KOOZNETZ - review added 1st October 2009
Album Review: Kooznetz (self-titled) (2009)
For fans of: Heavy Metal... and Boney M
Kooznetz is apparently Russian for 'blacksmith', and was chosen after the initial iteration of this band, called Blacksmith, found themselves in the midst of untold other bands with the same moniker.
The guys - Kim Izmaylov (guitar and vocals), Andrian 'Daddy Metal' Sevastyanov (guitar), Marco Restagno (bass) and Eduard Riumin (drums and keys) - are based in Vancouver, Canada, but the names should tell you where the Russian influence comes from.
The sound is rip-roaringly heavy metal mixed with thrash, a few portions of funk and prog and a fair slab of tongue-in-cheek. They come across like a mutant offspring of early Venom, Saxon and Kreator. The vocals aren't exactly singing-lesson-great, but they grow on you with repeated listens. On this evidence it's unlikely Kim Izmaylov will ever perform on Broadway, but more fool them. He has a unique sound which is more than a lot of singers can boast.
Song wise, 'Insurgent Mass' is a fine entry with nice keyboard flourishes in the background. It shows Kim in a very good light and really is ridiculously loud! The guitars, bass and drumming are exceptional throughout but really come to a head on the instrumental 'Works with Metal'. It's an absolutely monstrous track with strength, volume, skill and passion wrapped into 4 minutes of magic. Most instrumentals leave me cold regardless of how good they may be on the surface. This one makes me hotter than a warm day on the sun.
Kooznetz have produced a fine album with this debut. I get a lot of promo discs each month and only decided to listen to this one because the disc came with a Kooznetz-branded condom...and it made me chuckle. I'm glad I've heard it though - it's worth the effort. I suspect Kim Izmaylov's singing style may put some people off but, if you can get past his interesting tone, there really is a lot to like here. It's not music you can play quietly, but is having to play something loud really a problem?
Check out... The musicianship throughout. Fantastic.
Track List:
1. Prelude
2. The Tribal Dance
3. Insurgent Mass
4. Uphill Journey
5. Hit the Metal
6. Circles
7. Chemical Mirage
8. Spirit of the Highway
9. Works with Metal
10. Stalingrad
11. Rasputin
Artist's website(s): Kooznetz , MySpace
