Aggressive Greek Death Metal straight into your face, from this Athens based duo. This is their second release, an EP released by Repulsive Echo Records, also based in Athens. MISANTHROPY APOTHEOSIS started out by releasing the full length album “Black Death Euphoria” by themselves, back in 2018 on Bandcamp and CD-R. That album is quite classic Doom-laden Greek Death Metal, as we have grown to like during the last many many years, the album is quite good and atmospheric, though perhaps heard a few times before. Nonetheless, I can understand why Kostas has picked up the band for Repulsive Echo, as there is some great potential for some future killer releases. On another note, the band delivers a quite well performed cover version of BOLT THROWER’s ‘The IVth Crusade’ on the debut, not a bad thing in my book ;). This new release is somewhat more aggressive than the material on the debut, straight in your face, really aggressive and intense. The dark atmosphere is kept, and even though the guitars are tuned low, it is not as Doom-laden as the first release, even though we get our breakdowns and slower dark passages, and a little magic from the bands that has inspired MISANTHROPY APOTHEOSIS in the some of the riffing. I had to use a few spins to get under the skin of this release, though the perspective opened when I took a listen to “Black Death Euphoria”. Even though the progression of the duo has been quite big, it is easy to catch where they come from, and where they want to go. Great riffing, good melodic lines, pounding and pushing rhythm patterns and great growls cloaked in a dark atmosphere. Quite a complete EP from these guys, I am looking forward to hearing more material from them. Enter the eternal: www.facebook.com/misanthropy-apotheosis-hellenic-death-metal-175943159651919, www.facebook.com/repulsiveecho

Personally, I have always associated Greece with its very specific and distinctive Black Metal scene since it started developing back in the early 90s. Shame on me, I’ve never been well versed in their Death Metal scene. Luckily, a band such as MISANTHROPY APOTHEOSIS has just shown me that I should pay a lot more attention to it. Dimitris Sakkas (aka Dimon’s Night), member of lots of other Greek bands, takes care of all the instruments while Kydoimos (also in HUMANITY ZERO) handles vocals and lyrics. And let me tell you something, these two guys know exactly what they are doing. Combining a bunch of different influences, these 3 songs off their latest EP, “Against Your Filthy Kind”, are full of variation and different paces. First off, the dense and modern production doesn’t detract from highlighting the “old school” nature of their music. Everything is in there, perfectly placed and played. The mix is surprisingly clear, since both the bass and guitar tones are really thick. The drum sound stands out a little too much and they could use a more natural sound in my humble opinion. But the overall atmosphere is there, punching your face with 13 relentless minutes. The drum performance alone shows a deep understanding of the genre, not overpowering any of the other instruments or vocals, but aggressive enough to keep the songs on track with a good dose of double bass and simple but effective fills. The bass is really present (which is something I’ve always welcomed), with that thrashy yet powerful sound and it follows the drums perfectly to create a solid backbone to the guitar riffs. Which brings me to the amazingly catchy guitar work, full of palm muting goodness mixed with melodic tremolo passages. Actually, this is where I hear some of that undeniable Hellenic Black Metal influence mixed with some 90s British and American bits. Kydoimos’ vocals instantly reminded of Barney in NAPALM DEATH’s “Harmony Corruption” album. You could also say there is some OBITUARY and some AUTOPSY thrown in there. But that is about it with the comparisons, because they are no copycats for sure. I am already looking forward to more material from MISANTHROPY APOTHEOSIS. This is a band that could come up with an instant classic in a really near future. Check the band out on their official page here: www.facebook.com/misanthropy-apotheosis-hellenic-death-metal-175943159651919 and get this amazing EP from their label here: www.facebook.com/repulsiveecho