Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Hailing from Sweden, the female fronted power metal band Zephyra released their debut demo “Behave” a few years ago. It was pretty average if you ask me. Their debut EP “First Blood” has just been released and it is well above average – in fact, I would say that it is pretty darn good and shows the progress this band has made since their demo.
The opener, “Undone” really gets the ball rolling with some classic style metal riffs. Lead vocalist Asa Netterbranf has two distinctive vocal styles which she shows off throughout the 24-minute EP. Her main style is a clean technique, but she also uses a growling style that is quite effective as well. “Loyalty” is next and comes crashing through before slowing down the tempo a bit and it turns into a moody mid-tempo metal track. “Are You Really Blessed” is another melodic track the type of which Zephyra does very well. The one common theme running through the album is some great melodic material, whilst still utilizing heavy riffs and the way the growling vocals are used is great and doesn’t detract at all from the songs. The ballad “Inside Revealed” shows off another side to the band – but the track gets progressively heavier near the end. “First Blood” is completed by a pretty cool live acoustic version of “Are You Really Blessed”. “First Blood” is an excellent representation of Zephyra, in my opinion. Where their demo had its good and average moments, “First Blood” is more consistent in a positive way. Forget the demo, this is how Zephyra should be judged.
Rating – 88/100
Tracklist
- Undone
- Loyalty
- Are You Really Blessed
- Inside Revealed
- Are You Really Blessed (live & acoustic version)
Line Up
- Åsa Netterbrant – Vocals and Growls
- Tony Netterbrant – Guitars, Vocals
- Henrik Willman – Guitar
- Tobias Oja – Bass
- Fredrik Johansson – Drums
Links