Review Summary: Israeli Metal at its best - Groovy fun and catchy.
The first time I heard Betzefer was a year and a half ago, when they warmed up Megadeth in their 25th year Peace Sells anniversary tour. It was, if I recall correctly, their (Megadeth) first show in 5 years in Israel, so me and my friend (we were both thirteen years old) were really excited about it. When we arrived at the Exhibition Grounds, surprisingly, there were more Betzefer fans than Megadeth fans; they are apparently extremely popular over here. Betzefer honored us with a hell of a warm-up, and the incredible amount of groovy fun generated at their show was a great build up to the uber Thrash legends.
I'll save any additional details from this night to a Megadeth review, but I have to admit that I have really enjoyed Betzefer's gig.
Unfortunately, I was a bit musically retarded back then, as I can also clearly remember the next embarrassing words coming out of my mouth - "Why didn’t Megadeth play any of the stuff from Cryptic Writings?"
Happily, I can now assure you, with my slightly less retarded taste of music, that Betzefer is a great Groove Metal band, and that their latest album, Freedom To The Slave Makers, is a quite enjoyable purchase, with many great moments.
The album starts with what that in my opinion is the weakest track in the album. The vocals are very bad and the music can't pick it up. If you get through it, though, the next track, Backstage Blue is as cool and groovy as its title, and is one of the best tracks off the album. From then on, the album doesn't really change. There are some highlights like the epic live piece Doomsday and the slow Perfect Lie, but also some let-downs like Best Seller, which I've already mentioned.
The album isn’t very complicated musically, but its simplicity is loveable. The vocals are pretty good, especially for an Israeli singer, and the production is great.
Betzefer is one of the most known acts in the Israeli Metal scene, and one of the best in it. However, it does not make them as amazing as you might think it would, seeing as Israeli music isn’t that good. It does make them great, though, and Freedom To The Slave Makers is a catchy and fun record, it is probably up there in my favorite Groove Metal of all-time.
In an additional note, Betzefer is amazingly fun live; I recommend you to go to one of their concerts the next time you'll find yourself in Israel.
Freedom To The Slave Makers was released in February 18, 2011. The record label is AFM and it is 39:29 minutes long.
Personnel:
Avital Tamir - lead vocals
Matan Cohen - guitars
Rotem Inbar - bass
Roey Berman - drums, percussion
Production:
Warren Riker - production, mixing
Alan Douches - mastering
