Year: 2025
Label: Theogonia Records
Greek black metal act Lloth have a long and somewhat winding history. The group was originally formed in 1995, and released a single demo in 1997. After that, they changed their name to Astarte, who were most likely the first all-female black metal group ever – at least to release an album. Astarte released a slew of albums, but Lloth lingered on in the background, occasionally performing live. In 2013, founder and leader of both Lloth and Astarte, Tristessa, reformed Lloth and began working on a new record.
However, tragedy struck in 2014, when Tristessa passed from leukemia. This did not spell the end for Lloth, who forged on with no original members under the leadership of Nicolas Sic Maiis, Tristessa’s widower, and released their debut album Athanati in 2017. Now, a mere eight years later, it’s time for album number two.
It’s very easy to describe what Archees Legeones sounds like: Rotting Christ. Lloth have certainly taken more than a page from the Greek legends’ book – more like a few chapters. Pinpointing it a bit more, Archees Legeones is all about mid-era Rotting Christ, somewhere about and after A Dead Poem and Sleep Of The Angels, mixed with a bit of the epic leanings of newer albums (from Theogonia onwards or so). Nicolas Sic Maiis even pulls off a convincing Sakis Tolis impression behind the microphone.
What this means is a foundation in the classic Greek sound, with a lot of melodic riffs, an abundance of clean vocals and predominantly rather temperate tempos. This is the kind of music than can be classed as black metal – but there’s absolutely nothing extreme about it. Nothing aggressive, harsh, abrasive or confrontational. On the contrary, this is exceedingly easy to digest and listen to.
At times, Lloth really pull it off. A track like Arise with those classic mid-era Rotting Christ riffs and epic choirs in the background of the chorus will tick all the right boxes for people who’d like to hear another Sleep Of The Angels or Sanctus Diavolos.
On the other hand, there are moments where Llot err. Album opener Angel Wings is a prime example. It starts off well with probably the most aggressive section of the entire album, before evolving into another classic Rotting Christ pastiche. And then comes the chorus which takes all the wrong turns into turn-of-the-millennium euro metal’s horribly light, cheesy choruses with annoying clean vocals (again, in true Rotting Christ style, with growls in the background).
Ultimately, Archees Legeones is a bit of a mixed bag qualitywise. However, even during its best moments it doesn’t for even a second escape the shadow of the greater acts in whose footsteps they follow.
And follow they do, all too carefully. One almost feels guilty for digging this, because Archees Legeones feels a bit like theft, or maybe impersonation. So closely modeled after Rotting Christ is it.
For some people, who just can’t get enough of that easy listening take on Greek black metal Rotting Christ have been performing for a long while already, Archees Legeones might be a perfect helping of the next best thing. And, indeed, as far as pastiche goes, this isn’t bad by any means.
But for others – and I count myself among these – Lloth fall into some kind of uncanny valley, where its close-but-no-cigar resemblance to the original becomes disturbing after a while. Especially since there’s no question about it: at every turn, Rotting Christ trump over the imitators.
Only Death Is Real 