Uranium 235
Introspective Trip

Calabria proves to be fertile ground for extreme metal and, following bands like Zora, A Buried Existence, Traumagain, Land Of Hate and Glacial Fear, here come Uranium 235. The band features members from the more well-known Land Of Hate and also from A Buried Existence, which I reviewed some time ago.

They offer a technical thrash metal that brings to mind iconic figures of the genre like Pantera, Machine Head, and Testament. The CD I'm about to review is titled "Introspective Trip". I take this opportunity to thank Raffaele, a great supporter of the Italian underground, who introduced me to this work.

Let's begin our dive into this introspective journey. The album starts with an electronic, sometimes horrific intro that sets the stage for the first track, "Wall Of Despair." The piece is dark and gloomy from the first notes, with the singer's voice taking center stage with an alternation of scream and growl vocals, exasperated and malicious. It's truly a great piece, highlighting the technical skills of each musician.

"Repulsion For The Present" immediately brings to mind the great Pantera, a perfect song whose strength lies in the accelerations midway through the track. The solo constructed by Francesco's guitar is nothing short of spectacular in terms of technique and expressiveness. In his guitar style, I see the ghost of the great Skolnick of Testament. Listen to believe. The singer's voice once again becomes exasperated and haunting, a perfect and compelling piece, certainly among the best of the lot.

The next track, "The Moment Of Truth," is, in my opinion, the least engaging on the entire CD, a bit too simple compared to the other 7 tracks present. It continues with "Mud In The Eyes" and what I consider a masterpiece track, "Insane". It plays on continuous tempo changes with the voice spewing venom on doom-laden parts, at times nerve-wracking, truly chilling. The axeman's admirable solo is worth mentioning again. Drums and bass move in sync, building a perfect rhythmic foundation, an excellent performance that stretches throughout the album's duration.

The CD closes with "Rebellion," and here too, the ghost of Pantera is felt.

"Introspective Trip" proves to be a great work, well played and perfectly produced, by a band certainly musically prepared and with great ideas. I hope to hear more from them in the future.

Good luck, guys!!!