© Aydra 2001
AYDRA
Icon Of Sin
My god, this disc is an extremely pleasant surprise! I have AYDRA's 4 song 1996 demo, and I think it is good, but I was shocked to hear how much better they sound on their first full length disc. The horrible production on the demo obviously severely reduces one's appreciation of their sound, but the huge imnprovement in production cannot fully account for the jaw dropping awe Icon of Sin inspires in me every time I listen to it.AYDRA are an Italian four piece band that is probably most appropriately labeled as Progressive Thrash. However, Mauro Pacetti's (bass and vocals) gruff screaming might tempt people to place AYDRA in the Progressive Death Metal catagory. In addition, it appears that the band's main influences are ATHEIST and DEATH, both of whom are arguably Progressive Death Metal bands. Based on the comparisons I make later on in the review though, I say AYDRA is, at heart, a Thrash band, damnit.
Virtually all of the songs on Icon of Sin contain intricate riffage (courtesy of Francesco Olivi and Marcello Lammoglia) and drumming (thanks to Nicola Raffaeli) as well as more straightforward Thrash segments in several songs. The bass playing is not as obviously impressive, but it too stands out in a few tracks. I cannot overemphasize how engaging this disc is to my ears. It is truly a stellar mix of musical intricacy and catchiness.
The disc weighs in at a measly 32 minutes, unfortunately. Nine of the ten songs range from 2 to 4 minutes in length. However, although Icon of Sin is short in duration, it contains more riffs, time changes, and ideas than most bands manage in their entire careers. AYDRA could obviously develop these songs to a greater extent by simply elongating them through recycling/repeating some of the many riffs featured. It is not a big deal to me though. I often just resort to listening to the disc twice in a row - something I rarely do normally.
The title track starts the disc off sounding like a "Soothing Sounds from the Sea" CD you would see on display in some New Age store with pointless running water, thunder, and bird songs for 35 seconds before the actual music kicks in. I guess it is not a bad idea to try to collect your thoughts, reflect upon your past lives, and calm your inner child before you get pummeled with musical insanity for the next half hour of your life.
"Noone Tale", track 3 on Icon of Sin, contains some excellent DEATHROW - Deception Ignored riffing that transitions into stop-start ATHEIST sections complete with cool bass twangs. Sadly, this song is only 2 minutes long. "Reflect and Desist" features some cool riffing akin to BELIEVER - Sanity Obscure in some sections. "The Day of the Wedding" showcases great manic drumming and nice use of acoustic guitar over the electric crunch. "Xavier's Dream" exhibits CORONER - No More Color-like twisted riffs and time changes and is another drumming tour de force. "Lost Time Fury" is another track that recalls the greatness of ATHEIST in some segments of the song.
The last two tracks on Icon of Sin are quite different from the previous eight. "Night Drive" is standard Thrash - it is not complex. It definitely is not as good as the previous material, but it is still enjoyable and catchy. "No R.M.X" is actually an Industrial Metal song, and it is the best song I have heard in this style since the material on FEAR FACTORY - Remanufacture.
The Italian Technical/Progressive Death and Thrash Metal scene is truly impressive when you consider all of the great bands it has spawned (GORY BLISTER, ESICASTIC, EPHEL DUATH, THY NATURE...). AYDRA fits right in with these underappreciated, excellent groups. Icon of Sin occupies the third slot in my top 10 of 2001. It is an amazing disc that all lovers of complex metal really need to check out. An mp3 is located here. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get a hold of Icon of Sin, but you really should try. A good place to start is by contacting the band . Their contact info can be found on their web page.
Editor's rating: 8
Contributed by John Frank
