AN NCS PREMIERE: KAWIR — “TYDEUS”

 

It seems that every time I write about Kawir, over a span of many years, I feel compelled to introduce them anew, because although they’ve been around since the early ’90s and were as important to the character of Greek black metal as bands such as Rotting Christ, Varathron, and Necromantia, I worry that they still don’t get the high level of recognition they deserve. And despite their longevity, Kawir are one of those rare bands for whom long years haven’t diminished the blaze of their creative fires.

I was a huge fan of their last album (reviewed and premiered here), 2017’s Εξιλασμός (Exilasmos), and now Kawir are following that wonderful record with a new album named Adrasteia, which is set for release on January 10, 2020, by Iron Bonehead Productions. As usual, Kawir have drawn upon Greek mythology for their inspirations and lyrical themes, and they’ve also enlisted some notable guests — Macabre Omen’s Alexandros on all clean vocals, Norwegian vocalist Lindy-Fay Hella on the song “Colchis,” and Melechesh’s Ashmedi performing a guitar solo on “Danaides.”

We’ve previously commented (in glowing terms) about the album’s first track, “Lemniades“, and today it’s our good fortune to present a second one — “Tydeus” — named for a mythic hero, a prince of Argos by marriage into the fanily of King Adrastos, and one of the “Seven Against Thebes”.

 

 

This newest track to be revealed plays to Kawir’s strengths, combining old traditional instruments and conventional metal ones, acetylene-torch vocals and ceremonial song, hard-rocking heavy metal and mythic atmospherics, to create an experience that’s both glorious and sorcerous, ancient and timeless — a true primal manifestation of classic Hellenic black metal.

Acoustic picking and solemn, mesmerizing voices lay the foundation for the song’s epic melody, which the rest of the band pick up and send to extravagant heights through momentous, booming drums, swirling and soaring guitars, and incendiary screams. The flickering leads and the flesh-stripping shrieks have a wild, unchained sound, burning with abandon through the earthshaking, majestic rhythms, and the song as a whole becomes even more extravagant through the addition of hard-pulsing heavy metal chords and the reappearance of those soaring choral voices. The combination of carnal, thrusting riffs and ethereal flute melody make for a sublime combination, creating a war-like march that’s a mixture of grandiosity and mysticism, and the scintillating radiation of tremolo’d flurries bring the track to an electrifying close.

 

Iron Bonehead will give the album a suitably lavish release through LP, CD, and cassette tape editions. Look for it on January 10th, and check these links for further info as it becomes available:

IRON BONEHEAD:
http://www.ironbonehead.de
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions

KAWIR:
https://www.facebook.com/kawirblackmetal