Well, literally within a day of those thoughts, I get the promo for this EP. 33 minutes, 5 new songs, and a cover of Running Wild‘s “Riding the Storm”, and the Hellenic-inspired melodic death metal lads (with a new guitarist) haven’t lost a step at all, and dare I say might even be even more polished and deadly.

Continuing their Greek history/mythology themes wrapped in a rough and gravelly but tight form of melodic death metal that’s in the same wheelhouse house as Arghoslent (in sound only) and Helcaraxe, but a little tighter and a little sharper.

The band signals their return to the fray with the EP’s opening number, the blistering “Orations/Reascension of Mastery” (a perfect song title here), where at 1:35 seconds in, they deliver one of the year’s early best riffs and most rousing, chord progressions, which contines for the rest of the song’s head banging brilliance.

“Thy Wounded Sovereignty” continues the EP’s killer start with more fervent galloping riffs before the mid-paced march of “Under an Accursed Dynasty” slows things down a bit, before some blackened elements show up.

“Morphos of Degeneration” is a more atonal, angular track that isn’t quite up to par but the 6-minute “Cathedral of Ancestry” delivers more of the band’s rousing mix of tumbling, gruff melodies and stern blasts perfectly.

I’m not super familiar with Running Wild‘s popular Pirate metal from Germany but the track “Riding the Storm” is fun and shows House of Atreus’ classic heavy metal influences are as strong as their death metal ones.

This EP fucking rips and will be tough to beat as the EP of the year when it comes down to it a whole 12 frigging months from now- it’s that good.

Boy, who knew Shakespeare was a prophet?

But I digress. After one self released EP, and a killer debut album, The Spear and the Ichor that Follows in 2015 on Dark Descent Records, Minnesota’s House of Atreus signed with Iron Bonehead Productions and has released the second album, From the Madness of Ixion, and it shows a even more polished and confident take on the band’s gruff, melodic, historical death metal.

Again with Greek mythology and history as the central theme (though lacking the dramatic Shakespearean quotes from the debut) for the lyrics, and a looser Arghoslent, Sacriphyx and Helcaraxe styled take on melodic death metal mixed with traditional heavy metal, House of Atreus have improved the song writing, tightened up the production,  and released and album that should elevate the band into a far higher pantheon within Olympus.

Opener “The Madness of Ixion” (A Greek King sentenced to life on a fiery wheel in Tartarus after making moves on Zeus’s wife) , gets right to it with a galloping, catchy rager of a track that set the tome for the rest of the album, including a nice heavy metal solo and moody close out. First single, “Zealous Iniquity” highlights the band’s development and evolution with multiple time changes and rousing riffs and leads as does third track “Oath of the Horatii”, (The tale of two warring Roman cities sending three brothers each to battle each other) one of my favorite tracks on the album.

“Cordelia” returns to the band’s Shakespearean influences of the debut and slows things down a bit with more of a mid paced march telling the tale from the tragedy of  King Lear but ends with a killer , rousing canter. “Call to Thee , Concubines” is the album’s longest cut at almost 8 minutes, and really highlights the band’s development with a level of depth and range in a long track that has to be on point to keep the listener’s attention. Which the track does effortlessly, especially with the song’s somber slow down at its mid point and its almost melodic black metal closing climax.

Instrumental track “Ad Homineim” breaks things up a bit before pure barn stormer “Prometheus Bound” renders the albums fastest, most direct and shortest track. Closer “Bonded By Supremacy” ends the album with another 7+ minute track, and it ends the release with a perfect mood and pace signalling that House of Atreus are ready for the big time with a Century Media or Metal Blade type jump to the majors.

-William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus

Not content with adding traditional doom (Crypt Sermon) and black metal (Thantifaxath) to their roster of brilliant death metal, Dark Descent Records has dipped their toes into the genre of melodic death metal. But as you’d expect, it’s something a little different from the norm, not polished twiddly, Gothenburg NWSDM mind you, and as you’d expect it returns superb results.

Hailing from Minnesota and comprised of a bunch of dudes from bands even I have never heard of, House of Atreus (named after the ill fated house/family from Homer’s Iliad) have delivered a kickass debut record of earthy, grimy and Roman/Greek themed melodic death metal. And like I said, not the pristine commercial melodic death metal but a burly, gritty, loose style that many will rightly compare to Arghoslent, a bold decision by the band to be sure, to choose a sound akin to such a lightning rod of a band, but one that pays off. One could also throw Helcaraxe in there for a less attention getting comparison.

Also akin to Arghoslent, the lyrical themes are historical, but less controversial, dealing with Greek/Roman history, namely the tragedies, including some rousing quotes from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus and a whole song concerning Oresteia, a famous Greek tragedy concerning the band’s namesake. And the themes are neither heavy handed or forced. Unlike bands like Ade or Ex Deo, other than the quotes there’s no ethnic instrumentation or synths or native musings. Just riffs, riffs and more riffs.

Thrashy, cantering riffs with an tumbling earthy tone, some deft solos and gravelly, gruff vocals make the album a simple, effective joy. The riffs are often imperial, martial and stern in tone, conveying the warring and tragic themes sans bells and whistles. Deftly delivering galloping uptempo numbers like opener “Trenches of Fortune”  and “Throne of Chariots” or slower brooding numbers like “Heir to the Crown of Sodom” “Oresteia – The Unforgotten Scorns” and “Veiled of Dignities of Wrath” the album is simple, effective and at time downright rousing as heard on personal favorites “Messenger of a Shaken Host” and “Beasts of Antiquity” which along with binge watching episodes of Spartacus on Netflix have me in a frothing bloodlust ready for gladiatorial combat. Or to do the dishes in just a subligaculum.

The only negative I can think of is that none of the killer tracks (“Bastards Upon the Hillside” or “Seed of Discord”) from the band’s excellent Into the Brazen Bull self releases EP/Demo are tacked on or redone for this album. Otherwise, Dark Descent once again has proven they can step a little outside their usual sound and release a top notch album in pretty well any genre they choose. And while the Arghoslent comparison will no doubt draw potential ire or unwanted attention (needlessly I might add), House of Atreus look to be a fast rising star in US death metal and another notch in Dark Descent’s belt.

“Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutant”