Release Date May 8th, 2026
Format CD/Vinyl/Digital
Genre Black Metal
Origin Greece
Yoth Iria formed in Athens in 2019 around bassist and lyricist Jim Mutilator, a cult name and legend in the first era of Greek black metal. His mastery helped define the Hellenic scene, and Yoth Iria brings that lineage into a darker, more expansive domain. Vocalist He, guitarists Nikolas Perlepe and Naberius, drummer Vongaar and Jim Mutilator make up the lineup presented here. The band entered with the 2020 “Under His Sway” EP and the 2021 debut "As The Flame Withers". Then the band deepened its occult and psychedelic character on 2024's "Blazing Inferno".
Across those releases, melody, ceremonial atmosphere and traditional heavy metal riffing became central to its Greek black metal language. "Gone With The Devil" is the third full length and the first album issued by Metal Blade Records, placing the band on a wider stage after years rooted in the formative Athenian scene. Its history matters, though this lineup is more than a continuation of old names. It has developed a distinct union of ancient imagery, gothic color and heavy metal grandeur.
On "Gone With The Devil", Yoth Iria goes for scale, drama and immediate hooks. The guitars dominate through stern mid tempo riffs, twin melodies and flamboyant leads, while the bass and drums shift between marching rhythms and sudden blast beat attacks. He brings a deep, scorched roar over choruses written for a crowd, adding gothic grandeur to the black metal core. Mediterranean colors surface inside the melodies, and the psychedelic shade of "As The Flame Withers" returns in a more controlled form. The production is broad, warm and precise. Guitar harmonies rise above the rhythm section, bass notes retain definition, cymbals remain crisp, and the vocals sit high enough to direct the songs.
The lyric theme targets the paradox of faith and political power. Rulers preach sin and punishment while creating the hell they claim to oppose, with Lucifer presented as illumination hidden by corrupted institutions. "Dare To Rebel", "The Blind Eye Of Antichrist" and "Blessed Be He Who Enters" reveal the meeting point between classic metal melody, blackened attack and choral scale.
Several refrains verge on excess, and the stately pacing can reduce the ferocity when too many songs follow a similar gait. Those flaws stay minor beside the quality of the riffs, the dramatic guitar dialogue and the unified atmosphere. The closing impression is blunt. Yoth Iria has made an imposing Greek black metal album, rich in occult color and melody, with enough menace beneath its grandeur to warrant its high ambitions. The only negative is the cover that reminds more a video game and not the occult magic of the previous albums.
|8.5
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