Review by Felix on December 27, 2025.

With all due respect to bands such as Necrodeath, Körgull The Exterminator, or Filii Negrantium Infernalis, I consider Greece to be the most productive country in South Europe when it comes to extreme metal. That’s almost logical, because already in ancient times, the Greeks made a massive contribution to European culture. By contrast, I have never heard of ancient Portuguese philosophers or mystical Spanish gods. Italy, with its Roman Empire, is another story, anyway, here we have Penthos and they write another chapter of Greek art. As far as I understand, Erevos means both a synonym for Hades and the personification of darkness. Either way, at the latest, the impressive artwork illustrates that these dudes love the mythology of their country – and why not?

Erevos is a black metal album that explores very different velocities and delivers a mix of creepy sounds, slowly flowing lava, malicious high speed, and intensive outbreaks of anger. The band is less adventurous when it comes to song patterns. The nine tracks do not challenge the listener massively; they are quickly understandable. There exist no labyrinthine paths one has to take to get access to the material, but an oppressive aura. The album spreads some very serious, devastating vibes, last but not least due to its appropriate production. A dark and profoundly heavy sound, even the bass guitar plays a more or less prominent part, marks an important factor for the positive impression Erevos is leaving. A small number of ambivalent, mild sequences, for example, in 'Lady In Black (Witch II)' affect this impression to a certain extent, but they do not characterize the album in any way. Nevertheless, from time to time, I wish that the band had written more rigorous parts. They loosen the iron grip around the listener without need at the expense of intensity. And despite some great and sinister harmonies, two or three melodies have crept in that remain on a mediocre level.

These little negative aspects aside, the Greek present very strong stuff like 'Όλεθρος (Olethros)', a rumbling attack with slow, desperate parts, which draws the listener into a nearly fathomless depth, or the speedy, almost flying closer 'Forlorn Voyage', which is introduced by some gloomy notes. The fact that Penthos does not shy away from a certain affinity for repetition lends some sequences of Erevos an an almost hypnotic character. On the other hand, the melancholy often celebrated by Greek bands is not really evident here. To be honest, I don’t miss it. The album holds enough positive moments to enjoy it, although there is room for optimization. No problem, not each and every album can be a perfect masterpiece. The decisive factor for me is that Penthos have talent, spirit, and (hopefully) stamina – and they contribute to the good reputation of the Greek scene.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 27, 2025.

With all due respect to bands such as Necrodeath, Körgull The Exterminator, or Filii Negrantium Infernalis, I consider Greece to be the most productive country in South Europe when it comes to extreme metal. That’s almost logical, because already in ancient times, the Greeks made a massive contribution to European culture. By contrast, I have never heard of ancient Portuguese philosophers or mystical Spanish gods. Italy, with its Roman Empire, is another story, anyway, here we have Penthos and they write another chapter of Greek art. As far as I understand, Erevos means both a synonym for Hades and the personification of darkness. Either way, at the latest, the impressive artwork illustrates that these dudes love the mythology of their country – and why not?

Erevos is a black metal album that explores very different velocities and delivers a mix of creepy sounds, slowly flowing lava, malicious high speed, and intensive outbreaks of anger. The band is less adventurous when it comes to song patterns. The nine tracks do not challenge the listener massively; they are quickly understandable. There exist no labyrinthine paths one has to take to get access to the material, but an oppressive aura. The album spreads some very serious, devastating vibes, last but not least due to its appropriate production. A dark and profoundly heavy sound, even the bass guitar plays a more or less prominent part, marks an important factor for the positive impression Erevos is leaving. A small number of ambivalent, mild sequences, for example, in 'Lady In Black (Witch II)' affect this impression to a certain extent, but they do not characterize the album in any way. Nevertheless, from time to time, I wish that the band had written more rigorous parts. They loosen the iron grip around the listener without need at the expense of intensity. And despite some great and sinister harmonies, two or three melodies have crept in that remain on a mediocre level.

These little negative aspects aside, the Greek present very strong stuff like 'Όλεθρος (Olethros)', a rumbling attack with slow, desperate parts, which draws the listener into a nearly fathomless depth, or the speedy, almost flying closer 'Forlorn Voyage', which is introduced by some gloomy notes. The fact that Penthos does not shy away from a certain affinity for repetition lends some sequences of Erevos an an almost hypnotic character. On the other hand, the melancholy often celebrated by Greek bands is not really evident here. To be honest, I don’t miss it. The album holds enough positive moments to enjoy it, although there is room for optimization. No problem, not each and every album can be a perfect masterpiece. The decisive factor for me is that Penthos have talent, spirit, and (hopefully) stamina – and they contribute to the good reputation of the Greek scene.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Benjamin on October 1, 2022.

Out of absolutely nowhere (well, Australia actually), comes Skare’s startling self-titled debut, which is a strong challenger to Pestilent Hex’s own first assault as this listener’s black metal album of the year. If the underground has most frequently been championing either scratchy primitivism and dissonant churn in recent years, it appears that the worm is starting to turn, as bands such as Stormkeep and now Skare are rediscovering the ability to add a dash of triumphant melody to their otherwise coruscating torrent of blastbeats and tremolo riffs. While there is little information relating to Skare available online, the smart gambler would be confident in keeping their money were they to place a bet on the fact that the band’s members grew up on a strict diet of Satyricon, Emperor, Dawn and Obtained Enslavement, and it is a genuine thrill to hear another band running with the adventurous spirit of the 90s legends, without too closely aping any single one of them.

Although not quite as extravagantly symphonic as the last of the above list, Skare’s sound is nonetheless heavily reliant on the windswept synths that carry stirring melodies above the raging fury of the waves of minor key riffage. At times, the folky feel of the melodies is redolent of Moonsorrow at their most aggressive, at other times the melancholy nature of the note choices recalls Burzum, such as on the excellent ‘A Sordid Ceremony’. Such comparisons though are mere reference points on a map that unfolds through numerous twists and turns, and at all times, there is a clear and consistent thread that the listener can follow which ensures that Skare’s tracks feel like cohesive parts of a whole, rather than an unwieldy collection of influences and inspirations. 

A relatively short album, albeit containing five quite lengthy tracks, the lodestone and highlight of an enchanting piece of work is the majestic ‘Beyond The Church Spires’, which eventually unleashes incandescent and fleet-fingered melodic brilliance following an unexpected death-doom section, which adds some guttural death metal vocals to the more conventional shrieks that comprise the majority of the album’s vocals. As the neo-classical pianos fill out an already dense mix to raise the welcome spectre of early Cradle Of Filth, this listener is lost in the kind of reverie and nostalgic haze that usually only a visit to the sub-genres early classics is able to evoke. Skare’s sound is vast, expansive and bursting with enough memorable flourishes and filigrees to suggest that this is a band that are only just beginning to discover the extent of their unlimited capability. The impression is further reinforced by the dynamic ‘Into Icy Pewter Sky’, which showcases the band’s songwriting ability by combining thunderous counterpoint lead guitar tremolos, rousing clean vocals and a delicate acoustic outro in a way that sounds entirely natural and fluid, a description that can in fact be applied to the entire record.

Skare’s debut is an absolutely enthralling piece of work that perfectly balances ferocity and melodic flair in a way that should ensure its longevity for some time to come.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10