Review Summary: A surprisingly strong debut
Zephyr is the latest group in the growing Progressive Metalcore scene (comprising the likes of Erra, Invent Animate and Novelists to name a few) and the London based quartet's debut EP, An Odyssey for the Living, is a very solid addition to the genre. Within the 5 songs on display you will find everything you expect from the genre done very well. Song structures featuring complex riffs intertwining with one another? Check. An over all ambiance created by both keyboards and slow, soaring guitars? Check. Heavy, Djenty chugs? Check and double check. The songwriting here truly stands out above all else, with the tracks moving effortlessly from section to section. Nothing feels out of place, nothing feels tacked on later for no good reason, each song truly has an organic feel to it. Even the group vocals (group grunts?) at the beginning of Gemini, while a bit off putting at first, grow on you and even become a standout of the song later on. Production is also a high point on this release, which is mixed better than a few recent big name records that come to mind. This is no doubt owed to producer Julian Rodriguez, former guitarist for Elitist, as he has a number of years experience in recording and mastering this exact style of music.
The album does stumble from time to time, as is expected with a freshman effort. Clean vocals on Cloud Spires, while fitting nicely in the song, are not exactly executed well. It just sounds like someone who doesn't really know how to sing trying to do just that, and the result is less than pleasant. However, the biggest hindrance to the album is that Zephyr aren't really trying to do anything new with their sound. As stated above, everything on the album is executed at a very high level, but it all has also been done many times over by other bands within the genre. Also taking into account that this is a style of music that is growing in popularity recently, the band must find their own unique take on the sound in order to develop into a singular voice among many. This doesn't impede the album from being a very enjoyable listen to fans of the genre, which it is, but it might keep it from being as memorable as they might like.
