First Bequest

End Zone appeared relatively late, when the Russian thrash metal wave (Koma, Crownear, Aspid, Valkyria, Zhelezny Potok, Guillotine, Mortifer, etc.) was already past its prime, and some of its representatives were moving towards other, trendier ways of expression. Without testing the soil, our friends here came out with this intrepid statement of intent, a great technical/progressive thrash opus with bold echoes of Death’s later-period although the delivery in this case wasn't as death metal-fixated.

“From the Distance” goes all the distance to introduce the staple tools of the trade of the band like the steel crescendos, the virtuous melodies, the alluring quiet breaks, and the rough, but forceful death metal vocals. “Conqueror Night” comes with vociferous keyboard fanfares, and the fun becomes slower and more melodic with an epic progressive touch. “Dangerous Gift” brings back the more dynamic riffage with impetuous gallops taking over for a while until “Ulterior Solitude” arrives with all the technical grandeur the band paying a handsome tribute to their idols Death, enriching their blitzkrieg approach with a couple of serene, meditative passages. “Spirits of the Dead” is the other cut where the guys come out with all the guns blazing producing another consummate speed/thrashing beast, the stylish sophisticated riffs flying from all sides ranking with the best created by Angel Dust and Paradox. More guitar virtuoso performance served on the short instrumental “The Edge of String”, a blistering lead-driven display of musical craftmanship which comes close to the feats of Yngwie Malmsteen and Marty Friedman. "Remember the Fallen" doesn't follow the same trajectory as it's... yes, a Sodom cover the band making it more officiant and slower, a fairly interesting rendition with a darker, more epic flavour.

“Questions with No Answer” provides quite a few answers, as a matter of fact, related to mid-paced power/thrash with a hefty progressive decoration, a brooding moody piece, all the doom and gloom dispersed by “Candlestick of Pracass”, another gorgeous instrumental, smattering speed/thrash at its most shining best with the bass featured more prominently alongside a myriad of supreme technical riffs which even Mekong Delta and Coroner may find hard to pull out, not to mention the fabulous flute tunes that spring up from time to time giving this masterpiece an eerie, surreal aura. Nothing beats a wonder like that but the guys really try following up with “The Last Hope of the Suffered Soul”, an exquisite complex composition with gothic sections, which even come with a cleaner deep baritone, and hard-hitting riff-patterns those stifled a bit by the magnificent melodic leads that seamlessly flow into “The Castle of Woman of Mine”, the next-in-line instrumental piece which this time is built entirely on balladic lead brilliance, nothing spastic or hectic here, the saga ended in a frolic jocund fashion with the joke “Rock’n Roll” track which suddenly turns into a whirlwind of brutal death metal-ish rhythms mid-way, but only for a bit, the cleaner vocals making another acceptable appearance.

The time for such elaborate exploits was right on Russian soil, and coincided with the emergence of three other formations that also pushed the boundaries of metal towards more demanding ways of execution: Hieronymus Bosch, Succubus, and Sieged Mind. While those three were operating within the death metal parametres, the base on which they built their repertoire was quite similar to the one on display here. Perseverance was what was going to distinguish these acts from the pack, and End Zone were determined to carry on. The sophomore came out mere months after the debut, and its esoteric Greek title boded more progressive/technical niceties for the desperate 90’s fanbase. And it didn’t disappoint, only that it consisted of instrumentals only two of which were already heard on the album reviewed here; a very strong second showing on all counts, it’s just that the lead guitar had occupied most of the space the lead guitarist the actual music provider, the others assisting on the side any which way they could.

“Eclectica” moved away from the band’s previous affairs with a darker, heavier, less complex sound thrash not being the leading genre anymore, a not very striking work that was intended as an epitaph to their short career before anything else. The musicians immediately spread around, and before long Specter appeared, a progressive metal act who deepened into the trajectory started by “Eclectica”, surviving long enough for the release of one full-length (“Images of the Innocent”, 1999). The drummer Andrey Ischenko became a much sought-after figure on the metal arena, and has made a successful career as a session performer while some of his colleagues are active with the international progressive power metal project Forces United, also comprising musicians from the USA and Finland. Whatever it takes to spread the metal idea outside the Twilight Zone…