Izegrim - Tribute to Totalitarianism (2008)

   While the mainstream audience was completely impressed by forgettable bands like Arch Enemy or In This Moment to hear aggressive female vocals in front of a metal band (that already showed up in the '80s... Good morning "metalheads", it's always nice to see that you're paying attention), and thanks to the latest one, the whole thing started to develop into a metal Barbie movement; it's always nice to find bands who are unlike them, and are authentic too.
  Izegrim formed as a thrash/death band with quite heavy social criticism as lyrical concept. Catchy riffings are their most characteristic musical features that are like a bridge between the classical '80s style of thrash and the modern sound. Creative drum play is dictating the rhythm that's switching between intense and middle speed. It's far behind the extreme speed of the oldies, but the focus is more on diversity than on endless thrashing. The heaviness of the sound and the excellent cawing vocal style of Miss Marloes Voskuil are responsible for the harsher impression. The lyrics about the religious propaganda behind modern wars and terrorism were kind of accurate in the times of the Iraq war, but there are plenty of historical references for comparsion to find. That's definitely not the mirror whereinto many likes to look, and therefore Izegrim fills an empty space that was missing since a long while in the metal scene. Strongly recommended for both the newer and old school fans of thrash and death metal.