ZOYA is a solo project of Zoya Belous, singer for ESPEROZA, a Moldovan Extreme Symphonic Metal band. This record is a collection of songs that were put together to help Zoya find her way out of the darkness that many people fell into during the pandemic. The record was self-released on December 15, 2021.

The opening track is "TTDSOV." The intro is a piano and some quiet vocalizations. When the song kicks in, it begins with blazing guitars and different vocals. The chorus is yet another shift, going more death metal. The main thing to notice here is the contrast of the soaring, operatic voice coupled with the almost hidden guttural voice. The guitars are really good, and the bass/drum combo are very well done. The contrasting vocals are good, though they do lack some cohesion.

The next two songs are in Russian, giving them a nice, enigmatic feel. "Moya Lyubov'" is a combination of heavy and classical. The whole song has a classical feel. The higher end operatic vocals add to this. The backing vocals underneath sit in a lower register and do compliment the mezzo-soprano well. "Vesna" is a serious rocker. Maybe it doesn't sound as heavy because of the heaviness of the first two tracks. It's a good song, regardless.

"Isolation" is a personal song. It is a little more keyboard heavy than previous songs. The drums are a bit out of synch. They are so much faster at the opening than the rest of the song that they throw off the balance just a bit. When they drop back from the blast beats and fit into the melodic section, it just works better. The operatic vocalizations scattered throughout the song are a decent bit of flair and the ending growls give a surprising twist.

The best song on the record is "Ce te Legeni Codrule." The guitars are excellent, the keyboards layer in and really add a rich texture to the track. The rhythm is solid. The sludgy section around the halfway point is a well-executed tempo shift that makes this song really hit hard. The vocals are very good on this track. The drop out to classical at the end is done with precision.

The last two tracks are re-imagined versions of Christmas Carols. The first, "Carol Of The Bells" is immediately recognizable. The bells at the intro are beautiful. The guitars are good, too. The doom-laden chorus is a little off. It feels like the tempo drops too far. This is a decent rendition. "O Holy Night" as stoner/doom works pretty well. The tempo remains true, though there were a few moments when the drums went a little over the top. They just powered up too far for the rest of the song.

This record feels a little chaotic. There is a lot of ground covered here. Breaking out of a depression, coupled with Christmas tunes just seems a bit of a stretch. The record doesn't really have any cohesion. As a collection of songs, this feels like two different, distinct places in life. This might work better if there were a couple of songs that explain the transition, but we don't get that. I'm left feeling really conflicted after hearing this. I think the songs stand better alone than bound with each other.