Band:	Ektomorf
Album:	Kalyi Jag
Style:	Hardcore, Groove thrash metal
Release date:	2000
Guest review by:	Uirapuru

01. Son Of The Fire
02. Sunto Del Muro
03. Freely
04. Romungro
05. For You
06. For The Last Time
07. Always Believe In Your Self
08. Open Up Your Eyes
09. Save My Soul
10. The Way I Do
11. Brothersong
12. Don't Need
13. Fly
14. Kalyi Jag
15. Forgotten Fire

That's the one. If anyone was searching for a good Ektomorf album, one can easily choose 'Kalyi Jag'. Released in the year of 2000, the Hungarians best effort also represented their last album written and sung in Hungarian, and it is clearly the pinnacle of their gypsy influenced material. From my CD I only have the song-titles in Hungarian, but I'll use the English translation in this review.

It is impossible not to recognize some resemblances with thrash metal, but they are very few and subtle, resigned only to a few riffs and the vocal work. This work fits better by the label of hardcore (and it is also where the band shows more competence) or Groove with some interesting folk/gypsy elements.

Even this being Ektomorf's album with most expressive presence of cultural/folkloric elements, they still seem insufficient. Just some short acoustic songs and irregular interludes. In almost any moment the folk elements actually get mixed with the hardcore parts, and something like that would really make this album more interesting, but it is wasted away for some unknown reason. Tracks like ''Son of the Fire'', ''For the Last Time'' and ''The Way I Do'' show some talented riffs and structure without the folk elements, but the real highlights are ''Sunto del Mulo'' and ''Save My Soul'', where the gypsy instruments, besides not being mixed enough with the hardcore, have a preeminent importance.

All of this seems sufficient to designate this work as the best from Ektomorf, and an average album in general view. A variable work, with different feelings and dynamic changes between the tracks already makes this one much better than later releases from these guys. But it is still funny how their decadence in originality and performance resulted in an incredible increase in their popularity.