Spain has one of the most vibrant Death Metal scenes going at the moment. From larger acts like AVULSED and WORMED through to the underground, this is a scene that is saturated with dozens of great acts, all of whom have their own distinct style and voice to offer. Melodic Death Metallers WARGAZ are one of the many bands who are carving out a name for themselves within the Death Metal underground, amassing a small following in the short time they've been together, mainly off the back of their self-titled debut EP. Now, with the release of their debut full length "Skiamachy", they look set to solidify their place within the Death Metal scene.

"Inert Depths", a short instrumental piece, eases the listener into the record with some melodic, clean guitar lines cloaked in an atmospheric layer. It builds some level of anticipation, making the listener wonder what the first full length track, "Ocean Full of Stars" will be like. When this second song begins, it has a similar riff to the opener, only with a harsher tone. The song quickly shifts up a gear in terms of speed and aggression, and we're treated to a great piece of Melodic Death Metal. It's a great first impression that sets the bar for the rest of the album. "Purification of the Soul" is a much faster track, with plenty of musical ideas on offer throughout, especially on guitar. Riffs aren't used sparingly, played on repeat until they lose their effect; instead, a guitar line comes in, be utilised only as long as is necessary, and then shifts to another, equally interesting riff. It's a great way to keep the listeners attention and keep the music as interesting as possible.

Next we have "Ballad of Nokken", a really cool track which begins with an amazing acoustic piece of music, before giving way to an incredibly epic sounding piece of Melo-Death. My only criticism of this track is that it is too short. The monolithic "Barbarian Wolfpack" quickly follows this. The guitar lines have a lot more groove to them, and the overall sound is much fuller than on previous tracks. Again, it has a very strong, epic quality to it, which makes it sound amazing. "Under the Light of a Dying Sun" is a slab of razor sharp melodic fury, coupled with some impressive, technical drumming. It's easily one of the albums best tracks. The penultimate song on the album, "Tears of Resistance", has some great tremolo picked guitar lines that make this track sound ferocious. There's some great musicianship on display here, and it helps bring the album to a head perfectly. The last song on the album, another instrumental piece, has a lot of great, bombastic flourishes thrown into it that make it a fitting close to a decent record.

For a first record, this is very strong. It doesn't rely on fast, thrashing riffs or jarring leads to carry it, and all the music flows naturally. It's a great basis on which to build a lot more great music, and it's clear that everyone in the band is very talented. If you want to listen to something that's more than just your average melodic Death Metal release, I'd thoroughly recommend this.