"This time we entered the studio with the clear intention of creating a landmark album for the band." It's a noble and challenging mission statement from Hellenic black metal troop Yoth Iria, and one that has amply succeeded in the form of 'Gone With The Devil', the Attica quartet's stellar third album. Their trajectory has been on a steep ascent since crafty 2021 debut A's The Flame Withers' and 2024's hypnotic 'Blazing Inferno', but there has audibly been a concerted determination to develop and expand in sinister new directions. "The creative workflow was similar to 'Blazing Inferno', yet we deliberately pushed ourselves to bring new elements into our music. We kept the immediacy of 'Blazing Inferno', the psychedelia of 'As The Flame Withers', and all the characteristics people expect from Hellenic black metal - while adding fresh sounds and atmospheres never before heard from Yoth Iria. We allowed the structures to guide the emotion. Nothing was forced; nothing was done to prove a point. We simply followed instinct without any artificial constraints."
