Heavy metal is and has been global now for many years. The audience has become so widespread and seems to consistently be growing with no end in sight. Hailing from Almaty, Kazakhstan the band ZARRAZA has put out a three-track EP of covers into which they put a piece of their sound to these established classics. The band was formed in 2011 and released back-to-back EPs in 2012 and 2013, respectively. In 2018 they put out their first full-length album Necroshiva, receiving very positive reviews and followed that up with an EP in 2019 titled Rotten Remains. With a rotating group of musicians, Nick seems hellbent on putting out very groovy heavy metal to the world.

The EP is what it is, short and sweet and with the tracks not really needing much introduction as they are classics in their own right. When covers of tracks are released there is usually a debate about how they are done. Some people are looking forward to variations of the track coming together to reinvent the song towards the style of the band covering it. While many will debate that the less the original song is touched, the better. This is in my eyes a never-ending debate that will carry on as long as music exists, and new bands come into the fray while putting their own generational spins to existing songs.

"People Of The Lie" opens the EP and is a very straight forward cover of the blazing classic. The music captures the Thrash element very well, but personally I find myself missing the vocals of Mille. There is a haunting overshadowing effect that is featured towards the end of the track that is a nice touch. "L'Enfant Sauvage" is the title track from GOJIRA'S 2012 release. This track still features the classic blast beats we love in the track but is bound together by using traditional Asian instruments. The use of these brings a calmness that contradicts the blasts and bring a serenity to the track and the vocals match the intensity that made this a hit for the French quartet. "Raining Blood" needs no introduction, and they really make this one into something special. The fretboards are smoking at the end and the usage of Kazak instruments breathe new life into the song and is a fresh new take on it. It really is one of the best versions of the song that I have come across.

With the vocals being more on the harsher side than the originals, they are done well against the backdrop of aggressive riffs the songs hold. The usage of traditional instruments is becoming more and more widespread as bands look to add originality to their music and it is welcomed due to how well they complement heavy metal by creating a dark embrace to the tracks. As many of these instruments were believed to help ward off evil spirits, it can be looked at as fighting evil with evil. The EP was a surprise release and was surely a fun project for the band to put together.