Heathendom - Nescience

Originally released in 2008, this magical example of majestic Heavy Metal has been reissued by Metal On Metal Records with altered artwork and a slightly different track-listing which in hindsight is some very smart thinking from those involved, I will go into more detail about that later but I will say now this new version of the album flows even better than the original and that is no easy task seeing the original release was close to flawless anyway. The band started back in 1998 with the formation created by the two guitarists Lefteris Vourliotis and Michail Vlavianos that are still in the line-up today. These two leading lights in the Greek metal scene took their time getting recordings together seeing this was originally released some 10 years after the band started but good things take time and the wait has been worth it. The story gets a little confusing with this re-issue of this 2008 album and also with the re-released 2005 demo now extended into a full length album with the excellent 20-minutes suite "Haunted In Hell" track. This also became available recently, add to all this activity is another album in the works called "The Symbolist" which is scheduled for October 2010 release. This album under the spotlight now though is "Nescience" which is regarded by most people as their debut. Confused yet?

"Nescience" is about as finely crafted as any album I have heard in recent years or maybe ever for that matter. They are really the ultimate crossover Metal band because they switch between melodic, epic metal, prog-metal, doom metal, power metal and old-schooled heavy metal and they have mastered all those styles within the one finely tuned metal machine. Beginning with a bizarre, demented intro titled "Oranges & Lemons", it quickly bursts into the rampaging title track which is astonishingly diverse for a metal tune. The technical guitar riffing and blistering leads are catapulted along with incredible, energetic drumming and the outer-worldly vocals of Dimitris Koutsouvelis who sings like the bastard child of King Diamond and Messiah from Candlemass. The captivating theatrical atmosphere leaves you wondering what part of the band should you be focusing on, there is so many musical elements interweaving that it leaves you floored from the first listen. The music is dark but with odd musical interludes that can only be described as strange. "Burn" chugs along with mid-tempo fury but and includes one of the most breathtaking refrains ever put into a metal song and if that is not enough you get some titanic doom riffing, "Burn" is simply unbelievable.

"The Doll House" is epic, melodic and a mesmerizing journey and again the vocals of Koutsouvelis are full of so much expression and dynamics that it leaves you lost for words. "Mirror Of Memories" kicks off with the atmosphere of desolation and builds into a epic power/doom track in the Solitude Aeturnus tradition, its a bit more straight-forward compared to other tracks but still the technical ability this band possesses shines through with classical guitar passages and prog-laced arrangements. "Scenes Of Old" blends perfectly controlled vocal gymnastics in the higher register which serves a irresistible counter-balance to some of the dark harmonic guitar passages. "Scenes Of Old" also contains some of the best lyrics on the album and their Nevermore influence becomes a little too obvious here but hell with a tune as strong as this, who can complain. From the Nevermore influence of that track , they move into the more Candlemass direction with "I Bleed", another great track with a chugging riff and a very atmospheric vocal arrangement. "A Sick Mans Dream/Blissful Hell" is more of the odd and slightly twisted side of Heathendom, the classically inspired intro, the orchestrated epic ambiance of the next section and the headbanging yet melodic passage that ends the track. Eccentricity in metal is getting rarer these days but its great to hear a band pushing in all directions and succeeding while taking chances that most bands wouldn't dream of.

The album ends with the two part monster titled "Haunted In Hell". It consists of "Haunted Within" (originally from 2005 but re-recorded in 2010) and is beautifully merged with its second part "Hell Within"
(originally from the 1st edition of "Nescience") with additional arrangements. At a total time of 19 minutes plus, its the hardest track to take in but the cinematic quality of the piece brings about a different experience with each spin of the disc. The orchestral sounds from a harpsichord, harp, and a large string section adds to the dramatics and the addition of female vocals complement the already ever changing vocal characteristics of the exceptional lead singer and so makes this a essential piece of rock theater. The "Haunted In Hell" epic slows down the natural flow the album has in some ways but its still essentially a classic track that cant be ignored. According to the Webster dictionary Nescience means "lack of knowledge or awareness" or other words ignorance and most of the lyrics reflect the religious blindness that has always been present in the world. The great album artwork displaying a a marionette being pulled by the strings is a great representation of how not only religious organizations work but also the world as a whole. We are all puppets being pulled back and forth by the powers that be and most of the lyrics reflect that point of view clearly in a very artistic way.

Its really hard or near impossible to describe a album like "Nescience", a recording with some many multi-faceted dimensions and personalities. This is maybe the best crossover metal album ever, not many bands (if any) can blend so many styles of metal into one concise musical statement. Apart from the final epic track on the album, there is no question marks to be raised from me at least on this outstanding album and there is no way of knowing where the band will go from here. Following this album up must be a daunting task but I personally can't wait for the next chapter in their history to arrive.

1. Oranges And Lemons
2. Nescience
3. Burn
4. The Doll House
5. Mirror Of Memories
6. Scenes Of Old
7. I Bleed
8. A Sick Mans Dreams
9. Blissful Hell
10. Haunted In Hell Chapter I: Haunted Within
11. Haunted In Hell Chapter II: Hell Within


Metal On Metal Records
Reviewer: Ed
Aug 11, 2010

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