Essenza-Devil's Breath

Bigmud
2009


This trio from Italy have been around since 1993. They went through some demos in the 90's and finally several albums this decade. The changed drummers a few years ago and just recently began to record their songs in English. That brings us up to the present and their most current release "Devil's Breath". The opener and title track had me thinking mid-paced Judas Priest only a bit crunchier. The rhythms are steady and direct, but the vocals are gritty. Just when I thought I had a handle on them they switch gears on "Deep into your eyes". The sound this time is reminiscent of early-mid 90's Megadeth, but not quite so basic. The rest of this album is similar to this sound. The major influences are Megadeth, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and maybe even AC/DC. It's not just copycat here either because Essenza blend in some subtle yet effective progressive bursts. The results are that they have managed to put enough of themselves into the sound to really create an interesting and active blend of metal. The eight tracks presented here are mostly of the mid-tempo variety and that seems to suit the vocal style. They have a fine knack for raising the intensity at will, but still staying very much in control. Essenza have taken the ideas from 80's and 90's metal bands and put their own stamp on it. It's definitely an approach that they can continue to work on and grow with. Wish it could have been more than eight songs and the mix could have been slightly richer, but a very good effort for sure.