Kawir - Ισόθεος - review
Kawir - Ισόθεος - review
Tracklist
01. Δαίμων [CD bonus]02. Ύμνος στους ανέμους
03. Εις Δήμητρα
04. Ύμνος στον Απόλλων
05. Χαίρε Βάκχε
06. Άδης
07. Ισόθεος
08. Πανσπερμία
A review by
Auntie Sahar November 23, 2012
Part of what makes Isotheos such an enjoyable listen is that Kawir keep to mostly mid-paced tempos throughout the album's duration. Granted, a few moments of a more aggressive black metal sound pop up here and there (the beginning of "Hymn To Winds," for example), but for the most part the blitzkrieg wall-of-sound technique that many black metal bands typically make use of isn't there. While this approach may not exactly sound good on paper, it contributes greatly to the album's impact on the listener, because the fact that the paces of the tracks are more relaxed allows more room to fully absorb Kawir's riffs and overall song structures. Indeed, there are many melodies on Isotheos that can easily get stuck in your head after a few listens (not the most common feature of black metal), such as the outro riff on "Hymn To Winds," the chants on "Hail Bachhus," and the flute melody in the middle of "To Demeter." Some people may view this technique negatively as being a more accessible approach than is tolerable for black metal, but in the end, it makes the music catchy, and a band having a hook to its songwriting is never a bad thing.
All in all, Isotheos is a great contribution to black metal's sound from a relatively obscure band. The catchiness of the riffs, the harmonic vocal chants reminiscent of Viking-era Bathory, and the ambience of the flute and keyboards all come together in quite the interesting formula. I know that "fun" isn't exactly the term one would use to describe black metal, but the music Kawir create on Isotheos truly is, and it's really not that difficult to picture a large Greek phalanx indulging in celebratory goblets of wine and other ecstasies after a huge battle victory while listening to it. Warm, epic, and inviting, with a splash of originality: that's the atmosphere the music on this album creates. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out. Zeus will never forgive you if you don't.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | November 23, 2012
Comments
Comments:
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Posts: 6941
Sweet. I am definitely checking this out. Love me some Viking mythology but the Greeks have some bad ass characters of their own! And who doesn't need some "fun" in their black metal from time to time? I know I do 
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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Posts: 21
Very nice review!! Very enjoyable album indeed....I have to add that most of the lyrics are written in ancient greek.That sure is unique!
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Posts: 266  |
Posts: 266
They remind me to Forefather, one of my favourite bands, so I think completely enjoyable album for Pagan-Black fans
---- http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
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Posts: 64581
Nice reviev, amazing album, I agree and in some way there was some kind a balkan turbo folk influences as well into music.
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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