SEPTICFLESH — Modern Primitive (review)

SEPTICFLESH — Modern Primitive album cover

Album · 2022 · Death Metal

4/5 · 2022-05-21
siLLy puPPy

Arguably the most famous symphonic death metal band in the world these days, Greece’s SEPTICFLESH has been killing it since it reinvented itself in 2003 with the now classic “Sumerian Daemons” which the band has continued to base its unique brand of melodic death metal, traditional Greek folk music and classical orchestral works set to a unique mix of sensuality and bombast. The band has been silent for quite a few years having taken a whopping five to release anything since its 2017 “Codex Omega” but at long last these angsty guys from Athens have just dropped its 11th studio album MODERN PRIMITIVE onto the world and for true fans of this unorthodox stylistic approach won’t disappoint!

Nine new tracks that add up to just less then 39 minutes of playing time conspire to craft another raucous maelstrom of symphonic death metal that perhaps sounds closest to 2008’s “Communion” with short snappy tracks that focus on instantly gratifying metal hooks and the one two punch of the harmonic vocal attacks of bassist Seth Siro Anton’s clean vocal deliveries along with the guttural growls of guitarist / keyboardist Sotiris Anunnaki V. Anton. Add some tasty intros of Greek folk music which seeds the melodic underpinnings and the now classic orchestral elements which SEPTICFLESH continues to excel at and i have to say that MODERN PRIMITIVE is one of my faves from these Greeks since “The Great Mass” although the band has been extremely consistent in delivering the expected goods for quite some time now.

While not the only symphonic death metal band on the scene, SEPTICFLESH succeeds in continuously crafting instantly catchy tracks that allow the dualistic nature of the melodic with the extremely brutal to coexist in relative harmony. Like many of the band’s previous works, MODERN PRIMITIVE tackles the subject matter of ancient history which given the lengthy timespan of the world of Greece is an inexhaustible supply of inspiration for sure! This is classic SEPTICFLESH all the way with very little to make you think otherwise. If something completely new was on your wishlist i’m afraid that MODERN PRIMITIVE is not going to scratch that itch. This album features the tried and true fanbase tested formula which remains a fairly unique sounding one that is unlike any other. Even bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse sound nothing like SEPTICFLESH.

Given that this band has always had a bit of a propensity for pop hooks made intense with death metal clothing and turned sophisticated with orchestral sounds of classical music, it should be no surprise that SEPTICFLESH has continued down the road already tread in order to bring another properly baked tracks of similar style to the fanbase. In that regard i have to say that this one was instantly addicting with some albums being more instantly likable than others. This one features an immediacy the the previous works of “Titan” and “Codex Omega” lost a bit of with the more complex arrangements. This is certainly a band i never really tire of so any album of what these guys do best is more than enough to keep me satisfied. All the elements that made albums of yore so utterly irresistible are here in full abundance. Another score for one of symphonic death metal’s top dogs in the biz.