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The more melodic and less raw sound of Greek black metal doesn’t work for some, but it does for me and The Secret Last Syllable from Synteleia checks all the boxes. There’s a traditional metal streak running through songs like "Tower of Koth" with trad riffing versus tremolo pickings and blasting drums, but Synteleia are not a blackened heavy metal band. The next song, "Emblem of Yoth" features those black metal hallmarks (though still not in any way what I would call "raw") and there are frequent plaintive female vocals that give The Secret Last Syllable another element of character. There isn’t anything on this album that hasn’t been heard before, but it is sufficiently heavy and menacing, the songwriting is good, and it has enough individuality to make it worth a listen if you are into Greek black metal.