New album Awakening has only 8 songs and with 31 minutes a rather short album. But, rather quality over quantity and lucky enough, the songs are rather good. The opening and title track is a real thrash song, which also can be said about ‘Divide and Conquer’, a very fast song which punches you right in the face. Besides these typical thrash songs, there are also a couple of more groovier tracks. ‘Salvation’, ‘Killing Machine’ and ‘Death Valley’ are examples of that. Besides that, ‘Salvation’ is a very melodic piece, with twin guitars and solos that breath Iron Maiden all along. ‘Manifest Reality’ has a Slayer vibe and could have been on their debut album easily. Another real thrash attack is the shortest on the album: ‘Revolution’, it is also the fastest one. Just before that there is the in my opinion weakest track ‘Death Valley’. It is also the most melodic and slowest, and not typical one you expect from Sacred Reich. Perhaps I just need to get used to it, but at the moment I find it the less interesting one.
With ‘Something To Believe’ the groove is back again and also the melody. Again a track in which Phil shows that he is an o.k. singer. Personally I had hoped for a real heavy thrash hammer to end the album.
All in all, the quality on the album is high, but due to the short length and only 8 songs, I am not overenthusiastic. I had hoped for a few more songs after such a long hiatus, neverthelesst a good comeback album for certain.
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Somehow the band mixes aggression with melody in a way I haven’t heard for a couple of years. In the 4th song the band works that almost out into perfection, just listen to the solos and you will agree. As if we didn’t hear enough great heavy riffs yet, the band just continues in ‘The Deeper Depths’. The half spoken grunts see to it that it sounds very dark and together with the screaming vocals again a perfect blend of death and thrash. ‘Origin’ is a very fast song, with some screaming black metal influences. In ‘Spiralling Down’ the band shows that they also are into some darker a bit Opeth sounding and less heavy stuff, with accoustic guitar and cello included. What impresses me the most about Insurrection is the mature sound of the band. Sure the members have played in several other bands, but the skills are great. With a mix and mastering of Frederik Nordström everything sounds very balanced and heavy.
Is there nothing to complain about then? Well the only thing that bores me a bit after a while are the screaming vocals. There is too little variation and sounds the same in several songs after a while. Fortunately the more grunting ones compensate that a bit.
]]>From start to finish, Born To Perish grooves like hell. Songs that swing and very strong galopping riffs accompanied by melody and aggression. Typical Destruction, but stronger than ever. The fast opener which also shows that new drummer Randy Black is a real animal on drums, is Destruction all the way. The title track could have been on an album like Eternal Devestation as well. Schmier his typical voice sounds still the same after so many years. Some Bay Area influences can be found back in the riffmonster ‘Tyrants Of The Netherwold’ and closer ‘Rat Catcher’ is a very variable a bit more chaotic track. Personally I find the riffs in the song ‘We Breed Evil’ and ‘Rotten’ some of the most interesting and contagious ones I have listened to recently.
The modern heavy sound, the variety, the galopping and grooving songs see to it that this new album is for me their best in the last 20 years.
]]>Outside it is 37 degrees celcius, so I keep this review short. With the new Suicidal Angels, this album is one of the best new old-school sounding Bay Area Thrash records this month. For thrash fans this is an expensive month, certainly when you also buy Sacred Reich and Destruction.
Fans of Exodus and Testament have a must buy this month!
]]>Opener ‘Humanicide’ starts with a guitar tandem intro in the vain of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest (The Hellion). This fast song has been out on YouTube for a while and should be known by now. ‘Divine Defector’ follows in the same aggressive fast tempo. ‘Aggressor’ has more variety and is a typical Death Angel track, jumping up and down and with Mark at his best. ‘I Came for Blood’ has a NWOBHM vibe, a kind of Saxon on high speed. Thrash returns with ‘Alive and Screaming’ and ‘Ghost of Me’ and with ‘Revelation Song’ a more progressive side of Death Angel appears again.
All in all, a typical high quality Death Angel album, which continues where The Evil Divide left us 3 years ago. Every die-hard thrash fan should purchase this as soon as possible.
]]>I had the pleasure to see the band live on their first gig of their tour at March 29th in Iduna Drachten. I was surprised by the perfect English of their enthusiastic singer Mem V. Stein, but found out later at home that he already lives for about 20 years in the U.S. The band already played a few songs from their new album. The title track, ‘Dust Eater’ and ‘Raptor’ are three I still remember. Old school thrash with a perfect production is what Exumer delivers. Mix 60% of Exodus with 20% of Slayer, 10% Kreator and 10% own influence and you know what to expect. With which I don’t want to say that Exumer is just a rip off, no for sure not, because they were already there in the early eighties. Piece by piece the songs are real hammers. Fast riffing, galloping rhytmns and aggressive vocals from start to finish. The slowest track is ‘Dust Eater’, which has the biggest Exodus influence due to the riff and the singing style.
My personal favorite on the album is ‘The Order Of Shadows’. The riff is contagious, the drum rhytmn outragious and Exumer added a weird sound which finishes it for me completely. All in all this is one of the best old school thrash albums of this year and fans of Exumer, Exodus, Slayer and Kreator have a must buy.
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ENTERFIRE – single “A thousand voices” from album “Slave of time”.
Enterfire is a London based band formed by Niki B, a Greek/British guitarist and vocalist born in 1996.
The band has influences from the modern thrash metal world but also aims to mix in progressive and melodic sounds. From the very beginning the band has been conquering the crowds leaving them with only one thing in their minds – ENTERFIRE!
Recenlty they released their first full-length album titled “Slave of time” with 9 songs.
In the album including the single “A thousand voices”.
In 4th of April 2019, will be released the official video clip of the song
Watch teaser here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0RxKzAJxRU
Official links
https://www.facebook.com/enterfireofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/enterfireofficial/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/enterfire
https://twitter.com/ENTERFIREBAND
]]>If I compare The Wings Of War with their 2017 album The Grinding Wheel, I have to conclude that there are more faster parts/songs. Also their punk roots are present, on their debut there was ‘Second Son’ and now you can enjoy this in the ultra fast song ‘Welcome to the Garden State’, starting with a spoken word intro from the mafia series The Sopranos. Time and age doesn’t seem to have a lot of impact on the raspy vocals of the great entertainer and singer ‘Blitz’. He still sounds like an angry youngster and his voice is unique like always.
The video of opener ‘Last Man Standing’ is already out for over 2 months and the music is fast, aggressive and sounds tight as an ant’s ass. Next is the mid-tempo groove song ‘Believe in The Fight’, perhaps not one that will be remembered in a few years as one of their highlights, but still good. The other video they already released is of ‘Head Of A Pin’. A very varied song with galopping riffs and a refrain that sticks in your head. Riff monster ‘Bat Shit Crazy’ continues in rather fast pace and is followed by ‘Distortion’, which opens softly and is in my opinion the weakest track on the new album, although D.D. Verni rules with his bass lines.
Up next are two fast songs with a kind of punk attitude. The kind of threatening openening guitar part of ‘Where Few Dare To Walk’ and the half spoken vocals of Blitz is typical old school Overkill. It is built up around the bass parts of D.D. and it is slow and groovy. With ‘Out On the Road-Kill’ the tempo goes a bit up again and closer ‘Hole In My Soul’ ends in the typical thrash/punky fast sounding riffs with which the band Overkill distinguishes itself from other thrash bands.
All in all, The Wings Of War is an album that fits like a glove in their repertoire and sounds a little bit fresher and faster than their 2017 album. I don’t think it is one of their top 5 albums, but it sure is steady top 10 material. Again, a job well done and an album every thrash fan should own.
]]>Now back to this new release called The Face Of Fear. I have a bit mixed up feelings listening to the album. At first I only got 9 songs instead of 11 (the 2 re-recorded songs ‘Mind of No Return’ and ‘Docter Evil’) are missing, so with only 35 minutes of music the album is rather short. Second is that the balance on the album is a little gone, in my opinion there are a little too much softer melodic parts. On the other hand the real thrash songs are faster and heavier than ever. The first track is already on You Tube for a month, so everyone knows how that song sounds. The next one starts rather slow, but turns into a real fast thrash hammer soon, this is one of my favorites . ‘New Rage’ starts as a ballad, but soon becomes a mid tempo riffing track.
Melody has always been an Artillery trade mark, this really returns in ‘Sworn Utopia’, a fast song that reminds me of Megadeth. Another great riffing thrash song varied with some slower parts follows. Then a melodic metal song, I wouldn’t call it thrash is up next, but I like it. It is well build up and has some great melodies. Another melodic not particularly a thrash song follows, it has some great vocals, but in my eyes not really what I expect form a band with the name Artillery. ‘Under Water’ is just filling in my opinion, why not another real song on such a short album? The fastest track of the album follows and ends my listening session.
Final conclusion is that Artillery is back with a good album, but not the hammer I expected, I’m sure the 2 re-recorded songs I’m missing make the album better. The songs are good and of a high level in general, but I’m not over the moon.
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