After nearly fifteen years of being a known entity in the underground international Heavy Metal scene, something interesting happened, and Septicflesh found largely commercial success. One of the leading imports from Greece’s Metal scene (alongside others like Rotting Christ, Nightfall, Thou Art Lord, and On Thorns I Lay), Septicflesh’s (previously known as Septic Flesh) roots date back to 1990 when they formed in Athens with Sotiris Vayenas (guitar), Spiros Antoniou aka Seth Siro Anton (bass and vocals), and Christos Antoniou (guitars). Starting out playing a very dark, melodic brand of Death Metal, the band’s sound soon progressed into something richer in texture on their 1994 debut album Mystic Places of Dawn, leading through to albums like 1998’s A Fallen Temple, which displays Gothic and Melodic Death Metal elements. Then, around 2003’s Sumerian Daemons, you could see the symphonic side of the band had grown, and by 2011’s The Great Mass, they were in full effect.
A fascinating progression, Septicflesh’s story could be considered two eras. The second period extending from around 2011 to the present day, the band continues to be led by Sotiris Vayenas, Seth Siro Anton, and Christos Antoniou but also includes Kerim “Krimh” Lechner on drums since 2014 and Psychon on guitars since 2018. A formidable and powerful lineup, it was The Great Mass that first saw the band reach out from a more niche audience, leading into 2014’s Titan, 2017’s Codex Omega, and 2022’s Modern Primitive, all of which made their way onto various charts around the world. The product of hard work, at this point, Septicflesh is one of the leaders of the Symphonic Death Metal scene.
Consistently creating epic, cinematic, yet inherently dark music, they return with a new EP called Amphibians in 2025. Their first new music since the 2023 single “Reconstruction,” Amphibians, is also their first EP-length release since 1998’s The Eldest Cosmonaut. A long time ago, Amphibians first arrived digitally on February 10, 2025, and just after closing out their winter North American tour, they are offering it as a special LP + CD package on March 14th through Nuclear Blast Records.
Hopefully, a prelude to a full-length album, the EP features two new songs (“Amphibians” and “The Experiment”), an instrumental of “The Experiment,” plus another original instrumental called “History Repeats Itself.” Altogether, with a little over sixteen minutes of music, the standout here is, without question, the title track, which offers something intense, beautiful, and a bit like elder material they recorded many years ago. Seth offers his signature throaty growls here while Vayenas balances it with some compelling, haunting singing. This is while “The Experiment” is a robust track with dramatic movements that keep your attention before the stripped-back orchestral version gives off a vastly different mood.
Overall, Amphibians arrived as a bit of a surprise to many fans. Unforeseen, as stated, one can only hope more music is in production. If anything, this masterfully crafted short but sweet EP gives some insight into what Septicflesh might do next. Still, a compelling Metal band that does not sacrifice artistic integrity, Cryptic Rock gives Amphibians 4 out of 5 stars.
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