YOC
Thy Kingdom/The Pit

February 2004
Released: 2004, Independent
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

What I’ve got here are two self-released CDs from metal fan and aspiring musician Yalin Coskun. Yalin is a self-described “tenor metal singer”. I’ll note right away that these are by no means professional releases and should not be compared to actual signed bands. These are basically just two CDs put out by a metal fan to test the waters, and I’ll judge them as such. The first CD I listened to was THY KINGDOM. This is Yalin’s most recent CD, which he recorded in 2003. It begins with a simple piano intro, and then segues into what I’ll call the orchestral version of the title song. There are no guitars, bass, or drums to be heard here, just Yalin singing fantasy lyrics over top of keyboards. Yalin’s vocals are surprisingly powerful, and he manages to grab your attention and hold it. It’s actually a fairly decent song, and one that I could picture fitting in as a ballad on a great number of power metal albums. The piano version of the same song is the only other track on here, and it’s basically the same, with piano swapped in for the keyboards.

The other disc offered up here is THE PIT. It basically consists of a cover of Testaments “Into the Pit” (dedicated to Paul Baloff and Chuck Schuldiner), an original song by Yalin called “Why” and two “home recordings” that are basically Yalin noodling around at home with some blues riffs and piano. The Testament cover is very good, played well and capturing the vibe that made the original such a great song. It’s worth noting here that Yalin’s vocals are completely different here, more shouted and in the thrash vein than on “Thy Kingdom”. I actually like these vocals better. “Why” is more in the style of a rock ballad, and not really metal at all. It’s not a bad song, but not really my cup of tea either. Yalin’s vocals are more crooning here.

Overall, I can’t see this getting Yalin too much attention, though there is obvious talent on display here. My recommendation is to focus on the metal side of things, forget the soft rock/ballad stuff and concentrate on the METAL! I would also stress that Yalin put together a band, starting with the guitarist that helped him out on “Into the Pit”, ‘cause he sounds like a good musician. Best of luck Yalin!