About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Unoriginal, generic copy of Sepultura and Soulfly.



Pros

• Clean, crisp production.
• Loads of aggression.
• The very different "Sea of Misery."

Cons

• Vocals are too similar to Max Cavalera.
• Sounds too close to everything Sepultura or Soulfly has ever done.

Description

• Released February 22, 2011 on AFM Records.
• The band's ninth full-length release.
• Produced by Tue Madsen.

Guide Review - Ektomorf - 'Redemption'

One thing has dogged Hungarian act Ektomorf and always will: how much they sound like Sepultura. There’s just too much of a similarity between Ektomorf and anything Max Cavalera has done. Their sound, lyrics, vocals and social injustice viewpoint are too close for comfort to Sepultura or Soulfly in almost every way, shape and form.

Ektomorf’s ninth release Redemption was recorded at the famous Antfarm Studios with Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Dark Tranquillity, Heaven Shall Burn). It’s a clean and crisp production — something that Madsen does very well.

CD opener "Last Fight" starts off with some quiet harmonized chords, then erupts into a powerful driving riff. Then the inevitable Cavalera comparisons with vocalist/founder Zoltán Farkas arise. The vocals are harsh and aggressive, combined with a groove metal rhythm and plenty of gang-shout vocals.

The nü metal-ish and down-tuned "Stay Away," the tribal drums and gang vocal chants of "Revolution" and the spoken-word rant of "Stigmatized" still don’t sway me from thinking of Redemption as a Sepultura or Soulfly album at first listen.

"Sea of Misery" is the type of song Ektomorf need to write more of. The melodic, acoustic guitar opening, the heavy reverb ’70s guitar lead, the harmonized vocals and the catchy melody will distill the comparisons of Sepultura/Soulfly. At 2:13, it's a short, accessible and catchy song. It’s not heavy or aggressive, but it is the most memorable song on the album.

It’s hard to believe that a band like Ektomorf has been around for 18 years. Their groove-metal song structures and sometimes nü metal overtones are cemented in the same pattern and formula. There’s not enough variation or tempo change to differentiate one song from another.

To be fair, there are some fairly decent moments of aggression and melody on Redemption. The band also utilizes some new elements, such as acoustic guitars and clean vocals. But, as I said before, Ektomorf will always get dogged for being a Sepultura/Soulfly clone.



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.