What do you get when you cross The Dillinger Escape Plan, Extol, with Sea + Air? You get the band Azusa, as they recently released their album entitled “Heavy Yoke” via Solid State Records.
When I think of “Heavy Yoke”, I think of struggle in biblical proportions. Where one is carrying a weight so heavy that it literally weighs them down to where they call upon God in order to ease the burden and/or to ease the pain. Azusa certainly covers these concepts throughout this album.
The vocals, led by Elena Zafariadou(Sea + Air) showcases brutal hardcore elements, while showcasing strong clean vocals in tracks such as “Heart of Stone” and “Lost In The Ether”, which immediately allows the listener to do a lot of unpacking with the band, and we are just talking about her vocal prowess so far.
There are elements of Hardcore and just brutal metal in tracks such as “Heart of Stone” and “Spellbinder”. The time signatures are not what one would expect from Solid State Records, and it seems to grow on one with each spin of the album.
The rhythm section is impeccable and the arrangements of the guitar tones provide for unusual, yet compelling elements with Azusa. It’s one of those albums that you will have to be fully engaged in to have total appreciation and eventual unconditional love for the album and the band. This showcases how art can be metal, job well done Azusa as Madness To Creation rates this a 9 out of 10 stars. Check out the track listing below.
- Interstellar Islands
- Heart of Stone
- Heavy Yoke
- Fine Lines
- Lost In The Ether
- Spellbinder
- Programmed To Distress
- Eternal Echo
- Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis
- Succumb To Sorrow
- Distant Call
Fans can find Azusa at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/AzusaOfficial
www.instagram.com/AzusaOfficial
