XENOS – The Dawn of Ares

Although the present-day Greece only covers the very southern part of the Balkan peninsula and hundreds of islands scattered across the Ionian, Aegean and Mediterranean sea, the so-called Cradle of Civilization used to extend much further. That included bits in Africa and Asia, as well as areas that currently are a part of Spain or France. Seriously, how is that ramble even relevant to Metal, one might ask. Well, there’s definitely more to this than meets the eye. There is a Sicilian town called Agrigento. It has been a part of Italy for a long while. But ages – or millennia, for that matter – ago, that town was known as Akragas and was one of the finest ancient Greek towns. What’s with this lecture on ancient history, those who are still reading have probably just asked. All right then. Here’s the deal: A band from Agrigento or Akragas called Xenos – sounds way more Greek rather than Italian – are to release their second long play album called The Dawn of Ares. Of course, it is about Ares, not Mars.

This album is definitely something the Greek god of war would approve of. If he approves of Slayer, then why not of Xenos? That’s definitely one of the big bands Xenos can bring to mind, although it might be good to mention that there’s also a lot of Megadeth’s Cryptic Writings sound to the first couple of songs on it. It is crude and raw music that is fast, heavy and powerful… and at some points, it can evoke a lot of nostalgia for the past decades. This does concern mostly the opening track titled “I Am the Machine”. Anyone who’s a musician themselves and got to use the early versions of Guitar Pro will know what this rant is about. Those lead themes just before the vocals kick in… just sit back and travel back to the 2000s. Unusual comparisons aside, there are tons of solid riffs and drum patterns there… and the singer is no Bruce Dickinson or Kai Hansen. But that’s not what’s needed for a bad ass Thrash Metal band. So no need to worry.

However… The Dawn of Ares seems to be lacking that element of epicness that would make it memorable. It sounds more like something a bunch of Thrash Metal fans might empty some cans to and relax the most herbaceous way possible. But that is an important part of most of the people who enjoy the fast subgenres of Metal. But there are some things there that deserve thumbs up all the way and one of them has to be the fat bass sound. The tightness of those bass lines doesn’t leave a lot to be desired either, or perhaps doesn’t leave anything at all. But as new songs come and go, the album gets more interesting. The breakthrough can be heard during the third song which is also the title track. Some of the stuff from that riffage may easily be the best part of the record. That song gets so immensely mysterious it’s quite beyond any description – having a listen to it might seem like a more sensible idea. And then comes another composition titled “Circle of Lies”. Those riffs may sound chaotic… but at the same time, they’re beautifully organized. Organized chaos, that is a good way to describe the music by Xenos. It’s also worth pointing out that they are only a three-piece band.

Despite its overall coarse sound, The Dawn of Ares is fairly diverse and that is a great thing. Influences from Groove Metal or the most recent stuff by Metallica can be heard here too. Even those who prefer more melodic stuff might find something for themselves on this album. And all fans of the low frequencies will be nicely rewarded if they listen through the whole album because the final song titled “The Healer” has a very short bass solo to it. Hopefully there are going to be more on the next album. Oh, and they better be longer! To sum things up, The Dawn of Ares is a decent release without a doubt. It may be one of those that need to be listened to a few times in order to be appreciated fully. So all that’s left to do is to grab some cans and start rolling a hench joint… and if someone happens to be straight edge, then they may just want to put The Dawn of Ares on and have a blast.