This debut album, with RoadRunner records, hails all the way from Israel. The band's name, Betzefer, is an ad lib Hebrew translation meaning 'school' (in case you were wondering). The band like to consider themselves as "entertainment", to distract those of their home town from the political problems they face.
The 'entertainment' factor is questionable, I'm not sure everyone would find Betzefer's pounding mix of Thrash drumming and heavy metal riffs (all tied together with some old-style metal vocals) entertaining. However, a distraction is an accurate way of describing their music. The album is well produced and Betzefer have a very definite and confident sound.
Pantera and Sepultura are listed as their two main influences and this is shown a great deal throughout the album, but especially in the chorus of the signature track 'Down Low'. Other tracks which really stand out are the final track 'Black Inside' which incorporates more Pantera-worthy breakdowns (complete with screamed vocals that are reminiscent of Phil Anselmo's) than any of the other songs, and 'Mark', which can only be described as nasty!
Some die-hard Pantera fans might find this album a little bit too similar to some of the older Pantera stuff, but the obvious influence really does help to make Betzefer sound like a very strong band with some interesting sounds. 'Down Low' is a heavy album which incorporates influences from some very successful metal bands as well as adding elements of the band's own sound. The songs are powerful and if you're looking for 40 minutes of relentless metal, this may be the album for you.
Ashleigh
