Another band from Sweden? Yes. And when some heavy music comes from that part of Europe we all have great expectations. Once again your expectations will be rewarded. This time no warm retro rock vibes but some powerful, dirty groove-laden sludgy doom metal/rock performed by band Mara. Do not mistake doom band Mara with that other (cool) Swedish one-man black metal band Mara. Our Mara is a young four-piece band involving Thunder on vocals and lead guitar, Abbe on bass and backing vocals, Denka on lead guitar and Ülf on drums.
The band has a badass self-titled debut demo/EP out on Bandcamp for free download. Mara’s EP includes three fat tracks nicely portraying the band’s skills in building up infectious powerful sounds lead by simple melodies but enriched with measured technical skills, tempo changes and contamination.
The opening track Greed is starting immediately with rain and a clean and sinister-sounding, melancholic and delicate melody reminding of Opeth’s Damnation. Soon this melody is reprised and surprisingly transformed by means of some mammoth heavy riffing, booming drumming and Thunder’s aggressive rauchous, shouted singing. Riffage ranges between raw Sabbathian to highly dynamic stoner and even post-metal/proggy, sort of halfway between Red Rang and Mastodon. The second track Possessed is lead by a slower pace and a seducing swampy southern flavour, the best setting for the alcoholic, raw sludgy chanting. Only towards the end riffs nicely speed up in badass accelerations and somehow announce the tight dynamics in the following track, On the Edge of Extinction. This killer, flamboyant mid-paced ballad is lead by quintessential raw heaviness but embellished by some great retro proggy / heavy metal riffs which will leave you wanting for more when the music will suddenly stop. Also vocals here are so strained and varied that singer Thunder will surprise you even with some falsetto screaming à-la-Merciful Fate. Nasty!
The Mara guys say they are working on a full length album out soon. I bet it will be a blast!
Words: Marilena Moroni
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The band has a badass self-titled debut demo/EP out on Bandcamp for free download. Mara’s EP includes three fat tracks nicely portraying the band’s skills in building up infectious powerful sounds lead by simple melodies but enriched with measured technical skills, tempo changes and contamination.
The opening track Greed is starting immediately with rain and a clean and sinister-sounding, melancholic and delicate melody reminding of Opeth’s Damnation. Soon this melody is reprised and surprisingly transformed by means of some mammoth heavy riffing, booming drumming and Thunder’s aggressive rauchous, shouted singing. Riffage ranges between raw Sabbathian to highly dynamic stoner and even post-metal/proggy, sort of halfway between Red Rang and Mastodon. The second track Possessed is lead by a slower pace and a seducing swampy southern flavour, the best setting for the alcoholic, raw sludgy chanting. Only towards the end riffs nicely speed up in badass accelerations and somehow announce the tight dynamics in the following track, On the Edge of Extinction. This killer, flamboyant mid-paced ballad is lead by quintessential raw heaviness but embellished by some great retro proggy / heavy metal riffs which will leave you wanting for more when the music will suddenly stop. Also vocals here are so strained and varied that singer Thunder will surprise you even with some falsetto screaming à-la-Merciful Fate. Nasty!
The Mara guys say they are working on a full length album out soon. I bet it will be a blast!
Words: Marilena Moroni
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