The Great Mass

This is the eighth album by the band from Athens. It was recorded between July and September 2010 at Devasoundz in Greece and The Abyss in Sweden, and Peter Tagtgren of Hypocrisy produced it. Guitarist Christos Antoniou wrote the orchestral scores and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra played them; Sotiris V. wrote all the words. The orchestra here is not decoration. The main lines and the counter-lines sit on the orchestral side from the start and the guitars and drums build the floor underneath, so from the opening "The Vampire from Nazareth" the choir and strings are not laid over the death metal but sound at the same height as it. "Pyramid God" and "Five-Pointed Star" show the arrangement most plainly, with the low roar and a clear female choir taking the front in turn. It was very well received on release, and in 2021 a Metal Hammer readers' poll placed it ninth among symphonic metal albums of all time. Season of Mist issued it on CD and LP and in an art book edition with a DVD. The running order here is the European pressing's ten tracks.