REVIEW: THELEMITE - Survival Of The Fittest

 

THELEMITE - Survival Of The Fittest

Sleaszy Rider Records

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Our philosophical folk tends to use the expression 'the apple will fall under the apple tree,' which is essentially correct, unless someone is sitting under the apple tree with questions about how the universe works. In that case, the apple will fall on his/her head and discover the laws of gravity, but that's another story. In our case, what the people say holds true, as THELEMITE is the band of John Manopoulos, the son of Kostas Manopoulos, a member of the legendary VICE HUMAN. Of course, here, we must mention that the son also deals with gravity, but in music... (well, okay, don't worry, I couldn't resist making a joke).

The album 'Survival of the Fittest' is the third complete studio work of the band, arriving two years after the album 'Thelemism,' which left me with exceptionally positive impressions. From the cover of the current release, which, let's not hide it, brings to mind JUDAS PRIEST's album 'Defenders Of The Faith,' the band makes its intentions clear about where it wants to go musically... And that is classic heavy metal, as played in the mid-80s, influenced by bands like JUDAS PRIEST (for example, the song 'NWO') and more. Speaking of 'NWO,' while it contains musical references to PRIEST, the performance reminded me of Eric Adams.

As mentioned above, with this album, THELEMITE pays tribute to the 80s and does so by incorporating influences from various bands of that era into their sound. To be more specific, let's look at some compositions: 'NIGHT OF THE WOLF,' a track that if Ozzy Osbourne heard, he'd wonder when he recorded it. Then there's the song 'THE FIRE STILL BURNS,' a title that might bring to mind TWISTED SISTER, but in reality, it sounds like something PRETTY MAIDS would create in collaboration with IRON MAIDEN, if such a collaboration ever happened. 'IN A DAMAGED BRAIN' carries elements of BLACK SABBATH from the 'The Headless Cross' era, along with influences from ALICE COOPER and JUDAS PRIEST. On the other hand, the composition 'MAKING LOVE,' pays homage to KISS, while the closing track, 'VISIONS FROM THE PAST,' is the band's tribute to SAVATAGE. Besides the aforementioned influences, I'd also personally mention others like WASP, GUNS 'N' ROSES, BON JOVI, and SCORPIONS.

Upon listening to the entire release, you realize that THELEMITE are musical chameleons who adapt their performance and sound to the musical style they choose to work with in each song here. And this results in a very beautiful record with variety that, on one hand, takes you on a journey to a different era, but on the other hand, sounds modern and inspired.

Excellent work has also been done in the production, which highlights the abilities of the musicians involved here as it offers us a detailed sound where the melodies, the rhythmic dynamic parts, and the wonderful lead and solo parts are clearly heard. And all of this is by no means coincidental, since the band includes musicians with great experience in the Greek metal scene, such as: Renos Lialioutis on drums (known from THE SILENT WEDDING), Zack Kotsikis on guitars (also participates in BATTLEROAR), and Nikos Michalakakos on bass (also a member of BLIND JUSTICE, DARK NIGHTMARE, HEART ATTACK, RAGENHEART, and SPITFIRE).

In the conclusion of my presentation, I will emphasize once again that this is a wonderful release that has captured and convincingly conveyed the style and aesthetics of the melodic heavy metal sound of the 80s. And this can only be done when you create music from your soul. If you haven't heard them yet, it's a good idea to do so..."

Nick Parastatidis