Reflection – The Battles I Have Won

Reflection
The Battles I Have Won
Label: Pitch Black Records
Out: June 20^th, 2025
Playing time: 43:06

True legends of the Greek heavy metal scene, Reflection have been active for more than three decades…

The band was founded in 1992 and after a few demos and one single, the debut album ‘The Fire Still Burns…’ was released in 1999. With cover artwork that was more than cheesy for my taste. Three more albums followed with more or less of a time gap. But since ‘Bleed Babylon Bleed’ (2017), things have been quiet for the protagonists of Epic Heavy Metal. Now, eight years later, the Greeks are back with their new album ‘The Battles I Have Won’. Only the two brothers Stathis (guitar) and George Pavlantis (drums) remain from the early days. But bassist John Litinakis has also been in the band since 2006.

Isn’t it nice when an Epic Metal album can do without an intro? I at least like the fact that ‘Only The Swords Survive’ kicks off immediately. Fast guitars and hard riffs. Plus driving drumming. The epicness often comes into the sound through choruses. The title track ‘The Battles I Have Won’ is a great battle anthem. Something about the vocals – Kostas Tokas shines with his powerful Rock voice. He doesn’t shy away from the higher screams either. Here, too, choruses are constantly added to the vocals and the hard riffs. Even on the guitar solo. The choruses are also omnipresent on ‘Lord Of The Wind’. But are they actually real choruses? I rather suspect an orchestration here. Whatever the case, the fast riffs that form the Heavy Metal basis are decisive. ‘Sirens‘ Song’ is the next anthem. What I found quite funny at the beginning becomes boring and a bit annoying in the meantime – the chorus orchestration. The song is a little quieter, which provides some musical variety. On the other hand, the Greeks pick up speed again on ‘Once Again (Crime In The Valley Of Death)’. Here you can hear a catchy sing-along refrain. ‘Celestial War’ is the next battle anthem. But you could have guessed that from the title. The next anthem, ‘March Of The Argonauts’, starts briefly with a brass orchestration, the sound of the sea and the cries of seagulls. ‘Lady In The Water’ begins a little more calmly. Tapestries of strings can be heard in the background. But even later, the riffs and guitar melodies do not leave the mid-tempo range. At the beginning of ‘City Walls Of Malta – The Great Siege’, you can briefly hear a deep bass line before guitar hooks and, of course, the chorus orchestration kick in. For long stretches, we hear a ballad. Occasionally, however, the heaviness and speed increase a little. The last song is therefore the album’s resting point, which is crowned by a huge guitar solo.

From a purely musical and compositional point of view, ‘The Battles I Have Won’ is a successful album. However, the orchestration of the choruses is a little overdone. In contrast to the sometimes-audible tapestries of strings, the ‘choruses’ seem a little uninspired. This is not to diminish the band’s performance. The vocals are excellent, and the sound is predominantly Metal. Reflection can definitely build on this.

Reflection – Sirens’ Song [Official Lyric Video]: https://youtu.be/3er3jjd6NpY?si=ATbKmRf69vK8nZhU

Lineup:

Kostas Tokas – Vocals
Stathis Pavlantis – Guitars
John Litinakis – Bass
Giorgos Pavlantis – Drums
*additional orchestration by Kostas Rekleitis

Track list:

• Only The Swords Survive
• The Battles I Have Won
• Lord Of The Wind
• Sirens’ Song
• Once Again (Crime In The Valley Of Death)
• Celestial War
• March Of The Argonauts
• Lady In The Water
• City Walls Of Malta – The Great Siege