Mezmik – Unlikely Hero EP
Mezmik – Unlikely Hero EP
Self-released
Release Date: 15/07/2024
Running Time: 30:50
Review by David Barreto
8.5/10
Coming from Australia, that place where everything is aimed to kill you, Mezmik comes to treat you well. Very well indeed!
Mezmik is a band formed in 2019 in Brisbane, Queensland, by five very well skilled musicians merging as many styles as Symphonic, Nu, Melodic, Death or Progressive Metal in the same sonic spectrum throughout their songs. Very down-tuned guitars, syncopated rhythms, mixed harsh and clean vocals and synths are their signature sound. Hooked already? If you aren’t yet let me tell you that they were selected as 2023 Queensland finalist band for the Waken Metal Battle competition and supported Blind Guardian on their God Machine Tour in February 2024. That’s some good reference for an emerging band!
“Unlikely Hero” is their debut EP, which will be released the 15th of July of 2024 and I am here to tell you my most sincere appreciation for said goods.
The orchestrated intro, ‘New Dawn’, can make you think you are about to listen to any of the many generic Symphonic Metal bands out there, but as soon as the guitars kick in and the raspy vocals appear mixed with the ethereal main voice you realize you are not listening to an ‘old’ metal formula, but to a new band with their own style.
I normally prefer longer songs so I was very pleased when I realized that no song is shorter than four minutes which means that the melodies and musical ideas are correctly developed and evolve throughout the song like the harmonized guitar lines from ‘Flames and Fury’. Don’t think this is all about melody and dreamy synthesizers, because the drumming on ‘Broken Love’ will punch you in your chest so hard that you will be bouncing around. But don’t be afraid since ‘Hollow’ is after to rescue you with a low tempo nostalgic tune so you can gather back some energy for their last two songs which are definitive bangers, with one the most epic and intricate songs of the whole EP: ‘Heart Once Torn’ and ‘Killer’. Heavy, beautiful and brutal in a perfect blend. Well done. Very well done.
After all, I am quite pleased and very honored to review Mezmik as my first review for Ever Metal since having the chance to listen to this band heightens my spirit and brings back to me the same feelings that amazed me when I listened to metal for the first time. This is a very good starting point for a band and I am definitely eager to listen to what is to come from this five-piece from Brisbane!
The good: ‘Heart Once Torn’, the most epic track of the EP and the best performance of Jolene.
The bad: it is twenty minutes short of being an epic album.
The ugly: emerging bands normally don’t have the budget for pro-recording, pro-mastering and pro-mixing and you can notice the lack of time and/or tools to have better sounding orchestral VSTs. It sounds quite good though, but it could be better. The good thing? This is solved by buying their EP so they will have a bigger budget for their next work. Easy, right?
I am very pleased with the listening and I will follow this band from now on but sadly I have to say goodbye since there is so much music to listen to and so little time…
Hasta la vista, ever-metallers! (paraphrasing Terminator 2? Of course I am)
‘Flames and Fury’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. New Dawn
02. Unlikely Hero
03. Flames and Fury
04. Broken Love
05. Hollow
06. Heart Once Torn
07. Killer
LINE-UP:
Vocals – Jolene Turnbull
Guitar, Vocals – Christopher Fowler
Guitar – Andrew Mackenzie
Bass – Luke Wilson
Drums – David McGuinness
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of David Barreto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
