CoC : Zaraza - No Paradise to Lose : Review

Zaraza - _No Paradise to Lose_
(Total Zero Revords, 2003)
by: Adrian Magers (8 out of 10)

When I first popped the press copy I was sent of Zaraza's latest musical offering, I have to admit I was extremely disappointed. The music seemed to drag, and was devoid of any driving continuity or memorable spots (though I'll admit I kind of scanned through the CD, previewing the first few seconds of a song and/or pressing down the search button on my quest to find something redeeming). This is the absolute worst way to experience this band, which after a few listens I've realized are quite brilliant in their extraordinarily abstract approach. Calling this ambient music is unfair (they refer to themselves as "brutal experimental industrial doom death metal" -- better than any description I could muster from my vocabulary). Although _No Paradise to Lose_ works as good background music, I'd sooner imagine their eight song album as a mood-setter to a demon-worshipping ritual involving human sacrifice -- in outer space. In a word, these guys are bizarre. In two words, wonderfully bizarre. Like some sort of patchwork creature that's feasted upon the musical collective of bands as varied as Godflesh, My Dying Bride, Skinny Puppy, early Mortiis, and Morbid Angel, and chased said bands with an army of marching soldiers, B-horror movies, and some bad downers. Zaraza's got plenty of space to move around and experiment within the sub-sub-subgenre they've implanted into the musical world, and a hell of a lot of potential. No wonder Gino declared _Slavic Blasphemy_ (the band's debut full length) one of the Top 10 Albums of 1998.

Contact: http://zaraza.doom-metal.com

(article published 25/1/2004)

ALBUMS
5/2/1997	A Bromley	7	Zaraza - Slavic Blashemy