ELEVENTH RAY - Reviving Tehom CD (digipak)

From the Greek black metal bastion of Athens emerge Eleventh Ray, with lamentations that have laid in wait for the best part of a decade. The occult offerings within the unhallowed sleeve of Reviving Tehom invoke the spirit of Celtic Frost, Sodom, the ‘90s exploits of the great Magus Wampyr Daoloth (Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord), and of course Therion's 1993's Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas album.

The seeds for Eleventh Ray were sown by materials once artificed for the black metal force of Serpent Noir, whose changing tonality saw guitarist Y.K. bury said materials for a later purpose. A decision that first bore rotten fruit via a devastating rehearsal demo in 2022, which piqued the interest of Dark Descent Records.

“Eleventh Ray is a totally new autonomous entity for which we plan to work with full force and NOT a one-off project of Serpent Noir leftovers,” exclaims Y.K. “As it happens with all my projects, Eleventh Ray is deeply rooted in Dark Magic and the Typhonian Alchemy.”

The practices of Magic and Alchemy are of critical importance to Y.K., and these elements at even keel with the music itself.

“Writing music for the sake of music is not enough. It is the expression of what lies hidden beyond the frames of what we call reality. The great Unknown emanated from the foremost symbol of power, the Red Dragon,” explains Y.K. “What we were aiming to achieve was the creation of a purely black Magical death/thrash/black metal album without the lyrical satanic naivety of the past. Listening carefully to the album, you will realise that into this blend there is a striking ritualistic element with an ominous vibe and a heavy occult twist. Basically, Reviving Tehom is an album I would personally love to listen to but I could not find anywhere. “

The common thread extends to the stunning artwork by L.G.N Nekropropaganda, depicting the aforesaid Great Red Dragon “as the orgasm of existence, the utmost symbol of hidden wisdom and forbidden knowledge which is also a tangible form of ecstatic energy. Lyrics deal with personal experiences related to the awakening/ channelling of this tremendous force.”

Recorded by Haris V. at the Eleventh Tower Studio – a familiar collaborator of Y.K. - the production perfectly complements this first wave hell-noise with a crushing old school sound. With full force!