One more band that was completely unknown to me (at least up to now). Smaxone have just been added to my pleasant surprises list, the list that contains all the bands that were unknown to me and made a great impression to me. When I saw the cover and the whole CD in general I thought that they are a Progressive Metal band. I think that I was 50% right about that...
This Denmark originated band, includes members of well-known bands such as Mnemic, Elopa and Transparent. After signing to the Italian label Scarlet, Smaxone released their debut album, Regression. In order to play live performances, Smaxone recruited guitarist Lars Jelsbak (Behind The Curtain), bassist Tomas Oberst Kofoed (Mnemic) and keyboardist Morten Sandager (Behind The Curtain, Mercenary).
Regression is one of the albums you rarely come across nowadays. Smaxone's appetite for serious and professional work, their technique and their own, unique approach of how Metal should sound nowadays are remarkable! They don't let you get bored even for a single second. I don't think that the result of this line up could be different. Just realize that in this line up, there is one member of Mnemic (this band really rules!), Michael Bogballe, who is handling the distorted vocals. The other singer handles the clean vocals. I surely won't waste time trying to categorize this band because I simply can't. What they play is very fresh and original. Their sound is unique and their music contains elements from every genre of Metal. They perfectly combine Progressive/Thrash/Hardcore/Power/Nu and Heavy Metal! These guys really have big balls to do something like that. For any other band this might have been a risk, but Smaxone are not afraid to experiment on their sound at all. I know I sound too much but believe me, this is not a band that you come across every day. I think that we have the new Nevermore here! The production makes the album sound heavier and it fits like a glove to the songs. The two singers seem like they've been singing together for years! They also have great voices that match incredibly. I can really keep on writing things about them but this would end up being tiring and it would also reduce the majestic beauty of their music.
I am really amazed with this band and that's something more than obvious. You have to go buy and listen to this CD to believe me. Smaxone surely do not apply to old school listeners or narrow-minded metalheads. They apply to everyone who is willing to listen to something totally new and fresh. Oh, and I totally disagree with the tags many sites put on Smaxone. No Groove Metal, no Melodic Metal, just Smaxone...
Oh, I forgot to mention that there is also a Japanese edition containing one more track, Searching For My Maker, which is obviously a bonus track.