“Blessed Be He Who Enters” is the latest single from Hellenic black metal troop YOTH IRIA. The track comes by way of the band’s stellar third album, Gone With The Devil, set for worldwide release on May 8th through Metal Blade Records.
YOTH IRIA’s trajectory has been on a steep ascent since crafty 2021 debut As The Flame Withers and 2024’s hypnotic Blazing Inferno, but there has audibly been a concerted determination to develop and expand in sinister new directions. “The creative workflow was similar to Blazing Inferno, yet we deliberately pushed ourselves to bring new elements into our music. We kept the immediacy of Blazing Inferno, the psychedelia of As The Flame Withers, and all the characteristics people expect from Hellenic black metal, while adding fresh sounds and atmospheres never before heard from YOTH IRIA.”
Predominantly stately tempos ensure the dark riffs, memorable melodies and flamboyant leads have space to breathe their fire, so that the blastbeats, when they come, devastate even more utterly. Flecks of Mediterranean folk and gothic cadences further expand the band’s sonic palate, while there are countless melodies so atavistically simple and primally satisfying they could be a thousand years old.
“YOTH IRIA is not a band bound by strict rules or prohibitions,” the Attica quartet declares. “Black metal is and will always be at the core of our sound, but around it revolves anything that carries the necessary darkness, mystique, and spiritual intensity. Of course, there are elements we would never include – not out of fear or dogma, but because they do not serve the daemon of the band. Our sound must retain melody, simplicity, drama, and a ritualistic character.”
Musically, inspiration is derived from “classic rock, heavy metal, and many extreme bands that we deeply admire,” while lyrical and attitudinal inspiration comes from an even more plentiful source. “Artistically, simply living in today’s world is enough to inspire dark music. We live in a strange, uncertain era – transitional, perhaps – toward something no one can predict if it will be better or worse. That tension alone fuels creativity.”
On “Blessed Be He Who Enters,” the band elaborates, “These lyrics stand for pride and strength in adversity, seeking freedom and higher knowledge. They defy all forms of tyranny – within families, relationships, schools, or any oppressive place. They speak for those who refuse to bow and walk with fire in their spirit. When we shape ourselves, we reshape the world around us.”
Watch YOTH IRIA’s video for “Blessed Be He Who Enters” HERE.
Watch the band’s previously released video for “The Blind Eye Of Antichrist” HERE.
There’s a thrilling balance of ancient and modern, good and evil, harmony and dissonance on Gone With The Devil advancing YOTH IRIA as a hungry contender for extreme metal’s big leagues – an ever-improving unit with a glorious future. Appropriately, however, Gone With The Devil is best summed up with a line already coined by the band to describe their ongoing body of work: “Every note tells a story of rebirth, tradition, and the relentless pursuit of musical transcendence.”
YOTH IRIA’s Gone With The Devil will be released on CD (jewel case – US / digipak – EU) and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
Red Electric Blue Melt (US)
180g Black (EU)
Oxblood Black Merged (EU – Ltd. 500)
Oxblood Blue Silver Merged (EU – Ltd. 250)
Gold Black Splatter (EU – Ltd. 250)
Find all pre-orders at: metalblade.com/yothiria
The daemonic avatar YOTH IRIA was first explicitly summoned on Rotting Christ’s legendary debut Thy Mighty Contract in 1993. Bassist/lyricist Jim Mutilator formed that band as Black Church in 1984, before also becoming a founder member of cult Athenian BM heroes Varathron for their first five years. Renewing the otherworldly atmospheres and occult ravishment for a new era, YOTH IRIA functions almost as the third panel in an apocalyptic triptych of Hellenic black metal excellence.
YOTH IRIA:
HE – vocals
Jim Mutilator – bass
Nikolas Perlepe – guitar
Naberius – guitar
Bill “Vongaar” Stavrianidis – drums
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