bserem
I attended a live gig the band did in Patras Greece. I didn't even knew them, I went because some friends insisted I had to listen to their music. They were more than worth it! All the people in the venue were discussing that this was one of the best gigs we ever went, and I've been to a great deal of live performances.
"Awe" can't even describe the gig and the "Archetypes" album. Just listen to it!
Favorite track: The Lunatic.
Solarized
God fuckin' dammit, this was freakin' awesome! A sweet variety of influences and sounds wrapped in a dark, atmospheric veil. This could well be the single time my native language (greek) tied in perfectly in a predominantly english-sung tune. Will probably invest in the beautifully packaged vinyl as soon as possible. Stand out tracks: the sexy, rockabilly-tinged Lilith, the Cult-meets-Cash-meets-Doors anthem Horse Dark as Night and the meaningful If We Were Blind. Excellent!
Favorite track: Lilith.
i) 12" Vinyl / Gatefold Cover / Black Sleeve / Includes lyrics ii) CD Gatefold Digipack miniature of the vinyl package / Features bonus track "Ode To The Absent Father", the original version of the song released in 2014 as a digital single. iii) Archetypes T-Shirt • Available Tee Colors: Black - White • Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL • Screen printed on Sols shirt.
Includes unlimited streaming of Archetypes
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
edition of 50
€30EUR
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
i) 12" Vinyl / Gatefold Cover / Black Sleeve / Includes lyrics ii) CD Gatefold Digipack miniature of the vinyl package / Features bonus track "Ode To The Absent Father", the original version of the song released in 2014 as a digital single.
Includes unlimited streaming of Archetypes
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
€18EUR
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Gatefold digipack miniature of the vinyl package. Features bonus track "Ode To The Absent Father", the original version of the song released in 2014 as a digital single.
"This is a wonder I could never anticipate from a Greek band. It almost sounds unconventional compared to the rest of the Greek underground scene. Dark folk, gothic, traditional greek rhythms, psychedelic rock. Cyanna Mercury have already made their mark with their debut release and I can't wait for their next steps."
--- Parasighting
".. Wonderfully left of centre and defying any type of genre categorization 'Archetypes' is an album that dazzles and disturbs in equal measure"
--- Frazer Jones, Desert Psychlist
".. an approximately forty two minutes journey to which the audience is enticed to partake with its earthy ritualism in an album best heard around a burning pyre casting shadowy light around the grouping.”
--- Emerging Indie Bands
credits
released November 21, 2016
Produced by Dimitris Lilis & Cyanna Mercury
Co-produced, mixed, engineered by Alex Bolpasis
Recorded at Artracks studios, Athens
Mastered by James Plotkin
Cover Painting by Kyle Fite
Layout Design by Bewild Brother
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Review by Stefano Cerati (FIRE magazine)
"Do not be misled by self-release. This is an excellent quality record that, if the world were fair, would make all forward-looking labels happy. The Greek scene is in turmoil and these guys are great exponents.
They combine a dark sensibility, tender night prayers (Apollo) with a psychedelic sense of mystery, romantic and full of strong emotions at the same time. Among their tutelary deities, we can include Danzig (Horse Dark As Night) and Doors (The Lunatic, Snake) because they know how to move in the middle of fascinating shades of night, their natural habitat (There Will Be A Night).
But they sift it all with a sense of magic and heathen that comes from their land by use of folk instruments such as the bouzouki and santouri. You end up trapped in a web of feelings where the dark rock goes hand in hand with prog, new wave and psychedelia. Ode To The Absent Father is a track that seems to come from the pen of Nick Cave. The best moments however, are those who dig the soul with chanting tones, ritual drums, really witchy and occult music by the large magnetic impact thanks to the organ (If We Were Blind, Nothing We Can Do). They are dark mantra, almost apocryphal hymns to the gods of their land. (8/10)"
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Review by Jeff Penczak (SHINDIG! magazine)
"A dark mystical vibe permeates the debut album from this Greek quintet, settling comfortably somewhere between Sabbath, Sisters Of Mercy and The Doors. Spyreas Sid's powerful (English) vocals descend directly from Morrison and Eldritch, and (Greek) spoken-word segments ('Hermes') and piano interludes ('Apollo') break up the surrounding maelstrom. The atmosphere is liberally peppered throughout with Eastern instrumentation and arrangements, and track like the proggy 'The Lunatic' and 'If We Were Blind' would not be out of place in a Sensational Alex Harvey Band set.
Darkwave goths will tremble to the 'Ode To An Absent Father' and Nick Sid's eerie organ fills and Dennis Panagiotidis' stormtrooping drumming instill many tracks with a sense of dread and dark foreboding. There're a lot of styles in play here, but prog, psych and goth fans will be equally engaged by this exciting new band. (3/5)"
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Review by Frazer Jones (Desert Psychlist blog)
"'Archetypes' is an album that revels in it's diversity from the torch like opener 'Horse Dark As Night' with it's Morrison-esque vocal crooning, through the lo-fi doom of 'The Lunatic' with it's eerie use of keyboards and bouzouki past the gothic tinted paean 'Ode To The Absent Father' and the Doors-like 'Snake' onto the quite surreal and utterly beguiling closer 'There Will Be A Time' Cyanna Mercury leave nothing that the listener can find to hang a convenient tag on to.
Wonderfully left of centre and defying any type of genre categorization 'Archetypes' is an album that dazzles and disturbs in equal measure."
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Review by Klaudia Weber (Stalker-Magazine .rocks)
"Sie selbst bezeichnen es als “Psychedelic Folk” – die Griechen Cyanna Mercury legen hier ein ziemlich ambitioniertes Album in Eigenverlag vor. Mit ambitioniert meine ich, dass sie sich viel Mühe gegeben haben, ihrem Werk den entsprechenden Rahmen zu geben – als Produzenten konnten Dimitris Lilis (Sound) und Alex Bolpasis (The Noise Figures, Whereswilder etc. – Mix) sowie James Plotkin (Electric Wizard, Moon Duo, Merzbow, John Carpenter, St. Vitus etc.) fürs Mastering gewonnen werden. Dazu gibt’s Gastauftritte von Kafka (Stimme in „Horse Dark As Night“, „Hermes“ und „Ode To The Absent Father“), Esterina (backing vocals in „Horse Dark As Night“, „The Lunatic“, „Lilith“ and „There Will Be A Time“), Stella Valasi (Santouri in „Nothing We Can Do“), Kostas Karagiannakis (Bouzouki in „The Lunatic“) und Phil Diamond (backing vocals in „Lilith“).
Für mich ist Archetypes sowas wie eine Zeitreise in die “Swinging 60s” – nicht nur was Psychedelic Woodstock Mamas Papas Miniröcke und Hippies oder Austin Powers- “groovy” mitklatschen und abhotten betrifft, sondern auch die Frühzeiten Hardrock. Dazu kommen noch die griechischen Folk-Elemente, und die klare Stimme kriegt gelegentlich was von Johnny Cash, oder gar Glenn Danzig in den düstereren Momenten (“Nothing We Can Do”). Apropos Sänger – Spyreas Sid hat ein bemerkenswertes ansprechendes Organ, und seine intensive Darbietung alleine ist das Reinhören wert. (9/10)"
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Review by Metal-Integral .com
"L'économie grecque est assurément mal en point mais la scène musicale hellène me semble dans une forme retentissante, comme le démontre avec assurance CYANNA MERCURY. Après plusieurs formats courts sortis de puis 2014, le quintette a auto produit son premier album, avec un résultat formel impeccable, le son était riche et vivant, le mixage garantissant un juste équilibre entre des éléments contrastés et foisonnants. Du point de vue stylistique, le groupe revendique l'étiquette de Folk psychédélique, ce qui n'est pas erroné mais ne saurait pour autant prétendre à définir de manière exhaustive le propos musical du groupe.
Une chose est certaine, les sources d'inspiration de CYANNA MERCURY sont à chercher dans le Rock et la Pop psychédélique de la fin des années 60, sans que cela exclut des apports différents (musique traditionnelle grecque), voire plus récents (une tension dramatique propre au Rock gothique). Premier indice, les guitares se font acides, même les mélodies produites s'avérant troubles ; s'entrelacent des incises venimeuses et des dentelles mélodiques.
Second indice, le chant assez grave et surtout habité, qui rappelle inévitablement Jim MORRISON des DOORS ; sur un morceau aussi hanté que The Lunatic, les vocaux se font carrément possédés, passant de l'expressivité à l'expressionnisme (jugez plutôt : cliquez ici). On retrouve un engagement plus intense également sur le très carré Snake. Sur le court Apollo, le format piano, voix profonde et phrasé solennel peut évoquer Nick CAVE. Troisième indice, le spectre sonore est savamment enrichi par des claviers vintage qui peuvent tour à tour enrichir subtilement un fond sonore ou au contraire se montrer conquérants au premier plan. Dans ce dernier cas de figure, le titre Lilith sonne exactement comme un tube de l'ère psychédélique, avec une dimension vocale Rhythm'n'Blues délectable. Qui plus est, la qualité de la composition et des arrangements de ce morceau en particulier le rend aussi percutant et irrésistible que Somebody To Love de JEFFERSON AIRPLANE ou Venus de SHOCKING BLUE !
Cependant, en termes de composition, CYANNA MERCURY ne vise pas uniquement une efficacité mélodique, loin s'en faut. Ainsi, There Will Be A Time développe une ambiance intime (voix profonde et grave à la Johnny CASH, percussions discrètes, guitare délicate) mais aussi presque religieuse (orgue, chœurs angéliques) : les amateurs de feu Jeff BUCKLEY apprécieront (cliquez ici) ! Avec davantage de pression rythmique, Nothing We Can Do et If We We're Blind (cliquez ici) s'inscrit dans une même veine lyrique.
Ode To The Absent Father possède par contre cette raideur froide propre au Rock gothique.
La variété est donc présente au sein même d'un cadre sonore cohérent, ce qui, combiné à une interprétation vivante, nous donne un premier album passionnant. (18/20)"
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Review by Карина Еганян (Rock Cult .ru)
Стилистические корни Cyanna Mercury уходят и того глубже – куда-то в 60-70-е. На страницах музыкантов в Facebook есть полезная графа «исполнители, которые нам тоже нравятся» (все-таки ниточки к популярным группам быстрее всего позволяют составить хотя бы общее впечатление о формате их младших коллег), и среди прочих коллектив отмечает в ней The Doors, Black Sabbath и Pink Floyd. А приправлен этот классический микс совсем древними мотивами и мрачным фольклором. В традиционном рок-инструментарии Cyanna Mercury есть и такие народные инструменты, как бузуки и сантур, а семидесятнические вокальные полеты в космос чередуются с гнетущими языческими распевками. Покорить Балканы у Cyanna Mercury получилось еще в прошлой инкарнации, но хотелось бы, чтобы на этот раз их песни нашли своего слушателя и в других странах.
All your girls they are riding white horses
In their pale skin with mirrors aligned
I know why you want those, they are easy
See the slaves climb the mountain of life
As for me there is one and she’s broken
See her come on a Horse dark as Night
She’s a flame, underneath she’s a love thing
And she lets me believe she is mine
I know why she is broken
I know why she is broken
It’s the mirror that lies to her face when she’s naked
So where is that pride?
It’s the voice of her Daddy inside
All the world is her bed smell like roses
Bit my lip pearly teeth frail and young
I know why she is brave and still loves me
Going hard on the waves of our time
As for me she’s the one and I’m hoping
See her come like the wildest of fires
In the plains of my heart she’ll be riding
Between her legs be the Horse dark as Night
Track Name: The Lunatic
Feel like the crazy
A naked soul
Pull down the bell rope
You hear the growl?
The toll must breakthrough
The sound must fall
The toll must breakthrough
I am the Lunatic
Why can’t you see the word
We fall like dying
Why can’t you feel the Sword?
The toll must breakthrough
The word is bond
The toll must breakthrough
I am the Lunatic
Track Name: Apollo
Oh my Lord, oh my God
Help me believe
If you’re not into Stone
come breathe in me
Oh my Lord, oh my God
I’m home, I’m free
I am not made of Stone
I breathe, I’m free
Track Name: Ode To The Absent Father
Well you want me to be your Daddy
Check how the light of the room hits your body
I’ll take you to bed, read you stories
If you promise that I’ll be the one
Be your only
Go on look to the stars for the answer
Your image I’ve painted with love - you’re a Dancer
I’ll take you with me when it’s over
I’m the Father that still lets you be
You’re my Daughter
I feel lost - I feel hunger
Is this why my angels are gone?
Is this how my angels are gone?
I feel lost
Track Name: Lilith
I could never be with a girl like you - ever again
I could never be with a woman like you - ever again
You've been crushing my dreams
You've been squeezing my love - every day
Like a vampire you’re cold, sold the devil my soul
Brought him into my world
I could never be with a girl like you - ever again
I could never be with a woman like you - ever again
I remember a time
when I thought you were mine - you were the sun
Now I know you’re the Moon,
you’re the priestess of doom - Babylon’s down
All my troubles seem
like the demons within - they wanna come out
If I sound extreme,
it’s the trouble I’m in - my faith and my doubt
I could never be with a girl like you - ever again
I could never be with a woman like you - ever again
I could never be with the likes of you - ever again
I could never be with a girl like you - you ain’t my friend
Track Name: If We Were Blind
The conflict in us getting deeper by the day
Look how the Light kills the feel - pleasures, they all drift away
The weight of the world now, falls on our shoulders
We stood in the middle of things, but look now we’re older
Had we been blind, we would have touched more
We would have touched more
Had we been blind, we would have felt more
We would have felt more
If our eyes were sullen - If our eyes were lost
We would’ve had more vision, we would've seen more
We would've seen more
There are times like tiny moments between pauses of the mind
There voices small like whispers - there are things you can’t deny
Ride on through this wicked morning - keep your eyes peeled at all times
Let the Sun come warm your nostrils - leave the view of Hell behind
Had we been blind, we would have touched more
We would have touched more
Had we been blind, we would have felt more
We would have felt more
If our eyes were sullen - If our eyes were lost
We would’ve had more vision, we would've seen more
We would've seen more
Track Name: Nothing We Can Do
I’ll try to break it down for you
It all went south from there
We were like Wolves after the morning
The Lord was painting our picture with all the colours of dusk and dawn
We were like Crows under the moonlight
The Devil is thirsty - the Devil is due
But if we stand inside the circle
There’ll be nothing he can do
This mischief was kept from me, I kept feeling sorry
It was like Death was at my window
What a way to make ends meet - a wayward behaviour
Like a Snake was wrapped around me
The Devil is thirsty - the Devil is due
But if he stands inside the circle
There’ll be nothing we can do
Why do you just stand there?
Evil is at the gates
Why do you just stand there?
Evil is at the gates
Why do you just stand there?
Evil is at the gates
Evil is here
Evil is here
Evil is here
Track Name: Snake
I remember back in the day
I remember back, back when you were great
I remember when we had fun
Remember when you were the one?
There was a meaning in what we did
and there was nothing to be hid
Oh dear friend how have we come to this
Is this what we had to miss?
Things people hide in their basements
Things people hide in their hearts
TV stays on to fall asleep to - cables all heat up
And there we lie cold and far apart
Until there's no more to left to say
Until the eyes see in the dark
And that’s a dreadful way and I wonder why
I never knew - I never knew
What kind of Snake were you
Why do we have to change?
Why do we kill the child inside?
Why do we fall apart?
Why is there more said than done?
Things we hide in our basements
Things we hide in our heart
The loss is more or less a constant
We knew that from the start
But still I wonder why it's senseless
To keep one straight fuckin' line
Just look into the eyes of someone and know what lurks inside
Cos when I look into your eyes
The fear and void I see
You know it’s kind of creepy
You know you’re creepin' me out
I never knew - I never knew
What kind of Snake were you
Track Name: There Will Be A Time
There will be a Light - so bright
That everyone will see
Everyone will see everything
Everything
There will be a Night - so dark
That everyone will sleep
Everyone will sleep peacefully
There will be a breeze so cool
That everyone will feel
Everyone will feel everything
Everything
There will be a Time so high
That everyone will dream
Everyone will dream blissfully
All of this not now but after
All of this not here but somewhere
Not in this land
Not in this life but later, later
It takes time it’s alright
It takes time it’s alright
Later, later
