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MEZZROW “Embrace The Awakening”
MEZZROW “Embrace The Awakening”
By Dr. Abner Mality
Sweden’s MEZZROW were always a kind of footnote in the European thrash scene. They were odd men out in a country dominated by death metal and further distinguished themselves by being firmly in the Bay Area thrash tradition instead of sounding like the Germans. They would have likely stayed a footnote, too, but a couple of years back they returned to action with a pretty decent album, “Summon Thy Demons”.
2025 sees them back at it with “Embrace The Awakening”. At first listen, one might write this off as a solid but unspectacular effort. Give it another listen, though, and you started to realize how well this is put together. It’s not “rip your throat out” thrash, but something more along the lines of TESTAMENT, HEATHEN and DEATH ANGEL There’s structure and melody but it still rips when it has to. “Sleeping Cataclysm”, “Symphony of Twisted Souls” and “The Moment To Arise” all thrash in classic Frisco fashion, but other tracks like “Foreshadowing” and “In Shadows Deep” have strong melody and an almost progressive approach.
Admittedly, the vocals of Uffe Pettersson are not going to blow anybody off the map. But his gruff shouts kind of fit the MEZZROW template pretty well. He just seems to belong here. The players are not the most innovative or expressive, but they don’t miss a note and sound locked in. If you like the kind of thrash that doesn’t demand your head to be kicked in every single minute, this album will satisfy. Seems like MEZZROW is back to stay…
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