilis au chant et à la basse, ce « two men band » nous livre un tout 1er album de 51 minutes dans un Black Metal propre à eux et aux antipodes ce que produisent les scandinaves. Afin de pouvoir réaliser cet album professionnellement, les 2 artistes grecs ont fait appel à 2 autres musiciens spécialement pour l' enregistrement studio (Giannis à la batterie et Harris à la guitare). Fort de ces 4 métalleux helléniques, que penser de cette galette ?
Ce 1er ouvrage intitulé 'Promahos' nous sera conté en 11 actes. L'ensemble de la production est extrêmement variée sur laquelle Takis et Vassilis vont délivrer leurs thèmes en mélangeant les ambiances sombres et traditionnelles avec une forte influence Black Metal dans la voix et les riffs ; un peu moins dans le tempo de la batterie qui sera plutôt mid tempo que blast beat et privilégiant le changement de rythme.
C'est le cas pour le titre éponyme et 1er titre de cet opus 'Prohamos' qui, de plus, emploie une alternance de voix Death et un tempo rock/Heavy Metal sur fond de sermon dans la narration en grec s'il vous plaît ! On notera également le côté épique de cette musique sur 'Monon Lave' par l'emploi d'instruments antiques, sur 'Sons Of The Greeks' et son côté diabolique et sombre avec sa messe noire en outro et sur 'Typhoeus' démarrant par une incantation scandée dans la langue natale du combo.
'Elevey' épouse une atmosphère sinistre par le battement des tambours et guerrière par le son des épées qui s'entrechoquent. Ce morceau faisant suite à 'Talos' sur lequel l'atmosphère guerrière se fait ressentir par l'utilisation d'effets sonores d'explosion de canons. Dans cette lignée, 'Roupel', le titre ultime de cette galette, restera sur le thème de la guerre par le jeu des riffs gras et des blasts lourds sur fond de mitrailleuse en pleine action, d'avions de chasse survolant un champ de bataille et de chars d'assaut dévastant tout sur leur passage.
Les titres les plus Black Metal, et qui seront mes 2 coups de coeur de cet album, sont 'My Earth My Water' sur un rythme speed entrainant alternant blast-beat et mid-tempo sur fond de double pédalage ; et 'Omnymi' par son ambiance glauque créée par le chant typiquement Black et les riffs lourds, saccadés type metalcore accentuant ainsi la lourdeur du morceau. 'Alexandros' et 'Raise The Aspis' sont les 2 morceaux les plus atypiques de l'album. Le 1er alternant instruments antiques/chants traditionnels et riffs black, l'ensemble jouant la même mélodie. Le second offrant une ambiance plus aérienne voire spatiale accompagnée d'une voix tantôt Death, tantôt Black et de riffs distordus et rapides.
Avec ce 1er essai, le combo grec s'impose dans un Black Metal antique et épique reprenant les traditions helléniques chères à leur culture. Le mélange des genres entre tradition et obscurité est fort bien orchestré tout au long des 11 titres. Reste à savoir si cet essai sera transformé par un second album tout aussi convaincant.
http://www.unitedrocknations.com/bands/meneapneontes.html
Questi greci puntano sul sicuro, andando a ricalcare uno stilema ormai rodato, vale a dire un Black dalle tinte molto epiche. Niente di nuovo ma l’effetto è assicurato, grazie a strutture canzoni semplici ma dirette, una buona conoscenza degli strumenti, qualche parte in lingua madre e un cantato che più canonico non si può. L’elemento epico funziona sempre; ecco che spesso e volentieri vi ritroverete a fare headbanging ascoltando questo cd. Certo, non siamo ai livelli degli Enslaved, ma non penso fosse nemmeno nelle mire del gruppo fin dalla nascita di questo platter. Diciamo che chi ben comincia è a metà dell’opera. Speranzosi.
http://www.metalhead.it/?p=55057
Two Greeks play something they call epic black metal,
with a concept based on Greek mythology and history.
Even without lyrics, it is possible to capture a vibe of Alexander the Great and Leonidas' fight against the Persians.
They might perhaps hit the nail with the thematic.
The music however misses the targeted genre grossly.
I won't even go as far as calling Promachos melodic black metal. The music is more reminiscent of a melodic and gentler Spartan edition of Viking metal, but there's rather wine-jars which are swung, and not mead horns. The only tiny element of black here are the vocals.
Simple melodies with fairly uncomplicated structures are seasoned with warlike samples, acoustic passages and slightly theatrical spoken vocals.
The fifty minutes these eleven songs make up is not bothersome, beyond a hint of boredom, but they are far from exciting and gives me very little.
It is very possible that the music will provide more to those who can get thoroughly into the concept. It is also quite possible that fans of softer metal than epic black metal, like Manowar will benefit more, for this is almost like a musical clone between Rotting Christ and Sabaton.
Not gruesome, but rather disappointing.
http://www.gorger.org/english/2015/2015-11eng.htm#Gorger26
Primo album per questo duo ateniese dal monicker non proprio agevole da pronunciare, dedito ad una forma di black metal piuttosto interessante.
Trattandosi di una band greca non sorprende il fatto che i Meneapneontes prendano in più di un caso i Rotting Christ quale punto di riferimento, perlomeno nell’idea di proporre un black di chiara impronta mediterranea, accentuato dall’uso pressoché costante della lingua madre.
La somiglianza con la storica band di Sakis appare in maniera evidente, però, solo a sprazzi, visto che il sound proposto da Vassilis e Takis si arricchisce di sfumature heavy metal e folk che vanno ad integrarsi piacevolmente con temi che attingono alla ricchissima e millenaria storia ellenica.
Promachos scorre via piuttosto liscio, proprio perché i brani sono forniti nel loro insieme di una pregevole impronta melodica, anche se non posso fare a meno di apprezzare i Meneapneontes proprio quando il loro sound si avvicina di più ai Rotting Christ, in barba a qualsiasi ossessiva ricerca di originalità (Omnymi, Eleley, Raise The Aspis); d’altra parte gli elementi folk tendono, con il loro manifestarsi, a far scemare leggermente la tensione di un lavoro che si mantiene sostanzialmente su un buon livello medio, senza toccare picchi leggendari ma neppure mostrando un volto particolarmente tedioso, il tutto grazie a una certa essenzialità a livello esecutivo e compositivo.
La sensazione è che i due ragazzi greci possano fare ancora meglio, magari focalizzandosi maggiormente sui lati più efficaci del loro sound; per ora, comunque, la promozione è piena anche se non ancora con lode.
http://www.iyezine.com/meneapneontes-promachos
I am a huge fan of everything metal basically but there are some genres that triggers my liking a bit more than others. For example I go bonkers over Doomswords epic doomy metal. I totally love Amon Amarth’s death metal. I can’t get enough of Candlemass’ doom metal. MENEAPNEONTES play a kind of metal that makes me think of the Swedish band Opthalamia. They had an epicness to their black-ish metal this Greek lot too have. It is not your usaully “go for the throat” assault. There is a bit of melodic sensibility to this that give is an edge.
http://battlehelm.com/reviews/meneapneontes-promachos/
Primo album per i Meneapneontes, due proveniente da Atene, Grecia, ovvero la terra che ha dato i Natali a formazioni seminali come Rotting Christ, Naer Mataron, Thou Art Lord e Varthron. Ma è il sound dei primi menzionati a farsi sentire con una certa chiarezza tra i solchi di queste undici canzoni, con quella particolare vena melodica che contraddistingue la band di Sakis & Co., ed alcuni accenni all'heavy classico e al death/black melodico che ricorda un po' i Dissection, specialmente quelli del controverso "Reinkaos". In questo senso basti ascoltare "Molon Lave" e soprattutto "Sons of the Greeks", con quest'ultima che ricorda molto il singolo "Maha Kali", estratto all'epoca da apripista al ritorno sulle scene di Jon Nödtveidt e i suoi Dissection. POi sappiamo tutti come andò a finire.
A tutto questo si aggiungono venature folk e accenni di epic metal. Le velocità non sono mai esasperate, ma di contro la band cerca di creare atmosfere cariche di pathos e dal feeling avvolgente dal tipico sapore mediterraneo. Si potrebbe classificare questa band come una copia quasi carbone dei sopra menzionati Rotting Christ, ma è innegabile che questi due musicisti propongono una musica ben suonata e in generale ben realizzata, con diversi pezzi di discreta fattura, quindi direi che la loro professionalità sopperisce a qualche limite in fatto di originalità e personalità.
Altri pezzi come "Talos" o "Typhoeus" presentano un ottimo lavoro di chitarra e riff più che azzeccati, gradevoli nella loro orecchiabilità. Il fatto poi che, in generale, la band abbia un approccio catchy e "radio friendly", sempre tenendo conto che parliamo di metal estremo, gioca a loro favore, in quanto li mette in condizione di farsi apprezzare da una vasta fascia di pubblico, e non solo da coloro fissati solo con blast beat e voci gutturali.
Fondamentalmente questo "Promachos" è un disco che non ha la pretesa di inventare niente di nuovo e tantomeno di stupire, ma si fa voler bene grazie alla onestà e competenza di chi l'ha suonato. Questo non consentirà a questi due ragazzi di rimanere negli annali del black/death metal, ma realizzare un disco che non ha sbavature e completamente a fuoco non è scontato.
Una larga e meritata sufficienza ci sta tutta, sperando che col secondo album possano offrirci qualcosa di più personale e maturo.
http://heavymetalmaniaczine.blogspot.ru/2015/12/meneapneontes-promachos.html?utm_source=BP_recent
Greek mythological metallers Meneapneontes thrash up the soundwaves with their Grecian ancestry-fueled extreme metal.
These guys write great music and lyrics, but it is a tough listen due to their ancient style of mythological metal. Take the best elements of Tyr, Eluveitie and Borknagar all rolled up into one, which is pretty interesting. You’re treated to the extremes of black metal, then folk-inspired metal rhythms and vocal parts, and then you’re subjected to the triumphant battle cry energy some of their songs present. You’ll feel like as if you’re a mighty warrior fighting the turbulent powers generated by Greek god Zeus and goddess Medusa. People, “Promachos” is as real as it gets with it coming off sounding very sincere, as Meneapneontes has done a superb job describing their cultural ancestry from times past.
The sound is very good on this 11 tracker and makes for a good listening experience, especially to the point where you feel as if you’re a part of their fantasy journey. I can only imagine their songs being used for a soundtrack to a movie inspired by Greek Mythology someday, haha. Very, very interesting and insanely done… Want to experience fantasy-based Greek mythology, don’t look any further as Greece’s Meneapneontes will take you on a wild ride of your dreams you’d probably rather stay away from.
In 2011 Vasilis (vocals, bass) and Takis (guitars) joined forces and founded Meneapneontes. Assisted by studio musicians on lead guitar and drums they have recorded this debut album ‘Promachos’ at the Eleventh Tower Studios. English lyrics about Greek mythology and history are intermittent with Greek fragments. The album breathes a pure Hellenic atmosphere. It means that a mysterious, slightly ethnic atmosphere is built up and guitar leads are rather melodic and emotive drawling, than that we have the grim approach of their brothers of the North. Spoken parts pop up in many songs, while the raucous blackened vocals of Vasilis are done to a turn as well. The result is proper epic black metal in eleven self-written songs. The band writes fetching riffs and manages to bring over the message, although they are still far from the quality of the echelons from Greece, as there are Rotting Christ, Septicflesh and Nightfall. An ethnic song – semi-acoustic with only clean bard chants – like ‘Alexandros’ for instance, is way too long-winded. On the other hand one can find elements that give us hope for the future in the ferocious ‘My Earth My Water’ and the occluding epic ‘Roupel’. Thus this happens to be a tip to check out for aficionados of the Greek scène, but at the moment we cannot speak of a revelation yet.
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/en/reviews/view/id/31243
Straight out of Greece, is a combo MENEAPNEONTES is calling Hellenic Black Metal, because of its origins and share the themes of his songs that are the values of the old republic where Greek mythology prevail, rigor, virtue and idealism.
Formed of only two musicians, Takis guitar and Vassilis on vocals and bass, this "two men band" gives us a whole first 51 minutes of album in a Black clean Metal to them and to the antipodes that produce Scandinavian. In order to realize this album professionally, the two Greek artists have used two other musicians especially for the studio recording (Giannis Harris on drums and guitar). With these four Greek metalheads, what about this cake?
This first book entitled 'Promahos' we will be told in 11 acts. The entire production is extremely varied on which Takis and Vassilis will deliver their themes by mixing dark and traditional atmosphere with a strong influence in the Black Metal vocals and riffs; a little less in the tempo of the battery to be rather mid tempo that blast beat and favoring change of pace.
This is the case for the title and first eponymous title of this album 'Prohamos' which, moreover, employs a voice of Death and alternating tempo rock / Heavy Metal sermon on background in the Greek narrative please ! Note also the epic side of this music 'Monon Washing' by the use of ancient instruments on 'Sons Of The Greeks' and his evil and dark side with its black Mass and outro 'Typhoeus' starting with a incantation chanted in the native language of the combo.
'Elevey wife a sinister atmosphere by the beating of drums and the sound of warlike swords clashing. This piece further to 'Talos' on which the warlike atmosphere is felt through the use of guns explosion sound effects. In this line, 'Roupel', the ultimate title of this cake, will remain on the theme of war by the play of fat riffs and heavy machine gun blasts on background in action of fighter aircraft flying over a battlefield and tanks destroying everything in their path.
The most Black Metal songs, which are my two favorites of this album are 'My Earth My Water' speed on a pace causing alternating blast-beat and mid-tempo amid double-pedaling; and 'Omnymi' by its murky atmosphere created by the typical Black vocals and heavy riffs, staccato like metalcore accentuating the heaviness of the song. Alexandros' and 'Raise The Aspis' are the 2 most unusual songs on the album. 1 alternating ancient instruments / black traditional songs and riffs, all playing the same melody. The second offering a more airy feeling even spatial voice sometimes accompanied by Death, Black and sometimes distorted and fast riffs.
With this first test, the Greek combo is needed in ancient and epic Black Metal taking the Greek traditions dear to their culture. The mixture of genres between tradition and darkness is well orchestrated throughout the 11 titles. The question is whether this test will be transformed by a second equally compelling album.
Meneapneontes are a young project from the capital city of Greece, Athens, formed in 2011 and consisting of Vasilis Karogiannis (vocals & bass guitars) and Takis Boutsalis (guitars). With assistance of session drummer John Athanasiou and guest guitar player Harris V., the duo recorded, mixed and mastered all material at the Eleventh Tower Studios (located in the historic city of Piraeus), and the result gets released by Russia’s Satanath Records, this time in collaboration with Italy’s Murdher Records. Promachos, the band’s debut, consists of eleven pieces, and it lasts for just over fifty minutes.
What these guys bring is a highly rhythmic, melodic and energetic form of Modern Extreme Groove Metal, including quite some angles from Symphonic Power / Traditional Heavy / Epic Death, Traditional Thrash and, especially, Melodic Black Metal, with hints of Folk / Viking / Pagan stuff. In general, it’s quite catchy and in one way or another undeniably Greek in song writing, performance and sound.
Actually, Promachos is quite an enjoyable album to listen at, especially because of a huge dose on variation. It’s not a release that gets based on introspection, philosophy or deep-thought questions of Life and Death, but it brings quite a pleasant form of joy-of-play. Besides, a couple of tracks are almost outstanding, such as the epos Alexandros, a.o.
Fans of Rotting Christ, yet also later Samael, Thyrfing, Asterius, Amon Amarth, Finntroll and even Opthalamia (!), must give it a try, I think. However, when Abruptum, Mayhem or Enthroned aren’t extreme enough for you (atmosphere-wise), then you better leave this behind…
http://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/meneapneontes
Die Griechen Meneapneontes existieren seit 2011 und legten nun 2015 mit “Promachos” ein Album vor, das sich ausnahmsweise mit der griechischen statt der nordischen Mythologie befasst.
Der Sound ist klar und kräftig, was dem Black Metal der Band durchaus zugute kommt. Diesen , eher im Midtempo angesiedelten, Schwarzmetall erweitert die Band mit dem zugegeben anspruchsvollen Namen durch viele dem Folk entlehnte Elemente, wie sie oft im Pagan- oder Folk Metal-Sektor genutzt werden, beispielsweise die folkigen Melodien in den Vocals oder auch das überwiegend akustische “Alexandros“, das sogar einen leicht Osteuropäischen Touch hat. Das passt wiederum zu den griechisch-mytologischen Texten und Attitüde der Band. Nach diesem teils Akustikstück folgt “der Hit” des Albums: “My Earth My Water” bildet den Track, der von den Stücken am Besten live funktionieren wird. Andere zwar auch, aber dieser besitzt eine gewissen Eingängigkeit mit ordentlich Thrash-Rythmik, die zum Luftgitarre zücken einläd. Und mitsingen kann man auch noch super ;) Die Vocals des Albums sind überwiegend in tiefen Screams oder hohen Growls gehalten, “Alexandros” bietet da mit altertümlichem Klargesang eine schöne Abwechslung in der Mitte der Scheibe.
Meneapneontes zeigen auf “Promachos” eindrucksvoll wie Pagan mit Black Metal funktioniert ohne in nordischen Klischees zu versinken und bringen mit dem Griechenthema frischen Wind in ein eher stagnierendes Genre.
https://metalviewer.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/meneapneontes-promachos/
Auf den mystischen Namen Meneapneontes hört dieses griechische Black Metal-Duo, das seit 2011 aktiv ist und nun ihr erstes musikalisches Lebenszeichen überhaupt hinlegt. Geboten wird typischer, düsterer Hellenen Schwarzstahl. Atmosphärischer Black Metal mit gespenstischen, düsteren Intros, schönen Melodien und ganz viel Mystik im Stil von Rotting Christ, Varathron, Thou Art Lord, Katavasia oder Septic Flesh stehen hier an der Tagesordnung. Das Ganze wird unterlegt von einer guten, transparenten Produktion, welche die Atmosphäre schön untermalt. Viele Snarefiguren sorgen für einen leicht progressiven Touch und ein kompaktes Zusammenspiel. Besonders gut sind die Leadgitarren, die hier stets präsent sind. Wer Griechen Black Metal mag, dem wird hier alles sehr vertraut vorkommen, und das, obwohl die beiden Musiker ausnahmsweise mal von keiner anderen Band her bekannt sind, wie das in Griechenland so oft der Fall ist.
http://www.crossfire-metal.de/12538-0-MENEAPNEONTES-PROMACHOS.html
Black Metal can be a really diverse music genre and, in fact, works great with many languages aside from the English one. All the Scandinavian languages fit the prime form of Black Metal, adding an extra raw layer due to the strange-sounding pronunciation. In the same wavelength is the Greek language which has been used by quite a few bands with impressive success, with KAWIR and ROTTING CHRIST coming on top of my mind. Of course, I am referring to the Ancient Greek dialect which has the ability to adapt in almost every type of Black Metal, and if this is news to you, then you should investigate more. Obviously, the two Greeks of MENEAPNEONTES (a rough translation is "those who are furious") do exactly this in their debut album “Promachos” which have been visiting my stereo player for quite some time now.
The ROTTING CHRIST-inspired riff (of the “A Dead Poem” cleaner days) of the album’s title track quickly sets the musical stage for MENEAPNEONTES who sound like they are fully aware of where they want their music to go. Although there are no blast-beat tempos, the fast riffs, the growling vocals (the lyrics are still audible) and the bass-drum are enough to keep the aggression into headbanging levels without dismissing the melody. “Molon Lave” uses exactly this pattern and builds the epic atmosphere the story around this famous quote from the Ancient Greek history requires. Especially during the spoken-lyrics part, you’ll get massive goosebumps and this will become ten-times more intense, if only you understand what the singer is saying. And this is how the entire albums flows by, making references to the Greek history and mythology, while mixing the Black Metal aggression with melody and in times focusing to heroic parts walking in line with each song’s thematology. Please, don’t worry because the lyrics are not explicitly written in Ancient Greek, but have lots of English lines and in this way bridge the gap and - why not - appeal to those who cannot stand a thing.
The songs making the strongest impression during the first album spins are “Alexandros” as it enters with Ancient Greek-inspired musical phrases to build the proper atmosphere for the lyrical content (I guess I don’t have to say about whom this was written) and “Roupel” as it sets the WWII stage dealing with the heroic deeds of the many who fallen there. The machine-gun and tank advancing sounds change place with the fast snare-drum and the faster riffs which are closer to the prime Black Metal. The melancholy coming from the riff-driven and mid-tempo break will chill your bones and prep you for song-climax during the awesome guitar solo, even though I’d prefer it to be one step forward on the mix.
“Promachos” does not sound like the usual debut of a young band which is trying to find an original sound while filtering the influences. MENEAPNEONTES have a strong and mature songwriting hand and know exactly how to build an atmosphere and narrate a story using a mix of Greek and English lyrics with confidence. I am already wondering if there will be a follow-up album in the not so distant future…
http://www.metalkaoz.com/album-reviews/17042-meneapneontes-promachos.html
Meneapneontes is een, zoals de naam doet vermoeden, Griekse band en brengt met Promachos het eerste album uit. Melodieuze en moderne black/death met epische leads en een duidelijk Griekse sound, onderbroken door samples en ondersteund door voorgedragen teksten. Ook is er een folky inslag te vinden, waardoor het geheel vaak nog net wat theatraler aandoet.
Dit album wordt gepromoot als zijnde zwart metaal, maar er zijn toch een hoop elementen die op andere stijlen wijzen. De band maakt veel gebruik van ritmes in de vocalen en wanneer dat gecombineerd wordt met melodieuze en epische leads, is een folky atmosfeer nooit ver weg. Veel riffs neigen ook sterk richting de melodieuze death metal van de Zweedse soort en dat maakt dat de atmosfeer ook wat opgefokt kan worden. De melodieën zijn niet overal sterk genoeg om de muziek te leiden en de combinatie van de gehakte ritmesectie met de gepolijste productie zorgt voor een erg moderne sound.
Vocaal gezien combineert de band grunts met zowel voorgedragen passages als cleane zang. Die laatste versterkt vooral het epische aspect van de muziek (of doet daar een poging toe). De teksten zijn afwisselend in het Grieks en Engels en behandelen mythologische thema’s uit de Griekse geschiedenis. Leuk om te zien dat onderbelichte onderwerpen als Typhon en Talos gebruikt worden, wat toch een stukje originaliteit oplevert.
Geen idee of het de Griekse inslag van de melodieën is, maar Promachos weet niet de epiek te benaderen die de band voor ogen lijkt te hebben. De ontzettend moderne sound helpt daar ook zeker niet mee, want de mythologische inslag en atmosfeer lijden ontzettend onder de vervelende productie. Af en toe wordt er een poging gedaan om wat zagende blackmetalriffs te spelen, maar het geheel is te lichtvoetig om hier nog iets aan te hebben.
http://www.zwaremetalen.com/recensie/33867/Meneapneontes-Promachos.html
Vassilis and Takis are two Greek warriors who have decided to honour the history of their people and country in the only way such a thing can be properly done: by forming a black metal band. Although Meneapneontes was already formed by 2011, their first album, Promachos, which can be translated as ‘who leads into battle’ and which was the name of many great warriors, was only just released last year.
Unsurprisingly, Promachos is a call to battle. The drums and especially the riffs are crafted in an extremely dynamic and impulsive way. Vassilis and Takis often try to recreate the physical and mental tension that had to exist in every individual ancient Greek warrior before the battle scream was released. Promachos is first and foremost characterised by an atmosphere of excitement and agitation. There are, of course, many passages on the album wherein the battle is already roaring and blood is being shed, but those brutal elements are not the key to understanding Meneapneontes’ art.
As fans of heavy music know, viking metal bands—especially if they hail from Scandinavia—are famous for their bombastic approach to ‘war metal’. They try to evoke a vision of hordes of fierce northern warriors who simply crush everything into the ground. Just think of Amon Amarth’s famous ‘Victorious March’: ‘Ten heavy feet walk the bloodsoiled ground, with rhythm these five warriors march.’ Obviously, Greek warriors have their own fighting style and their own way of composing such battle scenes. Meneapneontes are no less brutal than the Vikings, but their approach is far more subtle and features more nuance.
One can, for example, hear this when listening to the epic ‘Eleley’. The song opens with raw vocals, militaristic drums, and staccato riffs, but changes rather quickly into a melodic black metal track with impellent drums and sharp riffs. However, the tempo as well as the style changes over the course of ‘Eleley’, and in the last third of this epic war song, Meneapneontes implement clean vocals, creating an atmosphere worthy of ancient Hellenic struggles. Another great example is the opening title track, which manages to perfectly represent the anticipation of warriors before a fight with the help of solid guitar riffs.
There are also two other aspects to Meneapneontes’ music which should be given attention. With ‘Alexandros’, Vassilis and Takis have written an atmospheric ballad that is perfectly suitable for fans of the folk spectrum. The combination of clear guitars, minimal percussion, and clear and black metal vocals make for an enthralling atmosphere and a worthy tribute to one of the most famous warriors in Greek history. And they don’t only sing about ancient fallen warriors and great battles—they also focus on modern struggles. Promachos‘s final song, ‘Roupel’, deals with Fort Roupel which became famous when the German Wehrmacht attacked Greece in the year 1941: “A thousand planes assault, twelve hundred panzers march, four infantry divisions against the land of gods.” It seems clear that Meneapneontes want to show that the Greek fighting spirit could never be broken—neither in ancient or modern times.
Promachos is a fantastic debut album. Thanks to the exciting and thoughtful songwriting, the fierce atmosphere, and its sheer diversity, Meneapneontes’ debut album is something for all fans of dynamic and powerful metal. Now if only the Greek people had as much fighting spirit as Meneapneontes when it came to fighting the austerity politics of the European Union last year!
https://heathenharvest.org/2016/02/10/meneapneontes-promachos/
There’s no mistaking Promachos for anything other than what it is – Hellenic black metal, full of Greek pride and passion. There’s shades of later-day Rotting Christ to it too, particularly in some of the palm-muted riffs that launch in to undeniably epic sections (best exemplified by the opening title track). The production is fairly raw, giving the album a grounded, earthly feel, that keeps it rooted even as the lyrics tell tales of Greek heroism – songs such as “My Earth My Water” and closer “Roupel” are undeniably stirring, regardless of your background. Meneapneontes even throw some more creative elements in to the mix, as during “Alexandros”. A very assured debut, with signs that the duo could forge a very distinct identity within Greek black metal.
https://thesoundnottheword.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/february-blasts/
Meneapneontes play classic Greek Black Metal in the ancient ways of early Rotting Christ and Necromantia. There is a lot of depth to this record, both in the music and vocals. Some parts are almost folkish, and then they get right back into the blastbeats and shredding. Those folkish parts almost remind me of Graveland, only in a different language. This came out in September of last year and was only done in a limited run, so hopefully you can still get it, and I would recommend you do so as soon as you can.
Vassilis y Takis son los dos responsables detrás de esta banda griega llamada Meneapneontes, y que aquí debuta con este “Promachos”. En lo que parece ser un álbum de tipo conceptual, el dúo se enrola en una suerte de black metal épico con tintes de viking, con marchas de tipo marcial, riffs entrecortados, melodías folk y voces ásperas pero no guturales.
Meneapneontes despliega mucha fuerza y crudeza a lo largo de los once temas que conforman este álbum, sonando ajustados y seguros, sustentados por un muy buen sonido y producción y con letras siempre relativas a guerras y batallas históricas, como así a la mitología griega.
Destacables los muy buenos arreglos, particularmente en los coros y melodías, como así la presentación general del álbum.
El trabajo es parejo, y en mi opinión lo mejor de “Promachos” aparece en los temas más épicos como “Talos” o “Alexandros”, o en el pesadísimo “My earth my water”, pero todo el álbum es superlativo. Recomendado.
http://rockarollazine.blogspot.ru/2016/10/meneapneontes-promachos-2015-satanath.html
Il mondo ellenico possiede da sempre un fascino tale da irretire anche l'universo del metal, uno degli esempi più noti è certamente quello degli Iron Maiden che celebrarono Alessandro III di Macedonia con il brano "Alexander The Great" nel 1986. Alle nostre latitudini gli Holy Martyr glorificarono lo spirito guerriero di quei popoli nello splendido "Hellenic Warrior Spirit" (2008), mentre qua su Aristocrazia Webzine trattai in prima persona i non indimenticabili Insidead, proprio in concomitanza con la crisi economica greca e il rischio di uscita dall'UE del paese (2013). Stavolta è il turno dei greci Meneapneontes.
"Promachos", nome col quale si indicavano i soldati della prima linea della falange, è il debutto del duo composto da Vasilis (basso e voce) e Takis (chitarre e seconde voci), rilasciato lo scorso anno da Murdher Records e Satanath Records. Le undici tracce pescano a piene mani dal black metal epico dei connazionali Rotting Christ, certamente senza la stessa raffinatezza, sciorinando un riffing che flirta col death metal melodico (con vari passaggi in assolo) e una predilezione per le andature moderate e cariche di groove ("Typhoeus"). Ovviamente non mancano le inserzioni acustiche della tradizione greca, a calarci nel contesto storico-culturale, come accade in "Alexandros", sempre pregevoli. Il cantato invece alterna scream e growl, entrambi abbastanza chiari nello scandire le parole ma poco inclini a seguire il corso della musica per la loro natura monolitica, il supporto fornito dagli sparuti cori puliti si rivela perciò efficace ("Eleley"); la pronuncia dell'inglese qua e là non è perfetta.
Una caratteristica peculiare del disco è quella di evitare il raggiungimento di picchi emotivi con sussulti pregni di pathos, preferendo mantenere una tensione epica strisciante e continua basata su una ritmica piuttosto compassata. Ne risulta un'opera massiccia e quadrata, che fatica a spezzare a dovere questa rigidità per colpa di una sezione ritmica non all'altezza, in particolare nelle accelerazioni. La programmazione troppo lineare della drum machine (almeno così mi pare) impedisce quei cambi di passo che sarebbero stati vitali per completare i pezzi.
I testi pescano a piene mani dalla mitologia e dalla storia antica greca, trattando della Battaglia di Maratona o citando a ripetizione le Termopili e i celeberrimi trecento. La lingua inglese si alterna con costanza al greco, essa presenta uno stile abbastanza classico per il metal e per le tematiche relative al valore e alla guerra (almeno agli occhi di un non esperto di lingue), ma una buona caratterizzazione fornita dalla menzione continua di luoghi, concetti ed elementi della tradizione greca. La sola "Roupel" rappresenta una parziale eccezione, trasportandoci in epoca moderna già dal rumore dei bombardamenti iniziali, per raccontare della resistenza che l'esercito greco oppose all'invasione nazista della Jugoslavia all'inizio dell'aprile 1941, di cui il forte Roupel fu appunto un simbolo, vista come una nuova battaglia delle Termopili.
In conclusione, "Promachos" è un buon biglietto da visita, perché mostra pregi e difetti dei Meneapneontes in modo cristallino: da un lato abbiamo buone melodie, fierezza guerriera e frangenti in cui scapocciare convinti, dall'altro la necessità di una migliore cura negli arrangiamenti, di maggiore dinamismo per i comparti di batteria e voce, oltre che di una personalità più spiccata. A ogni modo, i miei colleghi italiani e internazionali sono stati meno inflessibili nel giudizio, promuovendo a pieni voti il disco, perciò ascoltatelo e giudicate in prima persona.
http://www.aristocraziawebzine.com/recensioni/7763-meneapneontes-promachos
Что интересно, лейбл Satanath Records дает возможность нашим фэнам блэк металла ознакомиться с совершенно разными сценами, вот например сабжем — с греческой. MENEAPNEONTES проект двух мэнов из Афин, которые привлекли еще немного народа и заделали нам отличный образчик греческого эпического блака. Группа существует с 11-го года и вот наконец дуэт довел до ума и выстрелил = выпустил на двух лейблах настоящий, живой компакт диск. MurdHer Records кстати, итальянская контора.
Формация работает с темами касающимися (Слава Перуну!) греческой истории, начиная с Фермопил и битвах около Марафона, спартанских героев и прочих знаменательных событий. Музыкально все это оформляется эпическим, как указано блак металлом, нисколько не простым, а наоборот, навороченным и богатым на инструментальные изыски. Причем, когда я уже прошел три трака, то у меня возникло впечатление, что дуэт опирается на германское фолк наследие. И где-то даже, может быть, англо-саксонское, если быть более точным )). Ибо музыкальный движ MENEAPNEONTES напомнил мне ранние альбомы ВИА FOREFATHER из Великобритании, если вы понимаете, о чем речь.
Что ж, хороший прицел, если наши греки имели данный коллектив в виду. Ибо в таком стиле — викинг металла стегают тысячи групп, а начал еще прославленный баторист всех времен и народов из одноименной группы.
Вокалирует здесь камрад, у которого, как говорится, глотка луженая, как у тех же берсерков, которые, как говорят, своим только видом и рыком наводили ужас на священнослужителей монотеистических религий. Брутальный вокал здесь базируется где-то на середине пути между харшем и скримингом, четкий и жестокий, он напоминает свеженький напильник, который отлично снимает железную стружку, как его ни приладь. А ведь здесь еще применяется чистый вокал, в самых эпических местах, где драматургия произведения MENEAPNEONTES приказывает возвышенный стиль и совершенную серьезность. Так что ревнителям чистых вокалов будет что обсудить за рюмкой чая. Кстати, два основных музыканта люто вокалят здесь — один основной, а другой на бэке.
Струнники здраво и мощно обеспечили протекание музыкального течения, эпически опираясь на знакомые нам темы, но одновременно настрагивая чумового и судьбоносного музла. Причем важно, — в некоторых местах гитаристы MENEAPNEONTES рубили совершенно скоростные маршевые траки, принуждающие совершать многокилометровые броски в тыл противника.
Надо обязательно и сказать о холеной непринужденности, с которой звучат в итоге исполнители, а ведь таковая рождается в результате многочасовых репетиций с появлением крови на медиаторах).
Альбом с умом и тактом наполнен атмосферными вставками, так, что ни разу вы не сможете сказать, что со спецэффектами перебор. А ведь это дорогого стоит. Иногда музыканты просто портят толковый конечный продукт вставочками («ну я всегда мечтал поставить что-нибудь такое красивое»). Не дай Велес! На нашем артефакте MENEAPNEONTES все сделано просто и естественно. Не раз и не два на альбоме возникают акустические струнные инструменты, не могу сказать, аутентичные греческие или какие-то иные, но каждый раз это словно шприцевая инъекция экспрессивности и прикосновения к древнейшим временам.
В 12-страничном буклете нашлось место для текстов, и потому любопытный до истории меломан может почитать лирику команды. Она здесь на английском языке и потому доступна для понимания героической тематики поднятой группой.
В заключение не могу не сказать о добротной студийной работе над звуком этого диска MENEAPNEONTES. Потому низа бьют из колонок, как кулак разъяренного спартанца и высокие визжат, как поверженные в прах враги. Качество саунд-инженерной работы так и прет с дорожек этого диска.
Grécka black metalová produkcia má slušný cveng. Kapely ako Rotting Christ, Necromantia, Varathron alebo Zemial dali svojimi miešaním black metalu s inými štýlmi miestnej scéne charakteristický zvuk a aj kapely ako Macabre Omen či Nocternity, ktoré miešajú toto poňatie s odkazom škandinávskej scény, majú svoju vysokú kvalitu. Preto som bol zvedavý na debutový album gréckej kapely s pre mňa nevysloviteľným názvom, ktorého vydanie priniesli ešte v roku 2015 vydavateľstvá Murdher Records a Satanath Records.
Meneapneontes svoje národné korene nezapreli a isto zaprieť ani nehodlali. Texty kapely sa zaoberajú klasickou gréckou mytológiou, ale predovšetkým dejinami krajiny od staroveku (bitka pri Maratóne, Alexander Veľký) až po druhú svetovú vojnu. Tak je logické, že v niektorých piesňach znejú tieto texty v ich materčine. Aj ústredný motív nie príliš invenčnej photoshopovej grafiky tvorí hoplitská prilba a ďalšia výstroj ťažkoodenca z klasického obdobia.
Tiež hudobne Gréci čerpajú do veľkej miery z odkazu svojich lokálnych predchodcov. Osobne si myslím, že je ich tvorba najbližšia novšej produkcii kapiel Rotting Christ alebo Varathron od gitarových melódií, cez spôsob riffovania až po typ vokálu. Okrem toho v hudbe cítim vplyv škandinávskeho melodického death metalu. Bluesové sóla ako napríklad to z titulnej skladby mi pripomínajú starý Unanimated, niektoré pasáže svojim rytmom Dismember alebo Entombed. Len by som povedal, že štruktúry skladieb i melódie sú oproti svojim vzorom zjednodušené a chýba im nejaký konflikt alebo disonancia. Všetko je to také uchu lahodiace, ale zároveň neveľmi zapamätateľné, a mám pocit, že som veľkú časť melódií počul už kdesi inde, u iných kapiel. A neraz. Osviežením sú občasne použité čisté vokály (skladba Eleley) alebo neofolkové pasáže v skladbe Alexandros.
Produkčne nemám výhrady. Kapela sa vydala cestou čistého, menej agresívneho zvuku, ktorý by pristal aj oveľa známejším menám, ale zvuk je vyvážený a neznie nadbytočne plastovo. Inštrumentálne výkony sú slušné a vyzdvihnutie si zaslúži hlavne lead gitara, ktorá vlastne ťahá celý album, aby nespadol do najšedšieho priemeru ohraných postupov z tlmených akordov.
Albumy ako Promachos sa objektívne hodnotia pomerne ťažko. Ak kapela vie pretaviť svoje piesne na pódium s prezentovanou kvalitou hrania a dobrým zvukom, tak by výsledkom mohlo byť príjemné popoludňajšie vystúpenie na nejakom letnom festivale. Musíme si však medzi nami úprimne povedať, že keď sa rozdával umelecký kumšt a invencia, tak Meneapneontes nestáli nikde vpredu. Nič na albume nesmrdí nejakou osobitosťou alebo tvorivým prístupom. Všetko podstatné sme už počuli aj v lepšej podobe niekde inde. Výsledkom je tak dobre zahraný a príjemne počuvateľný album s peknými melódiami, ktorému však chýba nejaká vážnejšia hĺbka.
https://heathenbes.blogspot.ru/2017/08/meneapneontes-promachos-2015.html