Yyrkoon-Occult Medicine
Osmose/The EndOPCD 2165-January 18, 2005
By Josh Phillips
For those of you who aren't already quite aware, Yyrkoon rules. The band hail from France and originally formed in 1995. Occult Medicine is their third album and consists of eleven solid tracks of Death/Thrash madness. Yyrkoon is quite adept at melding together the two styles and throughout the album shifts their brutal, grooving death metal attack into a blast-filled, thrashing assault on the ears. The vocals remain a constant vicious bellow and are always an appropriate fit for the music. Add in some glowing, melodic leads and you have a formula that this metalhead simply cannot deny.
After a short intro, "Doctor X" kicks off the album with a thrash attack that seamlessly maneuvers into a groove-based aural bashing. The band weaves in and out of the two styles throughout and gives any self-respecting extreme metalhead reason to headbang themselves silly, voluntarily or not. A blazing opener that leads into "Censored Project" which alternately begins on a Death Metal note. The vocals shine through on this track, low, vile growls that add an extra demonic touch. There is an excellent lead at about the 3:00 mark and it gives off a great vibe reminding me of Behemoth and their track "Conquer All", though it is nowhere near the magic moment the lead in that song provides. "Blasphemy" is next and after a mighty growl gets us going, the band breaks into a massive groove followed by a short lead. They also come back to that idea throughout to create a song that really destroys. The title track is the album's longest clocking in at almost 7 minutes and for the most part is a little slower paced throughout, trying for the more epic approach. Solid, though not the best cut on the album. "Revenant Horde" on the other hand rips your face off from the start and follows the now patented Yyrkoon mold. "Reversed World" is another highlight, but that is to be expected by now. Really, from here on out, I think you get the picture. This band is excellent and within their newest album have created a whirlwind of metal insanity that destroys all in its path. Yyrkoon can simply grind away and this is something I recommend anyone look into.
As my counterpart Jason said in his review, this is a band that would fit right in with Polish metal masters such as Behemoth and Decapitated on tour, and that would surely be a show for the ages. Throw in Insision, Sepsism and Zyklon with that lineup and you may have one of the best Death Metal shows one could hope to see. Yyrkoon are an incredibly promising band that not only have talent and potential, but are already living up to it and Occult Medicine is a very solid contender in a year that promises to be one of the best ever.
9/10
Official Yyrkoon Website
Official Osmose Productions Website
circus_brimstone's review of Occult Medicine
Osmose/The EndOPCD 2165-January 18, 2005
By Josh Phillips
For those of you who aren't already quite aware, Yyrkoon rules. The band hail from France and originally formed in 1995. Occult Medicine is their third album and consists of eleven solid tracks of Death/Thrash madness. Yyrkoon is quite adept at melding together the two styles and throughout the album shifts their brutal, grooving death metal attack into a blast-filled, thrashing assault on the ears. The vocals remain a constant vicious bellow and are always an appropriate fit for the music. Add in some glowing, melodic leads and you have a formula that this metalhead simply cannot deny.
After a short intro, "Doctor X" kicks off the album with a thrash attack that seamlessly maneuvers into a groove-based aural bashing. The band weaves in and out of the two styles throughout and gives any self-respecting extreme metalhead reason to headbang themselves silly, voluntarily or not. A blazing opener that leads into "Censored Project" which alternately begins on a Death Metal note. The vocals shine through on this track, low, vile growls that add an extra demonic touch. There is an excellent lead at about the 3:00 mark and it gives off a great vibe reminding me of Behemoth and their track "Conquer All", though it is nowhere near the magic moment the lead in that song provides. "Blasphemy" is next and after a mighty growl gets us going, the band breaks into a massive groove followed by a short lead. They also come back to that idea throughout to create a song that really destroys. The title track is the album's longest clocking in at almost 7 minutes and for the most part is a little slower paced throughout, trying for the more epic approach. Solid, though not the best cut on the album. "Revenant Horde" on the other hand rips your face off from the start and follows the now patented Yyrkoon mold. "Reversed World" is another highlight, but that is to be expected by now. Really, from here on out, I think you get the picture. This band is excellent and within their newest album have created a whirlwind of metal insanity that destroys all in its path. Yyrkoon can simply grind away and this is something I recommend anyone look into.
As my counterpart Jason said in his review, this is a band that would fit right in with Polish metal masters such as Behemoth and Decapitated on tour, and that would surely be a show for the ages. Throw in Insision, Sepsism and Zyklon with that lineup and you may have one of the best Death Metal shows one could hope to see. Yyrkoon are an incredibly promising band that not only have talent and potential, but are already living up to it and Occult Medicine is a very solid contender in a year that promises to be one of the best ever.
9/10
Official Yyrkoon Website
Official Osmose Productions Website
circus_brimstone's review of Occult Medicine
