| CD REVIEW Zonaria |
 |
|
Band: Zonaria The Swedish band Zonaria started in 2002 and at that time, the members were very young (fifteen years of age). Yet in spite of their young age, their music profiled a very matured impression. A well received demo tape, n even better received EP, and several live performances, among which a small tour with Impaled Nazarene, made this band been elected as Best Swedish Unsigned Artist in 2006. Soon after, the band recorded and released its debut album, Infamy And The Breed (Pivotal Rockordings, 2007), which I did welcome with open arms. I really was impressed by the maturity and professionalism of this band. In mean time, the band entered the stage with other famous names, such as Vader and Marduk, and their growth isn’t but positive. Recently, the quartet entered the studio with producer Fredrik Nordström and major label Century Media will release this newest epos. The Cancer Empire lasts for forty five minutes and opens with Slaughter In Passion, which starts with a short yet very oppressing, darkening and chilly instrumental intro, and soon you might undergo the logical reaction on Infamy … Yes, soon it is clear, even evident, that The Cancer Empire continues where Infamy … seemed to end. Still the somehow original (!) Death Metal songs (imagine the combination of ‘original’ and ‘Swedish Death Metal’ in one single sentence !!!) combine groovy yet intense rhythms with atmospheric keyboards, lots of tempo changes, ominous riffs and excellent growls. Almost blasting pieces interfere with doomy parts, while ‘extremity’ and ‘melody’ are united in an unholy marriage. Also modernism and old school appear in a perfect symbiosis, and even though it might be clear that this band hails from Sweden (Umea, to be more specific), their seem to have perfectionized the ‘own face’, the original approach they did create since the early years. Every single detail (instrumental, vocal or compositional) is correct; even the full (moon) sound fits (and imagine: the somewhat ‘commercial’ Fredrik N. was responsible for the production, as mentioned before!). I would scream out f*ck and d*mn, or f*cking d*mned, to express my appreciation, yet not one single fuckdamnshitstuff is enough to describe this excellence. The Cancer Empire just is sensational, incredibly convincing, overwhelming, grotesque (without the superficial sub-definition it might have), and now I’m sure the former album wasn’t just a lucky shot. This album proves the superiority of Zonaria within the current Death Metal scene. Conclusion: !!!!! 92/100 Ivan Tibos. |