https://www.facebook.com/50813577590038 ... 31/?type=1

(the last part is quoted from Ván Records' Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/vanrecs/photos ... 71/?type=1

This seems to be the first release of the band in 8 years. The Ancient Returns was fantastic, so I'm pretty stoked.

Edit:
Whole album on Bandcamp: http://macabreomen.bandcamp.com/

Fuck yeah, I dig the hell out of The Ancient Returns. First class epic black metal for sure. Band deserves to be more well-known, hopefully this album is good and will help them get some recognition.

I take it as a good... uhm... omen that they're releasing it on Ván. It's a good label with loads of quality black metal releases and very few bad ones. I feel like they wouldn't put out an album from an obscure Greek band that hasn't released anything in 8 years if they weren't confident about the result.

This is good to hear, the debut was a solid album that I enjoyed so will keep an eye on this one. Thanks for the heads up!

Title track stream: https://soundcloud.com/v-n-records/maca ... war-at-war

Not blown away yet (songwriting seems a bit chaotic?), but I nevertheless like what I hear. A whole album of this quality could be killer with enough conceptual coherence between the songs.

I get that it was chaotic, perhaps, because it can actually be dissected and presented as maybe 3-4 different songs. It has quite a few ideas compressed into one track. If this is the best track that the band has released first, then I have an apprehension that the rest of the songs might lack in good songwriting. Anywho, that's just the pessimist in me talking. I really enjoyed this track. I'm gonna look out for this one. Thanks for the heads up, inhumanoid.

First time hearing this band and shit is fucking kills. I was really apprehensive at first because of the trendy, dissonant/creepy opening riff, but then it just comes out of left field. I really like the huge range of influences they managed to incorporate into one coherent sound. It's all over the place, but it's coherent.

Another track is streaming: https://soundcloud.com/v-n-records/maca ... ght#t=0:00

Sweet, their first album was a good one. Didn't realize they'd had such a long hiatus, but it's good to know I haven't missed anything in that time

http://macabreomen.bandcamp.com/

Whole thing on Bandcamp, yo.

Holy fuck, not only is that an awesome opener, it also perfectly sets up the title track.

They have not lost any of their epic power that is for sure. An awesome album which to me sounds like a continuation of disc 2 from Spectral Lore's III album ha! Which is not a bad complaint. Highly recommended.

I've had the album for a week or so and yeah it's fucking sick. On the first listen I thought it was cool but really jumbled in parts, and a bit uneven in flow, but after spending more time with it things just fall into place. Probably the best release so far this year.

Up there with Ereb Altor and Primordial for carrying Quorthon's torch after hearing the opener. That debut was epic as anything, this is just as good.

Got this last week - package is typical high Van standards, and the music is even better. Great album and probably best so far this year in BM that I have heard.

Heard the album this week, it's fantastic. As good as the classic Varathron stuff! There's no better "epic pagan black metal" bands right now. Top 5 of 2015 that's for sure.

Listened to most of it via bandcamp over the last couple of days and finally got round to buying it today. Epic, exciting music, fucking well written. Going to be one I return to often I think - perfect for reading long books on my commute!

Why is everyone not circle-jerking the shit out of this masterpiece? I don't think I've gone more that two days in a row without listening to Gods of War - At War. It's been at least a few years since something this good's come along. It's tough to choose a favorite track because of how well everything flows together, but if I had to, it'd either be "Gods of War - At War", "I See the Sea", "Rhodian Pride, Lindean Might", or "Hellenes do not Fight like Heroes, Heroes Fight like Helenes". I'm absolutely floored by the atmosphere, riffs, vocals, everything. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say this is a perfect album.

It's a great album for sure. Listened to it quite a few times several weeks ago, but I switched away from it because I knew I'd get burnt out on it if I overdid it, and I can't stand doing that. But yeah, it kicks some serious ass. I wish the middle of the album (namely "Hellenes Do Not Fight Like Heroes..." and "Man of 300 Voices") was just as strong as the rest, but the dip is fairly negligible. Overall an extremely well done release.

I see the sea
The fire and the wind, the earth and the sky
Brothers, I'm not afraid to die...

Oh shit, and the riff right after "the moment you're in need is when you tend to be alone" is one of the best I've heard recently.

This is an excellent album. It has some very memorable hellenic riffs and the best hellenic styled black metal I have heard in years. Hellenes Do Not Fight Like Heroes, Gods of War, and the opener are my favorites. I have been playing this a lot in my car lately.

I know I started this thread, but due to my obsessively methodical listening habits I've only heard the album for the second time today. There are two things I haven't yet quite gotten used to: the production sounds a bit too hollow to be appropriate for the rich soundscapes that exist on the album and just these soundscapes seem a bit messy at times in a way that shifts focus away from the riffs when it shouldn't.

But other than that, an amazing record.

What are you listening through, inhumanist? I found that production sounds a bit rubbish on one set of headphones, but sounds great though another. And then it sounds even better still through a big home system. Maybe give it another shot with something else?

I found the production a little difficult to get used to at first as well but it has definitely grown on me as it settled in.

The album itself, on the other hand, was an absolutely thrilling ride from the opening seconds of I See, the Sea right to the end and has remained so over tens of listens. Probably the pure distillation of the epic. This is certainly going to be in my top ten albums of the year list.

Okay-ish PC speakers, admittedly not the best thing to give the sound some volume. Maybe it'll sound better through my in-ears. I'll find out on my next train ride.

This is an insta-buy for me, as the debut was one hell of a record that struck me completely out of the blue like a bolt of lightning. Utterly fantastic, and what I have heard from the new album certainly hasn't disappointed me. The grandiose melodies they had on the debut are still there, just much... larger.

bought this on CD recently. great album, love the greek riffage sound
just one thing, the vocals are low in the mix, sometimes nearly inaudible i find

Really glad to see this thread pop back up today! I'm kicking the shit out of myself every single day for not listening to this sooner. Holy goddamn fuck, this album is absolutely amazing. It's funny to read reactions to single songs taken out of context with people kind of apprehensive about it - to me every track kind of stands on its own as being really amazing stuff, yet at the same time this is very, VERY much a "listen to the whole thing from start to finish, no exceptions" kind of experience.

But man, just...man. The songwriting on this thing is just mind-blowing in how carefully crafted everything is. The compositions, the individual riffs, the ultra passionate and just incredible vocals, the way the whole album flows. I have absolutely no problem at all calling this record a masterpiece. I can't stop listening to it.

Superb! The best release of 2015.

My favorite album of 2015 by a wide margin. Rhodian Pride is an amazing song, especially when it gets to the 1:55 mark. HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

First time listening to this mother****er and holy shit this is some musical journey. There is so much going on, yet no part seems redundant or out of place. There are moments which are simply breathtaking and remind me of why I listen to metal music in the first place.

Superb music from start to finish.

I love how this thread keeps floating back to the surface with these kinds of enthusiastic posts.

For me this is one of those records that make more sense and get more exciting with every listen. Accordingly, the initial problems I had with it seem increasingly negligible.

Has been in constant rotation since I bought the album, and it sounds wonderful nice and loud here at home.

after more listens i'm loving it more and more
only criticism is still the vocal too low in the mix for most of it

that riff in track gods of war though!

I'm still loving this album. I just received my copy of it last week and it's still my most listened to album from 2015. That 2 minute mark of Rhodian Pride is so great.

lots of this.

This was my favorite record of 2015 and I still enjoy the everloving shit out of it. Those epic ancient melodies are awesome, the songwriting is brilliantly fluid and natural, and the music is richly layered and consistently enthralling. Front to back this is probably one of my favorite records of the decade right now. Just incredible stuff.

I've said it elsewhere about this album but in my view it is one of the best if not the best metal album in the past 10 years. I can think of a lot of albums which come close to its greatness but few if any I could honestly say are better. Its one hell of a great album.

This album is perfect, like all the other music I've heard from Greece.

Never get tired of listening to this album....such epic compositions
This will go down as a classic.

In case you guys don't know, the debut Macabre Omen album was re-released by Van records last month!

Phenomenal album. Can't get enough of it. Absolutely a future classic.

First album have been re-released on cd and vinyl aswell now btw!

Never heard the first one actually, but the Lp is coming my way.
Gods of War - At War is stellar!