From Bandcamp, “ZEN DISDAIN was started as a studio project, the idea was to write some sort of dark metal without being tied to any particular subgenre of metal, with heavy emphasis on the powerful vocals, and intricate drum parts. Formed in 2021 by the creative minds behind the symphonic extreme metal band ESPEROZA, ZEN DISDAIN quickly expanded into a full band, drawing talented musicians from different bands. Since its inception, the band has made waves in the metal scene. The album has six songs.

“Everpresent” is first. Out of the gate, it is heavy, lumbering, and doomy, and the low, guttural vocal style fits the music well. The clean female vocals provide a contrast in sound, and they are quite frail, creating that “beauty and the beast” sound. “The Shore” has heavy breaths in the beginning, and is followed by an energetic riff and some aggressiveness. The song shifts a few times along the way, but instead of gaining diversity, it sounds more like they are losing sight of the sound to me. “The Woods” has dissonant tones in the music that combine with clean vocals. The two however are out of sync when it comes to the melody. I prefer the harsh vocals more, but three songs in, and this album is failing to make a mark on me.

“Inanition” is more like it. This time, the disconnect between the vocals and the music makes more sense. It drips with a heavy emotional burden, although it never really gets off the ground. Some more contrast might help. “Spiritual Desert” begins with clean female vocals and the constant thudding of double-time drums, and the roaring harsh vocals provide that darkness that makes you afraid for your life. “Symbols” is both heavier and darker, and it sounds like a motor starting up in the beginning. The lengthy “What Remains of Us” closes the album. Unfortunately, it is just close to nine minutes of a song that again feels like it lost its way at some point.

The band are decent musicians, and they put in a good deal of thought into the songwriting, but it just fell flat for me. Nothing really stands out on the album. For that reason, the album was just mediocre for me.