▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Zheleznyi Potok ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Zovushchaya Vechnost █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2018 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-10-05 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Metal Race Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ I had completely forgotten about these Russain █ █ stalwarts, but since they came back last year with █ █ an excellent new opus ("Perezagruzka"), there was █ █ no way I wasn't going to sit one day, and revisit █ █ their past catalogue. Zhelezny Potok are one of █ █ the few Russian thrash metal bands (Master, █ █ D.I.V., Shah, Korrozia Metala, Koma, Mortifer) █ █ from the old guard who managed to sustain a █ █ consistent career of several full-lengths without █ █ messing it up. They survived all the way to the █ █ mid-90's when the winds of change were blowing █ █ fiercely. The album reviewed here is one of the █ █ better adaptation works worldwide, and probably █ █ the finest one in this trend from the Russian camp █ █ compared to Master's lame "Songs of the Dead" █ █ (1996) and D.I.V's complete surrender to the █ █ industrial metal arena. It shows the band taking a █ █ fairly intriguing direction not far from the █ █ Norwegians Equinox's "Labyrinth" or Coroner's █ █ "Grin", consequently not necessarily █ █ thrash-fixated the whole time. █ █ So after three fairly worthy classic thrash █ █ affairs (the "Black Force" album, released in █ █ 1998, was a re-working of their debut demo from █ █ 1988) the band found themselves in the middle of █ █ the 90's, a very tough time for the retro metal █ █ champions. The previous opus "Infinite Pain" █ █ suggested the coming of some cosmetic alterations █ █ with a less rigid rhythmic-section and quite a few █ █ more experimental elements; but hardly anyone █ █ expected the eccentricity witnessed on this █ █ outlandish offering. The moment "Alcatraz" starts █ █ creeping onward with these schizoid twisted riffs █ █ reminiscent of Treponem Pal and Voivod, the fan █ █ will have to adjust his/her senses for something █ █ much less ordinary. The bizarre rifforama even █ █ knows its more intense headbanging moments to █ █ remind the listener that he/she is neither in █ █ Russia, nor in Kansas anymore. The title-track █ █ comes "calling" with jumpy mind-scratching rhythms █ █ which become more aggressive later, but the █ █ jumpiness also gets bigger with overt shades of █ █ jazz and funk; schizophrenic surreal riffs settle █ █ in the second half the "madness" relieved by the █ █ melodic lead section. "A Hard Way" is a more █ █ orthodox semi-ballad, and "I Came to This World" █ █ is a marginally more aggressive surreal █ █ progressiver with the first, and only, signs of █ █ groove sneaking into the band's sound. █ █ "Pharaoh's Shadow" is a frolic jumper which mixes █ █ quirky melodies with harder riff-patterns the █ █ permeating Oriental atmosphere making the █ █ situation even weirder. "Monsters of the Universe" █ █ is a brooding technical thrasher recalling the █ █ guys' past exploits with several more quiet █ █ passages. "In the Realm of Dreams" is a peaceful █ █ "acoustics vs. saxophone" balladic instrumental █ █ followed by "A City Within the Sea", an edgy █ █ mid-pacer with oddball faster accumulations and █ █ the staple for this album serene balladisms. █ █ "Strange World" is a funky extravaganza with no █ █ relations to thrash, the only seeming filler here, █ █ and the unmitigated failure on this diverse, █ █ "strange" opus. █ █ Despite its uneven, vacillating nature, this album █ █ is a cool, less compromising transition compared █ █ to the numerous heads-over-heels descents into █ █ aggro/groovy/post-thrashy exploits experienced by █ █ both old and newtimers. The hard liners wouldn't █ █ be very happy with the fluctuating riff-formulas █ █ which shift their aggression parametres on an █ █ almost song-by-song basis, but fans of the trippy █ █ near-thrash "excursions" like Omnitron's █ █ "Masterpeace", Wrathchild America's "3-D", the █ █ already mentioned Equinox's "Labyrinth", or even █ █ Voivod's "Nothingface" will be ecstatic to hear █ █ these non-conventional, outside-the-box tunes. █ █ Again, less linear ways of execution were already █ █ prominently presented on the preceding album, but █ █ here the band take the left-hand-path almost all █ █ the way to Bizarroland where more feats were █ █ perhaps awaiting them if they had lasted longer... █ █ Well, here they are in "full-metal jacket" once █ █ again with a great new effort which is a more █ █ technical update of their early albums the guys █ █ thrashing with a lot of energy and gusto, intent █ █ on compensating for the wasted time, a gigantic 20 █ █ and more year hiatus that saw streams and streams █ █ of metal and iron flowing by without their adept █ █ participation. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Alkatras 4:24 ░ ░ 2. Zovushchaya Vechnost 6:58 ░ ░ 3. Trudnaya Doroga 3:22 ░ ░ 4. Ya v Etot Mir Prishel 4:56 ░ ░ 5. Ten Faraona 4:43 ░ ░ 6. Monstry Vselennoi 5:14 ░ ░ 7. V Doline Snov 4:52 ░ ░ 8. Gorod Sredi Morya 5:51 ░ ░ 9. Strannyi Mir 6:07 ░ ░ 46:27 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░