Septicflesh Celebrate 15 Years of The Great Mass with Special Anniversary Reissue!
- Jason Hesley
- 39 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Since the ‘90s, Septicflesh have elevated death metal to a fine art. Alongside their Athenian brothers-in-arms Rotting Christ and Nightfall, real-life flesh and blood Spiros and Christos Antoniou rose from the Greek underground alongside virtuoso shredder Sotiris Vayenas. After the trio re-communed with drummer Fotis Benardo at the Season of Mist table during the 2000s, the maestros set to work on composing their greatest masterpiece.
“Septicflesh generated a swarm of buzz around The Great Mass, destroying pre-conceived notions about symphonic death metal”, Loudwire wrote upon naming it the best metal album of 2011.
Today, Season of Mist is celebrating 15 years of The Great Mass by announcing a special anniversary reissue. Fans can now own this classic album on transparent red-and-black marbled vinyl. This new edition also includes a color poster and embroidered patch.
“The Great Mass has passed the test of time”, says Septicflesh guitarist and vocalist Sotiris Vayenas. “Songs such as ‘The Vampire from Nazareth’ and ‘Pyramid God’ are among the most successful in our repertoire. Now, it’s time to celebrate the album with the 15th anniversary edition courtesy of Season of Mist”.
The 15th anniversary edition of The Great Mass comes out March 20 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order
Listen on the Season of Mist YouTube channel
If Communion was a breaking of bread, then The Great Mass is the coronation of Septicflesh as the titans of death metal. Instead of shifting further in one direction, the album doubled down on the band’s brutal symphony. The return of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the International Choir of Prague adds a gothic flair to the crushing lurch of immortal opener “The Vampire from Nazareth”. An army of strings, brass horns and riffs more blazing than the Sahara raise “Pyramid God” into an unshakeable setlist staple. No wonder Metal Hammer named this album one of the ten best symphonic metal albums of all time.