Style: Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Folk Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Amorphis, Orphaned Land, Mors Principium Est
Review by: Christopher
Country: Greece
Release date: 3 February, 2023
Some countries have particularly rich underground scenes and Greece undoubtedly has one of the richest: Calyces, Mother of Millions, Hail Spirit Noir, Need, Within Progress, Instant Boner (stop giggling), Tardive Dyskinesia, C.O.D.E., Playgrounded… a metric ton of underrated prog you don’t know about lurks in the Hellenic Republic. Have you copied down that list? Good, now add prog melodeath group Conspiracy of Zero who just dropped their sophomore album Ahthos Arouris.
Opening track “One of the Same Kind” hits the ground running with a solid deathy groove and some gruff harshes, but it ultimately sounds like somewhat uninspired, basic bitch melodeath. The later bridge and solo prove more engaging and suggest that there may be better to come. This proves a theme with the first half of Ahthos Arouris, a blend of fairly run-of-the-mill death metal with flashes of brilliance—flashes which become more prolonged in the latter half of the record. The guitar solos are the saving grace of the more lacklustre first half, with a gorgeous bluesy tone giving emotional heft to otherwise merely satisfactory tracks.
This isn’t to say anything Conspiracy of Zero are doing is objectionable; on the contrary, they’re clearly talented musicians, but the first few tracks on Ahthos Arouris belie the power of the players. Fortunately that begins to change by the third track, “We Both Bleed”. Here, they begin to prioritise serviceable cleans over the guttural Evan Berry-esque (Wilderun) harshes while dynamic lead guitar lines elevate the somewhat standard melodeath riffing and some ambitious drum soloing plays under an otherwise rather languid outro.
The situation continues to improve with the title track double bill: “Ahthos Arouris I” brings the MENA influences, recalling Orphaned Land in its use of Phrygian scales, alternative percussion, jazzy bass noodling, and eerie backing ambiences, while “Ahthos Arouris II”, easily the best track on the album, is a storm of folk-tinged prog-death that dares to be a little more theatrical; it’s an epic that would sit comfortably on an Aeternam release. Those fantastic lead licks reach their giddy peaks, galloping riffs bestow vicarious blisters upon the listener, and the band delve back into the toybox of folk for a while, too.
The strained whispered verses of “Unknown Protestor” and classical guitar solo offer some more of the flair that the eponymous tracks brought, and Conspiracy of Zero close on the eleven minute epic, “I Feel”, which allows them to stretch their compositional legs; more complex riffs, varying tempos, and a greater dynamic range for all the players sees them at their best. Indeed, my biggest issue with Conspiracy of Zero is that they don’t show off enough—when they do they’re a very promising group, when they play it safe they’re forgettable: The latter four tracks—Ahthos Arouris is undeniably a back-loaded record—are proof that these guys have something special.
The production’s a little undercooked and some songs prove a little uninspired, but at their best Conspiracy of Zero demonstrate a real aptitude for folk-influenced progressive death metal composition. Clearly skilled and positively brimming with potential, I have high hopes for this Greek quintet, and I’m eager to see them push themselves further.
Recommended tracks: Ahthos Arouris II, Unknown Protestor, I Feel
You may also like: Aeternam, Winterhorde, Obsidian Tide
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Conspiracy of Zero is:
– Paris Stamatiadis (vocals, guitars)
– Vasiliss Papantoniou (bass)
– Kostas Radounislis (vocals)
– John Hatziarapis (guitars)
– George Baltas (drums)
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