Erevos - Descensus Ad Inferos (2011)

Just when you thought you have heard every single Symphonic Black Metal band under the sun (or moon), a ‘new’ one pops out. Releasing their debut album “Descensus Ad Inferos”, today we have Greece’s Erevos. Playing a mean Symphonic Black Metal, this band delivers a very powerful and commanding debut release. Featuring tons of lush atmospheric landscapes, powerful guitars and very ghoulish vocals, this band will surely turn some heads in the scene.

Opening with thick atmospheric keyboards, “Adou Katavasis” announces the band’s very complex and well developed sound. The production behind this release is excellent since allows everything to sound very clearly and massive. The combination of keyboards and guitars is very melodic and makes this opening track very catchy and engaging. Things remain as brutal with “The Omnipotence of the Judges”, a song that reminds us very much of Anorexia Nervosa and their hyper-brutal melodic songs.

“Kires” sound a lot like a more traditional Black Metal song from a band like Watain or such, but with extra atmospheric elements that brings out the music to a completely different level. The growls/shrieks are pretty solid and well mixed in the songs. The drumming in massive and there are some brilliant double-kick sections. Keeping things brutal and heavily atmospheric, our favorite track of this release is the intoxicating but short “Under the Wings of Thanatos”.

While most of the tracks keep the same vibe and approach, “Kerevos” starts with pounding guitars and the keyboards are set aside for a bit. This makes the song very interesting and different from the rest, showcasing some versatility from the band. Before the outro track, the band closes this release with the direct and powerful “Grotesque Blasphemy”. In this track the vocals are very hellish and the tempo changes are very interesting.

Without being highly original, “Descensus Ad Inferos” is one of those albums that sound too good to not like. If you are a Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal fan like us, we can’t really complain when the songs are well constructed and feature powerful keyboards alongside excellent guitar melodies. If you like bands like Limbonic Art, Anorexia Nervosa, Dimmu Borgir, etc, be sure to give a chance to Erevos, you will be nicely surprised.

Release: September 30th, 2011

Country: Greece