Year : 2025
Style : Power Metal , Heavy Metal
Country : Greece
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 94 mb
Bio:
Sands Of Eternity were formed in Athens, in 1996, as Hourglass SOE and released two demos and an album entitled "Journey To Infinity" in 2022, before disbanding.Their debut "Beyond The Realms Of Time" consists of ten new songs written by Ioannis Ioakeimides and produced by Bob Katsionis, always in the spirit of Heavy/Power Metal keeping the lyrical character of the band's roots but also evolving in terms of sound and aesthetics.Partnering up with the producer Bob Katsionis and the singer Michael “Dice” Papadakis, Ioakimides formed the Sands of Eternity and released a great power/heavy metal album "Beyond The Realms Of Time" (2022) full of vibrant and exciting power metal tracks.
Album:
Twenty years after the release of “Journey To Infinity” by HOURGLASS SANDS OF ETERNITY (Secret Port, 2002), we witnessed the unexpected reactivation of the band’s guitarist and mastermind, Ioannis Ioakeimides, who had originally begun as a founding member of HOURGLASS but eventually returned under the SANDS OF ETERNITY banner.Beyond this playful word game between the names of the projects, we should focus on the music itself – whoever hasn’t heard the SANDS OF ETERNITY debut, “Beyond the Realms of Time” (Symmetric Records, 2022), and loves power metal, especially of the European school in the vein of HELLOWEEN, KAMELOT, and STRATOVARIUS, absolutely needs to listen to that album. Ioannis Ioakeimides, surrounded by an excellent team of musicians (Thanassis Skoutelis on bass, Michael Skoutelis on drums, Kostas Nanos on guitars, Vangelis Kalentzis on keyboards, and Michael “Dice” Papadakis on vocals), gifted us three years ago with a splendid record: melodic and powerful at once, with the valuable contribution of Bob Katsionis on production.This year, SANDS OF ETERNITY return with their second full-length album, “The Six Thousand.” And I will say from the very beginning that this is an even stronger work than their debut.Hearing the opener “The Zealot”, the album’s first single, you immediately realize the band continues to deliver high-caliber heavy/power, with rich orchestration, clear and melodic sound and an unmistakably darker compositional side emerging. The echo of later-era WARLORD is nothing but a positive omen!Next comes “6000”, a majestic, dramatic track that brought to mind, among others, late-period MANOWAR as well as SAVATAGE. Beautiful structural progression and a sense of epic lyricism, delivered in the best possible way through a superb performance by Michael “Dice” Papadakis.On “I Will Always Speak”, the tempo and intensity rise, yet melody is never absent; in fact, it fuels the faster parts and reaches a striking peak in the chorus. Wonderful guitar expression and a strong sense of openness and freedom. Considering the track runs nearly seven minutes, it’s remarkable how effortlessly it flows – proof of its solid composition and architecture. A kind of GAMMA RAY’s spirit of unyielding freedom, steeped in Greek epicness!As expected, “Far Beyond Our Sight” slows things down somewhat, mainly in terms of pace — but only pace, not inner force. Its emotional weight remains immense, rooted in the clever ideas of Ioannis Ioakeimides and the exceptional delivery of Michael “Dice” Papadakis.Closing the first half of the album, we arrive at “Eternal Flame”, a mid-tempo, direct and straightforward piece carrying an old-school epicness with an immortal, imposing aura.A wolf’s howl cuts through the air and “Lonewolf” steps into the tracklist. Similar in character to “Eternal Flame”, these two songs act as a precious hinge binding the album tightly together. Particularly noteworthy is the use of keyboards, but the defining qualitative trait here is the confidence the band exudes. SANDS OF ETERNITY are here not only to show they are alive and continuing but to make it clear they intend to stir the waters with an intricate, genuinely well-crafted album that stands out through its authenticity and musical depth.“Mirror” is a prime showcase of the band’s quality: a song that has everything — emotion, drive, melody, passion, dynamic shifts, and, truly, a rare musical beauty.The album closes with “Prometheus”, where I was genuinely moved to hear the legacy of SARISSA come alive, as the track carries that unmistakable Hellenic character in its composition, one that manages to sound far more epic than folk. A great piece, ideal for lowering the curtain. It is also thematically fitting as a conclusion to “The Six Thousand,” since the entire album deals (with matching musical depth) with lyrical themes revolving around the eternal and the momentary, and the human concepts that transcend time, often treating it as an entity of its own.“This album is about the unseen cost of progress and the resilience of those who stand, speak, and endure”, says guitarist and composer Ioannis Ioakeimides. “It’s heavy not only in sound, but in spirit.”Darker, more dramatic, more majestic, and more authentically expressive, “The Six Thousand” achieves, within forty minutes, the rare feat of moving us and reminding us how fortunate we are that such bands still exist — bands that wish to present their own genuine artistic vision, caring nothing for formalism or commercial gimmicks, committed only to sincerity.The album was arranged, produced and mixed by Bob Katsionis at Sound Symmetry Studio and mastered by Nasos Nomikos at VU productions. The artwork was made by PVG.“The Six Thousand” will be released on December 5th on CD by Symmetric Records.
Line-Up:
Michael Papadakis - Vocals
Thanassis Skoutelis - Bass
Giannis Ioakimidis - Guitars - See also: ex-Hourglass Sands of Eternity
Kostas Nanos - Guitars
Vangelis Kalentzis - Keyboards
Michael Skoutelis - Drums
Tracklist:
01. The Zealot 04:05
02. 6000 06:19
03. I Will Always Speak (HB) 06:54
04. Far Beyond Our Sight 05:44
05. Eternal Flame 04:06
06. Lonewolf 04:31
07. Mirror 04:51
08. Prometheus 04:01
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
