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Pantheïst - Amartia review




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Band: Pantheïst
Album: Amartia
Release date: March 2005


01. Apologeia
02. Gluttony
03. Envy
04. Lust
05. First Prayer
06. Pride
07. Greed
08. Sloth
09. Wrath
10. Metanoia

Bands like Skepticism and Thergothon have haunted the scene of funeral doom metal and it is really difficult for someone to sound innovative and take the sound of the genre some steps further nowadays. Gladly, there are bands that are an exception to the rule and, of course, I am referring to bands like The Funeral Orchestra and Pantheist and I am here to talk about the latter band's recent album "Amartia", while the former are preparing the successor of the apocalyptic and chaotic "Feeding The Abyss".

Atmospheric orchestrations (often classical music oriented), at some times imposing and nightmarish, at others serene and devout, surround the listener in a unique way and they make him surrender in a "confession" ("Apologeia"), in a presentation of the seven deadly sins reaching "repentance" ("Metanoia") through the "first prayer". The guitars sound utterly mourning whether they evoke acoustic or distorted soundscapes with their acoustic chords or ultra heavy riffing. The fact that Pantheist play funeral doom won't stop them from placing successful outbursts and, even, guitar solos breathing inspiration and an imposing feeling in their compositions.

Kostas' deep grunting vocals are just fabulous and extremely expressive, pacing wonderfully with the overall lyrical concept behind "Amartia" ("Sin"), while the male operatic vocal passages that make their appearance in many parts of the album (in songs like "Apologeia", "Envy", "First Prayer" etc) make the compositions more affected, adding another intense sense in the burdened from the tears of the sinners atmosphere. Needless to say that Pantheist presented the seven deadly sins in the most appropriate way, presenting all the faces of every single sin through sound journeys in the corridors of Hell.

Sure, they do have some Skepticism references, but since something like that is unavoidable, Pantheist sound so personal and different that every single influence is getting lost in the magic of their music! "Amartia" is a must-have album for the 90s doom metal adorers with Pantheist showing what a great band they are with just their second piece of art. "Save my restless spirit, from eternal damnation, from eternal damnation, from eternal damnation?"





Written on 09.10.2005 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind."

Staff review by
Undercraft
Rating:
8.5
"That's why my Lord, in your eyes I'll commit one by one the seven great sins until your righteous punishment rid me of every doubt about your existence"

A man is going to commit the seven deadly sins one by one, challenging god to punish him. By this he hopes to prove God's existence.

How do you define a sin? How do you express a sin? And more important, how do you turn a sin into a musical piece? This was the challenge Kostas and Co. (i.d. Pantheist) set for their new musical adventure. Adventure? Sure, the word fits within the unlimited boundaries of Pantheist.

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published 06.10.2005 | Comments (2)


Comments

Comments: 1   Visited by: 35 users
17.01.2010 - 14:33
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
''Gluttony'' is far from being the best song of the album (in every possible aspect), but it has a lyrical passage that I simply loved:

''But if I'm the world
and the world is God
Where shall I find my creator?
If He made me so hungry for power over the world
Then who shall teach me to be humble?''

Lyrically this is one of the best albuns ive listen to in my life so far.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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