• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Sometimes the name of a band starts life as a proper noun, i.e. Iron Maiden. Later, that name can become a descriptive term like "that twin guitar sound is very Maiden-esque." Serbia's Uneven have picked a name that reverses the aforementioned chronology, picking an adjective for their name. Unfortunately, they've picked an adjective that describes their demo, Vrzino Kolo, quite accurately.

Self-described as Progressive Metal, Vrzino Kolo, is conspicuously devoid of many of the elements associated with the genre, most notably keyboards. In fact, other than a couple of odd guitar runs, Vrzino Kolo is mainly straight ahead Heavy Metal with some thrashier riffs mixed in. The music is generally decent but the production, especially considering the band produced it themselves, is top notch. All the instruments can be heard and none overshadow the others. This is most notable on track two, "Nights in the Club," where the bass of Nenad Natosevic can be heard quite clearly throughout.

As stated at the beginning, Vrzino Kolo, is an uneven affair, musically. The title track, an instrumental, is heavy with a pounding riff and "Nights at the Club" is also a fun listen. Unfortunately it goes downhill from here. The next 3 tracks feature some uninspired riffs and annoying, to the point of distraction, vocals from singer Ivan Nikolic. His melody lines on "Uneven" sound like they are from a different song and his repeated shouts of the title of the last song, "Fire in the Hole," are painful. Uncle.

I can't really recommend Uneven's Vrzino Kolo as I found it a chore to sit through, but I do see some promise. Let's see what Uneven does next.