Mezmik are a melodic metal band from Australia formed in 2019 releasing their debut E.P. ‘Unlikely Hero’ in 2024…
…featuring six songs that blend together elements of symphonic, progressive and melodic death metal alongside the band’s more traditional heavy metal roots! Across all the songs on offer, Mezmik emanates a haunting, sometimes melancholic atmosphere among the heavy-hitting groove metal simmering just below the surface of the band’s soundscape. The band – Jolene Turnbull (vocals), Christopher Fowler (guitar, vocals), Andrew Mackenzie (guitar), Luke Wilson (bass), and David McGuinness (drums) – recently supported German power metallers Blind Guardian on the band’s God Machine tour in Australia, raising Mezmik‘s reputation as an emerging force in melodic metal. Heralding the band’s entrance onto the world stage, ‘Unlikely Hero’ E.P. opens with the one-minute highly anticipative instrumental ‘New Dawn’ – the band surging forth with the E.P.’s title song ‘Unlikely Hero’.
And when ‘Unlikely Hero’ (the song) breaks free, a ground shuddering groove metal led foot stomp rises high in the air to turn the head of every single listener, fan and follower in the direction of the Queensland quintet! The bombastic punch and crushing crunch of ‘Unlikely Hero’ (the song) is staggering, Mezmik making a massive, and immediate impact – the band throwing everything they have in their locker at a jaws-wide-open audience! For the opening salvo has been nothing short of jaw-dropping, Mezmik increasing the levels of elegance and majesty to new heights across the first minute or so of ‘Flames And Fury’. And then boom – the band bludgeon everyone with their heavy-hitting groove metal stomp. Yet there’s a major difference here to ‘Unlikely Hero’ (the song) – ‘Flames And Fury’ oozes a much more symphonic metal flavour, the band marching tall and proud all over metal territory to deliver a stunning (opening) one-two to take listeners breaths away! And the stunners just keep on coming, ‘Broken Love’ fizzing with thunder, fire and brimstone – Mezmik maintaining the all-conquering, all-consuming start to the E.P. A simply sensational first half, I wonder what the second half has in store!
Well, no need to wonder for too long, ‘Hollow’ enters the fray with elegance and a feel highly reminiscent of American hard rockers Evanescence – ‘Hollow’, at times, reminding me of ‘Going Under’ (from Evanescence’s 2003 debut album ‘Fallen’). The moody near Gothic metal feel is incredibly similar to Evanescence – and of course, leading with a female singer, do Mezmik possess the next Amy Lee! Early days yet with (hopefully) a long career in front of them, so you just never know – the E.P. turning in a much heavier direction courtesy of ‘Heart Once Torn’. The bombastic, heavy-hitting nature here is surely unnatural, the band flattening listeners with uncompromising ease – Mezmik broadening their horizons to greater widths than ever! I’ve lost count of the number of different musical styles this E.P. is brimming with – Mezmik‘s followers coming from a myriad of metal genres! There really is something here for everyone, and from just six songs too! Absolutely killer stuff from the Aussie metallers – the band ending ‘Unlikely Hero’ E.P. with the brutal – yes brutal, final song ‘Killer’. The band are at their heaviest here, delivering a bone-crunching skull-crushing barrage of savagery, yet with the highest soaring symphonic vocal performance from singer Turnbull! A bewildering array of metal styles in just the one song, ‘Killer’ needs to be listened to many times to fully comprehend everything on offer. And that goes for the entire E.P. too.
Overall, symphonic metal collides perfectly with melodic death and traditional heavy metal to create six sensational songs of utter beauty.
TRACKLIST
New Dawn
Unlikely Hero
Flames And Fury
Broken Love
Hollow
Heart Once Torn
Killer
Mezmik: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
