Release Date May 29th, 2026
Format Digital
Genre Modern/Groove Metal
Origin Panama
Komodo come from Panama City and have spent the last few years building their name outside their home country through constant live activity and a growing international profile. Winning the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle Central America opened new doors, followed by appearances on Sepultura's farewell tour and recognition at the Rockzany Music Awards. Their style combines modern groove metal with melodic heavy metal, alternative metal and thrash influences, taking inspiration from bands such as Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold and System Of A Down without becoming a simple copy of any of them. Their second album, "Battle Pass", arrives after an unusual release strategy where most of its material first appeared as standalone singles across several years.
Bringing them together with four new songs closes that chapter and presents the band's recent evolution in one package. It is an approach that could have resulted in a disconnected release, though the songwriting remains close enough in style to make the album sound more unified than expected. Komodo has gained valuable experience through touring and studio work, and it shows in the confidence of their arrangements, even when they move between heavier riffs, melodic sections and accessible choruses. They are clearly aiming for modern metal with broad appeal, balancing aggression with memorable hooks instead of chasing technical excess or extreme heaviness for its own sake.
Produced by the band at Ilicito Studios, recorded by Azael Buendía, mixed mainly by Ignacio "Nacho" Molino, with "The Lingering" mixed by Ernesto Shnack, and mastered by Daniel Ovie, "Battle Pass" has a powerful modern production that gives every guitar line, vocal melody and rhythm section enough space to make an impact. The songwriting revolves around strong choruses, chunky riffs and frequent changes between melodic passages and heavier moments, giving the album variety without wandering too far from its core formula.
The gaming inspired concept behind the title stays mostly in the background, while the lyrics lean more toward perseverance, personal struggles and self determination than fantasy themes. Vocally, Komodo aims for expressive melodies as often as aggressive delivery, helping several songs remain memorable long after they finish. Not every chorus reaches the same level, and there are moments where familiar songwriting patterns begin to repeat themselves, making parts of the album less exciting than the opening stretch. Some riffs also lean heavily on influences that are easy to recognize, leaving a few sections short on originality.
Even with those shortcomings, the band write songs that remain engaging thanks to strong pacing and an ear for accessible melodies without drifting into radio rock territory. The album succeeds more often than it misses, offering enough memorable material to justify its running time and showing that the years spent releasing singles were not wasted. "Battle Pass" may not reach the level suggested by the band's growing reputation, though it proves Komodo is moving in the right direction and have the songwriting ability to produce something even stronger on their next release.
|7.5
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