Aydra—Leave to Nowhere (2024)

Details

Recorded and mixed by Marco Bianchella at WR Studios, Ancona. Mastered by Paolo OjettiCastaway Studios, Civitanova Marche. Artwork, titled “Delirio”, by Luca Morici. Released on Thursday 10 October 2024. Available on Rude Awakening Records.

For fans of Death, Cynic, Atheist, Obscura, Blood Incantation, Necrophagist

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Band

Mauro Pacetti—Vocals
Giuseppe Cardamone—Guitars
Luca Calò—Guitars
Andrea Massetti—Bass
Marco Bianchella—Drums

Tracks

Three minutes walk (3:37)
Deserter (3:20)
Black skin and red sand (3:07)
They waste a throne (3:51)
Lost between two lands (3:33)
Make slaves (3:14)
You can’t talk anyone (4:39)
Leave to nowhere (4:55)
Forever hide (4:49)
Psycho pain control 2024 (2:53)

Review

Leave to Nowhere (2024) is the third album from Italian technical thrash/death metal band Aydra from Ancona on the east coast of Italy.

Two decades since their last release, with an unrelenting wall of riffs and surgically precise drumming, the band wastes no time in setting the tone with “Three minutes walk” (track 1), a galloping opener that blends gruff vocals and mournful, exploratory guitar lines.

“Deserter” (track 2) continues the charge with stop-start riffing and a solo that channels classic death metal fury. There’s an admirable consistency to Aydra’s approach—tight rhythms, punchy riffage, and vocals that feel more barked than sung. “Black skin and red sand” (track 3) delivers one of the album’s more compelling breakdowns and a surprisingly emotional solo about three-quarters in.

“They waste a throne” (track 4) begins with a picked guitar riff that soon surrenders to the full Aydra treatment: blast beats, snarling vocals and twin leads trading phrases. “Lost between two lands” (track 5) offers a welcome shift in tone. The track’s clean guitars and spoken vocals recall early Flotsam & Jetsam before descending into darker territory.

Just when you’re ready for another twist, “Make slaves” (track 6) doubles down on the technical precision. While the drums are impressively tight, at times they feel so locked in that they lose some of the human swing—this is both a strength and a limitation. That said, the guitars here explore more progressive territory, hinting at a broader musical ambition.

The back end of the album settles into a more familiar groove. “You can’t talk anyone” (track 7) and “Forever hide” (track 8) keep things moving, though by this point, the repetition slightly dulls the impact. “Leave to nowhere” (track 9), the title track, is a mostly instrumental piece driven by distorted bass, and oddly enough, it reminded me of Iron Maiden’s “Losfer Words”—if Maiden were powered by blast beats and entropy.

The album closes with “Psycho pain control 2024” (track 10), which begins with another start-stop riff and builds toward a crushing, half-time breakdown. It’s one of the strongest closers I’ve heard in a while—brutal, deliberate, and resolute.

Conclusion

There is a real integrity to this album. Aydra knows what they’re about, and they deliver with focus and intent. But that consistency is both its strength and its limitation—it rarely surprises. Still, I’ve found myself returning to this over the last few weeks. A powerful, tight and sometimes exhausting listen.

Review score: 70%

Video

Disclosure

MDPR contacted me inviting me to preview Aydra’s new album, thank you. I have no connections to either MDPR or Aydra. I’m not being paid to review this, but I did get a free digital copy of the album to review which is pretty cool. Many thanks to Zach from MDPR , and to Aydra for continuing to create fresh, exciting new technical death metal.