Hungarian Groove Metal act Ektomorf, have released a rage-brimming album that certainly packs a punch. Retribution is a generous offering of 14 tracks, many of which are about as subtle as a sledgehammer being swung into your face. Although not entirely the same genre, they remind me a little of Rage Against the Machine meets Limp Bizkit, at least in their delivery. Not surprisingly they’ve been around for about as long.
The album kicks off with the machine gun groove of “You Can’t Control Me” which I quite liked. However, the sonic assault of their furious sound runs the risk of becoming monotonous after a few tracks, due to its similarity and its refusal to alter its level of intensity. Luckily they are able to break up the “sameness” of their material by tossing in a few tracks that offer a little more diversity of sound like “Lost and Destroyed” and “Souls of Fire”. The chorus vocals in “Numb and Sick” remind us that there is actually singing capability present in Ektomorf beyond just primal screaming. That being said I still love the raging simplicity of songs like “Who the Fuck Are You” and “I Hate You” (which reminds me of S.O.D.).
Just when I’ve pegged these guys as a primarily one-dimensional band of blood curdling screams and grinding guitars, they close the album with an acoustic ballad, “Collapsed Bridge”. It's so different to the tone of the rest of the album that it almost sounds sarcastic.
But despite these criticisms, Retribution is a polished production with many enjoyable moments that will serve me well the next time I’m stuck in rush hour traffic.
Richard Leggatt, HMS
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