Zyklon - World ov Worms
Candlelight - 2001
By Patrick
Zyklon features Zamoth and Trym from black metal geniuses Emperor on guitar and drums, as well as Daemon from Limbonic Art on vox and Destructhor from Myrkskog on lead guitars. Now that is out of the way, what is Zyklon?
Zyklon is violent, heavy, fast, angry, misanthropic, technical extreme metal. There are elements of death and black metal, as well as some thrashier moments. The vocals go from high screams, to low growls, to air-raids. They are covering all their bases on this one, and I think it works really well.
I like this record. Its fast and enjoyable, and there is enough distinction between songs to keep my attention. I think a lot of the distinction comes from the intro and outro samples and many of the songs have really good hooks buried in the chaos, but you have to be patient to find them.
On my first listen I thought this sounds like the last Emperor album mixed with the new Myrkskog. Wonder why? There is a similar sound to both those releases and some of the songs are structured the same way, but there are no symphonic flourishes or anything like that. The production and guitar sounds are very similar to Myrkskog, and the trigger sounds on the drums were probably lifted right off of IX Equilibrium. The vocals are one thing that give this band their own sound. The electronic elements found on some of the tracks also give them their own sound. The electronic outro to 'Chaos Deathcult' (featuring Trickster G., on of my favorite vocalists, doing spoken word) is one of my favorite moments on the record.
The musicianship on this record is amazing. The drums, of course, are awesome. Trym is one of my favorite drummers in extreme metal these days and he is solid and savage on this record. He is constantly pushing himself, and I swear his blasts are getting faster. The riffs are solid and catchy, though laced with Emperorisms, like sliding chords behind the beat, etc. The vocals are solid, and the solos are pretty chaotic and atonal. The lyrics were written by none other than Bard Faust Eithiun and they are really well done, complete with little commentaries in the liner notes. Speaking of liner notes, the packaging on this is excellent as well, with cool photos lacing all the pages. Favorite tracks : Hammer Revelation, Zycloned, Chaos Deathcult, and Transcendental War.
This band has its own identity, despite the history of its members, and I recommend this to anyone into the current wave of extreme death/black metal. It took me a few listens to find that identity, but that is a good thing. I like music that challenges me. I always want to go back to this record. If you like recent Behemoth, the last Emperor cd, or Myrkskog, , you will enjoy this record. This is extreme and fast; I think this is where black and death metal are heading. There is starting to be less of a distinction between the two genres and I love it. Extreme metal fans everywhere should get this. If you like Emperor, or Morbid Angel, youll find something to latch onto with Zyklon. Welcome to the World ov Worms .
Candlelight - 2001
By Patrick
Zyklon features Zamoth and Trym from black metal geniuses Emperor on guitar and drums, as well as Daemon from Limbonic Art on vox and Destructhor from Myrkskog on lead guitars. Now that is out of the way, what is Zyklon?
Zyklon is violent, heavy, fast, angry, misanthropic, technical extreme metal. There are elements of death and black metal, as well as some thrashier moments. The vocals go from high screams, to low growls, to air-raids. They are covering all their bases on this one, and I think it works really well.
I like this record. Its fast and enjoyable, and there is enough distinction between songs to keep my attention. I think a lot of the distinction comes from the intro and outro samples and many of the songs have really good hooks buried in the chaos, but you have to be patient to find them.
On my first listen I thought this sounds like the last Emperor album mixed with the new Myrkskog. Wonder why? There is a similar sound to both those releases and some of the songs are structured the same way, but there are no symphonic flourishes or anything like that. The production and guitar sounds are very similar to Myrkskog, and the trigger sounds on the drums were probably lifted right off of IX Equilibrium. The vocals are one thing that give this band their own sound. The electronic elements found on some of the tracks also give them their own sound. The electronic outro to 'Chaos Deathcult' (featuring Trickster G., on of my favorite vocalists, doing spoken word) is one of my favorite moments on the record.
The musicianship on this record is amazing. The drums, of course, are awesome. Trym is one of my favorite drummers in extreme metal these days and he is solid and savage on this record. He is constantly pushing himself, and I swear his blasts are getting faster. The riffs are solid and catchy, though laced with Emperorisms, like sliding chords behind the beat, etc. The vocals are solid, and the solos are pretty chaotic and atonal. The lyrics were written by none other than Bard Faust Eithiun and they are really well done, complete with little commentaries in the liner notes. Speaking of liner notes, the packaging on this is excellent as well, with cool photos lacing all the pages. Favorite tracks : Hammer Revelation, Zycloned, Chaos Deathcult, and Transcendental War.
This band has its own identity, despite the history of its members, and I recommend this to anyone into the current wave of extreme death/black metal. It took me a few listens to find that identity, but that is a good thing. I like music that challenges me. I always want to go back to this record. If you like recent Behemoth, the last Emperor cd, or Myrkskog, , you will enjoy this record. This is extreme and fast; I think this is where black and death metal are heading. There is starting to be less of a distinction between the two genres and I love it. Extreme metal fans everywhere should get this. If you like Emperor, or Morbid Angel, youll find something to latch onto with Zyklon. Welcome to the World ov Worms .
