Live Review: Septicflesh - Odeon Of Herodes Atticus, Athens
27th September 2025
Words: Rich Oliver
There are certain shows you attend that when you think back on it, you can hardly believe that you were actually there. This show was definitely one of those. The Odeon Of Herodes Atticus is an ancient amphitheatre located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis in Athens and has been there since AD 161. An iconic historical location and one of the last places you would expect to see a death metal show. However Septicflesh were once again given that opportunity and privilege (having first performed there for the first time in 2024). This was not any old death metal show though. This was Septicflesh accompanied by the Athens State Orchestra, a choir and a number of guest musicians. A show of that magnitude in a venue of such historic significance meant this was going to be a very special evening.
Septicflesh have been going since 1990 and have nearly always had a very atmospheric and epic sound but in latter years that has been taken further with the inclusion of orchestral elements composed by guitarist Christos Antoniou who studied and gained a Master’s Degree in concert music and has worked alongside multiple orchestras and choirs. This means that the orchestral parts of Septicflesh;s music is perfectly and beautifully interwoven with the death metal. On previous occasions where I have seen Septicflesh live, the orchestral parts have been on tape so seeing the whole thing performed live was a real treat.
The venue itself is as breathtaking as one could imagine and with it being a sloped amphitheatre you had a fantastic view of the stage wherever you were sat. It was also beautifully lit up thanks to the band’s lighting director Jim Laios. Once all bums were on seats, it was announced that the show was about to start. The orchestra walked out to rapturous applause followed by the choir and the children’s choir. The orchestra tuned up and slowly built the atmosphere with a glorious symphonic introduction to the show. I don’t think I was alone in that I had goosebumps and hairs standing on end which remained for the entirety of the show. The band themselves then walked out to deafening cheers and the first song ‘Portrait Of A Headless Man’ was unleashed upon the Acropolis. What followed was a breathtaking two hours of symphonic death metal taken to new highs with band, orchestra and choirs performing in perfect unison.
The majority of the set was taken from the band’s material 2007 onwards with ‘The Vampire Of Nazareth’, ‘Neuromancer’ and ‘Prototype’ sounding as menacing as they did glorious. Having the full power of an orchestra accompanying them, the band brought out some of their most colossal sounding songs with ‘Enemy Of Truth’, ‘A Desert Throne’ and ‘Prometheus’ sounding so massive it was almost overwhelming. If you were a fan of the band’s older or lesser played material then you were treated to ‘Virtues Of The Beast’ and ‘We, The Gods’ and for debuts ‘Amphibians’ off the E.P. of the same name was introduced to the band’s live arsenal. The biggest response from the crowd was of course for the band’s most iconic song - the mighty ‘Anubis’ with the audience singing the main melody as loudly as the band and orchestra were playing it.
Considering they were sharing the stage with an orchestra and a choir, Septicflesh still had massive stage presence with both frontman Spiros Antoniou and guitarist Psychon stalking all sides of the stage and demanding participation from the audience. It was also a treat to have Sotiris Vayenas performing with the band as he seldom does tour with the band due to other obligations. His clean vocals and stage presence certainly elevated the show. The band were also joined by Fany Melfi, Aphrodite Patoulidou and Vahan Galdstyan who performed additional vocals and instruments with their parts wonderfully interwoven with the orchestra and choirs. Frontman Spiros is known for his animated audience interactionbetween songs, nearly always enthusiastically addressing the audience as ‘MY FRIENDS!’ but for this performance he was far more subdued, most likely in awe of the show he was performing. Also being an Athens native, he addressed the audience in Greek for the whole show until the very end.
The combination of the venue, the performances and the scale of the show meant that this was a breathtaking and unforgettable experience. It was definitely worth the 4000 mile round trip to Athens and back and an experience that is unlikely to happen again for quite some time especially as the Odeon Of Herodes Atticus is being closed for the next few years to undergo some repair and maintenance. As a huge fan of Septicflesh, this was a jawdropping and breathtaking show which has probably ruined live music for me for a good while as very few shows are likely to match the epic scale of what was witnessed in the Acropolis. A standard Septicflesh show is now definitely going to feel underwhelming for a good while. I’ve seen many gigs in my lifetime including a few iconic shows but this is one that is going to stick with me for the years to come.
