Yyrkoon

These band names sure aren’t getting any easier to pronounce, as France’s Yyrkoon have proven once and for all. Cool art is the first thing I noticed here, as both the cover and the booklet have some nice tones to them that still look evil and metal and all, but also pretty classy. The ten tunes here have me a little less excited, but still manage to keep me interested. The band clearly come from a death metal background, with lots of double-bass-led riffs and Cookie Monster vocals, but there’s also some modern Swedish thrash in there (think the Haunted, Carnal Forge), even a bit of melodic singing mixed in, which is more than welcome. A solid production helps the matter, and the songwriting and playing is all top notch. The guitar work is a highlight, with plenty of catchy riffs, and the drumming is nice and solid, although nothing seems to really reach out in a particularly big way. Even though the band has an identity of its own and a fairly original sound, there’s still something missing. Perhaps it’s merely a lack of anything new, which of course is a common conundrum, with half the metal world not caring and the other half in constant search of innovation. Yyrkoon will please the former and should be of at least passing interest to the latter, which, when it comes down to it, is pretty good.