THE FALL OF BLISS

Greece will never be the promised land regarding Prog releases, but every now and then a good album appears from the country.Nikitas Kissonas is a young Greek musician, formerly the guitarist of Verbal Delirium, who formed his own Methexis project and recorded the majority of his debut at his own home studio in 2011.He was helped by drummer Nikos Miros and Verbal Delirium's leader Jargon on piano in one track, while the rest of instruments and voices are his responsibility.''The Fall of Bliss'' was eventually released in summer 2011, featuring the beautiful art paintings of Dimitra Papadimitriou.

Dark and somber lyrical Progressive/Art Rock is the proposal of Nikitas Kissonas and what the man actually does is perform the specific style in an inspiring way.''The Fall of Bliss'' is an album full of melancholic touches and haunting atmospheres, based on the sharp electric guitar and bass lines, the careful keyboard parts and the unique vocals of Kissonas, who's voice is decent and extremely poetic in the higher notes.Low-tempo, almost doomy tracks with a spectrum of different moods, ranging from flat vocal-led textures to dark instrumentals and back.The music though is even more varied.Lots of piano interludes, deep and intense organ, crushing guitars with even a metallic edge and some pounding bass work result a rich style.And there is also a good dose of orchestral themes and acoustic moments to make this even more diverse while helping the constant drift of changing climates.The sound is supported by discreet choirs and some light electronics and if you are really into the darker side of Progressive Rock these extremely well-executed soundscapes are sure to reward you.

Waiting for a Greek trully Progressive Rock release is often kind of gratuitous, but works like this one make the waiting a really pleasant feeling.A great addition for all fans of contemporary, lyrical and atmospheric Progressive Rock...3.5 stars.