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artist :	Tiamat
album :	Amanethes
Tiamat - Amanethes

“Amanethes” is a greek-turkish word, describing a kind of a very slow song, eastern-oriented, which usually contains the word “Aman” many times, which could be translated as “show some understanding” or it declares “pain” and “sadness”. Beyond that “Amanethes” have a unique musical pattern, which dresses the notes and surrounds the sadness of lyrics. Anyway, what TIAMAT portray here, has little to do musically with the classic amanethes in music. To be honest, metaphorically there are many similarities of the general concept to what amanethes really are, but this is another discussion… TIAMAT are different here… Very different, so do not expect another “Prey” or another “Deeper Kind Of Slumber” or “another “Wildhoney”. In general, do not expect to categorize this attempt under a single TIAMAT musical period. There are many classical TIAMAT elements throughout this album, taken from all the periods of the band, as also new elements, first time appointed by the band. Of course, the music is still Gothic metal, however dressed with many different musical ideas. Being a band with a constant developing style, they succeed in an innovative new style and obtained a new sound here. For instance, their sound is heavier than it used to be, more powerful bringing to mind bands such as “The Vision Bleak” or “Samael” at some tracks. Furthermore, Johan’s vocals are different. They changed to a darker and harsher way, in order to fit to the musical changes. Personally, I preferred Johan’s vocal style of the past… Taking a closer look to the album itself, one thing is for sure, TIAMAT are back for good. All tracks have a dark mood, as also the controversial TIAMAT lyrics, as being presented throughout all these years. A representative sample of what “Amanethes” is about is the beautiful cover artwork… The more you listen to it, the more you come across some ideas you didn’t notice before. I should not say it is a difficult album to listen and understand, however it has some hidden musical treasures, which need extensive listening to be enjoyed. “Until The Hellhounds Sleep Again”, “Misantropolis”, “Katarraktis Apo Aima” and “Amanes” are some of the favorite moments of the album, with almost all the other tracks being of the same quality. “Amanethes” was produced by Johan Edlund himself and the recordings took place mainly in Greece’s “The Mansion” and “Cue” studios. The album was mixed and mastered in Germany’s Woodhouse Studios by Siggi Bemm, in January of 2008. Concluding, TIAMAT issued an impressively mature album, innovative enough to attract new fans and conservative enough to satisfy their older ones. (source: www.metal-invader.com) (Anita Steck)