Hailing from Sparta, Greece, SOCIAL SCREAM are a four-piece metal band who build the promise of threat and dread into their dark and heavy riffs, while the vocalist Diamantakos, creeps and worms his way around horror melodies and tribal pulses, tempting you to fall deeper into their musical world. They very much are a heavy metal band at heart, but they combine many progressive techniques, and are driven to create a soundscape that moves and influences the listener. Instead of just ticking the boxes of a genre, each track is unique to the members and each stands out in their own way, there are no fillers here.

The album opens with the quick instrumental piece "Stigmata", setting up the tone and soundscape for the album to follow and giving just a brief glimpse into their technical prowess, varying odd rhythms with some cute melodies. "Connect" is straight up metal, yet straight - it is anything but. The music bounce around chords and scales, twisting and turning on a varying tempo, keeping every second fresh and alive, all the while Diamantakos vocals fill the music and charms the listener. In an analogy, he's got Hetfields force and drive, with DEVIN TOWNSEND's ethereal qualities. "Insane Sun" is great and has the band showing off some exotic scales, while "Truth Divider" is a Thrash-fest with a fantastic solo. With each song, they layer in various dark musical elements, all supporting the overall theme and soundscape. Their sensibilities and approach to song writing and dynamics echo's some Peter Steele aesthetic, especially in "Days Repeating" and "War Demons", the later of which, is an epic battle metal ballad (if such a thing exists), with some really beautiful guitar tones and craftsmanship, the solo in the middle is outstanding, and the erratic staccato section is both technical and enthralling. Now, the last three tracks on this album, are by far, my favourites, and the first of which starts with a chilling, open guitar lead, that breaks into a Sludge/Doom pulse. But the star ingredient of this track, is in using a recording of Paul Harvey, reading from his 1965 prophetic essay

"If I Were The Devil", which shares it's name with this track. They have slowed down the original to give him a deeper, more sinister tone, which fits the music perfectly, both lifting each other as if they were made to be together. The text they have used here, has some rather chilling hypothetical proclamations, and some very bleak views about the devils influence, which nevertheless, have in turn become the literal backbones of our modern society. My favourite line here is; "I'd Make Easter About An Egg", and "Christmas About A Bottle" ... I could write a whole essay on that line alone. But if you were getting bored by the Monologue, have no fear, as "World Of Shadows" explodes with a fresh ferocity only Thrash Metal has a way of doing, sprinkled with progressive elements, and could even be described as... Melodic Thrash? Either way, imagine ANNIHILATOR, ANTHRAX and MEGADETH put out a song together... yeah you'll love this. "But!" I hear you cry, "I love progressive music", well true believer, clocking in at 10 Minutes, "Taleton", is an instrumental piece that keeps you hooked like a fish and entertained with every beat. This lies somewhere between DREAM THEATER, IRON MAIDEN, and some Egyptian influence?

This album wasn't made to be commercial, it wasn't made to stoke someone's ego, this is the output of four musicians, stepping into the studio, with a goal, with ideas and themes, as well as the skills and experience to translate their thoughts, into an auditorial message to be enjoyed and explored. This album is drenched in theme and tone, as well as excellent execution of the form.