Let me clarify something from the very beginning. ILLUSORY and more specifically George (Papantonis) are friends of mine. I only say this, just to set a point of honesty for all those reading the review. Lately, stating your opinion about a band that you are friends with tends to be prohibited. I have never been objective with friends or people I don’t know. You know what, Heavy Metal in Greece is a bit of a “village” thing and we seem to know each other more or less. Not that it mattes much, since we are paying for the live gigs tickets, the merch and the albums; since we are paying for them, we supposedly care more. In these hard times, I paid for the physical copy of the album, listened to it a number of times and decided to write a thing or two about it. ILLUSORY are moving forward, comparing this album with their (very good) debut. They keep their Maiden monomanias, their Queensryche/Savatage attitude, their multi-vocal motifs, their fine and melodic, European style (no, I’m not going to say europower) guitars and they compose with a distinctive way. Dee’s voice is one of those I really like, not just “for Greek singers”. He’s warm, solid, powerful and passionate, very much into the Dio mentality. They sound like less angry Symphony X but more lyrical; their songs are beautiful, with many ideas. Odd-Y-Sea is the hit of the album, with Bleak, Dreamshade, Last Fallen Angel (these acoustic passages reminded me of Rush from the Χanadu period; just for a second there and I mean it with good intentions), Solitary Nomad (you guys liked Brave New World, right? Me, too and I don’t hide, well done, you guys), The Eyes Of Hades (one of the best I think) or ten minute long Swan Song. I think this is one album the boys worked their butts off (with all things relevant to a recording procedure) and you can get that in terms of precision, structure etc., however the album needed a stronger production for the material to “breathe” better. I didn’t like the art cover, I believe that sound and cover (although the layout is beautiful) are critical factors the boys should take under consideration in the future. In general I consider the album as an exceptional musical attempt by a bunch of people that are musicians and fans (important) and those of you into this music, you better check them right now. We are only stating our opinion and we do that for every band we come across our way.
4,5/6
The April 2017 issue (Νο 388) of the Greek edition of Metal Hammer is by all means dedicated to BLACK SABBATH. Apart from the articles showcased in the magazine, referring to the Fathers of the genre, there will be a CD as well, hosting thirteen covers of Sabbath’s tunes by thirteen bands, some of the most remarkable in Greece. ILLUSORY are honored to be part of this album, “Lords of this World – A Tribute to Black Sabbath“, contributing with “The Mob Rules“, alongside some of the most amazing bands. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Greek Metal Hammer for trusting the band and their word to you for more pleasant surprises such as this in the near future.
Don’t listen to fools… Just Shine On!
Polysyllabic LiVE @ The Crow Club: The thoughts, the words, the thanks
Dearest friends and supporters,
Words are usually poor when it comes to describe a situation and in our case…
Well, they are almost shabby. We simply hope last Saturday night was as good for you all as it was for us in the band. We feel we owe you the world for dropping by, for staying with us, for listening and showing you’ve had a good time. We will keep that amazingly good spirit and generally blissed climate and we promise to do even better and bigger things next time. Our most sincere and heartfelt thanks and shout outs go to Galliard Syndrome, for making that night be so dynamic since minute one, Voice Box, who achieved boosting our songs, the ones they participated, sky high with their angel-like voices, The Crow Club, which is always beside us and with us, supporting every step we make, becoming a warm home for us and Andreas Giannopoulos, the sound extraordinaire, who managed to complete the toughest task with flying colors by coordinating all those people on stage. Our most “Polysyllabic” thanks go to you as well, for embracing us the way you did. We saw many familiar faces last night, yet we also saw many new ones, we saw the promise in your eyes, the promise for our next gigs.
Bless you all, Shine On!
Mediterranean heavy/power temperament and proto-prog perception in an interesting local release.
A few months ago we were talking about Athenian (Greece) band ILLUSORY and their sophomore album and – with a minor delay – the time has come to elaborate on their newest work. The band has been active since the 90’s (under the name Ivory Tower), the name change was made in 2012 and it brought a breeze of renewal for the band; their debut album, “The Ivory Tower”, was actually a re-recording of their promo and it was full of promises for the future. Moving forward, the Greek heavy/power metallers present a total of thirteen songs, with their aura reminiscing the things that this specific sound was advocating in the 90’s. It’s overwhelmed with feelings and the structure, although consistent with their classic metal character, is flirting with protegenous Prog and their influences amalgam, from Iron Maiden to Savatage, to Jag Panzer and ancient Queensryche, drowning all eyes towards them. Naturealy, the first band that came to mind, listening to that material, was InnerWish of the “Silent Faces” period, due to their overall album sound and their composing structures and the Mediterranean air the album is breathing out. My aspect was strengthened by the guest appearance of George Eikosipentakis, InnerWish current singer, on “Polysyllabic”, amongst other (many) guests. Thus, intense melodies are in front, guitar work is by far not superfluous and the sound familiarity is winning on every experienced listener in the genre. Along with the participation of the vocal orchestra of Voice Box, which broadens the horizons of the album material, I think that we are dealing with their most complete work so far, either as The IVORY TOWER or ILLUSORY, with songs like “Odd-Y-Sea”, “System’s Decay” and ten-minute epic “Swan Song” standing out. Nevertheless, apart from the fact that we are facing a very remarkable work, some elements could be more improved. First things first, the album production is lacking volume and relevant dynamics, without being a poor one, not by any means. Since we are talking about terms and demands in 2017 and not the 90’s any more and stretching it all, I think that a bit more volume could better underline the riffing compositions of the band. In total, ILLUSORY’s newest proposal is not going to disappoint all those friends of good heavy/power, showing – for one more time – that this specific side of local music scene can steadily offer high level releases.
The Ivories will be guesting the “Μουσικό HaPi“show on M-word Web Radio hosted by Maria Chatzigianni & Babbis HaPi this Thursday, March 2 at 20:00 (Greek time). The boys will talk about the new album “Polysyllabic“, their upcoming Polysyllabic Live presentation on March 11 and much more!
Tune in and Shine On!
Listen live @ www.m-wordradio.gr
