Ελληνικά
Genre: Progressive Metal
Country: Greece
Label: Unsigned/independent
Year: 2017
We have all realized that the Greek element starts to dominate in heavy metal day by the day and the phenomenon is getting bigger and bigger. Judging from my own tastes the last few years, I realized that half of my favorite groups are from the Greek scene (of course counting Cyprus too) and not in vain. Major Denial, a big band with a first album “Duchess of Suffering” as a true masterpiece, make a powerful start and they show how capable they are for great things. With a unique style, excellent compositions and a talented composer (Nektarios Ntagkas) full of passion and feelings, with melodies that capture the listener into a magical musical journey. A big add up to the whole album are of course the vocals of Yannis Papadopoulos (best new heavy metal vocalist for sure) with absolute harmony and great double in the guitars (Nectarios Ntagkas and Achilleas Diamantis), making “Duchess of Suffering” the best progressive heavy metal record of the year. Its hard to choose among ten diamond tracks from the album, still I can’t leave “Illustrius” unnamed, the best song they could put at the beginning of the album, which demonstrates the characteristics of the band and prepares you for the continuation of the album. “Chains of Failure”, where the vocals of Papadopoulos, the intro and the evolution of the song give you goosebumps. “Duchess of Suffering”, where the piano and guitars of Nectarios & Achilleas with magical solos during its whole length, truly touch the soul of the listener. “Duchess of Suffering” is surely one of the best albums of the year (2017) and we hope (with a feeling of certainty) that it is just the beginning as 2018 starts so emphatically.
4,5/6
