Released By Napalm Records
Release Date January 22nd, 2021
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklist:
01. Ebullition
02. Reborn
03. And The Dead Will Walk
04. Fear Me
05. Where The Hate Conceives
06. The Worst Is Yet To Come
07. Forsaken
08. Smashing The Past
Line Up:
Zoltán “Zoli/Zotya” Farkas – Vocals, Guitars
Szebasztián Simon – Guitars
Csaba Zahorán – Bass
Dániel Szabó – Drums
Hungarian Thrashers Ektomorf have been strongly active in the music business for almost three decades. Even though they haven’t reached the levels of success of other bands of the genre, they have managed to gain the well-deserved respect of the metal audience by constantly touring and releasing new material through the years. Overcoming the obvious disadvantages of coming from Hungary is not an easy task, but Ektomorf have succeeded in getting European and international fame with determination and conviction. The band has adopted an old school thrash metal outfit since their early years of existence. Remaining loyal to the same well-known formula in their entire discography is not always a negative factor, in fact Ektomorf have always been doing their own thing very well. “Reborn” is their fifteenth studio release via Napalm Records. Even though this new record doesn’t reserve particular surprises for the audience, a few evolutionary steps could be featured into their classic riff-based sound.
“Ebullition” kicks off as a heavy loaded missile with infectious riffs, groove guitar soloing and harsh vocals. The title track “Reborn” comes out as a classic beefy riffing and fiery drumming piece. An intriguing melodic section comes as an oasis into the raw and angry heart of this track.
The following “And The Dead Will Walk” gives a haunted ambience to the album with ghostly style vocals and thick mid paced riffs. Overall, this song adopts a menacing mood with its slow but steady structure. “Fear Me” is a primitive thrash metal piece with an addictive chorus. The strong riffing is infected by groove shredding melodies which enhance the quality of this track.
“Where The Hate Conceives” offers an acoustic melody introduction, but it quickly evolves into a primitive thrash metal song. There is a frequent change of rhythm among the sections, but still the solidity of the track is not infected. The aggressive harsh vocals and a power metal style guitar solo are the most important elements of this song. “The Worst Is Yet To Come” features chiming bells and grove guitar melodies among the heavy riffing work. “Forsaken”, a long instrumental piece, takes Ektomorf out of their primitive thrash boundaries and opens the door to progressive sounds for them. Slick bass lines, high speed shredding and mid tempo groove guitar sections are featured in this song, which could be an unexpected but pleasant change to the classic riff-based outfit of the band. “Smashing The Past” ensures that “Reborn” will go out in a furious, raw blast by charging the Ektomorf machine at full speed.
“Reborn” is a solid thrash metal record, which basically sticks to the old school sound of Ektomorf. It also features some unexpected moments of creativity and deviation from the classic music style of the band, which make them less predictable at times. This new studio offering definitely lacks in originality and innovation, but it features many exciting parts which could make it worth listening to. Overall, “Reborn” manages to keep the interest of the listener with its harsh primitive core sound enriched with melodic moments, even though it’s not the most passionate and blazing album of the year.
Ratings: 7/10
Written by: Katerina Paisoglou
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
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