March To Die are a heavy metal band based in Cyprus featuring members from bands such as Mirror, Friends Of Hell, and Solitary Sabred. The band identify themselves as “epic heavy metal”, yet for me they’re just a heavy metal band with elements of black, death, and thrash metal intricately woven into their base metal framework. The band’s debut album ‘Tears Of The Gorgon’ was released in 2023.
The line-up features singer and guitarist Alex Danazoglou, guitarist Nikolas Sprits Moutafis (Mirror, Solitary Sabred), bassist Tas Danazoglou (Friends Of Hell, Mirror, Satan’s Wrath), and drummer Hugo Olivos (Mirror, Forbidden Rites), with the new album forty-eight minutes long featuring nine songs…
…‘The Eternal Oath’ sets an atmospheric and highly sinister atmosphere as it strides in, getting heavier and meaner as it continues to build a frightening tension! And then the menacing vocals begin, the band sending shivers down the spine of every single listener – ‘The Eternal Oath’ a scary opener that sets the precedent for what’s to come. ‘One Eyed King’ is a mid-tempo march of terror, bristling with the combined energy of black and death metal, March To Die widening the band’s metal horizons to new widths, attracting fans from a multitude of genres. Easily five maybe six, but in these modern times we live with so many subgenre after sub genre, it could easily exceed ten! Bringing an anthemic feel to the fore, ‘Hail To Thee’ stomps in, shuddering the ground with immense force, planting its foot firmly on the monitor, sending a traditional heavy metal flavour high into the air. I’m telling ya, readers, it’s gonna be mission impossible to pigeonhole March To Die into just one genre of music.
So I ain’t even gonna try – the band’s menacing nature taking front and centre courtesy of ‘Son Of The Old Gods’, a mighty mid-tempo swagger emanating from ‘Tears Of The Gorgon’. And I think this album will appeal more to fans of black and death metal rather than traditional heavy metal, but as I say, the band have so many influences, there’s gonna be something here for every metal fan – maybe even extreme metal fans! ‘Helmet Smasher’ is a bolder, more dynamic song than anything heard so far, featuring a mellow beginning followed by an abrasive hustle and bustle feel, the band crossing over to thrash metal territory to incorporate the genre’s aggression-fueled nature. The band’s self-titled song ‘March To Die’ is an old-school metaller, emanating a massive NWOBHM aura, adopting the iconic foot on the monitor pose, the vocals gruffer, rougher and tougher than any of the pioneering metal bands of the eighties. Maybe except for Grave Digger and the band’s legendary singer Chris Boltendahl (Hellryder, Steelhammer).
And with its tense and highly dramatic intro, ‘Stand And Be Counted’ embodies everything the band represents in regards to the “epic metal” tag – March To Die displaying an incredibly bombastic thunderstorm. A thunderstorm that’s as unrelenting as a massive avalanche, every skier and snowboarder doing their utmost to avoid an overwhelming barrage of ferocity! Yet there’s no avoiding the band barrage – unless you press the stop button – March To Die delivering a metal assault you just can’t stop listening to! It’s like you’ve been hypnotised by the band, unable to press that stop button or even turn down the volume – ‘Decapitation’ entering the fray with all the aggression and angst of thrash, death, and black metal. These three styles of music, plus traditional heavy metal, make up the band’s sound – a sound that’s as intriguing as it is engaging. Bringing the album to a close is the longest song on offer, the title song ‘Tears Of The Gorgon’ stretching to seven and a half minutes in length! And everything the band have in their locker is on show here – from mellow to menacing, thrash to death and death to black, ‘Tears Of The Gorgon’ (the song) is a lumbering, slow-paced doom metaller to keep shivers darting down the spine of every listener, fan and follower.
Overall, a menacing march of metal featuring a myriad of styles, March To Die delivers an enigmatic and wide-ranging array of songs.
TRACKLIST
The Eternal Oath
One Eyed King
Hail To Thee
Son Of The Old Gods
Helmet Smasher
March To Die
Stand And Be Counted
Decapitation
Tears Of The Gorgon
March To Die: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: No Remorse Records
Category: Album
Country: Cyprus
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
