Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Yyrkoon - Unhealthy Opera - 2006 - The End Records

Track Listing1. Something Breathes 2. Unhealthy Opera 3. From The Depths 4. Avatar Cemetary 5. Temple Of Infinity 6. Abnormal Intrusion 7. Screaming Shores 8. Book, The 9. Horror From The Sea 10. Lair 11. Of Madness 12. Injecting Dementia

French death metal unit Yyrkoon return with their fourth record to date in "Unhealthy Opera". This marks the band's follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Occult Medicine" in 2003. The band is signed to Euro label Osmose Records, a defining leader in extreme music, and for domestic distribution The End Records has picked up the rights for the band. The group find themselves firmly rooted in death metal tradition, this time creating the perfect, scorching mind melt that still embodies the classical guitar riffs and melodies of some of metal's finest traditional regiments. For "Unhealthy Opera" Yyrkoon create a conceptual album that revolves around H.P. Lovecraft's "Cthulhu" mythos, a popular subject for many underground and mainstream bands.

In many ways Yyrkoon proves to be the perfect death metal selection, rivaling the likes of Vader, Cannibabl Corpse, and even Morbid Angel in terms of extreme superiority. From the ultra-fast and sensational opener "Unhealthy Opera" to the classical influence of "Temple Of Infinity", the band showcase a tremendous amount of talent. While most songs remain at top speed, chugging along with fast thrash riffs and quick drum stepping, the real heart of the band is the melodic injections, particularly with the mesmerizing solos. It is this aspect that finds Yyrkoon on my list of new death metal bands that fit that "elite" scale. This is a solid choice from top to bottom and should please all fans of the extreme while still engaging the likes of traditional metal enthusiasts.

Note - Look for a fabulous solo from King Diamond axe-God Andy LaRocque on "Horrors From The Sea".



--EC 08.02.06