By their own account, Minneapolis-based Aziza play “Thunderpunk”, combining “sludge, hardcore, and heavy metal”. “We play buttrock for the thinking man’s metal head”. Aziza released a debut demo in 2014 named Thunderpunk? Jesus., and an EP in 2016 called High Hopes Are At An All Time Low. Now they’ve got a new EP on the way named Council of Straitjackets, and today we’ve got a dual premiere: the song “Imposters” from the new EP and an official video for the song “Mana Razor” off the last EP.
Let’s talk about the video first. It’s a hellacious amount of fun to watch, and to listen to. “Mana Razor” is a real ass-kicking bruiser of a song, with lead-weight riffs, gut-punching bass, and head-cracking drums doing their damnedest to fracture bones, and a vicious vocal squall that underlines the song’s bleak and violent undercurrents. Highly mosh-worthy, too.
The music may be a dark piece of battering nastiness, but the video looks like a hell of a good house party among friends.
The newer song “Imposters” has a more delirious and deranged quality thanks to the lead guitar’s darting, swirling machinations and the band’s jarring, jolting rhythmic acrobatics. More intricate and exuberant than “Mana Razor”, it shows a different side to Aziza‘s creative impulses (and technical talents) — though before you reach the end you get a strong dose of the band’s dark, brooding, bone-mangling tendencies as well.
Check out the video and the new track below. “Imposters” is a name-your-price download at Bandcamp, where you can find all of Aziza‘s previous releases as well.
Bandcamp:
https://azizampls.bandcamp.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/azizaband/