Every once in a while, a band shows up and defies expectations to levels that we thought weren’t possible. Zeal & Ardor managed to mix oil and water; mixing Black Metal with Soul music in a way that even the biggest purist could respect. Yet it’s been years since Strange Fruit smacked us all in the mouth, and though Zeal & Ardor was good, I do wonder what can the band do next? It’s hard to keep innovating so much in this boring world. So stick around and find out here!
If you were worried GREIF would become less strange, then be happy because things keep getting weirder. Each track feels like an experiment where a few ideas that shouldn’t work together somehow manage to keep you interested. However, I must say there’s much less Metal in this album than I expected, and most of it feels rather Industrial. There are some interesting and groovy complicated rhythms in a few sections, but there’s little left of the Black Metal side of the band.
There’s no doubt that Zeal & Ardor has its own idiosyncratic style when it comes to song-writing. In GREIF, that’s even more evident than before. Some tracks even feel like improvisations, but the good kind. Perhaps it is now that the band is a single entity, but there’s a more cohesive narrative within the tracks and though I’m not sure how much that’s for me, since I loved “how out of the blue” these guys could be, it does give it a more harmonious feeling, which fits well with the themes of lost and acceptance within the lyrics.
Now, I’m struggling with many things in GREIF. Perhaps this writing style isn’t for me, but I can’t stop feeling many of these tracks could be either more elaborate or they just don’t reach their full potential. Also, I just miss the Metal. Just like Opeth, Zeal & Ardor convinced us of how cool it was via contrasts, and once those start to fade away, it’s hard to remain as engaged as a Metalhead, even if the quality of the music is top notch. I’d say GREIF is the most appealing for people that want to feed their musical curiosity, but not so much their Metal curiosity.
Is it interesting? Yes, does it get boring for you, blood thirsty bastards? Oh, absolutely, but sometimes you want to feel wise and tolerant, so you put something on that’s no head-bashing Grindcore. This is your album to pretend to be open-minded. It might not be Strange Fruit, but if you’re already a fan, then you’ll get almost everything you wanted. However, don’t expect it to flip you upside-down. This is a slow burn that fits more the experimental music department than the Metal one. You’ve been warned, so go out there and try it out!
Label: Redacted Records
Release date: 23 August, 2024
Website: https://www.facebook.com/zealandardor
Country: USA/Switzerland
Score: The other face of pain, or 3.0/5.0 for the happy people
Metal Eclipse Reviews 