The Medea Project - Ekphora Europa Tour

EKPHORA EUROPA - THE VIGIL

Before the procession may cross, the dead must be watched over.

On this night, three houses of mourners gather to keep vigil at the threshold - the last observance held on native soil before the cortège departs for foreign shores.

SCEPTOCRYPT open the rite, their sound refusing easy naming - an offering that will not sit still even in mourning.

Returning after a 3 decade hiatus earlier this year, Maltese-borne Sceptocrypt, have been leaking new material off an upcoming full-length through 2026.

Consistently inconsistent, their extreme music sound researches ways how to secretly & seamlessly infuse latin jazz, avant-garde classic, horror soundscapes, flamenco, reggae and more into one conundrum of experimental extreme metal that one can headbang to even if no fucks are given of the non-metal influences.

FFO: Sceptocrypt, Sceptocrypt and Sceptocrypt

THE RIVER follow, their slow currents carrying a grief that does not shout but simply continues, patient as water finding its level.

Formed in 1999, The River have sought to carve out their own tiny corner of the world, initially juxtaposing incredible weight and density of sound with delicate, gossamer vocal melodies. As the years have passed their music has grown from their deep & rumbling foundations, blossoming into a multi textured sound that paints with broader strokes & a wider array of colours without sacrificing the integrity of their earlier doom metal roots.

FFO: Anathema, Antimatter, The Gathering

THE MEDEA PROJECT close the watch, their dark primal doom a hand extended toward the ferryman, threnodies written for those still owed passage.

The name, The Medea Project, was first heard on the east coast of South Africa when a group of talented young musicians made a briefly brilliant impact on a staid and unready music scene, dazzling and intriguing before quietly imploding. However the essential seed of the band's sound was carefully carried by guitarist/front man Brett Minnie, to be planted once more, once fertile soil was found.

Several years and many more miles later, Brett Minnie found himself in southern England, where creative people and opportunities abounded. The time for The Medea Project to grow once more had come. Having recruited Pauline Silver on drums and Bradley Reimann on bass the reborn band began to play shows around London and the south east during 2017 - and they set about recording their first EP. The self titled, three track affair captured the unique magic of The Medea Project's sound; the diverse, brooding intertwining of gothic and metal that had captured hearts on two continents. Soulful, melancholic, raw and heavy, these songs conjured shadows and taught the dead to dance.

FFO: Darkthrone, My Dying Bride, Fields of the Nephilim

No fanfare precedes a crossing. Only witness.

Come stand with us before the tide turns toward Europe.