Zen Disdain is a Black Doom/Death Metal band from the Netherlands. December 27th, 2023, Zen Disdain independently released their debut EP album Premonition. It would gratify fans of Septicflesh, Candlemass, and Epica. Premonition was promoted through GlobMetal Promotion.
Introduction:
Zen Disdain, Premonition: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins of Premonition
Let’s start by discussing the first three sins of Zen Disdain and their Premonition album.
The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Consists of progressive riffs and soaring shredding with dynamic rhythms/dark and haunting melodies/harmonies. The Second Sin, The Vocals: Which involves various tones, styles, and ranges. The Third Sin—The Percussions: Which delves into the vast world of aggressive pounding beats, fills, and strikes.
The Fourth Sin: Overall Discussion: Blend of aggressive and beautiful sounds… brutal to dark and epic…
When the listener presses the play button, the listener is welcomed by the opening piece, My Greatest Sin. The piece starts with clean chord playing that creates an unsettling feeling before the tempo changes to a dark-progressive and operatic piece.
The listener continues their musical journey with the second piece, The Woods, and the last two songs, where the listener’s ears are in for a hell of a trip with this fruit of art of dark metal. Premonition presents an impressive blend of different subgenres in just twenty-two minutes of playtime. The composition is so skillfully crafted that it encompasses many styles without being confined to any single one.
The musical styles that make up Premonition can vary from listener to listener. The album features a diverse tapestry of sounds and styles, such as (to my ears) symphonic dark metal, similar to the style of Septicflesh, as well as the raw energy and aggression of death and black metal. It also includes epic doom metal that evokes the grandeur of Candlemass and even symphonic metal that captures the sweeping melodies and orchestral atmosphere of Epica.
The production of the music is of top-notch quality, exhibiting a clean, tight, and well-polished sound. The devilmanship composition of the songs and instrumentation adds a raw, rock-soiled edge to the release, making it all the more unique. One can appreciate how everything falls into place seamlessly, creating a cohesive and beautiful experience. Moreover, the tempo change within the release is subtle yet noticeable, and it flows like a calm river, taking the listener on an enchanting journey.
The darkly instrumental composition of the guitar employs various tones, tempos, and techniques, such as progressive riffs and soaring shredding, to create a dynamic and engaging musical experience. The guitar playing is marked by dynamic rhythms/dark and haunting melodies/harmonies, adding depth to the composition.
At the same time, the drums consist of aggressive pounding beats, fills, and strikes that perfectly complement the guitar’s powerful and cohesive sound that blends seamlessly with the guitar and bass playing.
Belous‘s devilmanship within her vocal abilities is a fruit of art, including epic-slow doom metal, death growls, and symphonic/operatic vocals. Belous‘s vocal performances are characterized by a heavy emphasis on the powerful, interchangeable vocal tones and range she flawlessly executes with precision and passion. Whether singing in a soft, melodic tone or belting out intense and dramatic notes, Belous‘s vocal prowess is breathtaking as it transitions between different styles, tones, and ranges.
Overall, Zen Disdain is a powerful release, yet dark, progressive, and beautiful. It is also heavy and brutal and sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who listens to it.
The album comes to an end with the last song, Embrace The Shadow. We want to give a shoutout to GlobMetal for letting us review Zen Disdain and their Premonition album. Now, we’re going to wrap it up by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.
You’re Listening to “The Woods”
PlayThe last Three Sins
Let’s discuss the last three sins, our thoughts on Zen Disdain and their Premonition album.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia: Is that for us, Zen Disdain is an intense and alluring music release that immediately captures the listener’s attention when the play button is pressed.
The instrumentation and vocals are a fruit of art crafted, producing a stunning blend of aggressive and beautiful sounds that range from heavy and brutal to dark and epic.
The musical spectrum presented in this release is genuinely breathtaking, offering a sonic experience that is both powerful and mesmerizing.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork:
Appears to be a visual representation of a dead body that has been wrapped up and is now emerging from the ground. Texture and colour create an eerie atmosphere and add to the effect that something is about to happen.
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish:
Nothing to disrelish within the musical spectrum of Zen Disdain, and their album Premonition.
This concludes the Zen Disdain, Premonition review.
Track-Listing:
- My Greatest Sin
- The Woods
- Everpresent
- Embrace the Shadows
Zen Disdain is:
- Zoya Belous – vocals
- Dmitrii Prihodko – guitar, bass
- Ronny Meinders – drums
