EKTOMORF
Fury
AFM
7/10
GROOVY HEAVE-HO: You could probably get through an Ektomorf review without invoking Soulfly, but when a band hews so close to another band’s signature sound and era, it’s disingenuous to ignore or dance around the obvious. To the band’s credit, Hungary’s groove metal machine—and, more precisely, sole founding member, guitarist and vocalist Zoltán Farkas—has been at it for just about as long. Fury, Ektomorf’s 11th (or 13th, depending on your count) is riff after riff of immediate, guttural metal. Play it loud or not at all. Nearly all of the 10 songs hit the three to four minute mark, highlight half-barked vocals that stress a clear chorus, are punctuated by quasi-tribal drum breaks, and are driven by guitar riffs that alternate between windmill neo-thrash and snarlingly simplistic malice. By operating within admittedly rough—some might say primitive—parameters, Ektomorf takes on the role of underdog. You’re curious about what you’re getting, but you’re not especially optimistic. Couched as such, you might think that Fury is not all that it could be, when, in fact, it is all that it should be, and more. And, when “Blood for Blood” hits a dizzy dervish section, you can’t help but grin (or, more likely, scowl) and bang your head. ~ Nick DeMarino
