Seizure – Forbidden Tales
Seizure is an American Thrash Metal band formed in 2017. Currently operating as a trio for the recording of this album, they combine Thrash Metal heaviness with Power Metal themes and Symphonic Metal influences to create an interesting alloy that genuinely shocks the senses. A melodic harmony runs like a rip current through the whole thing, giving the listener a chance to hear more than just a typical Metal album. Forbidden Tales is a journey into something new, bold, and different.
https://seizurebandofficial.bandcamp.com/music
Band Members:
- Joey Love – Vocals/Guitars
- Austyn Coffill – Guitars
- Justin Pittman – Drums
October 22, 2022
Tracklist:
- Forbidden Tales
- Banish Into Fable
- Images In The Tea Leaves
- Carpathian Moon
- Potion Seller
- Dragonspyre
- Tongues Of Fire
- Interior Castle
- Sorcerer’s Apprentice
The album opens with the title track, a 57-second instrumental that tends towards the Symphonic Metal end of the band’s sound. Chants, strings, percussion, it’s all in there. That phrasing is then carried over into “Banish Into Fable,” a seriously heavy riffed Thrash Metal song. The vocals are mostly clean, occasionally going a bit distorted, but not into the growl realms. The lyrics include dragons and magic, not often heard in Thrash Metal circles, so good on them for daring to step away from the ordinary.
The opening riff for “Images In The Tea Leaves” is quite nice, shredding into my ears just like I like them to. The double bass work from the drummer is excellent and the bass keeps a killer, steady pace. The rhythm and tempo hit just right, thundering along nicely. This is followed by a two-minute drill known as “Carpathian Moon.” With rapid-fire guitar leads interspersed with melodic phrasings, it shows the real difference in the influences and styles Seizure uses to compose their songs.
“Potion Seller” has a cool variable riff and uses a lot of echoes to deepen the vocal impact. The guitar work on this track is fantastic. The rhythm and lead work together beautifully to create a nice wave of sound that flows through the whole song. The choppy riff really works with the vocal delivery. Next, “Dragonspyre” comes crashing through the speakers. Again, the riff has a dual phrasing that I love hearing. There is just something about the way it’s structured that really draws me in.
For a bit of a Power Metal launch to a song, we move down to “Tongues Of Fire.” There are spoken lyrics over a more melodic riff that fits in Power Metal more than Thrash, but the song’s main body goes back to Thrash quickly. The flow from one style to another is excellent, showing the skill of the composers and musicians. One of the things I’ve liked about Heavy Metal over the last 20 years is the variety of combinations we’ve gotten due to the sheer volume of sub-genres. Seizure is a killer example of how and why this works so well.
Another great song for drum enthusiasts is “Interior Castle.” The variances in the patterns show a lot of skill and take a lot of precision to play. As an aspiring air drummer, this is one of those songs I listen to repeatedly, trying to wrap my head around how the hell this is even possible. Then, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” comes along, and we get another wildly crafted track that shows these guys can do whatever they want and make it sound good.
Phrasing shifts and genre twists are just a few of the things Seizure does for fun. I’m really impressed with how they’ve managed to blend Thrash with Power Metal so well, then even added in elements of Symphonic in a few places. I even think I hear some Neo-Classical as well so that just increases the difficulty. There is a lot to love on this disc, and I am really grateful I got a chance to dig into this record. Excellent job, gentlemen!
MZ Ratings:
- Musicianship
- Guitars – 10
- Rhythms – 9
- Vocals – 9
- Songwriting – 10
- Production – 9
- Overall – 9.40
