Band:	Septicflesh
Album:	The Great Mass
Style:	Extreme symphonic metal
Release date:	April 18, 2011
A review by:	KwonVerge

Disc I
01. The Vampire From Nazareth
02. A Great Mass Of Death
03. Pyramid God
04. Five-Pointed Star
05. Oceans Of Grey
06. The Undead Keep Dreaming
07. Rising
08. Apocalypse
09. Mad Architect
10. Therianthropy

Disc II [Limited edition] [DVD]
01. Making Of?
    1 - We Offer The Sun
    2 - Writing The Apocalypse
    3 - A Concerto Of Sadness
    4 - I Am The Destroyer Of Life

02. The Great Mass 5.1
    1 - The Vampire From Nazareth
    2 - A Great Mass Of Death
    3 - Pyramid God
    4 - Five-Pointed Star
    5 - Oceans Of Grey
    6 - The Undead Keep Dreaming
    7 - Rising
    8 - Apocalypse
    9 - Mad Architect
    10 - Therianthropy

According to Orthodox Easter, Christ will be resurrected by the end of this specific week, springtime unfolds its wings in a shy way, slowly but steadily, the flowers bloom, the butterflies dance and "The Vampire From Nazareth" is about to be awakened. Well, my dear friends, this is the most appropriate moment of the year for a new Septicflesh album.

And so, The Great Mass has been released and the sound is as expected, in the standards they set from their debut album to the new birth's predecessor, starting from there where Communion's last breath ceased to exist. This work is everything the band has been so far and a step ahead simultaneously. We're talking about a trademark Septicflesh ornament for us all to remember their course throughout the years and at the same time cherish something in the present that might evoke visions of the forthcoming future. Mystic Places Of Dawn and Esoptron set the basis. In these corridors you will find references to Ophidian Wheel's and A Fallen Temple's more atmospheric air. You will witness Revolution DNA's experimentation undressed from electronics, yet with its melody apparent. Sumerian Daemons' vulgar yet still elegiac vibes will lurk in the corner and Communion's more powerful aura will still haunt. And here's when Prague's Philharmonic Orchestra comes into play once again with the ensemble of a flotilla of musicians and instruments to frame the Septicflesh main core and here it is, a miracle, in exchange for your soul.

The first impression always emerges from the cover artwork, once again performed by Seth Siro Anton himself bearing his trademark signature, a fabulous piece of art with a Sopor Aeternus extravaganza and not only, plus the fact that you have to adore the new emblem of the band, their moniker never seemed so imperial; just like the sound. Everything's here, Seth's draconian voice that still haunts the abyss, Sotiris' sinister and at the same time gentle interpretation in a quite extended climax, the bombastic rhythm section that holds tight the compositions, the renowned Septicflesh guitar harmonies/melodies and the powerful bulldozing riffing. And all of them blend with a feast of nocturnal orchestrations, choir passages and female vocals from Androniki Skoula and Iliana Tsakiraki that bring forth memories of the Natalia Rassoulis era, in a whole lot different and personal vein though. Of course this mixture of massive assault, Anatolian mystery and dark delight would never sound the same without Peter Tägtgren's involvement in production.

Personality as an important aspect of Septicflesh's sound keeps reigning supreme and if Communion was the seed 'They, The Gods' planted during their reunion, The Great Mass is the blossom, with complexity and maturity overrunning the album through its 43 minutes of duration. I'd advice you to listen to it as a whole, it's an entity, not just ten compositions; coexistence is the key. If it won't earn your appreciation during the first blow, give it a few more spins, it possesses the art of growing; and then comes your reward.

The Great Mass is the intercourse of the damned's horrendous howls with the angels' enlighted chants, for they all shall inherit the same kingdom, that one, of the void.