The Greek black metal veterans Yoth Iria return with their third studio album, “Gone with the Devil”, this time under Metal Blade Records. It’s been a long time since the band’s debut, and it seems that their efforts and hard work are finally being recognized.
Since the release of their debut album, “As the Flame Withers”, in 2021, and its follow-up, “Blazing Inferno”, in 2024, the band has been on an unstoppable ascent. The daemonic avatar Yoth Iria was first explicitly summoned on Rotting Christ’s legendary debut “Thy Mighty Contract” in 1993. Bassist, composer & lyricist Jim Mutilator along with HE on vocals, Nikolas Perlepe on guitar, Naberius on guitar and Bill “Vongaar” Stavrianidis on drums unleash their most ambitious work to date.
Lyrically, as Jim Mutilator told me in our interview here, the album revolves around the idea of a children’s revolution, those Reborn Lucifers who will succeed where we failed. We are the penultimate generation that failed despite our good intentions, with political systems and religions failing for thousands of years. With Heraclitus more relevant than ever around the fifth century BC, the concept is to step aside, hover over those teenagers and let the world belong to children.
Musically, the album blends Hellenic black metal with classic heavy metal, gothic elements and folk touches to create a dark, atmospheric and ritualistic soundscape. The songwriting is impressive, combining stately tempos, heavy riffs, strong melodies and a dark atmosphere. The band has retained the best elements of their previous release while introducing new elements and atmospheres to create an updated sound.
The production is full, powerful and punchy. The album was engineered by Naberius, mixed by Lawrence Mackrory (Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Meshuggah, Green Carnation, and so on) and produced by guitarist Nikolas Perlepe.
All ten tracks deliver and are not songs to skip here. The album opens dynamically with “Dare to Rebel”, followed by “Woven Spells of a Demon” and “The Blind Eye of Antichrist”, which features a devastating choir excerpt. The choir is a verse from “Pobedna pesma” (“Victory Song”), a Serbian Orthodox spiritual song written by Serbian Orthodox prelate Nikolaj Velimirović.
“I, Totem” slams with heavy riffs with heavy riffs, reminiscent of classic RC material. “3am” locks into “3am the witching hour, 3am the opposite time, the doors are open, our demons are here” with its Paradise Lost flavor. “Give ‘Em My Beautiful Hell” has folk influences, featuring the lyra played by George Rasoulis. “Once in a Blue Moon” blends the atmospheric side of the band with its extreme one. “Blessed Be He Who Enters” showcases the true essence of Hellenic black metal, featuring dark, aggressive and atmospheric elements throughout. “The End of the Known Civilization” continues in the same vein, but with a bit more intensity and brutality. Closer “Harut, Government, Fallen” has an atmospheric, dramatic yet ritualistic vibe.
Yoth Iria proves that Hellenic black metal still has magic that can’t be replicated elsewhere. “Gone with the Devil” is Yoth Iria at their peak, ambitious, melodic and darkly spiritual. If you’re into Rotting Christ, Varathron and classic Greek black metal, this blackened metal gem will blow you away. One of the best releases of 2026!
