Album Review: Caelestia – Revelations In Black (Eclipse Records)

Revelations In Black is the third full-length album from Greek extreme metal outfit Caelestia set for release on 24th July via Eclipse Records.  It marks the latest chapter in the band’s continuing evolution and their most ambitious work to date.

Formed in Athens in 2013, Caelestia first made their mark with 2015’s Beneath Abyss before steadily building their reputation through touring across Europe and the UK, sharing stages with the likes of Arch Enemy and Katatonia. Along the way, the band have worked with notable names including Björn ‘Speed’ Strid, Jason Bittner and, for this album, former Morgoth and Destruction drummer Marc Reign. Following the release of the well-received Infernalia EP in 2025, Caelestia now return with what they describe as a defining moment in their career.

Produced by acclaimed American producer Zack Ohren (Machine Head, Forbidden, Immolation), Revelations In Black sees the band fully embrace the direction they have been moving towards in recent years. Leaving behind much of their earlier symphonic influence, the album instead focuses on a blend of melodic black metal and modern death metal, combining technical precision, razor-sharp guitar work and atmospheric depth. Across ten tracks, Caelestia explore psychological themes, gothic literature, mythology and history. Some inspirations include  the vampire fiction of Carl Jacobi, and the collection of personal correspondence titled Letters from Dead written by the late Per Yngve “Pelle” Ohlin of Mayhem as Caelestia aim to deliver an experience that is as thought-provoking as it is devastatingly heavy.

Caelestia is Pantelis “Lordwinter” Daskalelos on vocals & lyrics, Bill (Vassilis) Thomas on guitar & music, Andrew Geo on guitar, Stelios “SD” Tragos on bass and Marc Reign on drums.

Revelations In Black gets underway with La Morte Amoureuse. It’s a serene and calming start with just over a minute of soft melodies before Buried kicks things off properly. Crunchy riffs and blasting drums ramp things up with a track that drops the serenity and hits with an old-school death metal vibe. The vocals are deep and guttural, and I really like the lead guitars that layer over the hard and heavy riffs. Speaking of lead guitars, there is a monster of a solo too, where the drums impress just as much as the actual guitar. It’s solid stuff – no real flair, just hard and heavy death metal that hits the spot.

Jutland comes next and brings a bit more of a melodeath feel through its clean, ringing intro solo. It has atmosphere and a hint of darkness to it though, all added to as the drums start to crash through the melody. It turns into a wonderful slab of dark and heavy groove, hitting with a slow, stomping rhythm throughout. Intermittent vocals, thick bass and catchy drum patterns make for a proper sludgy, stompy headbanger of a track.

Wolves picks the pace back up a bit, while the darkness and tone keep things feeling very nasty and heavy. The vocals are powerful, if not a little monotone, but that suits the style, to be fair. The drums and bass really keep the music on the extreme side, while some excellent riffs and touches of lead guitar add moments of excitement. Another neat solo also adds to that. It’s all very easy to listen to – not overly experimental or creative by modern terms, just solid. Proper headbanging death metal.

The Slopes of Tenmokuzan gives Caelestia the opportunity to stretch that creativity a little further with a longer song, coming in at nearly seven and a half minutes.

Melodic guitars lead us in before the heaviness kicks in with style. The riffs are superb, the drums and bass catchy as hell, and the vocals come in around the riff to add anger and depth. The verses are really energetic and heavy. The headbanging will have stopped here as the mosh pit starts circling frantically. There is some variation to the vocals as well – just a touch of cleaned-up lines working alongside the guttural growls. The speed of these vocals, and the repetitive style of the music as they are delivered, makes them feel like they are a chant or an invocation, adding even more depth and atmosphere. Just when you think it has peaked, the lead guitars smash out a solo and the song changes direction a little, led by the catchiest of beats and melodies. Damn, this song is excellent.

Revelations in Black continues with Fall of the Demon King and the intro really screams traditional death metal, in a good way. A slow, stomping groove with a screaming lead guitar gets things underway. The vocals come in, adding depth and darkness, and then the pace picks up. The drums are superb, again, and the riffs get you both snarling and headbanging along. The pace would definitely have pits swirling as well. I really like how the pace drops away for more of a stomping sound during the choruses, then picks back up again with very smooth transitions. Chuck in a bit of a change-up near the end where the lead guitars take over and drive the song, and you have another top-quality track.

Five Unicorns and A Pearl gives us a little respite with a bit of an intermission. At just 90 seconds long, it’s a pure symphonic piece that breaks the album up nicely, harks back to earlier Caelestia work and keeps an atmospheric tint to the album as we head into the title track, Revelations in Black, next.

Pace and power come through in the verses here before we drop down into a bit of a grooving rhythm in the chorus. During the faster sections, it’s a brutal song with the drums and bass really driving things along. Outside of that, the added melody and slower thump add atmosphere too, with transitions between the paces feeling silky. The vocals are very dark and heavy, still keeping to that single tone and style prevalent across much of the album. We also get another strong solo to cap off a decent, but not mind-blowing track.

Nearing the end now, Reflection of the Beast instantly catches my attention with its very cool and clever intro riff and drum beat. It’s catchy and gets reused regularly throughout the song. The vocals have a bit more pace variation here too, which is great, and lead guitar lines weave over the riffs at times for one of the more creative and expansive tracks from Caelestia so far. It’s still heavy, still very death metal – it just offers a bit more with the clever guitars, beats and layered melodies. A nice change-up then brings some chaotic soloing, leading into a nice and energetic instrumental section started off with a big scream. This is a definite highlight on a very strong album.

Revelations In Black comes to a close with Dead Eternal, which offers no sudden surprises stylistically but goes for the kill right from the off with a demonstration of brutal riffs, drums and vocals smashed out at pace. The verses drop the pace down a bit for a rhythm that will have those necks working and faces gurning. The chorus picks the pace back up a touch and, while lyrically it is just the song title repeated over and over, it’s simple and effective. We also get another fiery solo during a heavier section, followed quickly by a second solo that is much slower and more melody-focused, leading us into a closing fade-out.

Revelations In Black is a very good album with a couple of standout tracks that show just how capable Caelestia are when everything clicks. It leans heavily into a more traditional death metal sound for much of its runtime, backed by superb drumming, strong riffs and plenty of excellent lead guitar work. The vocals can be quite basic and monotone at times, but they suit the style and never feel out of place. While this isn’t an album that’s going to change the direction of modern metal, it doesn’t need to. Instead, it knows exactly what it wants to be and delivers it with confidence.

Track List:

1 – La Morte Amoureuse
2 – Buried
3 – Jutland
4 – Wolves
5 – The Slopes of Tenmokuzan
6 – Fall of the Demon King
7 – Five Unicorns and A Pearl
8 – Revelations In Black
9 – Reflection of the Beast
10 – Dead Eternal

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