German-by-way-of-Greece post-metal band UNVERKALT have released a powerful new music video for “Ænæ Lithi,” a standout track from their latest album Héréditaire, released via Season of Mist.
Translating roughly to “Eternal Oblivion,” “Ænæ Lithi” serves as a tribute to the victims of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, transforming historical tragedy into a deeply emotional reflection on loss, memory, and inherited trauma. The song focuses on the persecution, forced deportations, death marches, and mass killings suffered by Greek communities in Pontus, Ionia, and Eastern Thrace between 1914 and 1923 during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
Musically, UNVERKALT weave haunting post-metal atmospheres with traditional Greek instrumentation, including clarinet, qanun, hand drums, and strings. Slow-burning riffs and crushing percussion build beneath lyrics performed in Greek by vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou, creating a mournful tribute to those whose lives and homes were lost.
The accompanying video was directed and edited by guitarist Themis Ioannou and incorporates historical photographs from the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Ioannou described the visual piece as a deeply personal work connected to his own family history.
“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.”
“Ænæ Lithi” appears on Héréditaire, an album centered around the transmission of memory, trauma, and suffering across generations. The band summarizes the record through one central question: “What do we carry that was never ours?”
Formed in 2017 by guitarist and composer Themis Ioannou alongside vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou, UNVERKALT have developed a unique sound combining cinematic post-rock, post-metal, extreme metal, and elements of Greek musical heritage. Their debut album L’Origine du Monde received recognition from the Greek metal press, while their second release A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers expanded their international following.
With Héréditaire, the band introduces darker textures, including extreme vocals and blackened influences, while maintaining the atmospheric storytelling that has defined their work.
Héréditaire Track Listing
- Die Auslöschung
- Oath Ov Prometheus
- Ænæ Lithi
- A Lullaby for the Descent
- Penumbrian Lament
- Introjects
- I, The Deceit (feat. Sakis Tolis)
- Death is Forever
- Maladie de l’Esprit