Thrash metal is very easy to come by these days, that is no secret. There’s an ocean of bands who’ve jumped the band wagon and play thrash the way they think it was played when I began listening to metal during the 80s. Some do it well, some don’t.
The mixed-nationality combo Polarized do a decent job.
Originating from the US, Bosnia, Sweden and Italy, the band members all have a background in the genre, and the technical level is clearly not something you can complain about. When listening to ‘Western Hypnosis’, my thoughts are transported to Annihilator, Kreator, Testament and, don’t know if you remember them, Atrophy. The reason why I mention this less-known second-tier thrash band (they released two excellent albums in 1988 and 1990, but never really made it – the excuse probably being the advent of grunge) is that the vocal effort by singer/guitarist Daniel Botti reminds me of Atrophy vocalist Brian Zimmermann’s performance back then. This is not at all a bad thing, mind you. I really enjoyed those two albums.
‘Western Hypnosis’ is also in many ways an enjoyable album, however, perfect it ain’t.
It starts out really well with full on thrasher The Seventh Sin with promising riffing. Wish’em Well continues in the same vein, with rolling drums and lots of shredding. Recipe for Death is a more diverse tune with a laid back intro and a lot of fine details – for instance the über-cool break where they go down in half time two minutes into the song. I like that!
Black Loyalty has a mellow guitar intro, but picks up the pace in a slightly jazzy way, and then turns into a slow, but insisting metal song. It kind of loses the momentum after a while. Rise takes over with a mid-tempo riff, which is just excellent. Catchy chorus, too.
Permanent War is the least interesting track on ‘Western Hypnosis’. I’m tempted to call it a boring filler. With the next song, Listen, Polarized don’t really manage to recover from that set-back, whereas they finally make a comeback with the title track of the album, an upbeat thrash, which has a lot more to offer than the two previous songs.
This is a fine thrash metal album. It’s not an immediate classic for sure, but for fans of thrash from around 1990, this is definitely worth giving a listen.
Tracklist:
01. The Seventh Sin
02. Wish’em Well
03. Recipe for Death
04. Black Loyalty
05. Rise
06. Permanent War
07. Listen
08. Western Hypnosis
Playing time: 38 minutes
Release date: 4th of September, 2015
Label: Mighty Music
Website: www.polarizedtthrash.com
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