Full Album Stream: Septicflesh: A Fallen Temple – reissue

And now to my little indulgence: ‘A Fallen Temple’, the latest in Season of Mist's series of deluxe SEPTICFLESH reissues, will be available tomorrow, January the 17th, 2014 in Europe and from January the 21st in North America on as digipak CD, silver double LP, clear double LP and as regular black double LP here (Season Of Mist e-shop) and is already available for your listening pleasure, re-mastered (and repackaged by frontman Seth Siro Anton) plus four bonus tracks including ‘The Last Time’ - a PARADISE LOST cover which was previously only available on a long sold-out tribute album to one SEPTICFLESH's biggest influences - below (and on BandCamp), courtesy of the label. Furthermore, SEPTICFLESH are currently working on their ninth, yet untitled album, due out before summer 2014:

SEPTICFLESH was formed in 1990 in Athens, Greece by vocalist and bassist Spiros “Seth” Antoniou and guitarists Sotiris Vayenas and Christos Antoniou. They released an EP, ‘Temple Of The Lost Race’, in 1991 with their debut full-length, ‘Mystic Places Of Dawn’, following in 1994 via Holy Records. Produced by former ROTTING CHRIST keyboardist and NEKROMANTIA founder Magus Wampyr Daoloth, the album was reissued in January 2013 by Season Of Mist, featuring new art by Set Siro Anton and songs from 1991's ‘Temple Of The Lost Race’ EP:

Their second LP, ‘Esoptron’ (ΕΣΟΠΤΡΟΝ), came out in 1995; Season Of Mist reissued its re-mastered version in June 2013, displaying a brand new artwork designed by the band's vocalist and bassist (and artist), and featuring three bonus tracks (‘Woman Of The Rings’ previously available only on the long sold-out ‘DNA Choronzone’/‘The Eldest Cosmonaut’ EP, and live versions of ‘Crescent Moon’ and ‘Brotherhood Of The Fallen Knights’):

On ‘Ophidian Wheel’, originally released in 1997, reissued in 2013 and a turning point in the band's career, SEPTICFLESH expanded their musical vocabulary, moving further into the symphonic and “classically-tinged” metal arrangements that have since become their calling card. ‘Ophidian Wheel’ was the first SEPTICFLESH album to feature the talented soprano Natalie Rassoulis:

‘A Fallen Temple’ LP came next in 1998, followed by a compilation of their early works entitled ‘Forgotten Past’ in 1999. That same year, the band turned to legendary producer Fredrik Nordström with whom they recorded 1999's ‘Revolution DNA’. With their star on the rise, SEPTICFLESH returned to Nordström with their sixth album ‘Sumerian Daemons’, released in 2003 through Hammerheart Records. Alas, the star wasn’t rising fast enough for SEPTICFLESH who in 2004 shocked their fans with announcement they are disbanding. ‘Sumerian Demons’ was described as “epic” and “one of the most bone-chilling albums in the black and death metal canon” by Mark Morton, AllMusic (more here):

Three years later SEPTICFLESH reunited and signed a new deal with French label Season Of Mist. Fredrik Nordström-produced album, 2008's ‘Communion’, was the band's first to feature music compositions recorded by a full classical orchestra as arranged by guitarist Christos Antoniou (of CHAOSTAR fame), who has since concluded his studies of classical composition with academic honors and distinction at London Collage of Music:

“SEPTICFLESH's seventh full-length release has turned the extreme metal community on its collective head. A maddening blend of black metal, death metal, gothic rock, and symphonic music, ‘Communion’ quickly leaves bands like DIMMU BORGIR and BEHEMOTH in its ravenous wake,” [applauded Mark Morton, AllMusic – more here:]

 

SEPTICFLESH's eight studio album, ‘The Great Mass’, was released in 2011. Featuring once again orchestrations by Christos Antoniou performed by the instrumentalists and the choir of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague, mezzo-soprano Androniki Skoula, soprano Iliana Tsakiraki, George Diamantopoulos on kaval (flute) and yayli tanbur (long-neck lute), ‘The Great Mass’ was produced and mixed by Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY and PAIN), mastered by Jonas Kjellgren and engineered by Fotis Benardo, George Emmanuel, Steve Venardo: 

 

SEPTICFLESH features: Seth Siro Anton - bass & vocals, Christos Antoniou - guitars & orchestrations, Sotiris Anunnaki V. - guitars & clean vocals and Fotis Benardo – drums