CD Info
2011
Independent Release / Greece
10 + 2 Bonus Tracks
English Lyrics

Meden Agan ( μηδὲν ἄγαν ) means “nothing in excess” in ancient Greek. It’s one of three phrases carved into the ancient temple of the Oracle at Delphi. The other two are, of course, γνῶθι σεαυτόν (gnōthi seautón or “know thyself”) and Ἑγγύα πάρα δ'ἄτη (engýa pára d'atē or "make a pledge and mischief is nigh”). Well, Erevos Aenaon, which, by the way, means “Eternal Darkness”, may have “nothing in excess” but it has EVERYTHING you need for a first class Symphonic Gothic release, as we have come to expect from so many top notch Greek bands. The work has not been released as I write these pages, however it is the first major release for the band featuring lyric leggero soprano vocalist Iliana Tsakiraki. A previous release was a limited effort but clearly suggested the potential for excellence that the current release has validated. It should be noted that Sonic Cathedral writer Frozen Angel, who penned the previous review, now works with the band and assisted greatly with the present review. Many thanks FA, especially for keeping me straight with the Greek writing and literature. My fraternity days were a long time ago.

Interestingly enough, the band was actually formed in France, circa 2005. They returned to Greece in 2006, utilizing male vocals until 2008 when the present lineup originated with a focus on one of the finest sounds in Female metal. Iliana has a vocal that compares with any in the genre, and guitarist Diman Koutsogiannopoulos can crank an axe with the best of them. Add that to the solid keyboards presented by Tolis Mikroulis and you have pretty much everything you need for a top flight Gothic production. It should be noted that Iliana has found work on several other projects, including the recordings of the 2011 album The Great Mass by Septicflesh where she provided vocals for several numbers. The present work was produced and mixed by Mark Adrian (Elysion, Bare Infinity, Bob Katsionis). Which certainly explains the strong composition and production found throughout the work.

The music isn’t the only strong point; lyrics are surprisingly strong, if a little difficult to follow due to accents. But then, how’s your Greek. Those lyrics are developed by several members of the group and are mentioned as being focused “on social and religious matters though we also have songs talking about human emotions”. Well, I guess, but they seem to do it with a Gothic focus that presents some truly interesting poetry, albeit from a distinctly darker perspective. We’ll definitely take a closer look at that poetry here shortly. It certainly opened my eyes after FA forwarded a copy to me, far better than I could have assumed from the cursory listen through very limited laptop speakers. And that’s a point to make, dropping this material into a high quality iPod, or, even better, running it through top notch speakers is a must. There’s just too much outstanding music, and well mixed and produced, not to give it a first rate delivery system, I learned that quickly, keep it in mind.

The CD begins with Black Sky. You immediately hear the keyboard based symphonic that drives so much of the music. In this video, you also get a feel for the interaction between the band, especially vocalist Iliana, and the crowd, a phenomenon that seems to get mentioned in all the reports and reviews I’ve seen regarding the band and their live performances. But the music clearly meets the requirements for a symphonic, Gothic production, and you can throw in the operatic for good measure. And this operatic perspective sees further evidence in the following selection, All Seems Lost. Here we get the background vocal that serves to enhance the lead vocal, of course, it comes through better on the CD than live for obvious reasons. Again, that strong production work, and with vocals like Iliana’s, there’s damn sure a lot to work with. The message also takes us to a darker place:

All this time you tried to cherish
The gift of life as given
You finally made your mind at peace
And put your suffering at ease
Your inner struggle slowly fades
But do you really want to escape
Facing your demons or
Leaving it all away?

It should be made clear that the male death vocal is still a part of the Meden Agan sound. Nemesis is one of these tracks. That death vocal is provided by bass player Aris Nikoleris and works well as a dialog with the female lead. You don’t get it in every song but it certainly doesn’t hurt the music. In fact, there are many of us who see a significant positive effect from this musical component although I wouldn’t suggest it is a regular part of most Greek music in this genre. But be clear, the vocal that sells Meden Agan, and fills the house when they perform, is the vocal of lead vocalist Iliana. It soars, both over the metal and the symphonic, and is the signature component of the band, even on tracks where the instrumental quality is especially strong, on tracks like Dissolve to Gray where we are provided extended time to get acquainted with both the keys and the guitar. And, on the studio versions, we get the added attraction of the background vocals, again, something to be savored.

Although most of the cuts on the CD are relatively strong rockers, there is some ballad work, something you have to expect when you have a vocal like this. Universe Unseen takes us to a beautiful, if darkly despondent, sound that again showcases our strong lead vocalist. We get a light symphonic, some piano work and the interesting background vocal to showcase our lead vocals as they tell a tale of pain and confusion:

We’re flying, we’re dreaming
Passing though 
Parallel universe
We are falling into
Infinity
Watching the end of the world

It should be noted that, although there are a total of 12 tracks on the CD, 3 are extended versions of 3 previous tracks. Now, some might see this as a quick and dirty way to add material, however, the tracks that are extended are actually quite interesting interpretations of the original works, and in each case, a rather significant upgrade to those tracks. Or, at least that’s my impression. Any time you can extend songs of this quality, you’re getting a bonus. And the band seems to understand this as those extended tracks seem to expand on everything in the previous versions. I guess that’s a matter of understanding yourself, or, as the Oracle likes to point out, γνῶθι σεαυτόν (“know thyself”). Either way, I know this, the CD is a 10 / 10

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