AZUSA: Loop Of Yesterday (CD)

On their sophomore release, Azusa step off the tightrope and stand with feet on solid ground.

Expanding on ideas first presented on 2018’s album Heavy Yoke, Azusa seek to captivate audiences with their unique blend of melodic-thrash, jazz-fusion, hardcore and early 90’s riff pop sensibilities. This is accompanied by lyrics which assertively confront coming of age struggles, like loss, grief, memories and estrangement. Bassist Liam Wilson says, “Heavy Yoke was the initial impact, Loop Of Yesterdays is the aftermath.”

Anxious to continue where they left off, the band found themselves returning to drummer and producer-engineer David Husvik’s Hawk Studios in Oslo, Norway to record “Loop Of Yesterdays,” which was masterminded by long-time collaborators David Husvik and guitarist Christer Espevoll, and recorded in a series of marathon sessions that started before their previous album even left the pressing plant. The band once again called upon Nick Terry (Serena Maneesh, Kvelertak, Turbonegro, etc.) to achieve their ideal mix, a highly polished balance of punch and aggression, giving mastering engineer Jens Bogren (Opeth, At The Gates, Between The Buried And Me) a pitch he could knock out of the park. Intrigued by his ability to exist comfortably in both the jazz and metal world, the band reached out to world-class guitarist Alex Skolnick (Testament) to contribute a shredding guest solo on the track “Detach.” The album artwork was provided by internationally acclaimed German artist Klaus Rinke from his work titled “Um mich herum - Wasser holen, Wasser bringen, Wasser schütten”.

“The line “cannot lose myself in a loop of yesterdays” was inspired by an eerie dream I had and became a recurring reminder for me. I had been out of focus for a long time that I wanted to get back to reality, to the present.” says vocalist Eleni Zafiriadou. Embracing tradition while simultaneously eschewing convention, LOY finds the band navigating a steady course through an ever-changing creative atmosphere.

Tracklist

01.Memories of an Old Emotion

02. One Too Many Times

03.Detach

04.Seven Demons Mary

05.Support Becomes Resistance

06.Momentum

07.Loop of Yesterdays

08.Rapture Boy

09.Skull Chamber

10.Kill-Destroy

11.Golden Words

12.Ritual Aching