Ektomorf - Black Flag

Published September 06 2012

*=Staff's pick	War Is My Way* Unscarred The Cross Cut It Out Black Flag Private Hell* 12 Angels Enemy Fuck Your God Never Surrender Sick Love Feel Like This Kill It The Pretender (Bonus Track)

Genre	Neo Thrash Metal	Zoltán Farkas	Vocals
Tracks	14	Zoltán Farkas	Guitar
Running time	49 Min.	Michael Rank	Guitar
Label	AFM Records	Zsabolcs Murvai	Bass
Release	31 August 2012	Robert Jaksa	Drums
Country	Hungary	-	Keyboard
Producer	Tue Madsen
Similar artists	Machine Head, Sepultura

The Hungarian quartet Ektomorf returns with their ninth album. Listed as Neo thrash metal, and I don't know what to say about that, rather than it's thrash metal of some kind to me. It has some resemblances with Machine Head's second album, The More Things Change, to name something older to compare it with.

No new ideas are set in this jungle of heavy music, as the standards of thrash metal in the 21st century are evident here. It's fast, heavy, angry and sometimes furious. In short, forty-nine minutes of massive thrashing, with a customary break here and there. Most songs are pumping and if you like this kind of music, why don't have a go and buy an Ektomorf album? The riffing is pretty heavy and even if they don't get those riffs to perfection, they still are cool listening to.

The bonus track, The Pretender, is a cover version of Foo Fighters' 2007 recording and I think a more suitable track for Ektomorf to record would have been pretty easy to find, as this version is almost painful to hear. I'm well aware of that this isn't supposed to be a hit on Black Flag and just a song they like and probably fun to play for them.

There are rather good songs on this release, but it never catches my full interest. I mean, many songs are okay, but when I listen to them over and over again, it's like they never reach the top and keep on falling down when getting close. Deep down I feel they have it and I want it to rock, but I don't follow the rhythm well and my neck don't move back and forward when my speakers are tested. These facts usually do it for me and I will go for 4 chalices. A decent record, but nothing that will be played in my home too often.

See also review of: Aggressor , Retribution , Instinct

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
5	5	4	5	4

Summary
4 chalices of 10 - Tobbe