It has been 14 years since I have heard anything of or by RAM-ZET. And now, out of the blue, they are presenting me with "Sapien", their sixth studio album. Well, at least in those years they have managed to write, record and now release over 72 minutes of their brand of Metal, which the internet classifies as Avant Garde/Gothic/Black Metal. What I do know is that this is music that is not for the faint of heart, as you will really need a broad mind to be able to cope with all the different kinds of emotions and musical styles that are being used.

The thing is, I know that a band wants to start with the one song that is a cut above the rest, that could easily be seen as the best song they have. Well, that is definitely the case with "Zerocane". This is simply the best track that RAM-ZET has ever produced. What you get here is a combination of mainly Progressive Metal, mixed with Metalcore and Death Metal. It also will give you a Folk undertone, a lot of Melody mixed in when possible and even an interlude on violin. The most impressive of this one is how especially the female vocals are able to change between clean, screaming and even grunting in a very slow but deliberate way. The second song "Cranium" starts off as if we're back in seventies, with the Glam Rock bands from then. Don't worry, it quickly turns into a proper Heavy song that has all the elements that I mentioned earlier.

Another impressive one is "Sleepers". This has a bit more speed in it, has a lot more punch and is simply quite good.  And yes, all the elements will come back time and time again during the other seven songs, but I'm afraid that the quality of the first three tracks is just too high for the others to follow. It gets a bit slower, even dull at times, and the level of excitement and interest that the first three songs on "Sapien" bring is never reached again. I feel that RAM-ZET should have made this album some 40 minutes instead of 72, and should have left the lesser songs for themselves. Conclusion; the band still has it, but not all the time. If they can eradicate those lacklustre and unnecessary moments, then there is a future for the band. Otherwise I see them staying on the sidelines instead of the spotlights.