One Listen Review
1st Listen 22 Mar 25
Reviewed 25 Mar 25
Euphrosyne – Morus
Black Lion Records
Released 21 Mar 25
Reading the bio of the album before the 1st listen is something I do, it helps me decide what album to select for the week. Sometimes you listen and utterly disagree with the PR, other times you see where they are coming from, and occasionally you just know you are in for an intense listen. This is what happened with Morus, the debut album by Greek post-metal outfit Euphrosyne.
It is described as ‘an experiential concept album deeply inspired by the true story of Alex Despotidis’s loss of his mother to cancer in 2017’. As such, this is a very personal journey from the band’s founding member and guitarist, Despotidis. The danger with albums such as these is that the album doesn’t let the listener in to empathise with the experience. Morus avoids this danger. As the listener, you feel the pain and the sense of loss throughout.
The album opener is short, spoken word and piano led before leading into track 2, ‘July 12th’. This is an immersive track, opening again with the piano and with a deeply mournful
depth. The intense musicality of the band is intrusive and captivating. It is a powerful track featuring superb vocals from the 2nd founding member, Efi Eva.
At just under 43minutes in length, with 8 tracks, Morus probably just stays under the line before it may start to become unwelcome. As I said, this is a tough listen. Yet it is rewarding.
Morus charts the journey of losing a loved one, presumably on July 12, 2017, through acceptance and finally unto the Greek underworld where souls are at rest, Asphodel Meadows. You feel the journey. Whilst the tracks don’t ever become upbeat, they feel less emotionally imposing.
Closing track, ‘Lilac Ward’ stands a little apart from most of the others in that it is immediate. Many of the others start slowly and have a mini-explosion of sorts as riffs and growly vocals kick in. ‘Lilac Ward’ is immediate. The track does have its slower sections, but it the switch allows the listener to feel there is an ending of sorts, an acceptance that although the battle is over, the soul has been rewarded.
Euphrosyne have released a very good album. Morus is intense, mournful but also captivating and so it is worth your attention.
The DevilsHorns 
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