2006-07-11
Stress Factor 9 may be best known for all their different
Annihilator relations, but anyone expecting clean and crisp thrash is certainly going to be surprised by their debut album.
The Annihilator relations start with vocalist Randy Rampage, perhaps the best known ex-Annihilator vocalist, same with drummer Ray Hartmann, the album has additional lyrics by Annihilator lyricist John Bates, and some additional guitars by ex-Annihilator guitarist Anthony Greenham, you can see what some Annihilator comparisons are but natural, as I said; this is a very different thing.
Stress Factor 9's roots and influences are Punk and Hardcore, there are some thrash elements in the guitar riffs and the metallic drumming, but they come off as dirty, loudmouthed punks rather than clean cut thrashers. Anyone with some basic knowledge of thrash knows it emerged from Punk, and Stress Factor 9 is something of a missing link between the two.
Rampage's delivery is one of the main strong points for the album, he's brash, loud and offensive, unapologetically raw, with razor sharp lyrics that range from Humoristic (“Home Sweet Grow”) to angry (“Slowly”) and just plain bizarre (“Pig Farm Willy”), another strong point is the excellent sound, it comes off as a bit raw at times, especially in the guitars, but that fits in well with the punk feel of the album.
Hartmann remains a powerhouse of a drummer, with a truly in-your-face performance throughout, but the guitars are a pure love-it-or-hate-it affair, dirty riffs, unclean passages; this has hardcore written all over it.
There are certainly some thrash moments for the Annihilator fans, such as the opening melody line in “Taker” and some of the moments in “Slowly”, but all-in-all, this is certainly less clean and much more aggressive. Definitely for old school enthusiasts, this also has enough kick for new guys, just as long as you're ready for a shower afterwards…
Alon Miasnikov
