Released by: Pitch Black Records
Genre: Progressive Thrash Metal
Links: https://pitchblackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/to-wait-for-fire
Line Up:
Nicholas Leptos – Vocals
Socrates Leptos – Guitars
Phivos Papadopoulos – Guitars
Alexi David – Bass
Stavros Pamballis – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Ending Ceremony
2. I Believe
3.Behind the Mirror’s Eye
4.To Wait for Fire
5.As Darkness Casts its Veil
6.Sleeping With the Worms
7.Save me
8.Start Again
9.Living to Die – Bonus (Promo 95)
10.God Wanted (Apply Here) – Bonus (Promo 95)
I freely admit I listen to some bands and music that most people would call shit. Hell, there are some bands I like that I know aren’t necessarily good, but something draws me to them. I just like what I like and don’t require anyone to validate my tastes. And as I have said before, I love discovering these weird, obscure bands that never got anywhere. Some of these bands only had demos or if they had an album it wasn’t the best quality due to lack of experience by the musicians or limited studio time, perhaps with someone else with limited experience themselves (been there, done that.) I’m drawn to the labels that cater to bands that would never, in a million years, ever get a major label deal because they don’t fit a niche or don’t sound a certain way. There is no shame in that. I was listening to this album by a band called Diptheria called To Wait For Fire, and it struck me: I don’t just hear the music coming from the speakers, but I also hear the potential that band has (or could’ve had in this case.) I’d never heard of this band prior to this. I mean, they were a band out of Cyprus and never got much further than that. But apparently, they made an impact on some people’s lives to warrant Pitch Black Records to release it for the world.
A Progressive Thrash band with some doom elements, you could totally hear the fact that this band was comprised of very young performers (ages ranging 15-16 years of age.) It’s clear they were young and certainly clear that they were VERY new to writing and recording songs, so there are some moments where a more seasoned musician may have done it a little different, yet it still adds character to their sound. Especially coming from an area that really didn’t have much of a music scene, it’s primitive (for lack of a better word… I didn’t want to use simplistic,) but you hear the passion these kids had for what they were doing. It’s a very mature album lyrically, if not in the actual words used, but the ideas behind the words. The whole time I was listening to it for the first time (prior to reading their info provided) I kept thinking, “Geez, if this is a new band and their first album, they’ve got a shit ton of potential in the future.” And apparently I wasn’t too far off the mark as they were a new band back in 1993 when they formed, and this was their first release, that didn’t actually see the light of day until 2008, now being reissued by Pitch Black.
If you’re one of those that demands precision in their music, take a pass on this one. If you’re open to checking out bands in their early stages and hearing music from decades ago offered up by musicians in an area where they were inventing the metal scene, then Diptheria’s To Wait For Fire is right up your alley. Some of its members did go on to pursue music further, but this is a chapter from their lives very early on, showing that you don’t have to have a thriving local scene to create intriguing music.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: 7/10
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