Band – Mardelas  (from Japan)
Album – mini album titled “Ground Zero”
Label – King Records 
Release Date – May 22, 2019
Facebook – Mardelas Official Facebook
Twitter – Mardelas Official Twitter account 
Website – Mardelas Official Website
Band Members –
Marina Hebiishi – Vocals
Kikyo Oikawa – Guitar
Hisayuki Motoishi – Bass
Hideaki “Yumi” Yumida – Drums
Review by – John Erigo

This is my introduction to this band from Japan so thanks go to my friend Shion Francois, the President of  Babel Entertainment for bringing them to my attention. I have a long history of listening to Japanese Metal bands, and I realize most people outside of Japan don’t know many of them BUT you are cutting off your nose to spite your face if you don’t at least give them a chance! Mardelas has released a few albums before this, and have gone through some line up changes along the way. This “mini album”, 6 songs, is solid!

The mini album opens with a instrumental, mostly synths and very grand sounding, almost like a movie soundtrack. It’s short, and then Mardelas explodes into the song APOCALYPSE, full of guitar shredding from Kikyo, and followed by a short keyboard solo. The band is solid and displays massive chops, very talented and very tight. But the highlight of the band is their vocalist, Marina Hebiishi. Marina was in a popular all female band in Japan called DETROSE, but left to pursue a solo career. But she longed for a “band” situation and then formed Mardelas. the results are rockin’!!!

Marina really shines on this collection of songs but the band really is stellar. I really liked what I heard here on this mini album. There isn’t a bad song here, so yeah, I want to hear more!!! Here’s the track list –

01. Time of Tribulation
02. Apocalypse
03. Cleopatra
04. Outsider
05. Redline
06. Coma

The only thing I’d like to see change is less keyboard solos and more guitar solos! LOL! That’s not a knock, just my metal brain wanting more guitars LOL! This guy Kikyo is awesome, he used to be in SEX MACHINE GUNS, another Japanese band I really enjoy(no, I do not JUST like LOUDNESS and ANTHEM, there a re a LOT more bands from Japan I really enjoy!). So do yourself a favor and give MARDELAS a chance, good stuff here!!!