Review by Xephyr for Yoth Iria - As the Flame Withers (2021)

The Hellenic Monoliths

As with most of the albums I end up listening to, I'm wistfully ignorant of who might be behind said record due to the sheer amount of projects and side projects that certain artists undertake. My ear for recognition of early Black Metal similarities apparently isn't great either as I was surprised to find out that the fledgling Yoth Iria is actually an elite group, consisting of two members of early Rotting Christ with three other Greek musicians. Both Rotting Christ members left the band in the mid 1990's to pursue other endeavors, like keyboardist George Zacharopoulos immediately releasing Necromantia's classic Scarlet Evil Witching Black in 1995, but are back again in the modern era to deliver some refreshing Hellenic Black and Heavy Metal fusions. I initially thought that the mix of hooky and melodic Heavy Metal riffing with Black Metal vocals was pretty unique, but nowadays I'd say that these guys have been experimenting with this style since the very beginning after listening to a bit more of their original bands. Yoth Iria's distinction, though, is that it heavily pushes the Black Metal elements to the background as a more supporting role, leaving the Heavy Metal riffing and doomy atmosphere to take up most of the spotlight. Projects like this are always incredibly interesting to me as they subvert fan expectations and allow the artists room to explore different aspects of their sound, for better or worse. Although most of the time these experiments don't exactly pan out, As the Flame Withers remains a dependable album after many, many listens from me over the past few years. 

"The Great Hunter" sets the perfect tone for As the Flame Withers as it immediately subverts the listener's expectations multiple times by opening with a pretty generic Heavy Metal riff, only for the drums to come in with an instant blast beat to drive home that this isn't going to be your typical Melodic Black Metal album. Yoth Iria does a fantastic job of balancing the two distinct subgenres all while keeping a lofty but eerie atmospheric intact, with the lead guitar writing constantly flipping between memorable riffs and Black Metal tremolo to complement the drumming and to keep the listener guessing. That alluded to atmosphere is also present in "The Great Hunter", complete with a doomy tempo change and a male backing choir. This opening track sets the stage and formula for the rest of Yoth Iria's strongest tracks, such as "The Mantis" or "The Red Crown Turns Black". "The Mantis" is especially amazing and is the prime example of their style done to its best on this album. The buildup is lengthy but hefty and fits the overall feel of the album, the transition into the main riff is fantastic, and the track doesn't let up from there as it weaves between interesting buildups and breakdowns alongside some of the best vocal moments on the album. "The Mantis" is more focused on the weighty Heavy Metal side of Yoth Iria, but "The Red Crown Turns Black" and it's crazy Black Metal opening ups the energy, tempo, and devilishness of their sound. That doesn't stop them from transitioning into a driving, melodic chorus to a bit of my dismay, but this is another track that just has everything you'd want out of Yoth Iria's sound as they run the gauntlet of catchy Heavy Metal choruses, middling Black Metal passages, and sinister atmospheric sections. 

The rest of the album is a bit of a mixed bag where they focus more on one aspect of their sound rather than an eclectic mishmash. The title track "Yoth Iria" as well as "Unborn, Undead, Eternal" double down on chugging Doom Metal riffs with pretty forgettable verses, but have amazing choruses that are still interesting to listen to even after dozens of replays. "Unborn, Undead, Eternal" takes the award for the strongest one though, as Zacharopoulos' voice is on point with its delivery as the rest of the band lays down their most resonating wall of sound in the album. I will admit that the opening and beginning verses are pretty dull, but it's definitely worth it for the second half. While part of me wishes there was a bit more variety with the vocals since they genre-hop so much in this album, I have to commend the gusto of As the Flame Withers for sticking with its vocal style through and through. I wouldn't call Zacharopoulos' style entirely unique, but it somehow fits incredibly well into the Heavy Black Metal hybrid since most of his vocals can be entirely understood without cranking up the volume or having a lyrics sheet next to you. It has that Black Metal rasp to it, but it's not fully committing to the howling shrieks we all know and love. It's especially surprising on "Hermetic Code", considering that track is the most straightforward of them all with its simple, driving riff that does devolve into a pretty cool atmospheric section, but doesn't do a whole lot else. Allowing that vocal style to shine throughout the album is what gives As the Flame Withers a lot of charm, as it really tries to bridge the gap between Black Metal and accessibility. 

Yoth Iria's debut is far from a groundbreaking or perfect release, especially with the boring "Tyrants" and "The Luciferian" to cap it off, but I find myself respecting what I think it's trying to do. Creating a record that's mostly focused on more melodic riffing with eerie, otherworldly ambiance but still feels more than adjacent to Black Metal is no easy feat. Despite the lulls the album has, I find myself consistently coming back to As the Flame Withers for its interesting, memorable choruses alongside its adept atmospheric consistency throughout the album. The standout songs in here are incredibly strong, but the weaker ones bring the album down on repeated listens. That being said, the full album experience is still better than average given its good pacing and consistent themes. As the Flame Withers is another example of expert artists pivoting in an interesting way that leads to a unique product, and given how accessible it is, it might even lead people back into the material that started it all for these musicians.