Band: DARK ZODIAK
Country: Germany
Title: Ophiuchus
Label: Independent
Year: 2021
Style: Thrash Death Metal

Review:
Female fronted quintet from Germany born in 2011 from experienced musicians that seem determined to continue to move forward with their passion. This one is their third full-length album, all released independently, not sure why, but maybe they could partner up with a label to consolidate and why not upscale their name a bit better. We're treated here with 10 tracks in almost 50 minutes of playing time, quite long tracks for current Thrash Death standards I'd say, but they are flowing nicely throughout the audition, so in the end that's not a problem at all. Traditional mid-tempo to fast paced Thrash Death based on varied and inventive guitar riffs, fat bass lines and energetic drumming, all lead by a versatile female vocalist that seems to be more comfortable within the growling tonality. To be honest I feel her growls and especially her occasional pig squeals are almost cringy, no offense, but she sounds way better playing clean vocals (not melodic, not some soft girly vocals though) and some roaring shouts she produces at times. There are also a few melodic passages, with old-school long guitar solos that in discordance with the overall aggressive, pounding atmosphere is a nice balancing element for the final result. The compositions are surprisingly diverse and quite catchy, boredom is out of question here  unless you're not accustomed with this type of music, so all in all I'd say Dark Zodiak have produced a seasoned album here, interesting and expressive, and I'd also have to mention the social, realistic approach on lyrics which I like. Released in excellent quality Digipak CD with 8 pages booklet by the band themselves as already mentioned.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10

Contact:
darkzodiak.bandcamp.com