Release
date: February 26th
2016. Label: Acid Cosmonaut Records. Format: CD/DD
IZŌ
– S/T – Tracklisting
Izo
(Intro)
We
Are What We Are
Hikikomori
Kikusai
EuTONEsia
MudMut
(Outro)
Band
Members:
Paolo
Barone – Guitar
Maurizio
Calò – Guitar
Francesco
De Pascali – Bass
Luca
Greco – Drums
Review:
IZŌ
are an Italian instrumental Sludge/Stoner/Doom Metal Band who offers
something very familiar and also something very different with their
music. Their self-titled debut album sees the band create different
moods with each individual song. The music can be very trippy in
places as their album keeps you entertained through out the thirty
five minute run time.
Opening
track – IZŌ (Intro) – is a short affair with the band creating
ambient noises and stylish riffs before an angry Japanese soundclip
comes into play. The riffs have a distorted feedback vibe to them
before the song ends and the next track appears…
Second
track – We Are What We Are – offers full-on instrumental
psychedelic sludge/stoner rock to get your teeth stuck into. It has
quite a doomy feel to it as the band play at a fast pace. IZŌ create
heavy pounding riffs with powerful drums to match. The drumming is
perhaps one of the best things about the album as drummer – Luca –
creates a vortex of noise around you. The psych riffs hold you
prisoner against your will. Why would you want to escape when the
music is good as this? The final part of the song moves into Pelican
style territory but IZŌ manage to keep the mood under control.
Third
track – Hikikomori – opens with a more sombre psych post-rock
feel with a solitary guitar playing gentile notes before IZŌ return
to the doomier sound of the previous track. IZŌ offer a sense of
hope at times before the gloomy atmospherics appear sees IZŌ create
heavier sludge based sounds. I can detect a slight Ufomammut vibe at
times especially with the swirling psych noises in the background.
There’s a cool almost jazz/progressive riff towards the song that’s
mixed with some superb spaced out noises. Put all these things
together and it all builds up to one epic loud finish.
Fourth
track – Kikusai – is perhaps the standout song on the album. It
starts off very slowly with IZŌ playing delicate slow-paced riffs
with a touch of atmospheric doom lurking in the background. It’s
the small things that grab your attention the most. Intricate noises
and sounds take your attention away from the riffs and make you focus
on other things. This is quite a clever and intelligent song as IZŌ
play tricks on the listener. It’s very hard to describe but it
feels there are two or three different songs going at the same time.
When the band return to the heavier riffs everything comes together
and all the spaced out noises you heard at the start are now part of
the song. You’ll understand more when you hear the song.
Fifth
track – EuTONEsia – is more of a post-metal song and the band
once again excel at changing the mood of the album once again. Slowly
played Post-Rock sounds turn into heavier sludge/post-metal grooves
with the pounding drums providing superb support once more.
The
final song – MudMut (Outro) is a more straight-forward
Sludge/Stoner Metal song as IZŌ leave the spaced out theatrics
behind. It’s a wise decision as your attention is purely on the
band itself. There are no trippy noises to confuse you with, just
good old fashioned Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs for you to rock out to.
IZŌ’s
S/T debut album is a stunning record and it sounds incredible from
start to finish. This is an album that could see IZŌ become firm
favourites within the Instrumental Sludge/Stoner Metal scene.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Acid Cosmonaut Records for the promo. IZŌ’s S/T debut album
will be available to buy on CD/DD from Acid Cosmonaut Records from
Feb 26th 2016.
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