I have never come across a Pakistani Metal band ever. (Okay, maybe a few rock bands like Entity Paradigm in my teenage years!) But in the larger context, and myself getting more deep in the genre, coming across a band from Pakistan is rare. Thus when I finally got one from my promos - I had no chance to miss it. Azaab, a five- member death metal band from Karachi, who promises to deliver no less than face melting death metal are releasing their debut album “Summoning the Cataclysm” this April. They dropped the first single “The Infernal Citadel” and I am here to talk about it.
Starting off with middle-eastern phrygian based riff in the style of Melechesh, the song hooks you in for a ride, flowing directly into a brutal caveman styled riff of Hath and Old Opeth. With dissonance chord progression and few catchy riff phrasings aided by the groovy drums, it showcases a lethal mix of brutal death metal and old-school death metal. Even extra lead guitar layerings with pinched harmonics and short shred sections sound stellar.
Halfway through the song enters the guitar solo of Phil Tougas (First Fragment, Equipoise) with his signature tone and brings in total mayhem. For the outro, the song returns to its first riff with marching drums on top - coming a full circle and ending the way it started.
The vocals with its growls, has an old-school death metal style with a coarse texture - aiding much in the overall sound of the song. The guitar showcases a wide range of inspiration through its riff-writing. The drums with its blast beats and double bass sound powerful and polished in the mix - bringing in the much needed heaviness and tightness. Overall, Azaab dropped a powerful single from their upcoming release. All we can do is anticipate what the album has to offer us!
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/azaabmetal/
Genre: Death Metal
Worldwide Release: February 18th, 2022.
