Zarraza – Rotten Remains

Band: Zarraza
Title: Rotten Remains
Label: Independent
Release date: 29 November 2019
Country: Kazakhstan
Format reviewed: Digital Promo

Kazakhstan for me has always been one of those countries that I never would expect music to come from. Superficial of me I suppose, as I got my first taste this week of something from there.

What I believed at first was a full-length album from the band ZARRAZA due to the length of it to begin with, was in fact an EP named “Rotten Remains”, scheduled for a release on the 29th of November. Their debut full-length album was out just last year, and according to the band itself they decided to gather some old tracks and rerelease them. Now, what was a tad confusing here was that the names of the tracks, as well as the order of the tracks on the album, seem to vary from one page to another. I decided to believe a page that is run by the band and go with the lineup and names they gave.

The intro, “Chaos”, appears to be correctly named as such due to the violent start out. Early Sepulture inspiration is noted, as the sound is thick and meaty with a good 90´s feel to it, and the second track “Bullets and Beliefs” takes over from where the previous one left off. I do enjoy when that happens, it gives a good pointer towards the fluidity of the album as one song can’t emerge from another if it doesn’t fit. To my enjoyment, it did exactly that. Meaty riffs and great drum work are nowhere finished and the aggressive vocals fill out the sound from the guitars and drums in a delightful way. At that moment it was like eating a huge delicious meal, and even if you are full you know if you stop eating; you will regret it.

A fat riff is shoved down your throat in the coming tracks. Some nice squeals set the tone and a kick drum slap in the face. Something I can only identify as whale sound opens “The Grudge” before again turning to the previous formula, and again turning to more native sound. I’m not saying Kazakhstan sounds like a whale, far from it there are also some string instruments. It appears to be labeled as the instrumental of the album, and it surely does its label justice. Apart from a scream in the middle it sure is an (instru) mental one.

Humorous Slipknot sound, up and down vocals, down tuned guitar choruses ensures a trip down memory lane as the tracks go on. A lot of them appear to have that in-your-face touch that feels very live-environment friendly, and as the band has stated itself, they decided to rerelease some of these tracks because they still perform them live. I wouldn’t mind seeing it myself.

Machine Head-Terminator vibe infuses “Failed Apocalypse” with a solo with bends that would make Dimebag proud. So far no tracks have a meh-feeling to them, and that is an achievement for sure. A treat for the ears in the form of “If I was Satan” appears before the final closing track “Wrrong Song” closes the deal.

Being from Kazakhstan it wouldn’t surprise me if these guys have had their share of obstacles to get to where they are. Having risen to one of the top metal bands in Asia I personally hope they will expand further outside that particular region and bring us something more on the same level or even above in the future. 8.8/10 Julia

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