One man bands, am I right? They seem to be all the rage in the metal community in the past five years or so. This is due to a multiplicity

8 years ago

One man bands, am I right? They seem to be all the rage in the metal community in the past five years or so. This is due to a multiplicity of factors, not least of which are the Internet’s ease of use and the growing accessibility of recording gear and knowledge. Often times, this creates music which is obviously technically able but lacks the self-criticism you get when a group of people work on something together. However, it also sometimes allows strong visions that would otherwise remain silent to express themselves. With that in mind, I pitch you Paul Ozz. Going the arduous route of simply sending us an email and hoping it won’t get lost in the literally tens of thousands of emails we get, Paul is another fruit of the precious tree that is the blog inbox.

What taste, this fruit? Like many such projects, progressive is a moniker which should be used to some extent. Ozz’s music is certainly that; it incorporates both clean and harsh vocals, intricate drum parts and complex guitars. The second half of the equation comes to use from the wide variety of music now titled “death metal”. Take the last track from Tartarvs, his latest EP, for example. “Dust”, undoubtedly the strongest track on the release, is all furious, intricate aggression. At times, it channels Cynic; listen closely to the clean, backing vocals on its first part. At other times, especially when everything is going full blast on the drum kit, the Gothenburg style reigns supreme, all frills and melodic spikes.

However, across the solos you’ll no doubt think of Fallujah and their more ambient, drawn out approach. All of these are legitimate, and then some. Other parts of the album include more ethereal routines, more powerful, clean vocals and plenty of other goodies. The only disadvantage to this release is its short run-time but fear not! Unlike many such projects, Ozz has two LP’s under his belt and is gearing up for more. I urge you to head over to his Bandcamp and having a romp through his catalog; if you like progressive death metal to any degree, it is sure to have some great moments for you.

Eden Kupermintz

Published 8 years ago