Nebraska Metal Pt. 3: Seppeku: Seppeku

Seppeku is a very new band from Omaha, Nebraska forming in early 2008. As a Nebraskan myself and knowing that my home state does not have much of a local metal scene, I am always interested in finding groups who share my origin. The band was handing out free copies of this EP as the crowd was leaving an Opeth/Enslaved concert, which is how I got my copy.

Seppeku sounds mostly like a cross between Atrocity Exhibition-era Exodus and Vulgar Display of Power-era Pantera. They play a style of groove metal meets slower thrash metal with shouted vocals reminiscent of Phil Anselmo or Rob Dukes. The music is powerful and aggressive, fitting with the vocals. The style has been done a lot and this band does not really bring anything new to the fold. Still it's a fun listen and short so it does not take up too much time.

The album opens up with some industrial rock-like noises before kicking off into a fairly decent thrash riff. The riff changes into a similar riff soon after and then continues throughout most of the rest of the song. The guitar solos are competent, but seem to get a little lost in the rest of the playing. They often occur at or near a breakdown. The leads are pretty good and the drumming is surprisingly good for such a new band. The second song kind of meanders a little bit in the middle threatening to lose the listener before jumping back into a groove metal riff.

As mentioned earlier, there are breakdowns in this, which should not come as that much of a shock. Metalcore is not the only style featuring breakdowns, it has been a part of metal since the beginning of thrash. However, the breakdowns on this EP do keep the interest level in the music and there is only one per song.

This EP consists of three songs: one thrash, one groove, and one that is in between the two similar styles. It is a decent first recording, if not very original, from a young Nebraska band and is a hopeful sign of good things to come out of Omaha. This state could really use a decent metal scene.