I’m going to begin from the end…..The debut album of the Athenians (under the name Caelestia) convinces the listener for its atittude and the considerable work that has been put into it. The first part is characteristic, I think, of an extreme sounding band; while the second part requires a lot of things. But to be honest with you I am sick and tired of hearing about ‘well-crafted’ and polished albums. The point is that I should be left with something substantial after I have finished listening to an album; not thanks to the atittude part necessarily.
My point is that I do not buy an album for its good production or because the musician broke some sweat during its creation. I buy an album because I want to listen to the music, the songs in it, some of which I may be humming at some point of my day. I did not quite get that feeling with “Beneath Abyss”. These guys have really worked hard on it and this is quite evident throughout the album. They have invested on it by inviting top guests like Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork and Markus Freiwald of Sodom to take part in it. I am still trying to figure out why Dimitra’s role is, or even worse seems to be, so limited and restricted. We are talking about a founding member of Caelestia and an excellent voice which sounds more like a music enhancement rather than the main voice of “Beneath Abyss”.
This album can be, on one hand, a considerable and appealing attempt, but I will be cautious about recommending this album for purchase. I would advise melodic death metal lovers to first check the outcome of this work on social media before they decide to invest on it.
