Binary Enigma
ZeTA
From Bandcamp, "this is the first full-length album from experimental Melodic Black/Death band ZeTA. The main aim was to invoke a spiritual atmosphere and thought-provoking perspective of the extraterrestrial reality. Recommended to all those that are fascinated with UFOs, aliens, space, distant civilizations, and all that is beyond our world and current understanding." The album has nine songs.
"Hopkinsville Goblins" is the first. The title references an event where "a claimed close encounter with extraterrestrial beings in 1955 near Kelly and Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. UFOlogists regard it as one of the most significant and well-documented cases in the history of UFO incidents, while skeptics say the reports were due to "the effects of excitement" and misidentification of natural phenomena." The song is a short mood-setter. "Suspended Colossus" sounds like a straight up Death Metal song to me...complete with machine-gun drumming, guttural vocals, and pig squeals in the guitars. The eerie notes in the background at least keep it interesting.
The title track begins with creepy sounds, akin to an alien encounter. From there, the drums are so fast, you would swear they come from a machine and not a human. The music however, is less exciting. It's brutal and punishing, but a good album needs to be a lot more than just that. "Organic Corridor" is similar in its sound. The band is good at filing nearly every single crack and crevice with sound, but the sound just isn't interesting to me. Besides the occasional eerie sound thrown in here and there, it's mostly about the brutality of the music. "Traversing the Void" begins with promise from a different opening sound, but falls into a similar trap as the other songs on the album. Beef up the themes, I say. Incorporate the directly into the music.
"Weight of Disclosure" has a bit of diversity in the opening sequence, especially in the guitar riffs. But the temptation to move back to the speedy and brutal Death Metal elements are just too much for the band, and they gladly take the bait. "Dimensional Nexus Part II" closes the album. This is the "spaces" song I have been waiting for. Why couldn't they do more of this? Straight up Death Metal is one of the most unforgiving genres out there. The boundaries of what many fans will put up with are very narrow, and if you want to fit into this niche, you just have to play harder and faster than your peers. But to what end? I love the concepts presented in the bio at the beginning of the review. I question why the band could not have incorporated these concepts directly into sounds and even background effects on the album. It would have made things a lot more interesting.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Binary Enigma" Track-listing:
1. Hopkinsville Goblins
2. Suspended Colossus
3. Binary Enigma
4. Organic Corridor
5. Cosmic Embrace
6. Traversing the Void
7. M-Triangle
8. Weight of Disclosure
9. Dimensional Nexus Part II
ZeTA Lineup:
Dan Klein - Vocals
Luke Gawel - Rhythm/Effects Guitars, Bass, Synth, Lyrics, Songwriting
Evan Thomas - Drums
Anthony Allen - Lead Guitars
Steven Chavez - Backing Vocals
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