Unverkalt Release Official Video for "Ænæ Lithi"

Translating roughly to "Eternal Oblivion" in English, "Ænæ Lithi" mourns the years between 1914 and 1923, when Greek communities across Pontus, Ionia and Eastern Thrace were subjected to persecution, forced deportations, death marches and mass killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. Creeping dissonance and a slow pounding of toms intertwine with clarinet and qanun, hand drums, strings and lyrics sung in Greek. "We are the source", vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou intones, her voice rising with the band into a swell that carries the full weight of what was lost.

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The accompanying music video, which incorporates historical photographs from the catastrophe, was directed and edited by guitarist Themis Ioannou. "It is a great honor for me to create and share this video", Ioannou says. "The story behind our song 'Ænæ Lithi' is deeply personal to me, as it is part of my own family's history. I dedicate it to my beloved grandmother and my father, who are no longer with us. This video is for them, and for the millions of people who lost their lives or were forced to abandon their ancestral homes during and after the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922."

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“Ænæ Lithi" appears on Héréditaire, out now via Season of Mist. The album was recorded and engineered by UNVERKALT, with drums tracked by Christian Eggers at Noir Surge Studios in Berlin. Musically, Héréditaire traces the transmission of memory, trauma and suffering across generations—a concept the band describes as asking one central question: "What do we carry that was never ours?"

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UNVERKALT formed in 2017 when guitarist and chief composer Themis Ioannou founded the band alongside vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou. Their debut L'Origine du Monde drew praise from Metal Hammer Greece as one of the top records of 2020, while their sophomore effort A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers extended their reach to international press, with The Sleeping Shaman noting the band's singular identity and Echoes and Dust describing it as "a beautiful slice of filmic post-rock." Héréditaire marks their first release on Season of Mist, and their most ambitious work to date, introducing extreme vocals and blackened textures alongside the atmospheric sweep of their earlier albums.

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Héréditaire was produced by Themis Ioannou, with vocal production by Dimitra Kalavrezou and Eli Mavrychev. Drums were recorded and engineered by Christian Eggers at Noir Surge Sound, Berlin, Germany. The album was mixed by Joshua Barber and mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studios, Lübeck, Germany. Cover artwork is by Themis Ioannou, with photography by Phrenetica Photography & Design.

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The video for "Ænæ Lithi" was directed and edited by Themis Ioannou at RAWBITE Studio.

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Additional Video Credits:

Produced by Unverkalt

Cinematography — Themis Ioannou

2nd Assistant Camera — Eli Mavrychev

Lighting — Die Klinke

Location — Noir Surge Studios

Costume Design / Styling — Pieces by Sister Jane

Jewellery Design — Pieces by Eumorphia

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