Zatokrev -Bring Mirrors To The Surface
Zatokrev – Bring Mirrors To The Surface
Pelagic Records
29/08/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8.5/10
Well. This was eventful! I should have known to expect something very left-field and extraordinary from a Pelagic Records band. Though I wasn’t expecting to be pulled apart in so many different directions musically in this journey! Zatokrev are completely new to me, but I feel smug now in potentially being amongst my peers in discovering this gem. The Swiss Post-Metal act clearly are not content in sitting in one genre confine, and have collaborated with other artists that include, but are not limited to, members from Schammasch, and Zeal And Ardour, creating a supergroup feel in the process.
To be truthful though, I didn’t feel much was happening in the first two songs. I understand the premise of building tension through periods of silence and using more ambient, calmer passages as part of the build-up to larger, more atmospheric climaxes. Because, don’t get me wrong, when they crank up the volume and the distortion pedals, it sounds great. It just feels like there’s too much waiting, and in today’s fast-food generation of music, some just won’t have the patience.
Now, ‘The Only Voice’ made me take notice and forced me to crank up the volume though! After such a slower and more mellow start, they decided to switch gears completely and unleash hell with a much faster, Black Metal inspired assault! Black Metal with sprinklings of Hardcore also, with this feeling like Zatokrev attempting to slap their stamp on the genre! The song closes with some more Proggy-style guitar riffs, again demonstrating a commitment to a diverse and experimental sound.
Moving on from fast-paced Blackened Hardcore stylings, get ready to be dragged through a murky swamp by your ankles as ‘Unwinding Spirits’ because that’s exactly what this song feels like! It’s a brutal bludgeon of an attack on your senses, yet one that’s intoxicating and thoroughly addictive! It’s been a while since I’ve heard some good Funeral Doom, and this is just the antidote I needed! This really is everything; the denser than treacle guitars and bass locking in with the drums with merciless precision, and some sickening fierce growls over the top!
So far, 2 misses, and 2 absolute storming tracks on this record. Where are we off to next?
Well, ‘Faint’ takes us in more of a Math Rock, Hardcore frenzy direction. Fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan will be satiated here! A short sharp blast at roughly 3 and a half minutes will surely get some pits moving violently if and when they play this live. At almost 3 times the length, we have ‘Changes’, featuring members of Schammasch. But there’s absolutely no fluff or filler here. No, you’re greeted with yet another Blackened Hardcore blast that slaps you in right in the jaw, all before the band show mercy on you and slow things right down again for more mellow and Shoegazey elements, which are much needed and appreciated at this point. Elements that are built upon in the closing songs. Especially with the more solemn and sombre close to ‘Deep Dark Turns Green’, the piercing lead guitars and stunning soundscapes being the most striking features as we collectively mourn the end of this thrilling ride.
Honestly, I’ve really warmed to the album and the band as a whole now! After what I genuinely thought was a pedestrian start. I guess that’s my main concern for this record. The songs hovering at 10 minutes in length are going to take some getting used to for some, whilst most will be deterred immediately. It can feel a bit like an endurance event at times, but persevere. Trust me. Zatokrev have produced an absolute scorcher of a record that fearlessly tests the boundaries of what metal can and should be!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Red Storm (ft. Bölzer & Schammasch)
02. Blood (ft. Inezona)
03. The Only Voice
04. Unwinding Spirits (ft. Manuel Gagneux/Zeal & Ardor)
05. Faint
06. Changes (ft. Schammasch)
07. Pearl Eyes
08. Deep Dark Turns Green (ft. Minsk)
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