Aske - Broken Vow

EPs are wonderful to review. They are generally short enough to give a clear ideia of the band in question. This Aske “Broken Vow” has only five songs and a length of about seventeen minutes. But they are enough to allow me to say that Aske are in the right path. “Broken Vow” shows a duo with a very mature sonic ideias which are built within the extreme metal purpose Aske show us. As a matter of fact, it is very hard to position Aske in any extreme metal subgenre. Each track of “Broken Vow” has a different sonic purpose. And we all know hard it is to fulfill that.

The first track, “Meadows in Shade,” begins looking for 1980s thrash influences. The instrumental looks for thrash evidences, including the groove that bands like Pantera and Sepultura made famous. Guitar riffing is hard and extremely focused on right hand techniques, as did the bands quoted before. It is a very good to start the massacre. “Menschwerdung” (Incarnation) takes a different path. It goes through the 1990s death metal. Fast, furious, fierceful and warm. Once more Aske do not disappoint us. But the better is yet to come. Hang on a second and wait for the next track.

If one think it is hard to bounce from the 1980s thrash metal to 1990s death metal, listen to “Broken Vows.” I even dare to suggest that one should start listening by it. The catchy main guitar riff makes you headbang right away. Filipe Salvini vocals fit so nice into the song that one urge the desire to sing along. Pay attention to this! “Broken Vows” is a song from an extreme metal band that makes you sing along. No, that was not really expect. I would never. If there were any justice in this sad and lonely world, “Broken Vows” should be playing in all radiostations all over the world!

Having reached the top at “Broken Vow,” Aske took the other way around. The next two tracks, “Mardi Gras” and “Übermensch,” follow the same path as the first two tracks, I mean, a thrash track connect to a right-in-the-face death metal one. I cannot say I was not pleased.

Aske are a band of lots of guts. It is not usual to extreme metal band follow the path they did. Most avoid any kind of groove or catchy riffing. Aske broke lots of extreme metal rules, and that’s the beauty of “Broken Vow.” Boys and girls, Metal is to break rules! Never forget that!

P.S.: One more important thing. Aske plays around with Nietzsche in “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” philosofical concepts. And still there are people who think metalheads have microbrains. Nah…

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