Most, if not every, band starts from damn near the very bottom, no? I feel like that’s pretty clear, and it’s clearer to say that depending on the country where you’re hailing from can be the deciding factor in how popular your music is. For instance, a death metal band would have more of a chance at success in a country like Finland than if they started up in America where pop reign supreme. Iran, though? Probably one of the last places I would personally look for death metal excellence, yet Azooma have shown that true talent really can come from the least likely of places. Their debut album two years back, “A Hymn of the Vicious Monster”, an absolute magnificent show of talent and brilliance that showed right off the bat Azooma was not a push over. With a follow-up, those of us looking forward to a new record had no idea what to expect. “The Act of Eye” is an album that no man alive could’ve predicted. This brand new album is a titanic upgrade in terms of creativity, innovation, grandeur, and awesomeness from Azooma’s debut that from the first two tracks alone you can tell that you’re in for one of the best death metal experiences of the year. All eight acts of “The Act of Eye” are of tech-death greatness that I haven’t heard pulled off from more well-known bands, and I tend to go out of my way to find such groups, but Azooma outshines them all completely. If god-like work of the fret board or stunningly intricate displays of musicianship catch your fancy, then maybe the addition of orchestral pieces that add this whole new layer of magnitude and grandeur that ups the enjoyment factor infinitely. Or maybe the excellent use of both growls and clean vocals will get you hooked, and they’re not in the fashion of traditional -core styles, so don’t tune out yet, my friends. “The Act of Eye” is an hour-long experience that if you listened to even one track of it, it will infect your mind in such a way that you’ll find yourself coming back again, and again, and again just to hear the majesty one more time. Azooma has displayed the simple fact that they are not a band to put out one good album and then fall – no, they are the kind that will continue to rise with more experience and then proceed to blow minds with every single album. If you want to hear what is arguably one of the best albums of its kind in recent years, then “The Act of Eye” is the album for you, and you should keep an eye on Azooma from now on.
You can listen to and purchase “The Act of Eye” on Bandcamp here.
