Like so many of us music lovers outside Greece, I first got acquainted with Thessaloniki based Groove/ Metalcore act Bewized through the Casket Music/ Copro Records release of their debut full-length The Scorch Of Rage, issued in late April 2011 (review posted around that date is still available in this website's “Archive” section for your factual needs), and promptly catapulted the album into my year-lists! And I wasn't the only one to be impressed by the band's material, proof of which several other rave reviews, followed up by the band being invited for webzine interviews, TV shows, and online radio stations...and evidently the band did several shows in order to promote the album.
Two years further, and we find that the then drummer has been replaced by one Akis Tsiantis, whom took over later in 2011, after the album's release...and I'm not certain whether that saw him play the UK gigs the band played in July of that same year. Also, the band's first music video clip, for “Laceration Of Innocence” (already mentioned in the above mentioned review) was followed up upon by the release of the second, for the track “Exhaling Perfection” in 2012. And all along the guys worked out new material, which they eventually started recording in December 2012 with Stelios “Stelth” Koslidis (known from work with Human Rejection and Head Cleaner) recording vocals, bass and guitars at his own Stelth Sound, while Emmanouil Hermano Tselepis tracked the drums at Red House Studios. Those recordings were subsequently sent to Jon Howard (of Threat Signal and Arkaea fame), whom not only produced, mixed, and mastered the material, but also put down some cool additional vocals on the track “Medusa's Head”. Another guest vocal was secured by Soilwork's Björn “Speed” Strid on “Heart Bled Dry”.
Lyrically, the album is based on the poems by Homer (revered classical Greek author of the Iliad and Odyssey), and to be seen as in 3 parts, with the first 4 songs relating to the Iliad (and dealing with the Trojan War's siege of Troy), the next 6 with the Odyssey (describing Odysseus' rough journey home), and the album closing “Vindication” relating his return to Ithaca (with the consequent slaying of his faithful wife's suitors and his eventual finding of peace of mind). In other words, what we have here is a concept album, dudes and dudettes! With some very varied mood changes, musically speaking. Occasionally bombastic (check instrumental shortie “The Prodigal Son”), frequently explosive (check most of the album), and occasionally introvert and balladesque (check the overall calmer “Break Of Dawn”, which even includes the use of atmospheric/ orchestrated keyboards). Vocals range from semi-growls to clean singing over semi-screamed stuff, frequently intermingled within one and the same song!
I'm afraid I found no material off the new album at either the band's own site (www.) bewizedofficial.com or (www.) facebook.com/bewizedofficial, but the band also has pages on MySpace (which I was unable to check due to the network PC I use for research still hasn't been updated) and last.fm (which I regretfully forgot to check, thinking I'd found enough info already), so check those out for yourselves, okay? As for my personal rating...I found myself somewhat less enthused than two years ago, yet recognize the great work the band did. Also, I perhaps had a little less time (still so many albums to review!) to spend with this album, and that's why the rating is slightly diminished as compared to the debut album...which, when you add up things, does not for that mean that it's any lesser, you know!