Search - Zoroaster :: Zoroaster

Apocalypse rock

J. Rossi | Downers Grove, IL | 07/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On this release Zoroaster make Slayer look like a band that plays bar mitzvahs; make Tool seem tame; make High on Fire seem snuffed out. The winds of death and the threat of the Apocalypse arrive with every note.



The highlight is 'Bullrider,' in which the guitar (a masterful three-chord riff), bass (there but barely audible under the detuned guitar) and drums (picture an African drum circle) all pulsate in unison, making it the best metal song ever that is explicitly about sex.



The knock is that the band stays on the same path throughout the album. 'Mons Venus' sets the tone and 'Bullrider' follows up nicely, but 'Honey and Salt' is tough to stomach, in part because the dirge/drone piece lasts eight minutes and it never changes tempo or style. 'Defile' and the bonus track make up for the experimentation heard on 'Honey and Salt.' You could complain about the vocals being buried underneath the musical onslaught, but the lyrics are supposed to take a back seat when the tunes pummel like these ones do.



If you can gauge anything from a five-song debut, it's that Zoroaster is on the verge of taking the metal world by storm. Just don't get in their way."

HEAVY

Parkansky | Morehead, KY USA | 03/11/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of Warhorse and Sleep should have no trouble digesting this album. This doom metal quartet from Georgia makes some of the best doom metal I've heard in a long time. Tracks such as "Mons Venus" and "Honey and Salt" are so hypnotic and heavy, they're almost trance-inducing. Buy this today and feel the groove."