Melodic Black Metal band KATAVASIA was formed in Greece in 2014. The word "katavasia" is connected to the Greek word "katavasi", which means descent. The word "katavasia" usually refers to the journey of the human soul, a descent to the underworld. They have released two previous full-length albums, and this is their latest...a two-track EP titled "Invoking the Spirt of Doom."

Black Metal, as we've come to know it over the years, can usually go one of two ways. First, bands that stick to the FWOBM formula that was developed decades ago, and was original back then, but now it just sounds like copycat music, with awful production to boot. Second, many bands have taken the genre to new and descriptive heights...forgoing the origins of the genre, and blazing a new path through the sea of bands out there playing this style of music. I've said it many times before, but the collective Metal community does not need any more FWOBM copycat bands out there. The style has been done, done again, and done again ad nauseam, and the unforgiving genre boundaries of traditional Black Metal make it even worse.

So, which of the two styles do we have here? Let's take a listen. "Descending to Acheron" leads off the album. At the opening notes of the first track, I would say we are, unfortunately, at the former here. The production is muted, but not too badly. The guitars are riffing rather than playing that "wall of sound" we have been accustomed to hearing. The vocals are half-shrieks and half-spoken words, presenting at least a little variation. The drums are galloping in quad time. "Premonition of Doom" is another song with hate fueled energy and some raucous riffing. The band members are at least trying to separate themselves from the thousands of others out there.

Two tracks really isn't enough music to make a justified review. But the album shows promise, if the band could just continue to find ways to break free from the origins of the genre and find their own way in the world. The talent is there, but they have a way to go.