Zifir
You Must Come With Us
6.3
If the geographical origin of a band interests you, Zifir has a shiny new Turkish bike in the back of their generic, white You Must Come With Us van, just waiting for you to take. And you can totally have it. Serious. However, unlike the majority of traps set up by misleadingly interesting traits, once Zifir slams the doors behind you as you hoist your tiny self into their completely unsuspicious vehicle, you’ll find out that not only is a shiny new bike actually there, but there is also a mediocre black metal album right beside it.
As far as the album goes, Zifir plays rather nondescript depressive black metal coupled with dissonant ambience. The first three actual songs (annoying intros known as “Interrior” will be ignored) are the strongest tracks the band has to offer. Mid-paced and full of satisfying buzz, “Honour”, “My Greatest Weapon”, and “Final Soluation of The (k)” faithfully and competently carry out the basic black metal formula set down by greater bands that have tread this ground before. At about “Circus”, though, Zifir begins including Blut Aus Nord-esque riffing and ambience, yet, again, in a way that doesn’t do anything new or better than the myriad of original material that influences them.
It’s pretty much par for the course as far as black metal goes, which is its greatest strength and weakness. On the one hand, it’s commendable that a band from Turkey can manage to sound precisely like their Western brethren. On the other hand, it’s the fact that they sound precisely like their Western brethren that makes the listener wonder, “...why am I listening to this?” There is a clear enthusiasm for the genre and evidence of genuine effort, and that is nothing short of respectable, but, at the end of the day, You Must Come With Us is more a replication than a unique spin on an established edifice. At the very least, considering a purchase requires a few riffs that make the ears perk up and say, “Oh, I haven’t heard that before,” and, in that regard, Zifir fails to provide.
