In advance of their massive European tour, SEPTICFLESH are now revealing a pro-shot clip for the track 'Martyr' taken from their latest masterpiece, 'Codex Omega', which has been directed by long-time collaborator Jon Simvonis. The video can be viewed at the link below:
SEPTICFLESH comment: "We are welcoming the new year by releasing a second video from our latest album, 'Codex Omega' – this time for the song, 'Martyr'. Once again the clip is directed by Jon Simvonis, blending the music of SEPTICFLESH with Kendo, which literally means 'the way of the sword'. It is a battle of sword and spirit. The ultimate goal of the fighter is to become superior to his own previous self."
Director Jon Simvonis adds: "We really had an awesome time filming SEPTICFLESH while they were delivering an explosive performance for the 'Martyr' video! No wonder, why this band nails it on every stage that they set foot on."
Credits
Produced by Jon Simvonis for Arctosfilms SA
Cinematography: Gabriel Loukeris
Art Direction: Eleni Kariori, Apostolos Polychroniadis
Make Up: Lia Apostolopoulou
Special Appearance: Renma Dojo Kendo Club
Special Thanx
Neal Berkowitz & BORISFX, George Pergantos, Sonia Mavridou, Rotzer Fischer, Vasilis Bofilios, G. Politis, Eftihia Petropoulou & Dimitris Lagios - Cafe Bonjour, Nick Vell, Erietta Taf, Kyriakos Kouroutsavouris
SEPTICFLESH will kick off a massive European tour in support of their latest masterpiece, 'Codex Omega' tomorrow. The Greek masters of symphonic death metal will be joined by label mates and American black metal trailblazers INQUISITION.
The demons of winter will first be summoned to the Bavarian city of Munich on January 4th and will continue to raise hell in 10 more countries until a final black ceremony at the MS Connexion Complex in Mannheim, Germany on the 27th of January.
A list of all confirmed shows can be viewed below.
SEPTICFLESH European Tour
+INQUISITION
04 Jan 18 München (DE) Backstage
05 Jan 18 Leipzig (DE) Hellraiser
06 Jan 18 Praha (CZ) Klub Nová Chmelnice
07 Jan 18 Budapest (HU) Barbara Negra
08 Jan 18 Wien (AT) Viper Room
09 Jan 18 Ljubljana (SI) Orto Bar
10 Jan 18 Bologna (IT) Alchemie Club
11 Jan 18 Brescia (IT) Circolo Colony
14 Jan 18 Lyon (FR) Cco Jean Pierre Lachaize
16 Jan 18 Madrid (ES) Sala Caracol
17 Jan 18 Barcelona (ES) Razzmatazz
18 Jan 18 Toulouse (FR) Le Metronum
20 Jan 18 Paris (FR) La Machine du Moulin Rouge
22 Jan 18 London (UK) The Underworld
23 Jan 18 Vosselaar (BE) Biebob
24 Jan 18 Nijmegen (NL) Doornroosje
25 Jan 18 Hamburg (DE) Markthalle
26 Jan 18 Bochum (DE) Matrix
27 Jan 18 Mannheim (DE) MS Connexion Complex
SEPTICFLESH Festival Shows
12 Jan 18 Zürich (CH) Meh Suff! Winter-Fest 2018
13 Jan 18 Denain (FR) In Theatrum Denonium Festival
19 Jan 18 Angers Le Chabada (FR) Angers Mini Fest
03 Feb 18 Fort Lauderdale, FL (US) 70000 Tons of Metal
27 Apr 18 Stockholm (SE) Stockholm Slaughter (exact date tbc)
23 Jun 18 Clisson (FR) Hellfest (exact date tbc)
The artwork for 'Codex Omega' has been created by frontman Seth and can be viewed below.
Tracklist:
1. Dante's Inferno (5:34)
2. 3rd Testament (Codex Omega) (4:08)
3. Portrait of a Headless Man (5:00)
4. Martyr (5:07)
5. Enemy of Truth (4:55)
6. Dark Art (5:24)
7. Our Church, Below the Sea (3:59)
8. Faceless Queen (5:20)
9. The Gospels of Fear (3:41)
10. Trinity (4:07)
SEPTICFLESH are painting an apocalyptic vision and make full use of their impressive musical palette consisting of death metal and orchestral colours on their tenth full-length, 'Codex Omega'.
From their alpha EP 'Temple of the Lost Race' that was released one year after their founding in 1990, the Greek musicians have pushed the limits of the metal genre and continued to explore new sonic path with every following release from their debut album 'Mystic Places of Dawn' (1994) to the stunning 'Sumerian Daemons' (2003), which have in the meantime all been re-issued by Season of Mist.
Yet SEPTICFLESH had clearly come into their own sound when they unleashed their celebrated comeback album after a five-year hiatus that re-charged their artistic batteries. 'Communion' (2008) offered a well-balanced amalgamation of metal elements that were freely drawn from the darker side of the genre including death, black, and gothic metal with epic orchestral arrangements. This symphonic excellence was based on guitarist Christos Antoniou bringing to bear the fruits of his academic studies of classical composition, which he passed with honours and distinction.
With a clear musical compass to navigate, SEPTICFLESH continued to explore their sound and the compositional possibilities of this new-found metal continent. 'The Great Mass' (2011) and 'Titan' (2014) saw the Greeks evolving at fast speed and at the same time gathering adherents as well as critical praise in ever growing numbers. Extended touring on both sides of the Atlantic and performances at about every important festival further consolidated the bands burgeoning status.
Although the biblical omega marks the end, SEPTICFLESH on the contrary are reaching their current peak with 'Codex Omega', an album that clearly witnesses the Greek visionaries having come to maturity and expert craftsmanship in every sense.
SEPTICFLESH are the undisputable masters of symphonic death metal and 'Codex Omega' is the perfect proof for this bold statement.
Line-up
Seth Siro Anton: vocals, bass
Christos Antoniou: guitar, orchestration
Sotiris Anunnaki V: clear vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar
Kerim "Krimh" Lechner: drums
Guest musicians
Giannis Poupoulis: oud (on "Martyr" and "Faceless Queen")
Vahan Galstyan: duduk (on "Portrait of a Headless Man")
Orchestra
FILMharmonic Orchestra of Prague conducted by Adam Klemens
Choir
Soprani: Flora Tzini, Christina Alexiou, Margarita Papadimitriou
Alti: Antonia Despouli, Kandia Bouzioti, Kiriaki Trohani
Tenors: Michalis Platanias, Romanos Papadimitriou
Basses: Nikos Tsachalinas, Romanos Papadimitriou
Conducted by Margarita Papadimitriou
Recording
Zero Gravity Studios (Athens, Greece)
Smecky Studios (Prague, Czech Republic)
Fascination Street Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
Production
Produced by Jens Bogren and SEPTICFLESH
Sound engineer: Terry Nikas
Sound engineer for the orchestra recordings: Jan Holzner
Mix
Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios assisted by Linus Corneliusson
Mastering
Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios
Style: Symphonic Death Metal
Cover art: Seth Siro Anton
Booking contact:
Shop: http://smarturl.it/SepticfleshCodex
Available formats
Collectors Box
Digipak CD
Gatefold double LP in various colours
ONLINE
LINEUP
Seth Siro Anton: vocals, bass
Christos Antoniou: guitar, orchestration
Sotiris Anunnaki V: clear vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar
Kerim "Krimh" Lechner: drums
BIOGRAPHY
SEPTIC FLESH considered to be one of the pioneers of the Hellenic death metal sound, were formed in the 90’s.
After a demo entitled “Forgotten Path” and a Mini Lp entitled "Temple of the Lost Race" they managed to attract the attention of the French label Holly records, gaining access to the wider underground scene.
Their first full length album entitled "Mystic Places of Dawn" was recorded in April 1994 with M.W. Daoloth (from the cult black metal band Necromantia) as Co-producer.
One year later, in June 1995, they released "Esoptron", a dark opus with deep ancient Hellenic musical influences and themes dealing with philosophy and the occult.
The album that followed two years later, was entitled "Ophidian Wheel". The band added female vocals to the formula, recruiting Natalie Rassoulis. The neo-classical experimentations gained ground, adding a more theatrical dimension to the band’s sound.
In March 1998, the band released "Fallen Temple". It was a “crossroad” that represented the past of the band (the compositions of the rare “Temple of the Lost Race” re-recorded) but also presented a glimpse to the future, with some new material. In September of the same year, was also released a limited EP entitled "D.N.A Choronzone", which included the video clip for the song "The Eldest Cosmonaut" and 4 special tracks.
In June 1999, the band invaded Sweden to record with acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordstrom "Revolution DNA". The album was launched in October 1999 and presented highly addictive material, with a more straight forward metal attitude.
The first era of the band was concluded with the release of “Sumerian Daemons” in 2002. This album was the turning point to a more brutal and bombastic sound, while the dominating choir parts in Ancient Sumerian language, created a truly demonic atmosphere.
The next chapter of SEPTICFLESH (with the two words merged together from now on) begun in 2008, as the band signed with French labor Season of Mist and released "Communion". The album was recorded once again at Fredman studios in Sweden, with Fredrik Nordstrom as producer. Music-wise, it was a bold step forwards, as the band decided to utilize for the first time a full orchestra. The Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague was chosen for the task, while Chris Antoniou, having obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree in concert music in Londod, was responsible for the classical arrangements. The result was a unique merge of Death Metal heaviness, with Symphonic rage.
The next album "The Great Mass" was released in 2011. This time, the band collaborated with Peter Tägtgren for the production. The songs were heavy and at the same time highly technical and experimental, as the orchestral parts were further evolved. In addition the band collaborated with two exceptional female vocalists, Androniki Skoula (Mezzo Soprano) and Iliana Tsakiraki (Soprano). The overall result was a Grand dark metal "soundtrack".
The latest effort of the band is "Titan" released in 2014. The album was produced from Logan Mader. The title of the album, pretty much sums up its sound and general atmosphere. Primordial, menacing, majestic. Besides the use of Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague for the third time, the band worked for the first time with the Children Choir of Prague, adding an eerie tone to the songs. After long years of experimentation, Septicflesh have reached to a point that their metal and symphonic elements are fused together in a solid unity. The song "Prometheus" (that is very indicative of this balance between power and atmosphere), was chosen to visually represent the album, in the form of a video clip.
"On winds of smoke they are singing, their calling is the calling of the free, Fly with Us" - Burning Phoenix
DISCOGRAPHY
Mystic Places of Dawn Full-length 1994
Έσοπτρον Full-length 1995
Ophidian Wheel Full-length 1997
A Fallen Temple Full-length 1998
Revolution DNA Full-length 1999
Sumerian Daemons Full-length 2003
Communion Full-length 2008
The Great Mass Full-length 2011
Titan Full-length 2014
Codex Omega Full-length 2017