I often forget that Greece has an amazing underground Metal scene, with countless bands ranging from Thrash to Black Metal.  Among these bands trying to get their name out there is VENUS: a Progressive/Thrash Metal duo consisting of guitarists Giorgis Verginis and Antonis Avtzis.  Hailing from the capital city of Athens, VENUS was founded in 2021 and released their debut full-length album “Obscured Until Observed” on November 14th, 2023.  Standing at 9 tracks and approximately 51 minutes, this record is somewhat of a lengthy listen, which is not uncommon at all in Progressive Metal.  However, based on my listens to the album, it deserves everybody’s undivided attention.

The first track “Sons of Grus” shows off VENUS’s ability to perfectly meld the complexity and creativity of Progressive Metal with the speed and aggression of Thrash Metal.  It also, at times, has layered combinations of Avtzis’s clean vocals and Verginis’s harsh vocals.  The next song “The Observatory” falls more on the Progressive Metal side, with a lengthier duration of 8 minutes and 11 seconds, more complex guitar riffs, and longer instrumental fills.  There’s also more emphasis on Verginis’s harsh vocals, the style of which fits that of Black Metal.  “City of Nektron” incorporates more of a Thrash Metal style and even has a short but intense breakdown about halfway through the track.  The fourth song “Circus Strange” was particularly heavy with all of the blast beats and relentless double bass from the drummer (who isn’t credited on this album, along with the bassist). 

After giving us four incredible tracks, VENUS then switches things up and gives us an approximately 2 minute-long instrumental segment titled “Alive,” which starts off acoustic but gradually builds up to some Progressive Metal music.  “Artificially Prolonged Existance” and “Venus Legacy” each have a different instrumental solo that makes both songs particularly good: a shredding guitar solo on the former and an opening solo from the uncredited drummer on the latter.  Another instrumental track comes up in the form of “The Arryhthmic Pulse of Universe.”  While it is definitely more creative and complex than “Alive,” I personally didn’t see the need for the band to make it over 5 minutes long.  This slight mishap, though, is quickly forgotten by the time “Subatomic Search for Human Consciousness” comes on.  It has all the qualities needed for a terrific Progressive/Thrash Metal song that is about 11 minutes long: complex rhythms and guitar riffs, heavy drumming and double bass, skank beats, and the mixture of harsh and clean vocals from Giorgis Verginis and Antonis Avtzis. 

Needless to say, “Subatomic Search for Human Consciousness” is nothing short of a perfect close to VENUS’s debut studio album. Progressive Metal is a phenomenal genre and even more so when combined with the fast and aggressive Thrash Metal genre.  If the combination of these two styles was a game, then VENUS is quickly becoming the masters of it.  In just two years since their formation, they released their first ever album “Obscured Until Observed,” and I genuinely think it’s a masterpiece.  If you’re looking for some Progressive Metal bands to listen to besides popular names like MESHUGGAH and GOJIRA, then listen to this incredible duo from Athens, Greece.