Although they have been often criticized as being heavily influenced by Max Cavalera’s Sepultura and Soulfly, Ektomorf managed to gather a serious fan base around Europe and the perseverance of Zoltán “Zoli” Farkas finally were fructified. Too similar to Sepultura and Soulfly or not, Ektomorf deliver the same kind of merciless, intense, Hardcore fueled, modern, Groove Metal. In these riffs, screaming vocals, heavily pounding drums there is no compromise, but fury, focused anger, brutally expressed honest, human revolt.
Ektomorf was founded in 1993 in Mezőkovácsháza, Hungary, a small city near the Romanian border, by Zoltán “Zoli” Farkas. Due to his gypsy background Zoli saw himself confronted with racism and prejudices, which made even harder for an East European Metal band to get recognized, locally and internationally. After releasing 3 records and touring Hungary back and forth, their breakthrough came when they started collaboration with Danish producer Tue Madsen. They singed to Nuclear Blast in 2004 and moved to AFM Records in 2009 being label mates with bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Masterplan, Annihilator, etc.
“Black Flag” is the band’s eight studio album, although, on February 17, 2012, the band relesed through AFM Records an album entitled “The Acoustic” consist in 12 “unplugged” (acoustic) versions of newly recorded songs from previous records, plus two cover songs, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”.
The current line-up of the band is consist of Zoltán Farkas — vocals and guitars, Tamás Schrottner – guitars, Szabolcs Murvai – bass, and Robert Jaksa – drums. “Black Flag” is another march of ravishing fury, murderous riffs, bloody screams and killer drums. “War Is My Way” will nail you to the ground. And honestly, all the 14 tracks will blow you away, as Ektomorf always do. This music is about energy, it’s about mosh and pogo, headbanging, fistbanging, about jump up and scream, about discharge your fury and express your anger, and not about “reinventing the steel” by any mean. And this is like an earthquake or a hurricane: can’t stop it, it’s gonna tear you to pieces.
Still sounds like Sepultura and Soulfly? Yes, but so what?! Love it or leave it. On the other hand, unfortunately they lost their gypsy roots, they do not bring those elements further, which is definitively a lost, it was something specific, something unique for their sound and musical build-up. Zoli should be proud of being gypsy, not acting in the other direction and covering his origins, hiding those unique musical elements away. Those gypsy aromas missing now from the Ektomorf arsenal, but hopefully they will put them back next time.
Tracklist:
01 – War Is My Way
02 – Unscarred
03 – The Cross
04 – Cut It Out
05 – Black Flag
06 – Private Hell
07 – 12 Angels
08 – Enemy
09 – Fuck Your God
10 – Never Surrender
11 – Sick Love
12 – Feel Like This
13 – Kill It
14 – The Pretender
Ektomorf – Official Site
Ektomorf @ MySpace
Ektomorf @ Facebook
A new video for “Unscarred” will be released soon.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbHSNUcl-cI&w=545&h=307]
