Fovitron - Altar Of Whispers

The word Fovitron ("Φόβητρον" in Greek) stands for something fearful, something that scares you. It can also refer to the fearful masks of the Ancient Greek Theater or to the snakes of the Erinya Tisiphone (Erinyes were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology).

Fovitron is a Greek band formed in 2014 in Athens. They play symphonic melodic black/ death metal. "Altar Of Whispers" is their first full length album and comes out after the "Fovitron" EP from 2017. The digipak CD edition from Alcyone Records is excellent in every detail!

The album starts off with the instrumental 'The Grieving King'. This is not just an intro, but a complete idea. The song achieves to create the right climate for the listener to become more receptive. The overtones are full of mystery, sadness and despair, but also have a theatrical dimension as we have heard it before from bands like (old) Septic Flesh. The piano and keys combination is rather grandiose and brings back memories from the epic metal period of Bathory, The Elysian Fields debut and Necromantia.

'Inner Demons' excellent melodic intro leads to an abyssic black metal song laid over the excellent keys work influenced by Bal-Sagoth and Emperor. Although the vibe is of Northern European black metal, the keys connect it with the old Greek black metal sound in an interesting way. The atmospheric break around the 5th minute of the song serves well in keeping high the interest and tension.

The first seconds of 'Dreading The Night' could be found in a Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir intro. Fovitron do really well in creating the right atmosphere for their songs. In 'Dreading The Night' the riff is of thrash origin making the connection of thrash and black metal obvious. It evolves to a typical old school Greek black metal riff (see old Rotting Christ) standing in high quality and underlining the influence of bands like Kreator and Sodom in black/extreme metal. The keys are again excellent and create magnificent own riffs/themes and soundscapes within the song.

'Wasteland Of My Dreams' opening riff includes all the necessary ingredients of a black metal riff. The keys intonations produce a grotesque atmosphere. In the chorus of the song the old Greek black metal band Celestial Scream came to my mind. Shredding riff work, ritualistic keys and torn black metal vocals drawned me in a Mayhem-ic cyclone. Great work!

The acoustic guitar chords and the keys of 'Endless Whispers' intro are dreamy, but at the same time you know that something evil lurks beneath. Fovitron show respect to Bathory once again. The guitar riff that changes to acoustic owes a lot also to classic heavy metal/epic bands like Cirith Ungol, (old) Manowar and Angel Witch. Nancy Mos of Fortis Ventus performs excellent soprano vocals making a really interesting addition. I think the female vocals are a wise addition that the band may have to think to repeat or make it permanent.

'Remembrance' intro is utterly dark. The blast beat marks the entrance to a dark domain. Vocals out of hell that remind Necromantia at their most extreme, a Bal-Sagoth influenced synth and the dominant blast beat work lift the song up to high levels of creativity. The riff after the 6th minute acquires a death/gothic metal aesthetic in the ways of Rotting Christ of the "A Dead Poem" period which is something I really enjoyed.

You have already got the picture that Fovitron songs are lengthy. In fact all of them are more than 5 minutes. However, 'When Darkness Falls' is the longest one. The song is something less than 9 minutes! Fovitron invest a great amount of their energy in creating the right atmosphere. Their fast riffs give place to mid tempo riffs accompanied with blasting drums and horror synth backings. 'When Darkness Falls' is probably the most Cradle Of Filth influenced song of the album!

'The Deathbringer' has interesting changes and a super nice riff sequence. Fovitron are very good songwriters. I'd love to hear the lead guitar a bit higher in this one, but still what I listened was fair enough for me to get the old school vibe the band wants to deliver. With riffs coming straight from the 2nd wave of black metal, backed up with pompous and ritual synths and crowned with extreme vocals they can't go wrong.

The last song of the album is 'The Minstrel Of The Icy Keep'. The song has a great heavy/black riff work. Beside the extreme vocals stand excellent choir vocals that make the whole song even more obscure. The riff around the 3rd minute comes straight from the old Greek scene reminding an atmospheric edition of Thou Art Lord and this must be credited. It has all the Fovitron ingredients and makes a very nice way to close an excellent album.

To sum up, Fovitron is an excellent new cell in the blood of Greek black metal. They perfectly balance the old Greek and Scandinavian sound adding a Bal-Sagoth/Emperor twist due to the amazing synth work. Something is growing in the mind's abyss of Fovitron. Fear not! Come listen!

4.5 / 5 STARS 

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1. The Grieving King
2. Inner Demons
3. Dreading The Night
4. Wasteland Of My Dreams
5. Endless Whispers
6. Remembrance
7. When Darkness Falls
8. The Deathbringer
9. The Minstrel Of The Icy Keep