The Greek heavy metal band Septicflesh will present a one of a kind evening under the Acropolis on Sunday, September 28th along with the Athens State Orchestra conducted by Koen Schoots.
The unique show will take place at the famous 2nd century AD Odeon of Herodes Atticus under the Acropolis. It is the first time that a heavy metal band performs at the renowned ancient venue, especially accompanied by a symphonic orchestra with famous Dutch conductor Koen Schoots and the Piraeus vocal ensemble Libro Coro.
The collaboration between a 60-piece symphonic orchestra with a heavy metal band may seem like a strange partnership, but metal super stars Metallica have done this before with the San Francisco symphonic orchestra—and very successfully so.
For Septicflesh, however, it is business as usual to use classical music orchestras and choirs in their recordings. They belong to the symphonic metal category, and they do an exemplary job mixing grandiose orchestral parts with heavy guitar chords.
This is not the first time they play with a symphonic orchestra and choir. In February 2019, Septicflesh performed with a full orchestra and choir in a sold-out show at the Teatro Metropolitan in Mexico City, Mexico. There were 140 musicians, a 40-member choir and the the band of five Greeks on stage. The concert was recorded and released on audio and video formats.
Ancient Greek gods and titans live in their lyrics
If there was a heavy metal band that belongs to the legendary Odeon of Herodes Atticus, also known as the Herodion, it is Septicflesh. Many of their song themes deal with ancient Greek gods, titans, and philosophers with song titles like “Mythos,” “Prometheus,” “Tartarus,” “Narcissus,” “Titan,” “Morpheus the Dreamlord,” “Hierophant,” and “Martyr” (referring to female philosopher Hypatia). It is almost as if they jumped out of Hesiod’s Theogony.
There is the occasional Sumerian Daemon thrown in for good measure, but many of the Septicflesh songs draw inspiration from ancient Greek myths. The sound of Septicflesh is dark and thunderously heavy with intricate tempo changes and wild crescendos.
If the battle of the titans against the gods had a soundtrack, it would have been composed by the Greek heavy metal band. Most of their songs have a sinister, cinematic feel, immersing the listener in their dark music world.
What is interesting about Septicflesh is that they rarely appear in Greece. People who don’t know any better may believe they are a band from Europe or the United States. Yet, they have a fanatic following in their homeland. They tour around the world and participate in most renowned metal festivals.
Who are Septicflesh, the band performing at the Acropolis of Athens?
Septicflesh were formed in 1990 in Athens. The founders were Spiros “Seth Siro Anton” Antoniou on vocals, bass and artwork; Sotiris Vayenas “Sotiris Anunnaki V” on rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards, and lyrics; and Christos Antoniou on lead guitar, orchestrations, and samples.
These are the three core members to this day, as musicians came and went in the group’s lineup over three decades. Today, Kerim “Krimh” Lechner on drums and Dinos “Psychon” Prassas on rhythm guitar complete the band.
Christos Antoniou has a Bachelor in music composition from the London College of Music and a Master in composition and orchestration. Spiros Antoniou—in addition to his specialization in Music Composition—graduated with honors from the Higher School of Fine Arts in the 1st Painting Workshop with professors Dimitris Mytaras, Zacharias Arvanitis, and Angelos Antonopoulos. No wonder the visuals in their live shows and the artwork on their records and CDs are works of art.
The band has released eleven studio albums so far, starting with Mystic Places of Dawn in 1994 which introduced their sound to the metal community. The latest is Modern Primitive, released in 2022 on one of the most prestigious heavy metal labels, Germany’s Nuclear Blast. It has received great critical acclaim, cementing the worldwide reputation of the Greek metal band.
In 2021, the sheet music from four compositions of the band was selected by the internationally prestigious Berklee College of Music and has since been included in its music library for study.
Their live shows are a unique spectacle, combining theatrics and stunning visuals with many images from mythological ancient Greece. Their vision is to present an acoustically and visually perfect result, with an emphasis on theatrics, always trying to include elements in the lyrics from the ancient Greek culture.
The experience of seeing Septicflesh live seems to be the privilege of their loyal fans only, though, as the show of the Greek metal band at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is sold out only five days after the announcement.