After releasing their successful debut EP, “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster”, Iranian death metal act AZOOMA have recently entered the Studio to start recording their first full length studio album which will be released this year via Xtreem Music. The recording will take place in Mashhad at ‘Azooma Studio’ under the supervision of the band’s drummer Saeed Shariat.
Saeed commented: “We are excited indeed to bring some new material to our fans. Our upcoming album will have more horror, a more complicated story and more blood. This is something different and we assure you that this one will blow your mind, it’s something you haven’t heard before.”
Also the band has recently signed a management contract with Mohsen Fayazi and Stargazer Consultancy. Mohsen commented on AZOOMA‘s forthcoming album: “I am glad that these guys found their way on the death metal path of glory. By listening to the demos of Azooma’s upcoming album, I can say they found their signature style in this genre of music.”
Check out what the band had to say to their fans from the studio on the YouTube clip below:
Persian progressive death metallers AZOOMA were formed in 2004 in Iran. Guitarist Ahmad Tokallou and bassist Farid Shariat were looking to create something new – a metal band, but one that was influenced by their Persian culture. Farid‘s brother Saaed joined as drummer and the line-up was completed with the addition of vocalist Shahin Vaqfipour.
Due to the laws on metal music in Iran, the band cannot play shows there, but did perform at the 2013 Persian Metal Festival which took place in the Republic of Georgia,Tbilisi. AZOOMA worked on material for their album throughout 2012 and ’13, which then resulted in the birth of “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster”. The album is a concept one and was mixed and mastered by Ehsan Imani and released via Spanish label Xtreem Music. Now let’s talk about the music!
“A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” you might think at first glance is a short EP with only four main tracks, but actually they are all longer than average, resulting in a 36 minute epic offering, which definitely does not miss any substance.
The introduction to the album or ‘Preface’ begins in a soft and gentle style, with some classical style acoustic guitar along with Persian influences, leading you to what you know will come, then all of a sudden BOOM! We’re into the first full track, ‘Chapter I: Self Inflected’. Beginning with speedy riffing guitar, then the full on growling vocals kick in like a punch in the guts. The first thing I noticed is how tight and professional sounding the band are, with extremely proficient technical playing – solid fast drumming backing up the guitars, with their complex changes and solos, full of intensity and a nice sharp finish!
‘Chapter II: Eridanus Supervoid’ is a full mental onslaught from the first second, conjuring up a picture in my mind of a sea of crowd surfing and moshing fans. Shahin’s vocals are top class killer growls, blending perfectly with the music and yet more technical guitar work is demonstrated, especially in the middle section of the song, which turns very progressive and slows down before changing pace entirely. I particularly enjoyed the guitar solo on this track and the clean vocals by Ahmad are a great addition. This album is no average one, it has many different layers throughout and I discover new elements during each listen.
Starting by clearly demonstrating Saeed’s skills hammering away on the twin bass pedal, next track ‘Chapter III: Encapsulated Delusion’ builds into yet another song full of metal energy, these guys take new twists and turns regularly to keep the listener on their toes. The precision of Ahmad’s fretwork along with Farid’s killer bass riffs, combined with the already mentioned drumming and vocals, result in the ultimate death metal listening experience.
The longest track on the EP at 10.37, ‘Chapter IV: Gyrocompass’ is the last but most definitely not least full song on the album. The progressive elements are prevalent here, adding to the overall atmosphere of the song, which as in all the other tracks really demonstrates how cohesive AZOOMA are as a unit. Again a surprise with a slower change in pace three quarters of the way through the song, with some additional Middle Eastern sounds, complimenting the heaviness extremely well.
And so to the end with ‘Appendix’. A very fitting close to the album; this time with spoken vocals and again the softness of the music with Persian tones. I love the ending, turning the page to close the story, or maybe just this chapter and I really look forward to the next one.
To sum up, if you haven’t yet heard AZOOMA‘s music, and you’re a fan of death metal that has lots to offer, these guys are a must in your collection. The band are extremely professional musicians which shines through on “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster”. They deserve much success with this first EP and I look forward to seeing AZOOMA moving onwards and upwards in the metal music world.
Iranian death metal warriors AZOOMA will release their debut EP, entitled “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” worldwide on 15th June via Xtreem Music. Stargazer Consultancy has premiered exclusively the band’s first Studio Teaser Trailer, which offers death metallers a brutal technical taste of the AZOOMA‘s newest record.
Check out AZOOMA‘s vocalist Shahin Vaqfipour, guitarist Ahmad Tokallou, bassist Farid Shariat and speedy drum machine killer Saeed Shariat in the studio during the recording of their “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” EP:
“A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” is a 6 track EP and was mixed and mastered by Iranian producer Ehsan Imani in Mixter Blaze Studio. The artwork was created by Shahryar Shervin .The EP will be available on both CD and in Digital format.
AZOOMA frontman Shahin Vaqfipour stated the following regarding the concept of the EP:
“We really like the idea of telling a story throughout this EP, we want each song to be unique but all of them to relate to each other and complete each other. We wanted to create something new and at the same time, staying true to the roots of death metal and its traditions.
“A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” is about a normal person who seems to be a victim of the situations he is in, but eventually it becomes clear that if the conditions are right, he can turn into the monster which he thinks he is a victim of.
It’s the nature of mankind. If he has the opportunities, he can turn into something evil which he thinks he would never be and do some vicious deeds. Everyone has this potential, but the true power and purity is not to let this nature, this essence grow.“
Iranian death metal act, AZOOMA has recently unveiled the artwork and tracklist of the band’s forthcoming EP, “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster”, which can be seen below. The EP is scheduled to be released on June 15th worldwide via Xtreem Music.
According to Stargazer Consultancy; “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” is a 6 track EP and was mixed and mastered by Iranian producer Ehsan Imani in Mixter Blaze Studio. The artwork was created by Shahryar Shervin .The EP will be available on both CD and in Digital format.
AZOOMA frontman Shahin Vaqfipour stated the following regarding the concept of the EP:
“We really like the idea of telling a story throughout this EP, we want each song to be unique but all of them to relate to each other and complete each other. We wanted to create something new and at the same time, staying true to the roots of death metal and its traditions.
“A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” is about a normal person who seems to be a victim of the situations he is in, but eventually it becomes clear that if the conditions are right, he can turn into the monster which he thinks he is a victim of.
It’s the nature of mankind. If he has the opportunities, he can turn into something evil which he thinks he would never be and do some vicious deeds. Everyone has this potential, but the true power and purity is not to let this nature, this essence grow.”
Shahin commented on the artwork:
“Shahryar Shervin the one who does the artwork, is a great talented person. He spent so much time with the band during the process of making this EP, discussing the ideas and he really understood and discovered what was on our minds and his work reflects what we want to say visually. We really appreciate what he did on the artwork. ”
“A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” track list:
Iranian Death Metal warriors AZOOMA have recently signed a worldwide contract with Spanish label XTREEM MUSIC. As a result the band will be releasing an EP, entitled “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” in both Digital and CD formats soon.
Guitarist Ahmad Tokallou commented: “This is what we have been waiting for and it is not only because of our hard work, but also the help from some great and kind friends, who are invisible to others but shared their mighty energy and kindness with us…. Xtreem Music is a great company, and this encourages us and give us more hope to go forward … you will hear more from Azooma!“
“It’s one of the best things that can happen for an artist to co-operate with a good and reliable company such as Xtreem Music,” drummer Saeed Shariat says. “I have a good feeling about it and we hope to satisfy metal heads more… Just wait for our EP, it will make necks ache!“
Dave Rotten, XTREEM MUSIC president and main man of legendary AVULSED stated the following: “The very first time I heard AZOOMA, I was extremely surprised by their combination of sheer brutality and technical skills at the same time as their EP sounds really heavy with a great production. I’m running the label since 1990 and this is the very first band from Middle East that I decided to sign. They have the right attitude and overall… they sound fucking great!! Hopefully AZOOMA will help to break barriers for other good bands in these countries where extreme Metal isn’t that popular“.
AZOOMA have paid tribute to legendary MORBID ANGEL by covering their “Dawn Of Angry” song. The video was launched online and surprisingly posted by MORBID ANGEL themselves on their official Facebook page. Check out the video here:
Stargazer Consultancy has recently announced that Persian Progressive Death Metal warriors AZOOMA have recently inked a deal with Stargazer Consultancy.
“We are excited to announce that we have recently signed a contract with Stargazer Consultancy, which is powered by the first Iranian metal music journalist and publicist Mohsen Fayyazi. We started to find our way in the metal world about 10 years ago, it was not easy as perhaps many of you know, we faced several difficulties, but now we took another step forward into the metal music industry. Ahmad, Saeed, Shahin and Farid’s best wishes to you all, especially to all Persian metalheads.
Respect and Regards
AZOOMA” The band commented via a post on their official facebook page.
According to Bravewords.com, AZOOMA have recently finished recording their first outstanding conceptual EP which includes stories about human misery, time travelling and awakening. The band was influenced by legendary bands such as DEATH, OPETH, GOROD when writing this album, but it still will be a very new experience for true metal fans to hear this Persian style death metal. Also the band played as co-headliner act at the Persian Metal Fest 2013 and shared a stage with great metallers such as GOROD.
AZOOMA have recently paid tribute to the legendary MORBID ANGEL by covering their “Dawn Of Angry” song. The video is posted online and can be seen on the Youtube player below:
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