ZIFIR

Turkey counts a surprising number of extreme metal bands and dedicated fans in its populace, not the least of which include Unmatched Brutality artists CENOTAPH (not the Mexican band) and black metal act EPISODE 13. The support certainly seems to be present in a big way in this Westernized democracy. Blasphemous, ugly, and defined by a downright hateful sound, "You Must Come with Us" by Izmir's ZIFIR offers the world a caustic and creepy black metal album that borrows much more from the likes of LEVIATHAN than, say, DARKTHRONE, although not in a completely esoteric sense.

After a bizarre intro called "Interrior" with acoustic picking, agonizing moans, and what sounds like a beast devouring its prey, "Honour" begins with a riff/cadence that almost comes off like MESHUGGAH before launching into a more traditionally sickening BM style. Juxtaposing dissonant chords with a groove based beat on songs like "My Greatest Weapon", "Final Solution of the (K)", and "Circus", ZIFIR creates a truly chilling atmosphere by incorporating, among other elements, chanting, and yet still maintains a groove, as opposed to uninterrupted blasting mayhem. "Emic Suicide", "Ashab-ý Mesheme", and "�tiraf" consist almost entirely of spooky atmospherics, whether it is light picking or what sounds like an Islamic prayer resounding from the outdoor speakers of a mosque, making the clash of sounds especially unsettling. Perhaps the most effective combination occurs on "4" with its shift from speedy gallop to a misery march that includes a quasi-angelic vocal that wafts mysteriously through the air. It is outright strange, yet basically effective.

"You Must Come with Us" may not be a black metal juggernaut, but the disc is definitely demonstrative of the number of cool ideas floating around in the heads of ZIFIR's membership, and when it is all brought together on the album the result is quite satisfying. Recommended for black metal fans that enjoy a good bout of strangeness without a total loss of song structure. Interesting stuff.