YOTH IRIA

As The Flame Withers

PAGAN

All hail the new kings of Hellenic metal

WITH ONLY LAST January’s Under His Sway EP to their credit so far, Yoth Iria remain a largely unknown and shadowy entity. Admittedly, the Greek duo have excellent pedigree; bassist Jim Mutilator is a former member of both Rotting Christ and Varathron, while vocalist The Magus also fronts cult icons Necromantia. But while such affiliations might point to the birth of an ephemeral side-project, Yoth Iria are tangibly the real Hellenic deal and one of the most exciting things to emerge from the Greek scene in decades.

Displaying admirable ambition, As sounds huge. Opener plainly belongs to the grand tradition of epic, bombastic Greek extreme metal, with plenty of melody and old-school tropes thrown is a theme song to savour, as The Magus snarls and rasps his way through an ominous monologue over stately, imperious riffing. is even more bewitching; a slow-burn, wicked waltz that takes a mid-song trip through proggy pastures, it hums with barely contained tension and revels in suffocating darkness. Most remarkable of all, switches from monolithic, droning menace to muscular and triumphant heavy metal splendour, echoes of slow-mo Slayer and multiple tempo shifts leading to a profoundly stirring final crescendo. In contrast, is an act of pure viciousness, as Yoth Iria weave their old-school roots through a haze of gothic grandeur. Somehow, the drama and devastation are sustained right to closer haunted and horrified end.