The young Greek quintet has delivered an adventurous debut offering through a theatrical blend of the finest Epic Doom and Heavy Metal. The EP generously clocks in over thirty-three minutes and the brief choral introduction hints at the bombastic flavour of the five compositions to follow. There is no disputing the inherent power of their craft. Dimitris Koutsouvelis convincingly emulates King Diamond without straining his voice, the twin axe attack is relentless and devastatingly heavy percussion backs them up every step of the way. “A Poem By Rote” establishes that high benchmark with crushing riffs and searing leads, which are, in turn, crowned by an inspired and demented vocal assault. Then while “War And Pain” adopts a traditionally direct angle, the eerie, yet no less powerful instrumental, “Mental Pabulum” presents a brief opportunity for reflection before its deranged rhythm adroitly shatters any such wandering channels of thought. “Silent Mangling” returns, in part, to the epic mysticism of the first song proper but “Haunted Within” connects all of the elements that preceded it and forges a dramatic song, which feels thoroughly Greek and builds in layers through its five component parts. It is epic to the core like a captivating nightmare from which you dare not awake. There are very few contemporary bands in this vein and given half a chance Heathendom will capture quite an audience.

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