Description
1993 saw Schizo releasing the “Sounds Of Coming Darkness” MCD, recorded in the same Fon Studio where Fear Factory where mixing Soul Of A New Machine and mastered at the exclusive Abbey Road Studios in London. Unfortunately, bad luck always seemed to obstacle Schizo’s glorious musical journey and despite the guy’s unstoppable ambition was almost leading them to collaborate with renowned engineer Andy Sneap for a brand-new full-length album, other line up changes occurred and as if that was not enough, their label financially broke down and this MCD did not get any proper distribution thus make it rare as hell and hard to find
Media:Mint (M)
Sleeve:Mint (M)
Schizo – Sounds Of Coming Darkness
Label: A.V. Arts- AVR CD 008
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: Italy
Released: 1994
Genre: Thrash, Death Metal
Tracklist
1 Through Hollow Minds 5:38
2 Into A Darkened Room 6:48
3 Built With Bricks Of Shame 4:27
4 Melancholy Waters Lie (Crude Dub Mix) 4:38
Total playing time 21:31
Bass, Keyboards – Alberto Penzin
Cover [Design & Illustration] – Dave McKean
Drums – Pat Pappalardo
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Ale Sportelli*, Luigi Scuderi
Guest [Eventide Vocal Tools] – Alex Ielo
Guitar – Vittorio Blanco
Lead Vocals – Ingo*
Lyrics By – Penzin* (tracks: 1-4)
Mastered By – Nick Webb
Music By – Penzin* (tracks: 1-4), Blanco* (tracks: 1-4)
Producer – Alberto Penzin, Steve Harris (4)
Mastered At – Abbey Road Studios
Recorded At – Fon Studios
Mixed At – Fon Studios
Recorded At – Waterbird Studios
Recorded At – WestLink Recording Studio
Built with bricks of fame – 87%
It seems like the 1992 demo “Wounds (in the Clay)” had a very good impact on the scene, because after that, a little label offered Schizo a big occasion: record an EP in the Fon Studio (where Fear Factory were mixing their industrial metal masterpiece “Soul of a new machine”) and mix it at the prestigious Abbey Road Studios!
This EP follows the same direction of “Wounds (in the Clay)”, but develops it in a darker and darker way, even less thrashy than before, but still far from being groove metal. Blast beats are very rare (maybe you can find them only in the first track, and just for a moment) and rhythms are very slow, but strongly empowered by double bass (very overused in this EP). Do you remember the “tortured” atmosphere that the riffs evoked on “Wounds (in the Clay)”? Well, multiply it by a million. Riffs here are extremely twisted and gloomy, evoking a very vague sense of “groove”, but still staying stuck in the mid-paced thrash territory. Ingo’s growls are even deeper than before (but still far from being really guttural, like the death metal standard of those years). The lyrics of this EP are very dark and introspective, and contribute to amount the sense of discomfort while you’re listening to the music. The best riff-collection here is the opener “Through Hollow Minds” (when it kicks in, it just blows you away), whilst the best vocal performance is on “Built with Bricks of Shame” (very suggestive if you ask me).
At the end of the EP, we have an unexpected surprise: “Melancholy Waters Lie”. Believe it or not, even Schizo did it. This song features electronic (though very crude and mechanical) beats, and you can hear some stop-and-go riffs. It’s a very fine and catchy track, and probably the most memorable of the whole EP. Give it a try if you’re enough open-minded.
Given the important names involved in the making of this EP, it’s clear that Schizo were having a lot of ambition at that time. They were even going to collaborate with the legendary producer Andy Sneap for a new full-length, but the economic breakdown of their little label made it impossible and the record was thrown away. Even the “Sound of Coming Darkness” EP is pretty rare to find today, due to an inappropriate distribution back in the day, and it’s really a shame, because it’s absolutely a worthy listen for fans of darkened thrash and people who are curious to know what thrash bands were doing back in the 90s.
P.S. The cover art is kinda odd, but it fucking rules.
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