Like many bands who have been around for any length of time, Lloth have had multiple line-ups, but their history includes a change of name, a sad passing, and then a change back. Lloth, were formed in Athens, Greece, 1995, when bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Tristessa joined forces with guitarist Nemesis and lead singer/guitarist Kinthia. All three were women, and there have historically been very few all-female bands playing Black Metal, so this made a lot of waves. After the release of their first demo they changed their name to Astarte, and over time released five albums, with Tristessa being the only constant. On 14th August 2014 Tristessa died from leukaemia and the decision was made by her husband, Nicolas Sic Maiisto to retire the name Astarte and instead return to Lloth and continue the band as a tribute to her. They released their first album in 2017, and have now returned with their second, with the line-up completed by bassist Lefteris Gavalas and guitarists Vaelor and Thanos Shaffer.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered at the Pentagram Studio under the guidance of George Emmanuel (Lucifer’s Child, ex-Rotting Christ), the production is great but I must confess this is not nearly as brutal as I expected it to be as in many ways what we have here is a combination of Black Metal, Power Metal and NWOBHM with some traces of Folk Metal. That isn’t to say isn’t interesting as it is, but this is not the true Black Metal powerhouse I expected it to be given the history of the band and the producer while the PR company suggests this is for fans of Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh and Hate, and to me it is far more commercial than any of those bands. There are some very strong melodies here, where Black Metal can be seen as an influence as opposed to the be all and end all.
Many bands within the Black Metal genre attempt to capture the raw grittiness of the 90’s Scandinavian scene, but Lloth appear to be moving in the other direction, bringing the genre into something which may actually appear to a wider audience. I would have preferred more bottom end, but overall this is a fascinating release.
Rating: 7/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/LLOTHOFFICIAL
https://theogonia-records.com/