A few years removed from their debut album,
Zealotry has returned with a follow up record entitled “The Last Witness”. Fans
of the band will be pleased to hear that this album is similar in sound to the
first record, except that the band occasionally takes things a step further on
this album. For newcomers, Zealotry’s music can best be described as truly
twisted, insane death metal. Taking strong influence from Immolation (among
others), Zealotry mixes a sideways style of riffing with plenty of dissonance,
tremolo picking, pinch harmonics, and various other techniques to create an
unsettling atmosphere. While I wouldn’t go as far to call them a technical
death metal band (especially given the connotation that label has taken on in
recent times), there is no doubt that the riffing here is quite intricate. A
riff will start in one direction, and then abruptly shift in another direction.
This sound has the ability to fail miserably if done poorly, but fortunately
Zealotry are experts are their craft. Despite the fact that the end result may
occasionally feel jarring, it results in unbeatable, almost spacey atmosphere.
The weirdness on this album isn’t just
limited to the riffs; there is plenty of popping bass playing, mind-bending
solos, and many other strange melodies and rhythms. “Progeny Omega” in
particular is one such unique track because it shows the band experimenting
with its more epic, orchestral side. In particular, the latter half of the song
manages to use these elements quite successfully, and the sound is even brought
back later on in the album during “Silence”, but in a more subtle way. “Mutagenesis”
is another standout song, as this effort is the culmination of all of the
band’s distinctive traits. It is the song that is the most “out-there”, but
ends up being quite enjoyable as a result. There are moments in this track where I have no idea what is going on (particularly the first minute, as well as the wild solo a couple of minutes in), but it just adds to the album's aura.
It might be a little unfair to Zealotry to
simply characterize them as being a band that gets by on their willingness to
step outside the box. Make no mistake, there is plenty of impressive death
metal playing to enjoy here. The sheer number of riffs on this album is
endless, and there is good variety between slower, crawling moments, and the
classic high-speed riffage so common to death metal. In fact, Zealotry makes
use of plenty of blast beats, though moreso in a huge cavernous way, rather
than in a “bash your skull in” way. Regardless, the outcome is wicked!
The only criticism I have of “The Last
Witness” is its length. It’s no secret that I always prefer brevity in music,
and this particular style of death metal does tend to wander a little more. The
result is that some of the songs breaking the 8-minute barrier tend to feel
like they meander a bit too much. It doesn’t have a major impact on the end
product, but this record would probably be a little more digestible if it were
closer to 40 minutes. Nevertheless, it is a not only a worthy purchase, but
also a relatively unique entity in the death metal scene!
Be sure to check out and like Zealotry on Facebook!
Highlights
"Arc of Eradication"
"Progeny Omega"
"Mutagenesis"
Final Rating
4.0/5 or 80%.
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