CHAOSTAR are now streaming their complete forthcoming album, ‘The Undivided Light’. The Greek avant-garde explorers will release their fascinating fifth full-length on March 23rd, 2018.
‘The Undivided Light’ is now premiering HERE
CHAOSTAR vocalist Androniki Skoula comments: “The human being as an individual and as a master of his own destiny appears again as the central core around which our forthcoming album, ‘The Undivided Light’ revolves. We have always been attracted to the investigation of the womb in which our secretive and most tiring battles take place. There is no blood there, no human casualties, no weapons, but only arsenals of strength and belief, waiting for us to prove that we deserve the feasts that life has provided us unconditionally. Silent soldiers confronting their lethal decisions, an ancient conspiracy in the subconscious, memories, and intentions merging into a crystal magic ball, a two-sided coin. Life and death, this price has to be paid. The light that leads cannot be divided, its flame sprung from the opened doors of knowledge and wandered in silent yards, confronting the eternal circle of yin and yang. Its flame asks from each of us to be remembered. Its flames demand to be protected and kept alive, either to light the way or to burn down. ‘The Undivided Light’ is an album that does not just ‘comment’ on someone’s ability to defend certain values, but it is mostly a statement of the band’s contributors that outlines the secretive ‘liaison’ between memory and conscience. The extent of conscience in our actions defends the real value of any kind of memory that we inherit towards others and also towards ourselves. In the end, the level of self-redemption does not only relate to our actions, but mostly to the pretext into which we include them. Remembrance has become a struggle, it is not an easy medal to gain, an undivided flame that burns on the soil of our soul. May we be remembered.”
Track-list:
1. Tazama Jua (3:48)
2. Blutbad (4:25)
3. Stones and Dust (4:59)
4. The Undivided Light (5:11)
5. Mέμνησο (6:15)
6. Silent Yard (10:51)
7. Ying & Yang (7:09)
Total playing time: 42:38
Pre-order your record HERE
‘The Undivided Light’ comes as an invitation to a fascinating musical journey around the globe, which is equally true for space as well as time. CHAOSTAR is far more than just a side-project of SEPTICFLESH guitarist Christos Antoniou.
CHAOSTAR was conceived out of Christos’ longing to create music that reflects more on his aspect as an academy trained composer and go beyond the possibilities that his orchestral arrangements for SEPTICFLESH offer. After all, the guitarist finished his studies of classical composition in London with honours and distinction.
When SEPTICFLESH released their single, “The Eldest Cosmonaut” in 1998, the Greek band took a step towards classical music, which in turn inspired Christos to create CHAOSTAR to pursue this course even further.
Out of a timeless confrontation of different sounds and styles rose an avant-garde concept for emotional music to which vocalist Natalie Rassoulis added a feminine voice. After a first statement of intent via a demo entitled ‘The Underworld’ in 2000, CHAOSTAR released the albums ‘Chaostar’ (2000), ‘Threnody’ (2001), and ‘The Scarlet Queen’ (2004), as well as the ‘Underworld’ compilation in 2007.
After a self-imposed hiatus of both CHAOSTAR and SEPTICFLESH, Christos decided to revive his project as well when the latter reunited. The former returned with their fourth full-length, which was based on a Greek word roughly translating as “sin”. ‘Anomima’ featured the celestial vocals of new singer Androniki Skoula, who also contributed most of the lyrics.
‘Anomima’ brilliantly combined rich, classical orchestration with lush soundscapes and modern textures, and even some elements of extreme music. CHAOSTAR easily adopted a global musical language that induced the listener into a dreamlike trance with geographically unchained sounds.
With the ‘The Undivided Light’, CHAOSTAR take their experimentation another step further. Classic orchestration, traditional instruments, electronica, rock, and more are deconstructed by Christos only to be reassembled into something fresh and exciting. ‘The Undivided Light’ gives new meaning to the term world music.
Style: Avant-Garde Classical Ambient
Line-up:
Christos Antoniou: trigger, synth, orchestration
Androniki Skoula: vocals, lyrics
Charalampos Paritsis: electric violin
Nikolaos Velentzas: drums, percussion
Guest musicians:
Kiara Konstantinou: cello
Vahan Galstyan: duduk
Stella Valasi: santur
George Emmanuel and Greg Eleutheriou: guitars on “Ying and Yang”
Nikolaos Velentzas: guitars on “Blutbad”
Margarita Stadler: girl’s voice on “Blutbad”
Official Facebook page: HERE