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Kawir > Ophiolatreia > Reviews
Kawir - Ophiolatreia

To glean the gods again - 68%

autothrall, September 21st, 2011

Long departed from the crude charms of their debut To Cavirs, Kawir had gradually developed themselves into a competent and well produced black metal band with remnant traces of their original, cheesy pagan/symphonic ingredients. That said, Ophiolatreia is probably the closest they would get to their formative years, with a wealth of slower, atmospheric sequences that contrast the raging Scandinavian elements of their sheer, symphonic black metal riffs. There are quite a few derivative, generic feeling guitars on this album that hold it back from greatness, but overall I'd say this is still a solid effort: what it lacks in overall charisma it almost makes up for in sheer muscle.

There are actually a few moments in tracks "Moirae" and "Poseidon" which have fine, layered vortexes of guitar that I wish would have occurred more often through the album. "Poseidon" is hands down one of the best songs, with an extended bridge in which the Greeks use percussive acoustic guitars and airy flutes alongside whispered vocals to create this feeling of an ancient countryside journey, perhaps through the architecture of old. They also use a lot of clean vocal chanting here and throughout many of the tracks, which feels a bit goofy in spots but certainly matches the aesthetics they are attempting to achieve here. But countering this, there are an excess number of barbaric guitar riffs which feel cyclic, predictable and repetitive to the point that they lose their luster well before the track ends ("Hephaistos", etc).

Without exception, it is the more elevating and atmospheric fraction of the album which holds it all together. The majority of the vocals are a dry and expected rasp all too common within this style, and hardly more expressive than any of a thousand peers. The lyrical themes remain firmly enveloped in Greek mythology, and yet I always had hoped Kawir would surpass their peers and release the ultimate tribute to their country's rich roots. This just isn't that, and in fact, none of their albums are, so what you're getting is essentially stock black metal with a few twists of originality, reasonable production values and not much else to thrive on. Falls a little short of its predecessor Arai.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Return of the Greek Pagans! - 98%

winterheathen, April 19th, 2008

Hellenic black and death metal is something I've always been somewhat fascinated with. Certainly, everyone is familiar with Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh, but Kawir is worthy of attention as well. The band (whose name translates to "powerful") is one of those groups that I've wanted to hear for quite a while, but never really got around to it. What a mistake that was! The band name has always stuck in my head, I like their album covers, and i even like the monk-like robes they wear on stage, yet i ignored them. That was something I intended to remedy by purchasing Ophiolatreia.

Kawir is one of those bands who are well known in some circles, but completely unheard of in others. They definitely can't compare to the aforementioned countrymen, yet they've been releasing quality pagan black metal since 1993.

So what do they sound like? They can be described as a raw, yet melodic black metal band with touches of clean vocals, acoustic guitar, and keyboards. Don't let the idea of keys bother you! They don't distract from Kawir's menacing power. With a few exceptions (for example the midsection to "Poseidon") Kawir sticks to a mid paced tempo, sometimes kicking it into gear like in the fast paced "Ares (The God Of War).While the vocals, bass and drumming are all solid, the real stars of the album are Thertonax, who comes up with some great, memorable riffs, and Erichthonios whose keyboards play an important part of every song.

Its difficult to pick out the most outstanding tracks on this album of near perfection, but I'd have to pick "Ares" and the title track. Every single note, every sound is worthy of attention, and one will not get bored listening to "Ophiolatreia". The only bad thing I can point out is the production, it is neither clear nor lo-fi, more like stuck in the middle, sometimes sounding a bit muddy. Still, that is no reason not to pick up this opus, who, thanks to Those Opposed Records, has better distribution that any of their previous discs (at least here in the US)