ZEPHYROUS - Everlasting Fire (12" Gatefold DOUBLE LP)

Limited edition 2LP set available on aqua blue or classic black vinyl, each housed in a laminated gatefold sleeve and strictly limited to 250 copies worldwide. A compelling compilation of highlights from this Greek black metal band's catalog, featuring their demo and EP.

Unearthed from the depths of the Hellenic underground, Everlasting Fire brings together two of the most enigmatic and unconventional black metal demos from Zephyrous, a band whose name may not ring out as loudly as their contemporaries, yet whose sonic vision was no less compelling. Collecting Entrance and Wandering on the Seven Zones (1994) and A Caress of War and Wisdom (1998), this compilation serves not just as a document of a band ahead of (or perhaps far outside) its time, but as a spellbinding journey through experimental extremity.

The first half, hailing from the 1994 demo, feels like a strange pilgrimage through alien soundscapes. With trebly, brittle guitar tones and icy, ambient keys at the forefront, Zephyrous conjure a ritualistic atmosphere that trades brute force for mysticism. While much Hellenic black metal of the era leaned heavily on muscular riffing and grandiose arrangements, Zephyrous veered into more spectral terrain—offering minimalist, hypnotic compositions that often blur the line between industrial eeriness and blackened trance. The programmed drums clatter in mechanical precision, yet never rob the music of its arcane spirit. And Dreamlord’s vocals? A delirious mix of choking gasps and raw howls, as if emanating from some distant, forgotten chamber.

Things only get stranger with A Caress of War and Wisdom. By 1998, Zephyrous had grown bolder, more idiosyncratic. These tracks are drenched in a warped symphonic sheen, filled with off-kilter synth textures, prog rock inflections, and a bold disregard for genre orthodoxy. “The Serpent Race” sounds like it was born from an unholy union of 80s sci-fi soundtracks and outsider black metal, while pieces like “Dreamers” and “Dysangelium” float in a liminal space between dark ambient and ritual music. The production remains raw, even demo-like, but it only adds to the surreal and otherworldly aura.

Far from a conventional black metal release, Everlasting Fire is a compilation that rewards open ears and open minds. Zephyrous weren’t content with mimicking the giants of their scene—they were creating their own mythos, their own sonic labyrinth. Whether approached as a time capsule of 90s experimentation or as an otherworldly experience on its own terms, this collection burns with strange, enduring fire.