Skimming through the band’s bio I can honestly say I’ve never heard of, or listened to, any of the bands any of these guys have been a part of, so I can’t really compare this to any previous pieces of work. The band consists of members of Estuary Of Calamity and Garden Of Shadows. The music they create is difficult to label, but the best description would be Swedish flavored melodic death thrash with a hint of eastern European melodic death metal and some of the raspiest vocals you’ll come across. The riffing on this disc is pretty amazing, whether the band is thrashing it up or laying down a powerful melody, the music is definitely guitar-based. Some tracks, like "Flesh And Blood Dilemma", are reminiscent of 80s NWOBHM acts, whereas others, like "Of Weakening Stone" is definitely more early 90s Swede-death sounding. The music is just all over the place on this album, one moment you’ll hear a Death riff, and the next you’re listening to something inspired by At The Gates, then onto Iron Maiden, then Amon Amarth, then off in a completely different direction. The drumming is good and fits the overall style perfectly; it’s never overpowering, and as varied as the riffing in front of it. The vocals. Holy shit, the vocals! Zdenka Prado employs a super deep raspy vocal approach for the most part, mixing in gurgly black metal shrieks from time to time, with an overall sound that somehow fits the band’s unrestrictive style. The first time I heard the vocals, I thought "Holy shit, this dude must have some serious digestive issues, to be rasping like this." I then flipped the CD over and spouted out "Holy shit! This dude has titties!" Given an extra moment to let my brain process this newfound information, I soon after made the brilliant statement of "Holy shit! This dude is a chick!" Now that my foot is firmly implanted in my mouth, let me muffle through my shoelaces that I’m not saying I thought she looked like a dude, I’m saying I was really surprised to hear vocals this deep coming from a woman, since the majority of female vocalists in extreme metal lean towards either clean operatic vocals, or along the lines of Angela Gassow. Estuary is a phenomenally talented band; I don’t know if I’d put them in the upper echelons, but they definitely have a sound that will appeal to a lot of people. I know they really impressed the hell out of me, and I’m not easy to win over, especially with this style of music. I eagerly anticipate a follow-up to this release, and am now filled with bizarre thoughts of how I would react if my lady friend were to start snarling at me like this in the throes of passion. I have a feeling my manhood would be threatened to the point that she’d soon become the man of the relationship. That’s actually kind of hot. Perhaps I’ve said too much. Just buy this CD. You’ll thank me for it.

Written By: Teufel