It happens once in a million for a debut album to strike out of nowhere leaving us simply speechless. And this is the case for the same titled first full length by Athens based PASSAGE.
PASSAGE is a new Heavy Metal band founded back in 2022 by Mimis on guitars and Marko Darko on vocals. In 2023 they started to work on their debut same titled album which will be released on March 28th via Steel Gallery Records.
The band’s music combines the theatrical flair of KING DIAMOND and the majestic touch of John Arch / early FATES WARNING with the Swedish Prog / Doom vibes of VENI DOMINE through the fiery, rebellious NWOBHM spirit.
The band have managed to deliver a very special type of Heavy Metal highlighting a straight forward approaching that emphasizes to their classic and NWOBHM influences. On the very same time they are expanding a technical development that brings to front all those wonderful mid to late 80s elements of the US Progressive Metal movement.
The Doom Metal parts in here are epic, dark and dreamy, so you should pretty much understand why I am pointing VENI DOMINE in here, right?
All in all I should point that the excellent songwriting is the most important feature in here. And thanks to the outstanding guitar parts and the top class vocals -the album’s huge trademark- the compositions are taken to the very next level.
I should also mention this haunted and dreamy atmosphere that is slowly developed within this magnificent full length, song by song: a strange shadowed vortex that takes you within… You will discover that it is a very difficult task to actually stop listening to this record. After every finishing of it, you will find yourself wanting to return to this black diving inside the vortex.
The Passage is open. Are you ready?
Out March 28th on Steel Gallery Records. Pre order here.
