Septicflesh
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | March 1, 1990 in Athens, Greece |
| Founder | Sotiris Vayenas, Spiros Antoniou, Christos Antoniou |
| Headquarters | Athens , Greece |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Death metal music albums, EPs, singles, live albums |
Number of employees | 5 (current members) |
Septicflesh (initially known as Septic Flesh) is a death metal ensemble originating from Athens, Greece, established in 1990.
History
The band Septicflesh came into existence in Athens during March 1990, founded by Sotiris Vayenas (guitar), Spiros Antoniou (bass and vocals), alongside Christos Antoniou (guitars). Their inaugural EP, Temple of the Lost Race, was released in December 1991 through Black Power Records. Their debut full-length album, Mystic Places of Dawn, was recorded in April 1994 at Storm studio, with co-production by Magus Wampyr Daoloth of Rotting Christ, and distributed by Holy Records. The subsequent album, Esoptron (1995), was produced collaboratively by the band and George Zacharopoulos, tracked at Storm Studios, and mastered in France.
Session vocalist Natalie Rassoulis contributed to the albums The Ophidian Wheel (1997) and A Fallen Temple (1998).
In October 2003, the group disbanded. Following this split, members engaged in separate ventures: Christos Antoniou continued his work with Chaostar, founded in 1998; Bob Katsionis became part of Nightfall and Firewind. In 2007, Sotiris Vayenas revealed plans for a solo project named Aenaos.
On February 19, 2007, Septicflesh declared their reunion to perform at Greece's Metal Healing Festival, sharing the stage with bands such as Orphaned Land and Rage.
By April 2007, they began production on their seventh studio album under the French label Season of Mist, incorporating a full orchestra and choir consisting of 80 musicians and 32 vocalists. This album, titled Communion, was finalized at Studio Fredman in Sweden and launched in April 2008. Simultaneously, the band adopted the name Septicflesh to signify this new chapter.
In September 2009, work commenced on a new album planned for release in early 2011. The lead single "The Vampire From Nazareth" premiered in December 2010 ahead of the album's April 2011 debut.
Details about Titan emerged in February 2014, with its release occurring in June that year. Later in 2014, drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner joined following Fotis Benardo’s exit.
By early 2016, Septicflesh had started developing their tenth studio album aimed for spring 2017 release. The record, Codex Omega, was officially announced for September 1, 2017, through Prosthetic Records.
On August 29, 2018, the band inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
February 2019 marked their first live performance accompanied by a full orchestra and choir at Mexico City's sold-out Teatro Metropólitan. This concert was captured and later issued in July 2020 as Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX, representing their first official live album available in both audio and video formats.
In 2020, they revealed plans for a new studio album; Modern Primitive was released in May 2022.
September 2024 saw Septicflesh becoming the inaugural metal band to perform at the historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus, once again featuring a complete orchestra and choir.
Band members
Current
- Spiros "Seth Siro Anton" Antoniou – bass guitar, unclean vocals, artwork (1990–2003, 2007–present)
- Sotiris Vayenas "Sotiris Anunnaki V." – clean vocals, rhythm guitar (studio only since 2018), keyboards, lyricist (1990–2003, 2007–present)
- Christos Antoniou – lead guitar, orchestral arrangements, samples (1990–2003, 2007–present)
- Kerim "Krimh" Lechner – drums (2014–present)
- Dinos "Psychon" Prassas – rhythm guitar (2018–present; touring member from 2008–2018)
Former
- Dimitris Valasopoulos – drums (1990–1991)
- Akis "Lethe" Kapranos – drums (1999–2003)
- Mohammad Mirboland – drums (1996–1998)
- George "Magus Wampyr Daoloth" Zaharopoulos – keyboards (2001–2003)
- Fotis Gianakopoulos – drums (2003, 2007–2014)
Session
- Kostas Savvidis – drums (1993–1997)
- Natalie Rassoulis – vocals (1997–1998)
- Bob Katsionis – keyboards (2003)
Timeline
Studio albums
| Year | Album information | Highest chart rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (WA) | FIN | FRA | US Heat | ||
| 1994 | Mystic Places of Dawn
|
— | — | — | — |
| 1995 | Esoptron
|
— | — | — | — |
| 1997 | Ophidian Wheel
|
— | — | — | — |
| 1998 | A Fallen Temple
|
— | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Revolution DNA
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2003 | Sumerian Daemons
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Communion
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2011 | The Great Mass
|
— | — | 132 | — |
| 2014 | Titan
|
99 | 37 | 112 | 7 |
| 2017 | Codex Omega
|
112 | — | 85 | 9 |
| 2022 | Modern Primitive
|
104 | — | 138 | — |
EPs
- Temple of the Lost Race (EP; released in 1991)
- The Eldest Cosmonaut (EP; released in 1998)
- Amphibians (EP; scheduled for release in 2025)
Singles
- "The Vampire from Nazareth" (2010)
- "Order of Dracul" (2014)
Live albums
- Live in Toulouse (released June 20, 2014; Season of Mist; Digital Download/Bonus CD)
- Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX (released July 31, 2020; Season of Mist; CD/LP/Digital Download & DVD/Blu-Ray)
Music videos
| Year | Title | Album | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "The Eldest Cosmonaut" | A. Argiris, N. Kaltzis | |
| 2015 | "Prometheus" | Titan | Jon Simvonis |
| 2017 | "Portrait of a Headless Man" | Codex Omega | |
| 2018 | "Martyr" | ||
| 2022 | "Hierophant" | Modern Primitive | |
| "Neuromancer" |
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1990 establishments in Greece
- Greek death metal bands
- Greek heavy metal bands
- Symphonic metal bands
- Musical groups formed in 1990
- Musical groups disbanded in 2003
- Musical groups reunited in 2007
- Greek melodic death metal bands
- Greek musical quartets
- Musical acts from Athens
- Season of Mist artists
- Nuclear Blast artists
- Holy Records artists
- Greek musical quintets
- Musical groups disestablished in 2003