AKARUSA YAMI - Heavy Climb

10 songs
42:43 minutes
***** ****
(self-released)

Bandpage

British avantgarde metal band Akarusa Yami who were founded in 2010 sound just as weird as their name. The Northern English band has treated their fans with the two great EPs Ouroboros and Trace Element Rebirth. There was already an improvement from the first to the second EP, but with their first longplayer Heavy Climb, the Brits made a huge step forward.

Akarusa Yami quote Between The Buried And Me as a major influence, and just like them they are not afraid to add all kinds of influences into their music. Nu metal, industrial, prog, jazz,... there is hardly anything you won’t encounter in this crucible of different musical styles. With the rather extreme vocals, the final product gets its very own touch. The changes from one style to another are sometimes quite abrupt, although always handled skilfully. No matter if you call it organised chaos or sophisticated havoc, the listening experience is challenging and rewarding at the same time. There are some unexpected surprises on the album. On At Last, Sunlight (Endlich, Sonnenlicht), the vocalist is trying his best at the German language and even manages the /ch/ consonant quite well. Less successful is their French grammar, as on Les Mere Terrible they lack an accent grave and a plural s. The concluding The Natasha Trade is one truly different piece of music. The band hired guest vocalist Joy Shannon on this quite industrial and electronic song, making this a worthy conclusion of a strong album. Only the two instrumentals Long Nights In The City and Loving Parents are quiet and somewhat bland, but don’t really disturb the album’s flow. Praise goes to the excellent cover artwork which perfectly illustrated the album title, and the lyrics that deal with human rights.

Fans of Between The Buried And Me, Fear Factory and Meshuggah will get their money’s worth with Akarusa Yami, a band which is open for all kinds of genres which manages to sound extreme and complex at the same time. It’s quite a shame that these guys haven’t been signed by a record label yet.