(CD/Digi, Indipendent, 2026)
At first, the news of Ira Black parting ways with VIO-LENCE didn’t make much sense, as the band was doing great. Apparently, there was a very good reason behind that decision, and it had a name: APOCÆLYPSE. Among the long list of bands Ira Black has toured and recorded with, this is the first one to have him handling the vocals in addition to the guitar. Bold move? Definitely, and it seems that Black had this vision decades ago, but for whatever reason it had never materialized. Until now.
“Fænix” is the title of the APOCÆLYPSE debut, and there was really no way to predict its musical style because, quite simply, there isn’t one. At least, there is no single direction the band is heading in, and that is one of the many reasons why this album sounds so good.
The straightforward guitar riff and drums that open the album with “Intell-I-Gents” instantly give off Thrash vibes, but the electronic melodies quickly showcase something a bit different. The focus on the main groove is RAMMSTEIN-catchy, while Black’s singing becomes an impossible-to-resist invitation to tag along. Hear the earworm quality of the way he sings “hearts on lease” and tell me if you can resist moving along. Headbanging is also part of the equation, so choose whatever best fits your mood.
The electronic elements fit perfectly with the AI-related lyrics, which actually have something interesting to say, with lines like “Your revolution’s just content” or my favorite, “Welcome to your final upgrade.” In my opinion, choosing to release music that sounds nothing like the bands Ira has previously been part of proves that he genuinely wants to establish his own musical voice. This is why the album feels like a chameleon changing its skin with every song. “Black Box” carries a modern sound with DISTURBED-like breakdowns and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE rhythms, while “Love To Hate” is riff-based and loaded with an in-your-face SLIPKNOT attitude. Interestingly, Ira has a versatile voice and adapts his delivery according to the direction of each song, unafraid to move from clean singing to borderline growls, as he does in “Hate Response”. Make sure to read the lyrics and think about how applicable they are in these always-connected days, when “responding first and thinking later” seems to have become the modus operandi of the majority of keyboard/smartphone warriors. The lyric “Wisdom waits where the breath is slow, But no one stays long enough to know” now lives rent-free in my mind.
Eastern melodies contrast with the GODSMACK groove of “The Lamb And The Goat”, while the hearty double-bass drumming demands some headbanging. Meanwhile, the lyrics play with the biblical imagery of the lamb and the goat while applying it to something painfully recognizable in real life: “Choose your brother / Or burn the house down.” I can hear some ARMORED SAINT in the vocal melodies of “The American Way” before the BIOHAZARD-esque “Mind’s Eye”, where the guitars also carry a SOULFLY flair. “Gravity Game” is an interesting mix, starting like an emotional ballad before gradually gaining momentum until it explodes with the “in a free-fall” verse riding on a killer guitar riff.
Clearly, Ira is testing his voice across different genres while consciously choosing not to settle into any one of them. “Fænix” almost feels like a showcase of everything this lineup can do, while at the same time giving the musicians a clean slate to figure out which direction works best for them. The guitars shine in the post-apocalyptic “Black Sunday”, but not in a shredding-for-the-sake-of-shredding way. The riffs and solo support the song rather than the other way around. The guitars finally get another opportunity to step forward during the solo of the borderline Industrial “Fænix...Out Of Flames”, closing the album in much the same groovy fashion in which it started.
APOCÆLYPSE are clearly testing the waters and their own strengths with “Fænix”, whetting my appetite for what this lineup can do next. It is also worth mentioning that the majority, if not all, of these songs had been sitting in Ira’s drawer, meaning the rest of the lineup was contributing to a foundation that had already been laid. In that sense, this debut is both the realization of Ira Black’s long-held vision and a starting point for the band as a whole. More importantly, “Fænix” is a showcase of what APOCÆLYPSE can do without boundaries or predefined expectations. Now I would love to see APOCÆLYPSE live, where I can headbang, dance, and do everything in between...
"No roots, no place to stay,
Just songs and ghosts along the way."
8/10
Links:
www.FaceBook.Com/Apocaelypse
www.Instagram.Com/Apocaelypse_Official
Tracklist:
01. Intell-I-Gents
02. Black Box
03. Love To Hate
04. Hate Response
05. The Lamb & The Goat
06. The American Way
07. Mind's Eye
08. Gravity Game
09. Black Sunday
10. Fænix...Out Of Flames
Lineup:
Ira Black - Vocals, Guitar
Ira Black IV - Guitar
Matt Snell - Bass
Lonny Pasillas - Drums