You know Austria has a pretty big Metal scene, right? Hailing from Micheldorf, Hardcore Metal band UZZIEL have a contribution to that scene with their latest album, "Torn Apart", released October 2014. This compilation is a fourteen-track monster effort and gives them a lot of credit in my book. Writing that many different songs for a one-disc release is no easy task by any stretch of the imagination. So I'll get right to the good and bad that struck me while I was giving "Torn Apart" a listen.

First the good: There's a solid heaviness to the music and I think the song titles capture the essence of the music for their respective songs. The music follows a central theme and style, and is hard-hitting and unrelenting. There are some interesting features, but for the most part, it's a reliably safe punch to the head. The guitars and drums take on a personality of their own and occasionally the riffs are nicely mosh-inducing, especially on the second track, "Like a God."

Now the bad: As much appeal as the music has, they really didn't connect with the listener. The harsh vocals were too gaudy and monotone, and there really wasn't a lot of variety even though there were some parts with clean vocals. The music is definitely original but still had that generic sound. I hear a similarity to PRO-PAIN, but to me, most of the time the distortion was just too fuzzy to really broadcast the notes on guitar. It's not a bad album overall but I get the sense that this is the kind of Hardcore band you might hear at the downtown dive bar.

I have to say that I did enjoy listening to the album, but it's not what I'd stop to listen to if it was in my playlist. I'm just not too keen on the style and I think the production process could have been handled better. I'd like to see something from these guys with more variety in the future and hopefully, they can use any feedback to help construct a more extravagant brand of Metal. That being said, give "Torn Apart" a listen and decide for yourself!<