Megamass - Divide and Liberate! - EP Review - Post-Modern Progressive Metal from Kyiv, Ukraine
Another autumn day in the life of a vagabond, taking long walks outside under grey clouds after too much of reality. Meanwhile, another great talent—Megamass—is playing in my ears with their latest EP at maximum volume, and I stopped believing in coincidences for some time now. Let’s begin.
MegamasS - Her Name Is War (feat. VIXFALL). Music: MegamasS, Lyrics: VIXFALL, Sound/Mastering/Production: Dark Days Production, Video: Produced by YUZHANE PRODUCTION, Director: Alex Matvieiev, Assistant Director: Denys Veremeienko, DOP: Roman Shykunets, Editor/VFX: Igor Moshtys, Colorist: Alex Matvieiev, Producer: Oksana Iegorova (Lishchuk), Style: Nataliia Basiuk, MUAH/SFX: Roksolana Kovalyuk, Helper: Pavlo Osipov, Actors: Svitlana Chorna, Oleksiy Titarenko, Sofiia Makaruk, Japanese style: Anastasiya Podoprigora, Samurai armour: Sychevalnya Cosplay Workshop, Locations: Yuzhane production studio, Frame studio. Actors: Svitlana Chorna, Oleksiy Titarenko, Sofiia Makaruk.⠀
Ukraine has been a home for around 10 years until the war separated us (for now). During those years, I had the chance to know and meet many great talents from all over the country, and although the name always felt familiar, Megamass was carved into my memory by Eugene Abdukhanov of Jinjer, who named them as his top Ukrainian band in heavy music. After quite a long time and only remembering them for their modern sound and hardcore/prog-core style, I was recently introduced to their latest EP with three new songs. Today marks my fourth listen after exploring their Spotify and previous releases.
First and foremost, I have to admit that Divide and Liberate! had an impact on me that I won’t forget. I feel like I now have a clear sense of their capabilities, character, and music style. While showcasing impressive musicianship and production value, this album also confirms how accurate Eugene was in highlighting them as top talent from his country.
Character-wise, the album embodies a post-modern progressive metal concept with its musicality, subject matter, production, and sound. It’s one of the most polished/processed sounds, reminiscent of Jinjer or Space of Variations.
Musically, the album was highly satisfying to me during all my listens, even though I don’t usually listen to this genre in my personal time. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Megamass’ unfamiliar-sounding musical language, which also featured long and progressive compositions. With this EP, the band got me excited with their similarities to TOL (my all-time favorite metal band from Ukraine) in terms of songwriting and perspective. Megamass simply proves they have the creativity, knowledge, and vision to create music as brilliant as them. All three songs feature thrilling examples of post-modern heavy music, led equally by instrumentals and vocals.
Production-wise, the album undoubtedly represents industry-leading work, though with a question mark that I’ll mention later. It’s loud, brutal, dark, clear, and super dynamic, incorporating vocals, guitars, drums, and additional electronic elements that recall demonic sounds from hell. It is a top-notch production from start to finish.
On the other side of the coin, I would like to share some thoughts, even though the album ranks as impressive for me.
Firstly, I would argue that the work lacks an important detail that often separates the greats from the goods: the presence of a leading vocalist. Divide and Liberate! takes an approach that provides equal emphasis to both instruments and vocals, which I experienced as a disadvantage. The album has all the magic in both vocals and instrumentals, and I could appreciate the fine characterization in each vocal style, guitar tone, and drum tone. It truly is a marvelously detailed work. Yet, many times I expected the vocals to take the lead—whether through volume or the confidence of the vocalist. These expectations weren’t met, and I couldn’t get enough emotional impact from the music, I must admit. It reminded me of Gojira’s latest album Fortitude, where the vocals are not prioritized. In this case, I would strongly argue that this band needs a stronger vocal presence, which would change the entire picture. Just think about the difference a strong vocalist makes in Tol’s Flag—for me, it’s night and day. (important note: My words do not reflect on the current vocalist’s capabilities, only on the role itself.)
Secondly, the music unfortunately did not sound good on cheap stereos, particularly on my iPhone speakers, requiring a certain level of sound quality for the optimal experience.
In conclusion, Megamass is undoubtedly a fantastic collective that, in my eyes, deserves international recognition. And without hesitation, Divide and Liberate! will help lead the way, leaving a lasting mark in listeners' memories. Her Name is War earned its place in our Monsters of Metal Underground playlist on Spotify. Thank you for reading.
Megamass on the web:
