Yoth Iria – Gone with the Devil
Release Date: 8th May 2026
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Hellenic Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal.
FFO: Rotting Christ, Varathron, Behemoth, Kvaen, Septic Flesh, Lucifer’s Child, Satyricon.
Review By: Rick Farley
“It’s a blend of aggression, deep contrasts, and that ‘ancient dust’ that land carries. It’s not something you consciously try to imitate – it’s in our DNA. Hellenic black metal has melody, theatricality, mystery, and a kind of magic that can’t easily be replicated elsewhere.”
With a dark foundation of mythology, tragedy, symbolism and spirituality, Greece’s Hellenic black metal legion Yoth Iria have returned with their third full length album, Gone with the Devil being released May 8th, 2026, via Metal Blade Records.
Formed in 2019 by Jim Mutilator of the legendary Rotting Christ and Varathron fame, the Greek black metal veteran brought a renewed modern fire into the pits of hell with his sprawling, dramatic take on a genre that is still severely overlooked despite its foundational importance. Just as its Scandinavian brethren, Hellenic black metal is and was just as important to the scene’s overall growth. Known more for traditional heavy metal riffing and Mediterranean melodies that fiercely burn as opposed to being frosty cold most are familiar with; Greek black metal takes its darkness straight through the fire and remains ablaze.
Gone with the Devil stylistically stands deeply rooted in black metal, but also utilizes other spellbinding elements of doom, goth, and extreme metal to give the genre a freshness that is both unique and modern but still with the original intent of the nineties second wave of black metal bands. The album balances its hooky riffs and classic NWOBHM melodies with its use of larger than life sinister atmospheres. Its ritualistic, mysterious, dark, and hypnotic yet is guided with pure savagery in its tempo and intensity. The mixture of nasty, raspy growls and cleans that are gothically tinged give the record a good vs evil energy that blends seamlessly with the bombast of its hellish but grand soundscapes.
One such track of many that truly shines is the wickedly beautiful The Blind Eye of Antichrist. Starting with a choir of female voices singing an orthodox Serbian chant called “Pobedna pesma” over a stomping beat with eerie synths in the background, the track feels truly epic. The chunky chorded riffs transition into fast tremolo picking and suffocating blast beats, while raspy growls darkly reach out into its mystical atmosphere. Tempos frequently changing keeping the track far from predictable. The anthemic hooks are infectious, the choir is alluring, and the song is deeply emotive. Its abrasiveness feels somehow hopeful yet also isolating. Artistically, the song legitimately gives me chills, its ancient sound melded with the wrath of black metal and atmospheric heaviness is beyond glorious. This alone is capable of drawing you in and not letting go.
Gone with the Devil as a whole triumphantly blends metal extremes into one cohesive daemonic lens that expands the accessibility of black metal without sacrificing any of its baleful fiendishness. With only three releases under their belt but still with a lifetime of black metal experience amongst its five members, Yoth Iria is a band that you will continue to hear about, you might as well jump on board now. Easy recommend.
(4 / 5)
