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Diphtheria hails from the city of Nicosia, which is located on the island nation of Cyprus. The band began life in 1993 as a death metal band before adopting more of a doom/power metal hybrid sound. They have appeared on several compilation albums since their inception, including the Iron Maiden tribute album Children of the Damned-A Tribute to Iron Maiden in 1999, performing “The Trooper”. The band consists of vocalist Nicholas Leptos, guitarists Phivos Papadopolous and Socrates Leptos, bassist Alexi David and drummer Stavros Pamballis. Nicholas Leptos is also the front man for the bands Arryan Path and Prodigal Earth. Although Diphtheria began their heavy metal crusade over a decade ago, a debut album has been a long time in the works. The band released their first demo back in 1995, which was entitled Living to Die. Finally, in 2008 their debut full-length was unleashed to the buying public in Cyprus and around the metal world. That debut is named To Wait for Fire, and it is being distributed by Phivos Papadopolous’s own record label Pitch Black Records. Diphtheria describes their sound as progressive/power metal with a doom metal feel, and on the first two tracks, “Ending Ceremony” and “I Believe”, the band definitely flexes their muscles in those musical aspects. The old school riffing and the darkly powerful vocals of Leptos really stand out nicely and these two tracks start off the party in fine fashion. Lyrical lines like “I believe that Satan gets bad press, I’d like to hear his version of events” add a sinister feel to the second track. “Behind The Mirror’s Eye” is an epic track, punctuated by the mournful wail of Leptos and more deliciously crunchy old school chords and some sweet dual harmonies in the solo. A frightening journey into the darkness of the human soul and one of the strongest tracks on the album. Sit at my feet, and sit at the stereo, my children, to hear the tale told in the catchy old school stomper that is the title track. This track has the classic metal elements that always hit the mark every time they are tried…a barbed-wire catchy hook of riffs and a story of a journey that goes horribly awry all wrapped up in a nice, neat package. Well done but too short! A killer solo would have made a good track even better. But still, a solid effort! “As Darkness Casts Its Veil” gives me more of the feeling that this is not an album that you would listen to if you were on your way to the pub to have a party. Songs like this lend themselves better to the vibe of sitting at home with a cold beer in one hand after a really bad day. Is that a bad thing? Far from it! Anger and sadness are human emotions and it is all the better when they can be harnessed to make a powerful song! So, this is another dark beauty of a track! “Sleeping With the Worms” features some more classic Maiden-esque guitar harmonies added to another short, sharp and dark heavy metal attack. Some really cool chord changes on this one and some damn good solos! In “Save Me”, the protagonist is a tortured soul crying out in pain. It’s another epic which explodes in a tower of Sabbath-style power chords meeting exquisite acoustic strumming. Doom metal at its finest. Leptos substitutes his operatic wail with a grittier approach for the punky vibe of “Start Again”. Unleash your inner mosh monster with this one as the tribal drums which punctuate the sing-along chorus lock in perfect sync with the sludgy axe work. But wait! The vibe changes as the song descends into a much darker and more intricate ending punctuated by some haunting vocals and some more beautiful acoustic guitars. Long-time fans of Diphtheria will appreciate the addition of the two tracks from promotional recordings done back in 1995. They are “Living To Die” and “God Wanted (Apply Here)”. Both are very solid songs and are worthy of addition to this collection. Thirteen years is a long time between debut demos and a proper debut album. In the case of these Cypriot metal warriors, it was truly the case of time well spent as Diphtheria has most certainly given their fans back in Cyprus an album that was worth waiting for. As for fans around the rest of the globe…I have no doubt that after a few spins of To Wait for Fire, Diphtheria will most definitely gain some more headbangers dedicated to their cause in the due course of time. This will also not be the last you hear of the Cyprus metal machine on this web site, as Leptos’s other band, Prodigal Earth, has just released a new album…and it kicks ass! Watch this space! Review written by: Matt B. |
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Diphtheria - To Wait for Fire
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