Band:	Telesterion
Album:	Epopteia
Style:	Doom metal, Post-metal
Release date:	October 2023

01. Gathering
02. To The Sea
03. Hither The Victims
04. Festival
05. Pilgrimage
06. Revelry
07. The Descent
08. The Search
09. The Ascent

Get ready to immerse yourself in a long-lost mythological ancient world, and uncover untold truths as you proceed through imaginatively beautiful untrodden landscapes. This is what Telesterion have set before you now with Epopteia.

Featuring an anonymous line-up from a country of unknown origin, the newly established doom/post-metal act Telesterion are releasing their full-length debut release Epopteia, which follows four EPs already released since June 2022. The style that this band goes by utilizes understated instrumentation merged with symphonic elements, combining both post-metal and epic doom styles, all of which results in some wonderfully epic and captivating soundscapes.

So, now you have some idea of what this band's style is about, let's get on with the album in hand. To begin with, let's get down to the most striking element behind the album's structure, which is undoubtedly the synth work. This creates the album's dramatic, awe-inspiring soundscapes, providing a perfect match for the outstanding cover art you see before you. The vocal style is also striking to say the least; it never really goes beyond soft echoing chant-like cleans, which are mixed into the background behind the light instrumentation and synths. This approach is made evident from the short opening intro "Gathering", and carries on throughout the album in the same manner.

Now, forgive me if it comes across that I overuse the word epic here, but it's clearly the best way to describe an album of this calibre, and no track is worth the so called 'epic' title more than "Pilgrimage". This is for me a standout song, one that indicates what the title itself would suggest; it's as if the listener's mind, body, and soul has been transported back some thousands of years, to the sacred, historical continental lands of Europe (ancient Greece specifically), whilst venturing on an actual epic journey (or pilgrimage) of their own. The light chanting clean vocals add an spiritual effect, which helps along the monumental synth work.

There are several song that feature a certain dark ambience rather than a light spiritual one, with the likes of "Revelry", "Hither The Victims", and especially "Festival" serving as prime examples of this effect. This is done through tribal-like, rhythmic drumming patterns, dramatically bolder synths, and darker echoing, clean vocals. The last three tracks, "The Descent", "The Search" and "The Ascent", act as a trinity that bring the album to its grand, dramatic finale. Starting with "The Descent", this is one of the most atmospheric tracks the album provides; the light building synth work and rolling rhythmic drum beats effectively build up throughout the course of the track, which ultimately leads into my favourite song on the album, "The Search". The guitar work is perhaps most noticeable on this track, more so than any other track at least, especially during the beginning, and the vocals contain an even more striking echo effect, almost to the point where they become distorted. The ultra-light synth work also creates a dynamic dreamscape environment for the listener to indulge themselves in. "The Ascent", at just over eight minutes in length, is the album's longest featured track, and also acts as a pleasant and tranquil closer, featuring what is arguably the album's softest content.

I may have set this album up on a grand pedestal in how I've described it so far; however, there is one major drawback, one which simply cannot go unnoticed, and that's the production. Ok, there's some exceptional symphonic elements on display here, as I've pointed out numerous times, and the performance and songwriting, although perhaps ambitious on the grand scale of things, are far from a bad quality standard, but you can't escape the fact that the production and sound quality would benefit from serious improvement if this band is to make that next important leap forward.

Overall, Epopteia is an exceptional record if you're looking for an ideal soundtrack to an ancient Greek mythological film such as Clash Of The Titans. If not, and you're still in the mood for some epic symphonic post/doom metal, then this could be your answer. Telesterion are still fresh on the scene, and still have a long way to go, but this debut provides a more than stable platform on which they can build.