- Aug 18, 2002
- 9,421
- 16
- 38
Izo Sons of Izo
Unsigned 2007
By Ryan Starr
The first thing I think of when I hear of Izo is the Takashi Miike flick. Im not sure if thats the reason they chose the name, but the music doesnt really have any connection. At least none that I picked up on. Izo is a unique blend of doom, black metal, and Swedish melodic metal. Not melodic death metal per say, but the Gothenburg style is certainly present, especially in the softer parts. But honestly, Sons of Izo kind of confuses me. Its not that its poorly written, but maybe just a hair out of focus. I feel like sometimes they let their imaginations run wild and that causes the music to lose direction. Its almost like theyre trying to imitate Opeths broad range, but falling just a little short.
But while the song writing is a bit off, the riffs themselves are excellent. Their style of melodic black metal intrigues me, kind of like the older Extol albums do. Its dark, but melodic and technical. And the clean parts are pretty good too, with one slight problem though: the singing.
The clean singing is flat and pitchy. It sounds like he is singing from his throat instead of his diaphragm. And unfortunately not only does this affect pitch and tone, but it gives the listener the impression that he just doesnt care about the music. I know that isnt true, but thats the way it sounds.
Although there is a lot of potential, perhaps just a little more seasoning is required for Izo to really break out. A little more time song writing can go a long ways, and perhaps thats all they need. None the less, Ill be keeping an eye on these guys.
Official Izo Website
Unsigned 2007
By Ryan Starr
The first thing I think of when I hear of Izo is the Takashi Miike flick. Im not sure if thats the reason they chose the name, but the music doesnt really have any connection. At least none that I picked up on. Izo is a unique blend of doom, black metal, and Swedish melodic metal. Not melodic death metal per say, but the Gothenburg style is certainly present, especially in the softer parts. But honestly, Sons of Izo kind of confuses me. Its not that its poorly written, but maybe just a hair out of focus. I feel like sometimes they let their imaginations run wild and that causes the music to lose direction. Its almost like theyre trying to imitate Opeths broad range, but falling just a little short.
But while the song writing is a bit off, the riffs themselves are excellent. Their style of melodic black metal intrigues me, kind of like the older Extol albums do. Its dark, but melodic and technical. And the clean parts are pretty good too, with one slight problem though: the singing.
The clean singing is flat and pitchy. It sounds like he is singing from his throat instead of his diaphragm. And unfortunately not only does this affect pitch and tone, but it gives the listener the impression that he just doesnt care about the music. I know that isnt true, but thats the way it sounds.
Although there is a lot of potential, perhaps just a little more seasoning is required for Izo to really break out. A little more time song writing can go a long ways, and perhaps thats all they need. None the less, Ill be keeping an eye on these guys.
Official Izo Website
