Sanzu – Heavy over the Home (Self-Released)
Thursday, 3rd December 2015
Seems like just yesterday, Sanzu’s debut EP, Painless, was released. In all fairness, it was only earlier in 2015. Which is what makes Heavy over the Home so impressive. Months, not years, after their first offering, Sanzu is back with a vengeance, and as the title does eloquently describe, it’s a decidedly heavy affair.
Much like Painless, Heavy over the Home wears its two biggest influences on its sleeves. The massive grooves of Gojira and the death metal attack of Morbid Angel. But don’t let those prevalent influences fool you – no one is going to mistake Sanzu for some second-rate copycat. The way they take those structures and manipulate them into something unique is worth highlighting for such a “new” band. They’ve managed to up the heaviness factor from Painless, and some of these tracks are absolute juggernauts. The epic title track takes the cake in this regard, moving from an atmospheric beginning into riffing that can’t be described as anything less than massive. One could only imagine the rumbling in this track would cause full-body vibrations in the live setting. “Phenomena” does an excellent job of balancing the heavy grooves with death metal aggression, bringing a slick merger of the two with riffs you won’t soon forget. There’s also potential for the future with Sanzu, as the more melodic pieces like “Awaken” and “Colourblind” providing a good contrast of atmosphere that would go great within the more groove-intensive material.
With two strong releases in less than a year, it’s safe to say that Sanzu are well on their way to spreading their word within the metal community. Striking when the fire is still hot, Heavy over the Home is an impressive collection of what can be done when you understand your influences and merge them into something that’s your own. File this one away as one of the year’s heaviest releases.
