Everdome

The Athenian band EVERDOME was inaugurated in 2000 as the direct continuation of the member’s previous group BLOODSHED, who’ve released two promising demo tapes in the late 1990s.

At the outset, EVERDOME pursued a similar brand of Power/Speed Metal as heard on BLOODSHED’s second demo “Fairyland” (1998). It is worth mentioning in this context though that the first release by EVERDOME was actually a CDr re-release of “Fairyland” with re-worked cover art under the band’s new moniker, while EVERDOME’s first release “proper” came in 2001 with the two-track demo CDr “The Crown”. At the time of the release of the latter – once again recorded at Wave Studios (Athens) – the band consisted the entire “Fairyland” crew: Nikos Michas (vocals), Andreas Sotiropoulos (guitars), Kostas Pourgazis (guitars) and Antonis Kalamoutsos (bass), along with their new drummer Spiros Haralambous (ENTRY WOUND). Musically, the song pairing “The Crown” and “Darkness Lives Within” extends upon the band’s previously established style, bringing it closer to the muscular sound of US Metal, while at the same time exhibiting a certain melodic delicacy in the chorus sections.

By 2004, EVERDOME had finally managed to score a record deal after nearly 10 years of service in the underground. The result was the debut full-length album “Tales Beyond Oblivion” (2004), issued in liaison with the Spanish label Heavencross Records on CD. Except for the addition of session keyboardist Vasilis Tsiakalos (DIABOLICAL PRINCIPLES, KAWIR, SHADOWCRAFT, etc.), the lineup from the demo era remained intact. The same could pretty much be said about the musical content, keeping in line with the band’s previous offerings while also offering broader spectrum of song material within the limits of the Power Metal genre. Of note is here is the spirited re-recording of the old BLOODSHED track “Fairyland” towards the end of the CD.

Given the rather long period of silence that followed after the release of “Tales Beyond Oblivion” in 2004, many probably assumed that EVERDOME had split up. Somewhat surprisingly though, the band eventually re-emerged in 2013 with a new offering at hand. Donning strikingly atmospheric artwork with such a somber color palette, one would guess the band had moved their music unto darker pathways. To a large extent, this is also what had happened with the band’s second album “Afterbirth”. Featuring a pared-down lineup of the two remaining core members Andreas Sotiropoulos (now performing guitars, bass and keyboards) and Spiros Haralambous (drums), along with the prolific Swedish guest vocalist Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, KRUX, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and many more), “Afterbirth” seems to be built around some kind of conceptual idea, expressed in a style quite different from the previous EVERDOME outings. The music could probably be best described as a merging of classic Heavy Metal and Doom, with songs often transcending the six-minute mark. The grandest of the bunch is arguably the title-track finale, where the band stretches out for a whole twelve minutes. With 72+ minutes of playing time, it is quite a musty work to take in, but also a testament to the epic ambitions of the band.

For all we know, this was also the last known release from the EVERDOME camp. Considering the relative silence that followed upon the release of “Afterbirth”, one is inclined to speculate that maybe this was the definite statement of EVERDOME. Only time will tell.

Compilation appearances:
* Let the Hammer Fall [CD, Comp: Metal & Hard Rock Hammer World, 2004]
* Hellenic Forces Compilation Vol. 3 [CD, Comp: Self-released (Hellenic Forces Fanzine), 2009]