2023-12-12 07:00:49
Beyond This Earth – Portraits Of The Absurd
Origin: Livadia / Greece
Release: 01.12.2023
Label: Self-publishing
Duration: 53:47
Genre: Heavy Rock / Stoner Rock
The Greek ones Beyond This Earth were founded over ten years ago and are joining us Portraits Of The Absurd their second studio album. The current release is the pretty raw EP Tales from Beyond this Earth and the high-quality debut album Universal Fury preceded.
Stylistically, not much has changed since the early days, as the band has basically remained true to the general direction of heavy rock. And yet you have to realize that the band’s sound and quality gets finer and better with every release.
Open to genres, with driving energy
But heavy rock alone is not what makes the sound of Beyond This Earth makes up. That’s why people who enjoy stoner rock will enjoy the band’s current output just as much as listeners who like the energy from bands like ZOË or Motörhead relate.
The frontman is not entirely innocent of the bitter feeling Akis Kosmidis. He has a raspy voice that sounds shaped by whiskey and will certainly not be to everyone’s taste. But following listening to it several times, I realized that nothing was actually better Beyond This Earth fits as this rough organ.
Nevertheless, the nine energetic tracks Portraits Of The Absurd contain different musical colorings, the album starts with a focus on 100% energy. The opener In Orbit is the perfect hair-shaking opening and what follows The Overseerwhich you HERE you can listen to, is in the same vein.
There’s another step up when it comes to driving …Of The Absurd?which musical colors of Trouble from the 1990s. With The Fall Of Reason what follows is an absolute highlight of the album. Connect here Beyond This Earth the energy with melody and a gripping groove. Once you get caught up in the song, the rhythm, chorus and riffs get stuck in your ear all day long.
Hard and profound like life
Heavy rock isn’t far removed from doom, so it’s no surprise that Beyond This Earth following all the quick numbers Utopia Dive into the slow riffs. But it’s not just the music that’s profound. The band’s lyrics are also a lot more serious than the stoner and science fiction lyrics often found in the genre. The Greeks process the questions from everyday life and you can also feel the worries regarding the future of society in the lines. Each song contains a little story related to our life or as in The Overseer Questions regarding a superior divine. The combination of the rough sound with the depth of the content also gives the album a noticeable seriousness and additional quality.
But since we’re on the topic of quality, we still have to talk regarding a special performance and audible change. In addition to the compositional unity and the better and more refined feeling, it is Vagelis Katsampekis, which sends pleasant shivers down your spine. His guitar and influence was on the previous album Universal Fury You can’t miss it, but the guitar work he brings to the tracks is above average. I mightn’t and I wouldn’t want to imagine the album without his excursions on the guitar!
A view from the protective shell
Of course, you don’t just look for the positive sides of an album, but also darker and weaker parts. But there are slacks Portraits Of The Absurd not to be reported. The band inoculates us The Jade Empire continue to get into the groove. In A Nut Cell tries to activate the listener and get us to leave the closed and hopeless daily routine.
Of course I’m looking forward to the last track. It’s common for bands to always put long, unusual and deep songs at the end of the album. Land Of The Wise is another such song that starts out melancholic and slightly psychedelic and therefore stands out somewhat from the rest of the material. But Beyond This Earth are an energetic band and break up the supposedly quiet number with their riffs. The Greeks play, riff and groove through our heads for nine minutes and leave us completely satisfied with their second work.
Conclusion
Portraits of the Absurd offers grooving energy with powerful riffs and fine guitar work. Beyond This Earth Sound mature in terms of content and music and should make many friends outside of heavy or stoner rock happy. 8 / 10
Line Up
Vagelis Katsampekis – lead and rhythm guitar
Chris Adam – Rhythmusgitarre
Paris Gatsios – drums
Akis Kosmidis – Gesang
Cleaning Dafkos – Bass
Tracklist
01. In Orbit
02. The Overseer
03. …Of The Absurd?
04. The Fall Of Reason
05. Utopia
06. Gray
07. In A Nut Cell
08. The Jade Empire
09. Land Of The Wise
Links
Facebook Beyond This Earth
Instagram Beyond This Earth
Bandcamp Beyond This Earth
Also on Soundmagnet.eu
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