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Reviews for Septic Flesh - Ophidian Wheel:

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Why these album is so underrated?? The listener can find one of the most mystic death/doom albums ever, with the special atmosphere of Greek metal. Combines the deeper voice of Set with the beautiful voice of Natalie Rassoulis (for me one of the better female voices in metal, listen Chaostar's albums...).
If you like doom metal...catch it!!

Review by: aldarion_gs

It is their last GREAT album,after this,they released OK records but not at the level of the first 3 albums.The twin guitars in this album are outstanding,the female vocals,apart from brilliantly performed,are well balanced,not too little,not too much.
Their best work in my opinion.

Review by: gladracul

The magnificent aspect of music is the ability of the sound to transport you away to another setting, whether it be in the funereal sounds of black metal or the pompous sounds of opera. The chemical reactions in the brain process sheer pleasure, awe, and at times horror, but in the case of SepticFlesh’s early material sheer magnificence is the only way I can describe their first two albums. Mystic Places of the Dawn , Esoptron , and Ophidian Wheel both of which have been getting far more attention, and due to an ever-increasing scarcity are highly sought after. Quintessential atmospheric death metal is only a mere scratch on the surface to describe the universe of their sound, as the whole host of influences present encompass a wide array of sounds from Paradise lost to even some classical elements.

It is a profound understatement to say merely “they don’t make music like this anymore”, on the contrary I have yet to hear a band capture the sheer atmosphere of early SepticFlesh . From the opening intro of “The Future belongs to the brave” it becomes readily apparent this isn’t just an album, but an experience and one better taken by oneself. The opening riff has a lot of similarity to “Return to Carthage” but with the atmospheric break in the middle, the female vocals are not merely a secondary instrument as they were on Mystic places of the Dawn . They encompass the power of the song as well as Spiro’s deep vocals who churn the waters; the first song alone is a strong indicator the album’s quality at least in my assessment.

The titletrack is a bit more down to earth with some noticeable lead work easily traceable to Paradise Lost’s Gothic ; though the song is upbeat it as well features Spiro’s powerful vocals as well as maintains certain catchiness. The melodies of “Phallic Litanies” as well seem to spiral into a crescendo before resurfacing into what is mainly a doom-metal tempo; Natalie’s vocals along with the melodies soar far above the crawl that is the tempo of the song. The opening moment of “Tartarus” as well containing a well-performed lead, before creating the infernal landscapes and billowing fires of inevitably created by “Tartarus” . The song is mainly a neo-classical piece with Natalie’s vocals creating an atmosphere that is a living creation of Dante’s Inferno, as well as being one of the first Septic Flesh songs ever to enchant my ears.

Spiros attempts cleaner vocals in “On the topmost step of the earth” after some brief melodies, though there would be far fewer of these moments than in Communion. The song is the longest on the album and spews forth a wonderful solo; the song itself veers onward with the heavier main riff before opening for “Shamanic rite” . At this point the melodies have become one of the driving forces of the album driving forth the entirety of the song, making the second half sound as if you’re in a tunnel and they’re closing in on you. The production of the album as a whole being reflected best in the song as well as “The future belongs to the brave”, and I found it to be much more crystalline than Espotron .

The final song sounds much like “Shamanic rite” though with a more varied drum performance and melody, the double bass is present as opposed to just a few brief seconds in “Shamanic Rite” . At this point I felt a bit dismayed as the album had to end, but even at the topmost part of the earth one must feel the need to descend at some point. The dual-melodies in the song pay homage to the main influence of the band My Dying Bride , though where I felt let down by Gothic the album transcends their main influence and leaves them beneath the albums soaring heights. After “Enchantment” and if you were spellbound by the album as I was, we’ve reached the end of our voyage from the Milky way and your left wanting to smash Century Media for not re-issuing more copies of their classic albums!

The Septic Flesh we know of today has continued strong from their origins in Greece, to becoming an internationally renowned band. While Vampire of Nazareth was far simpler than the bands prior works even Sumerian Daemons , the bands core formula has changed little while their riffing lacks some of the grandeur present on this and the masterpiece Mystic Places of the Dawn . That however, is another review entirely and one I will set for a future date, as their older albums are far more pressing to occupy my time with than their newest. As you are undoubtedly reading this you appreciate Older Septic Flesh , and if you have the money which you probably do, I implore you to go out and locate this masterpiece along with its sibling Mystic places of the Dawn .

Review by: Enthralled

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