Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Album Number 7 from the Scottish lads, been a few years now since the last album so let’s see what slab of metal, we get from them this time!
Violent Nature
Howls of feedback come at you at the start of this, then a sort of bouncy riff kicks in before you get hit properly with the blast beats from Ali, off kilter groove on the verse of this one, before it kicks into full on thrash groove in fact that riff wouldn’t sound out of place on a Haunted album, not sure about those clean vocals on the chorus sort of part before we hit a half time groove section, that’s a massive slab of a riff right at the end, totally groovy as well, love that shift into that part!
In Place of Your Halo
Now that’s a good bit more Death Core with that droning guitar figure in the background while the rest of the band slam about, then a really djenty riff comes in for the verse part, almost middle eastern inspired, when it slows down into that chorus part it really drops, that little break into the middle section which is anchored by that drum groove, okay I, was not expecting Bagpipes but that is very cool, then as it fades out the marching snare comes in as well to round the song off.
Zenith
A lot more sort of thrash to this one from the opening melody phrase to the straight flying double bass in the verse and into a half time part, it’s a real get in the pit number this one, then it grinds down into the chorus part where there is a return of that guitar melody and a good dose of the clean vocals in there as well to lift the part up before it slams back into the verse part, love that blast beat with the bass drum patterns around it, great chorus on this one!
God Complex
Pick slide right into another sort of straight down driving sort of a riff that is just pure heavy metal bar tuned down a bit, again when you hit the chorus it’s singable and memorable, then the gang hey vocals come in for everyone to help out with live! That middle section drags and speeds up depending on the riff part and it’s a nice break from the rest of the song, also nice to hear a solo which does the same thing, and it gives you that bit of melody in the track to split it up!
A Hope in Hell
Ok, dirty bass line and a clean guitar to start this one with the clean vocals and a really laid-back drum groove, takes 4 bars for the dirty vocals to come in, then there is a huge chorus in there, that’s massive, also the riff and drum part after the chorus is awesome, just full of groove before it slips back into the verse again, when you hit the middle and that flying double bass comes in then straight into a syncopated section, almost like a chop and paste riff, think for me so far, this is the best track on the album!
Dying Sun
Subdued intro to this with a bass and drum groove like you are in the room beside them, then a guitar melody comes in over the top of it as well, you’re about a min and thirty into the song before this huge riff comes in a beats you about, really slow and lumbering in feel, then it gets weird and goes to a drum and bass groove with a distorted vocal, the chorus is decent with a good mix of the clean and dirty vocals, yeah that verse is really weird yet again, different than the first time around, then after the second chorus it goes all atmospheric again, it’s slow its dirge and it’s a weird song!
Immortal Desire
That vocal intro could be COF, then the angular riff comes in over the top of it, it’s really cool sounding, then the clean guitar comes in on the verse and a dirty vocal before a really soft, clean vocal comes in after it, then the heavy riff slams into the verse again, another big chorus that makes use of the clean vocals to lead it, and nice addition of the guitar melody in the back of the track as well, that break in the middle with the orchestral vocals is very cool, then back into the heavy again, nice break into the guitar melody and back to the chorus, good track!
Chained to Hate
This is more like it, pure aggression from the start with flying double kicks and a really thrasy riff, Lamb of God vibes from that second riff thought before the solo kicks in, then boom, that is a huge chorus, one for the crowd to be singing back at the band, that’s for sure, drops into the middle and it all goes clean guitar and atmospheric, would have been a good place for a solo instead of a breakdown which sort of rides out the rest of the song!
Known by No Name
Synth intro, almost an inhuman dance music part with very rumbly low guitars just clipping away in the background, I love the orchestration part there before the main riff comes in which is very sort of groove, nice variation in the drums, the chorus before the clean vocal seems a bit weak, but the clean vocals in the chorus are fantastic, very Devin vibes from that part there, it’s a weird song because it’s sort of over pretty fast for something that has scope to be really epic.
Hands of Sin
Melody guitars slide into earshot, then a really slamming riff comes in, that’s really nice with the trem picked part being added to with the kicks, before a really off kilter fill takes you into a thrasy verse riff, before the blasts come in and you hit the chorus, nice use of the clean and dirty vocals in the chorus part, then that riff slams in again, some nice bass fills after the second chorus before the kicks come in again for that middle section before we hit a half time section with another neck breaker of a riff in there, then into the chorus again and out.
Edge of Infinity
Acoustic guitars at us from the start of this one, then a guitar melody slides into earshot as the instrumentation starts to ramp up a bit, ok, clean vocals and acoustic guitar in the verse of this one with a really subdued overall feel, then it builds in intensity but it doesn’t go heavy first, it waits and then bang, you get a really heavy riff with the Gojira rakes in it (well i say Gojira, Morbid Angel on Formulas did it way before), lovely solo comes in, really soaring lead, some great playing there before it fades down into a piano part, before the chorus kicks back in again, great track!
6.5 out of 10
It’s not a bad album, there are some great tracks, but i would say at times it doesn’t know what it wants to be, there are some tracks that just for me don’t really connect, some do but it’s just disjointed for me!
Pre-order and pre-save Zenith now at: https://bleedfromwithin.bfan.link/zenith.ema
