The Block Usually I start off my reviews with a song lyric or a variation of it. But, not so for this one. The songs are original and different, and I personally have no idea what they mean. This all reflects my experience with this album which is one of my first alternative metal albums that I’ve heard. Cycle One is Zygote’s debut album which features Sava Jović on drums and vocals, Vuk Babović on bass, Ivan Stevanović on keyboards, and Igor Kožić on drums and vocals, too.

One of the reasons I like this album, even though I’m not a big fan of alternative metal, is that it has some progy features to it. One of these songs is the first one “Polynomia” which has a nice heavy guitar and bass lines that transfer into a much softer riff. This part of the song reminds me a lot of Opeth’s softer lyrics. But they put their own spin on it, making it sound very cool, and original. The drumming on this song is also very solid.

A more upbeat song on the album, “The Place I Once Saw”, has a much more pop feel to it. The guitars in this one seem to be much brighter than most of the other ones, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They also use nice vocal harmonies that add a lot to this song. In the beginning of the song the band applies this cool sound affect a couple of times that reminds me of the one Spock’s Beard used on “The Light”.

Another cool feature on this album is that they have the instrumental version of “Kismet” and a version of it with vocals. The guest vocalist, Jake O’Bayne, has a much different singing style than either Igor Kožić or Sava Jović which adds a different feel to this song that the others don’t have.

One complaint that I have is that at some points on the album the vocals feel a little too flat to me, but other than that this is a great debut by a band that I can see having much success in their future. They deserve 4 stars.

Time Signature A place I once saw...

Genre: alternative/progressive metal

I guess it is an undeniable fact that alternative metal is not popular among a lot of metalheads for a number of reasons. However, I personally like alternative metal, and I do not see what is wrong with combining metal and alternative rock. The Serbian band, Zygote, is one of those bands that deliver quality alternative metal.

The alternative rock influences, I think, are very clear, and "A Place I Once Saw" contains elements that are like taken out of the 90s. For some reason, it reminds me of some of Red Hot Chili Peppers' softer stuff, and, although "A Place I Once Saw" is my least favorite track off the album, I do think it contains some brilliant vocal melodies, and I really like the instrumental section that begins around 2:35, and the heavy section that starts at 4:30ish is also quite good. I prefer the other tracks on the album though, although "A Place I Once Saw" certainly is not a bad song at all.

Okay, so there are alternative rock elements on the album, but I actually think that it is also a quite progressive affair. We are not talking overly technical and show-offy progressive metal here, but rather dark and melancholic music which is more along the lines of Day Six, Thine, and Porcupine Tree's heavier stuff. I also detect an Opeth influence in terms of the atmosphere, and it also sounds like Zygote have listened extensively to "Damnation". This does not mean that Zygote are unoriginal - they actually strike me as being a rather talented and fairly original group with a promising future.

There is a lot of good stuff here. The opening track "Polynomia" starts out with a heavy and kind of oddly groovy riff which works very well, and which, fortunately, recurs a couple of times in the song. The instrumental track "Kismet" is a heavy and dark and absolutely brilliant track with a lot of interesting sections in it. There is also a version of it that features Jake O'Bayne on vocals - I have no idea who he is, but he has an interesting almost Led Zep-ish voice. "Slowsand" is another heavy affair which features some groovy riffs and some almost doomy sections as well, and "The Serfs" is even more doomy while "Insomnia" is a more mellow affair, whose chorus is nevertheless heavy. There are a lot of interesting musical ideas on this album, and I think that the band certainly are promising.

My only problem is the sound of the distorted guitar (but not the playing, there's nothing wrong with the playing). I think that it is too compact and not well integrated into the overall sound of the album. If the guitar had a broader sound and was more integrated into the overall sound, then I think it would really have a powerful punch in the heavy sections - and it would make the album seem much heavier. I think that maybe the band should consider finding a second guitarist so as to create the proverbial wall of guitars.

But all in all, a very good first effort from Zygote. I think that it will appeal to fans of alternative rock and alternative metal alike, and I think that maybe fans of Say Six, Thine and similar bands might like it too.