Breaching a new dimension in their quest to access untold sanctuary our protagonists dare far beyond the cave mouth in preparation for sacrifice, devoting all necessity to their commune with the woods and hoping to experience the unmistakable power of the messenger. In ongoing search of new meaning by ancestral call and desirous ascension Trikala, Greece-based black metal duo Melan Selas walk armed with patient reveal of winged spiritus, readied to prove unyielding readiness as their second full-length album looms. Narrating their ethos in pursuit of the wisdom of ages in thrashing verse these ‘Zephyrean Hymns‘ are unleashed most often as lofty epics, the artists own vision of Hellenic black metal which is oft traditional in spirit but deeply marked by a distinct personal touch.

Melan Selas formed circa 2015 between D.K. (Riffobia, Katavasia) who handles all of the instrumentation and vocalist Astraea who also features in relatively inactive black/death metal band Oletir. From the first EP release (‘Melan Selas‘, 2016) it was clear these folks had a strong grasp upon the core fusion within the band where Hellenic black metal’s inherent influences from traditional heavy metal, epic heavy metal and especially thrash metal are extrapolated into ancient-minded themes. It was a substantial vision and an impressive release, an idea they’d honed into an unforgettable second EP release (‘Ῥέοn‘, 2018) a few years later as two-song EP that’d eventually released in 2019 as a 12″ LP with the inclusion of their debut EP. I’d loved the album and it made a quick fan of me as I’d reviewed it favorably when it’d released. The best possible introduction one could have into their inspired realm comes from that mLP’s two different but equally ‘epic’ angles supplied.

The focus of the band blurred a bit when their debut full-length (‘Φάος‘, 2019) hit, touching upon more aggressive black-thrash metal tempos while simultaneously surging between gothic metal vocals and power metal melodies depending where any given moment took them. Though I’d enjoyed the ramp up of speed/thrash metal pieces on that album it didn’t necessarily live up to the tone and promise of the work they’d done prior, pulling back into an idea where the thought suddenly felt tentative or reaching for a different ambition. ‘Zephyrean Hymns‘ doesn’t necessarily regress but rather tempers the vision of the band to still include their Hellenic black/thrashing style in ambitious order but turn their focus toward the simplicity of epic heavy metal as its guide, intensifying the vision of their natural philosophic view of the world within pieces which read all the more profound for this modulation of style.

Righting a ship ‘ready made sovereign. — Though sound design is not the first thing that comes screaming to mind here up front it is worth noting that in this refined state the clear-yet-modest presentation of ‘Zephyrean Hymns‘ reads as an appropriately idiosyncratic yet proper Hellenic black metal recording per its self-recorded/mixed undertaking. Despite the must of the swamp threatening ill omens throughout the initial read of the album is made crisp as open air per the efforts of the band to hone their simple-yet-effective guitar-forward register along with mastering from venerable Achilleas Kalantzis (Varathron, Suncord Audiolab). The bass guitar is given just enough percussive presence to lend tank-like depth to the steady-pounding heavy metal rhythms that mark the first three or four pieces on the full listen with “Humble Soil” being the bully of the lot, striking at its double-bass lead rolling charge. We will eventually get to the thrashing hard stuff eventually but this time around Melan Selas have given plenty of room to develop each side of their black prism, starting with the steadier stride of at the onset.

“Mountain Tops” gives us the big, rousing epic one would want from Melan Selas, a Quorthon-worthy stomp and strike which these folks excel at so consistently, not far from the feeling of ‘Triarchy of the Lost Lovers‘ initially but with less of a focus on hook so much as heroic lead-driven movements. While that opening piece showed the range of ‘Φάος’ to some degree with some spoken word elements, keyboards and a lightly folken read to the main melody all of these moments feel resolutely traditional and minimal in their approach as to keep a directly line with the listener throughout. As much could be said for “Frozen Lake”, a seamless piece which gets its hooks in the moment the opener finishes its stride. Use of trumpet-esque synths and chorale help to retain the authentic feeling of Greek black metal’s industrious ‘by any means necessary’ ambitions and boldly stated traditions of songcraft. The steady trotted salvo of pieces which open ‘Zephyrean Hymns‘ already make up for the sometimes unsure footing of ‘Φάος’ for my own taste and lean into some of their strongest traits up front.

Back in 2018 I’d commented something like, the potential of their sound could ultimately serve an experience akin to the covers of “Flag of Hate / Pleasure to Kill” by way of Rotting Christ back in 1996 and while that observation seems trite now the combination of thrash metal skeleton and black metal spiritus take on a unique fusion in the hands of D.K. who has different associations than a comparable ideology such as Zemial‘s. Nonetheless the combination was proven feasible on the previous record and “Trumpets of War” takes us into that realm with a bit more ease as the first half of the album rounds out. This is where the album has finished warming the ancient bones, basically ends the black/thrash thought after a couple of pieces and instead moves on quickly to a most representative piece per the memorable strike of “Dreadful Dome” a song which recalls the bombast and sonority of Yoth Iria as much as it likewise reprises the feeling of Melan Selas‘ ideation back in 2018. Chorales, keys, and a venomous hiss from Astraea all add to this very strong peak at the middle of the full listen and the conversation continues with the narrated dramatism of “Darkened Cliff”, a nice change of pace which more successfully achieves the ambitions of the band’s debut completing the wintry thought per “Wanderer” without quite touching upon gothic/black metal.

Despite the lack of a thrashing refrain near the end of the album the general balance of the running order makes great sense as Melan Selas thrive within mid-paced pieces but do well to mix things up to avoid any too direct sameness to threaten the greater thread. In this sense ‘Zephyrean Hymns‘ is the type of album practically built for just one intermission though most pieces here do well on their own excepting the interstitial nature of “Wanderer”. As the album finished its opus with “Ancient Scrolls”, one of the longer mid-paced black metal strides among several on the album, I’d been surprised they still had something to add to this greater conversation, that it began to feel like they could eternally plod at mid-pace in epic meter and act as thrashing yet stoic bard to no end. This is testament to D.K.‘s guitar work and style of arrangement more than anything else, I suppose, as these folks can write a strong heavy metal piece in the context of black metal and haven’t failed at this yet. Otherwise the closer is cumulative enough that it both wraps up the moment and the album on a high point, closing with a piano/flute piece which I’d wanted a bit more of as I began listening to the album on repeat.

Overall this record held up well against repeated listening with only some of the pieces blending together in statement yet all of it feeling righteously cohesive and strident in its greater focus. There should be some obvious appeal here for fans of Greek black metal up front but ‘Zephyrean Hymns‘ comes with enough variety introduced per enough thrashing/epic heavy pockets of greatness which should call for a broader ear. A worthy voice for the cult and a great direction overall as Melan Selas lean towards their heavy metal driven strengths rather than press on too quickly into abstract forms. A high recommendation.

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