Forming in 2009 Zia Régime are a hard progressive rock/metal band from Derry. Their debut album, ‘For Neither God, Nor Master’ will be released this month after an extensive period of pre-production, promising to feature 10 tracks full of metal epicness. Unfortunately, ‘epic’ is a word which is often overused these days, but trust me, no other word quite describes what Zia Régime has to offer.
After playing alongside such Northern Irish talent as Annapurna and Triggerman in the past, it’s time to make way for Zia Régime to make their own mark on the Northern Irish music scene, and ‘For Neither God, Nor Master’ should do just that.
Zia Régime is comprised of:
David McDonough – Lead Vocals
David Carlin – Guitar
Michael McGonigle – Guitar
Conor Somers – Bass
Eamonn McNaught – Drums
‘Waves of Anxiety’, a sort of intro to the album is filled with atmosphere; no vocals, just mournful guitar, splashing symbols and rolling drums. Other personal favourites include ‘Solitaire,’ a song which has a sort of Avenged Sevenfold feel, ‘Plutonian Aftershock’ with its wailing riffs, catchy vocals and relentless drums, and ‘Shadow Games’ which has a distinctly Mastodon feel.
With influences such as Down, Alice in Chains and Mastodon, it’s clear to see how wide ranging Zia Régime’s influences really are, and this reflects greatly in their music. ‘For Neither God, Nor Master’ is a superb and versatile debut album, ranging from haunting and instrumental, to the inescapable assault of guitar and drums. It’s not all about the instruments either; David McDonough has a unique voice that lends itself perfectly to this type of music.
I was more than pleasantly surprised when listening to this album and can’t wait to hear what Zia Régime have in store for us in the future!
Zia Regime’ can be found on Facebook here.
‘For Neither God, Nor Master’ can be heard on BandCamp here.
