Growls And Thunder...

Mayak - Allegiance To None (2014)

Moving on from their 2013 demo EP, Mayak have released their first album, and on it, they blend thrash, sludge, and touches of doom with the aggression and vocals of hardcore and black metal.  Every now and then, the pounding percussion and string-slamming let up for brief melodic interludes, though these are inevitably drawn back to the more chaotic stylings.  The band spits forth plenty of frenzied mania, rarely sitting on one riff for too long, a quality that combines with the singular style of vocals to make it difficult to peel the songs apart when thinking back over the album.  At the same time, it probably makes for a distinctive live performance, as testified by Mayak's high volume of shows since breaking out with their demo.
The band's greatest strength seems to lay in its ability to bring punishing heavy onslaught on and on in waves, giving brief breaks for breath before the next breaker rolls its way out of your speakers and over your ears.  They do have a few indulgences in sustained melodies (maybe most notably in "S.M.O.D."), which I'd like to hear them experiment more with on future releases, just to find out what they can do with a riff that sticks around for a full track.  At the same time, their ability to leap from one rhythm smoothly into another, and another, and another does call for some respect of their chops on the technical side of things, particularly considering they can pull this stuff off on-stage instead of just Frankensteining it together in the studio.
The album is available on vinyl through SellYourSoul Records, with a cassette release by Mustard Mustache scheduled for the near future, so if you've got a taste for the high-speed and twitchy, give Mayak your ears for an afternoon, and see how they're treated.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Countress, Light Bearer, Northless, Black Freighter, Primate

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Mayak - Return to Dust (320 kbps)

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Meltdown City...

Mayak - Self-Titled EP (2013)

Remember going to dive bar metal and punk shows when you were in high school? There would always be that one band opening that you had probably never heard of that always stood out above the rest. Maybe it was the effort they were putting into the show; maybe it was the fact that they had never played your town and were making damn sure you didn’t forget their name. Now, I’m not saying no one has never heard of Mayak, but I definitely got that same feeling from those club show days when I gave their debut EP a listen this week.

Mixing elements of punk, sludge, black metal and hardcore, Germany’s Mayak quickly proves they can hang with the fastest and loudest of them all, but soon show their range by adding in brief moments of clean vocals and well-conceived breakdowns that don’t wear out their welcome. Where one track may begin in the vain of symphonic metal legends Cradle of Filth, it rapidly dissipates and bursts back into a blast beat treasure trove that then evolves into a mish-mash of punk drums and dirty guitars. On the track “Another Day Will Rise,” Mayak is masterful in making the track sound like the beginning of something like a lost Ramones song, but soon jump into gravelly screams and gang vocals that are the farthest thing away from old-school punk. Planning a full-length release later in the year, Mayak is sure to make some lasting impressions on those lucky enough to check them out. In the meantime, the  EP is available via the band's Bandcamp with a “name-your-own-price” option.

~Joe

For Fans Of; Kvelertak, At The Gates, Today Is The Day, Gojira, Cancer Bats,

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Mayak (297 kbps)

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