Amaltheia – S/T (Straight Outta Nowhere Dissonant Black Metal)
Boy this was a tough week for promos in the sense that I received a shit ton of them over the past month. Most of those were easy to scrap because of crud art or blah sound, but a particularly fine selection came from Polish powerhouse Godz Ov War Productions. Unfortunately I can only review so many here jeez. Plus, since my standards are so strict and, furthermore, high, I can’t by any means review all of them, so I chose the best. Now that’s easy because it leaves only one!
A recent mystery project from outta nowhere picked up by a fine label, Greece/UK’s Amaltheia, is a name both difficult to remember how to spell and also rooted in a strange selection from mythology of basically Zeus’ surrogate breastfeeder, but cool, whatever. Amaltheia’s primary strength is in their convincingly horrific dissonance. The variety of minor scales they utilize is impressive with eerie passages played slightly behind main tremolo cuts, but this is further mixed with chord shrieks and acoustics most unexpectedly. The transitions don’t come quick, but rather progressively after the expected, relentless crushing of ears. The vocals lean more towards the consistent, but the occasional deep roars and tweaks are enough to elevate their sound above the typical for a successful package.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Amaltheia – S/T
Godz Ov War Productions
Cover Art: Maximos Manolis
4.5 / 5
