FORBIDDEN MYTH

In 2024, Antonis Adelfidis (acoustic & electric pianos, Hammond organ, combo organs, Mellotron, Hohner clavinet, digital & analogue synthesizers, Rheem Kee bass) returned to the world of Zantea. Again we have no bass or guitars, and George Katsanos (acoustic piano, Minimoog, theremin, tape effects) and The Swede (drums) are back on board, this time joined by Bob Katsionis (synth solo on "The Screaming Paradise"), Nikos Tzouannis (acoustic piano solo on "The Sword of Doom") and Apostolis Tsiolis (synth solo on "Take a Sip!"). Three singers return to reprise their roles from the debut album, George Katsanos (Ovaris), Moss "The Boss" Kordakis (Vosar) and Dimitra Preari (Nantou), while Irini Tiniakou takes on a new role, and in total there are nine singers involved this time instead of eight.

Although this is a direct continuation from the debut, with a similar style and approach, there is no doubt that this is a major step forward in all areas. The cover art is far more polished and aligned with music of this quality, and the same goes for the production and performances contained within. There is an improved use of space, the bass has been pulled back slightly in the mix, and overall this is a very different album indeed. With the debut the attention is drawn mostly to the novelty of having multiple layers of keyboards and less on the actual music, yet here it is a very different approach indeed. When the keyboards crunch, they really do, and there is never the feeling of something being missing, something which was far more prevalent with the debut.

This is a very different approach to progressive rock than we normally hear, and given the change between the two releases it will be fascinating to see what we get when Antonis next takes us to Zantea.

Forbidden Myth is a band put together by keyboard player Antonis Adelfidis who is proud to state there are no guitars or bass guitars on this album, which is instead the product of Adelfis (acoustic & electric pianos, Hammond organ, combo organs, Mellotron, Hohner clavinet, digital & analogue synthesizers, Rheem Kee bass), George Katsanos (acoustic & electric pianos, combo organs, digital & analogue synthesizers, vibradoneon, theremin), pianist Nikos Aravanis and drummer The Swede along with eight singers who play the different roles in the world of Zantea, based on a story by Myrto Gregoriadi.

Somehow, the Heavy Prog team on PA have decided that is the right genre for the band to be included, which seems somewhat strange given there are no guitars. Mind you, there is plenty of bass from the Rheem Kee Bass which was one of the first monophonic string bass emulators ? it is only possible to play one note at a time, as if more than one note is played then only the highest one will be heard. I presume this is an emulator given there are so few of these instruments around, but it certainly does not sound as if it is 60 years old. There is quite a dated feel to the album, with plenty of Atomic Rooster influences, and if someone said this was from the Seventies that would be quite believable. It certainly never comes across as a mostly keyboard album, as many of the lines are being interwoven in a way which sounds much more like a band, and in some ways is somewhat reminiscent of Death Organ who released a couple of very enjoyable albums in the Nineties.

What does let this down somewhat is the production and the quality of the vocals, as at the end of the day I listen for music for enjoyment not to recognise how clever it is. The Swede (whoever he is), is a fine drummer and he has an approach which often cuts through the layers to give real cut through, but I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if this had involved someone like Clive Nolan as in many ways it feels like one of his ensemble projects yet without that touch which takes it to the next level.

It is certainly an impressive understanding, and at more than 100 minutes in length there is a lot here to take in with the classic story of good v evil. The booklet details not only the lyrics but who is singing and the plot behind the song, and I am not sure if this is included in the digital version but certainly adds to the understanding. It is quite an epic for a debut.

Zantea Chronicles : The Nightmare Awakens is a very strong, should i say fantasy prog-rock album. Mastermind behind this rock journey is Antonis Adelfidis, who is very, very talented musician and writer. Personally, I'm not a big fan of fantasy rock operas and epic prog rock odysseys, but this album really deserves attention. Arjen Lucassen (AYREON's mastermind) is certainly the main representative of such conceptual rock albums. The characters that lead the stories from song to song are well described and their role from track to track really dig you into the album. There are no classical electric guitars or bass guitars on the album. There is Rheem Kee Bass and that bass tone sounds great. This is what Antonis Adelfidis said in notes. The introduction to the album opens with a light synth choir-piano orchestration and a male vocal that opens the story. Later, on the album are the influence of classic prog rock and hard rock giants from the seventies can be felt. I also have to say that there is a melancholic gothic note and atmosphere thru out the whole album. There are also female vocals that give a special atmosphere and feeling to the story. What is most interesting, the album features very rare analog synthesizers, which are probably hard to find these days. That is a great thing when artists recording albums that way. That approach is amazing and inspiring. The only minus to this album is final mastering and drums mixing. But, hey, if you want to enjoy the effort thru fantasy prog rock, just close your eyes and press play. I will give this album very strong 3 stars and can not wait to hear more from them.

The triumph of good over evil that Forbidden Myth posits in its mythological "Zantea Chronicles : The Dream Dominator" has a less comforting and more sombre second part three years later with "Zantea Chronicles: The Nightmare Awakens" (2024), an album that in its 70+ minutes traces the perilous mission of "Derolt", a banished and renegade tanner, guided by the lord of the abyss "Vosar" to free the inanimate and evil queen "Jahat", confined in an eternal stone prison.

From the intriguing atmosphere that suspenseful synthesizers and melancholic classical piano chords build in the desolate "Overture of Rage", keyboards drive the story of "The Nightmare Awakens" like the imperishable seventies hammonds and the dazzling Wakemanian minimoog in the descriptive "The Puppet", or Bob Katsionis' sprightly synthesizer in the wooded robustness of "The Screaming Paradise" and where, on the other hand, Antonis Adelfidis' raspy guitar recreation of the Hohner Clavinet, also of great incidence in the rushing "The Petrified Forest" and in the hypnotic half-time of "The Most Precious Gift" (further nuanced by Dimitra Preari's beautiful vocal performance), add a great vitality and forcefulness to the themes.

The final section of the work is marked by the misty ritual to awaken "Jahat" in "Back from the Death", who once freed ends the life of "Derolt" (what else could be expected from such an evil character...) and claims revenge in the epic and dramatic "Jahat Arisen", a piece sustained by the unrelenting percussion of the consistent The Swede (as in the whole album) and that leaves the door open for a third chapter of the saga.

"Zantea Chronicles: The Nightmare Awakens" is a very good album, and although placing some instrumental bridges between the transitions of the tracks might have helped to a greater fluidity and sense of unity being a conceptual work, it is solidly sustained by the very solid musical and narrative staging of the band led by Adelfidis.

3.5 stars

After Methexis, Verbal Delirium, Naxatras and Residuos Mentales, here's Forbidden Myth, another interesting current prog band from Greece, with an epic rock project by Greek songwriter and keyboardist Antonis Adelfidis. The story of their album is entitled Zantea Chronicles : The Dream Dominator, based upon the fantasy world created by Myrto Gregoriadi. The music features 8 vocalists who take up the roles of the protagonists, and is dominated by keyboards, without guitars. The album contains 2 CD's with both 10 tracks, between 3 and 9 minutes.

The musical climates in the 20 tastefully arranged tracks shift between dreamy and slow rhythms to mid-tempo beats and sumptuous outbursts, and range from symphonic rock to melodic rock and Heavy Prog, but the sound is more bombastic than heavy, due to the omnipresent powerful vintage keyboards layers, and the absence of guitars.

The colouring with a variety of vintage keyboards delights me, from Morish sounding in Sirin Ablaze (Vintage Keyboard Heaven) to omnipresent Mellotrons (lots of choirs, along the violin and flute section)) and spectacular Minimoog flights (with strong Rick Wakeman hints in The Exlied), pretty overwhelming, wow! But also the Wurlitzer piano, Vox Continental organ (The Doors flavour in Rotting King), and even the distinctive sounds of a Theremin (exciting blend of synthesizers, Theremin and Mellotron choirs in the final part of Epilogue of Forgiveness) and the beautiful sound of the vibradoneon in The Revelation Of Truth. He is fuelled by The Swede his drum beats, often powerful and dynamic.

Although there is no guitarplay on this album in some tracks I hear guitar riffs, I asked Antonis about that, he answered "I have no guitars in the record. I played the rhythm parts with a Hammond through Marshall and Leslie amps." Interesting! And: "the most beautiful parts of the record (pianos, vibradoneon, Theremin, Minimoog and combo organ solos) are played by my friend and teacher, George Katsanos. He is a classical trained pianist and he was graduate from Berklee college of music. He is one of the best multi-instrumentalists out there and he plays in the new album too!"

The 8 singers of the Forbidden Myth project sound at least decent but in a few tracks some male singers lack a bit expression, while the female singers are good to very good. But to me this doesn't sound disturbing, mainly due to prime mover Antonis Adelfidis his writing skills and overwhelming keyboard work, in collaboration with George Katsanos, what a masters, from majestic Mellotron choirs and tender Grand piano to sensational Minimoog flights with pitchbend or a swinging electric piano solo, really impressive. A strong debut, what's next?

My rating: 3,5 star.

An epic album with many singers, a prog metal album more than prog metal with synthetic ambiances, piano thanks to the presence of Antonis Adelfidi, the mastermind of this double album. A concept album in fact telling a heroic-fantasy story, a singular sound which therefore gives pride of place to keyboards, various organs from the 70s and other more aggressive 80s; note the absence of guitars which can disturb the listening flow. On 'The Prophecy' a nice ballad it goes well, on 'The Spell of Fakeness' for example, it can be sorely lacking, the proguous metallic being used to his little 6-string solo. The titles follow one another pleasantly, the keyboards are well provided but do not replace the long-awaited electric side; the voices enhance the atmosphere. Those who love the keyboard atmospheres of the 70s will be greatly satisfied with this theatrical musical moment, in 2020 we could also expect a little more, the duration being a potential obstacle. (2.75)

Review #158!

I find this album here to be a very interesting take on music as a whole. Every genre this album tries to emulate ends up being contradicted with the unusual set of instruments being used here. But that's really not a bad thing, at least to me! The hard rock feel is altered with the overuse of synthesizers and lack of guitars. The prog feel is overridden with the small range of instruments actually in play. The rock opera idea and an emphasis on vocals falls short, since not only are there not a whole lot of vocals, but those vocals are not always great! The lyrics prove too poetic to allow the whole story to be shown without additional context or lyric book (which I believe exists for this album, so check that out).But the instrumentation really is a hail-mary for this album. I actually really like the synthesized bass and drums and everything else. It gives Tangerine Dream And Residents vibes. But no matter the quality (which is high enough in this case) of any new artist's work, as long as good, benevolent intentions are in their minds, I'm all for supporting their musical journey. I hope that this rock opera series continues, so I can watch bands like these grow better (and utilize more guitar)! Prog on.

Led by Antonis Adelfidis, Forbidden Myth tells in their debut album, "Zantea Chronicles : The Dream Dominator", an epic story about the eternal struggle between good (the young Sirin) and the hidden forces of evil (Vosar). An extensive work that in more than a hundred minutes is imaginatively divided into two great phases, gloomy for the most part and hopeful towards the end. Without guitars or bass as part of their musical proposal, the Greeks manage to round off a conceptual album sustained by a wide range of keyboards, from classical piano to digital synthesizers, with a great variety of vocal registers given the eight singers summoned for the occasion, and a very good percussion performance.

Right at the beginning of the first part, the intriguing "Overture of Loss" and its airs of the most experimental moments of Porcupine Tree, plunges into a tense and disturbing atmosphere full of sonic elements, always in the hand of synthesizers that trace the path that will be maintained throughout the album, framed by a persistent melancholic character even in its most intense developments. Moments of deep darkness run as with "Light's Predominance", or in the revealing "The Luminescent Girl" whose keyboards resemble the sounds of guitar riffs, or with the mid-tempos of the tempting "The Puppeteer", the initial hammond of the stabbing "Rotting King", or with the accelerated and changing "City of Decay", one of the most forceful pieces.

On the other hand, the final part of the album contains shades of disillusionment and hope, such as the revealing "A Ring Between Her Eyes" and its interesting piano solo, the opening chords of "Dreams` Prisoner" and its peaceful female voice, the determined "Sirin Ablaze", the trepidant "King of the World / The Eyes of a Stranger" in another of the highlights, and the conclusive and victorious "Epilogue of Forgiveness", which closes the story emotionally.

The very interesting "Zantea Chronicles: The Dream Dominator", although it would surely have gained more vitality with the combustion that the guitars generate and that the bass contribution usually underpins, shows the solid musical structure of Forbidden Myth, and its enormous potential to keep growing.

3/3,5 stars

The finest export from Greece since the Elgin Marbles first rolled up onto British shores at the turn of the 19th century - for which the Greeks have never quite forgiven us. Forbidden Myth is the brainchild of Antonis Adelfidis - Greece's answer to Rick Wakeman - ably assisted by multi-instrumentalist George Katsanos, playing together on just about every keyboard instrument they could lay their hands on, and with a cast list of supporting players almost as long as Ben Hur. It's also worth mentioning that Katsanos is a mighty fine singer too. This is the greatest partnership since Burton & Taylor, Bogey & Bacall, or Marks & Spencer. There's an old saying that you should beware of Greeks bearing gifts, but when those same Greeks come bearing gifts of prog albums, then you should welcome them with open arms and with love and kisses too. In the vast pantheon of prog, Adelfidis & Katsanos joins that long list of Greek heroes including, Theseus, Perseus, Odysseus, Vangelis, Roussos & Sideras. Okay, so the first three Greek heroes never formed a prog band as far as I'm aware, but the last three names were all in the same band. You won't find an Achilles Heel in the astounding sounds and amazing music of Forbidden Myth though, as this stunning album is a pure 100% masterpiece from beginning to end. In fact, you won't have heard such masterful keyboard wizardry as this since caped crusader Rick Wakeman first stunned us all with his acclaimed Myths & Legends album. Forbidden Myth target the listener with rip-roaring power chords with the unerring accuracy of a laser-guided Paveway missile. Zantea Chronicles: The Dream Dominator is the towering Acropolis on the Mount in terms of epic prog albums, which even surpasses all of Ayreon's magnificent masterworks. You'll find Forbidden Myth listed under Heavy Prog on ProgArchives, although they almost found their way into the Progressive Metal category, which really wouldn't have done them justice. After all, Zantea Chronicles is far better than any album I've ever heard by Dream Theater, although I can now hear howls of derision coming from DT fans. It's truly an epic album too, running at over 100 minutes long, in the true tradition of Ayreon's epic productions, making it excellent value for money. If you have the good fortune to buy this fine album, then it'll be the best 4,000 drachmas you ever spent. In the vast progosphere, Forbidden Myth are as good as it gets and Zantea Chronicles joins some of the finest European prog albums from Holland, Italy and Germany. And so, for any German prog fans out there, "Das ist Verboten Mythos. Danke schoen und gute nacht."

Amazing work really.

We can mention the huge (over a hundred minute) creation is a kind of miracle produced by FORBIDDEN MYTH founded by a Greek multi-instrumentalist / producer Antonis ADELFIDIS. His endless creativity as a lyrical composer is overflowing on this opus firmly for shaping a robust long novel. Antonius and his musical colleagues would go forward straightly as a precision manufacturer with eight storytellers ... that such tight instrumental techniques and favourable composition / production all over the album can tell. Each track is composed simply and friendly, full of catchy melody lines and non-complicated rhythmic bases. Art rock or crossover progressive rock fans could be immersed in this pop texture but quirky rock fans like avantgarde, post, or psychedelic freaks could feel something crazy is missing via this album.

"Light's Predominance" possesses quite cool pop structure. Their playings (especially Antonius' synthesizer and Swede's drumming) are had-edged but sensitive. The combination of catchiness and hard rock passion is pretty listener-friendly. On the contrary, melodic (and synthetic) instability through the first shot is another mystery. Good for us is such a melodic / atmospheric contrast. Brilliant keyboard timbre is immersive and impressive in "A Ring Between Her Eyes" or "The Luminescent Girl". One of my favourite tracks "Sirin Ablaze" involves ethnic movements and kinetic melodious madness along with deep guitar riffs and heavy strict drumming. This stuff can be called as Heavy Prog. The epilogue "Epilogue Of Forgiveness" is flooded with beautiful keyboard-based dreamy theatrical vibes and grooves, that can notify us this would go well with their last run.

This amazing work will make us full stomach. At any rate we can give the project words of praise because of such a collective of colourful sound grandeur.