Greek metalheads Spektrvm deal out some thoughtful, portentous music on their debut album Blood For Heaven. Built around the pleasing vocals of Thanos Zabetakis, the band weave a progressive soundscape occasionally leavened with hints of grunge (mainly through Zabekis’ ear-friendly singing), thrash and nu-metal. It’s an eminently listenable sonic brew, for sure, but over and above that it’s also one that survives repeated revisits, with the songs revealing more of themselves each time you listen.
After a dramatic opening in the form of instrumental track Gift of Oizys, the band set their stall out early with the stately title track, a lurching, cinematic statement of intent that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Spektrvm don’t hurry themselves, allowing songs to breathe and develop naturally. This occasionally means things might get a little bogged down in their own worthiness, but the fact is you’re never far away from a vocal or guitar hook to get things back on track, and the overall effect is very satisfying in the final analysis.
Guitarists Nicholas Dhamo and George Zikas don’t overdo things, preferring to work together to create a pleasing wall of sound ably backed by rhythm section Lyo Panagiotopoulos (drums) and bassist Michael Poulizos; when they do opt for a solo they keep things tight and melodic, playing for the song rather than the other way round. It’s a nice policy well executed.
On the propulsive Leviathan everything comes together to perhaps best represent what the band are all about as they deliver a nice slab of modern, melodic heavy metal that, whilst immediately familiar in feel, actually doesn’t sound like anyone in particular. It’s punchy, it’s got a chorus refrain you’ll find yourself humming absent mindedly for days and some nice lead work to round things out. What’s not to like?
For a debut album, Blood For Heaven is a tremendously self-assured, rewarding piece of work. Well done guys, and here’s to many more!
Blood For Heaven is out now.
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