Old - Down With The Nails - [Tyrant Syndicate]

2006-12-28

First of all, this isn’t the old grind metal band, O.L.D; these guys are Germans and their music lies somewhere in between old Hellhammer, classic Venom, with some Mayhem and Darkthrone thrown in as well.

Another signing for Tyrant syndicate, the label initiated by Darkthrone members and the UK's Peaceville records, Old manage to grasp the early 80's blackened thrash feel perfectly, with instruments, vocals and even the sound coming off as something taken directly from those dirty, innocent times.

The first thing would be, if you actually like that kind of stuff. If it's clear, well-played and precise metal that you like - leave this one alone; if its dirty, punkish and raw that you crave - you've hit pay dirt. Although the guys know how to play, this album sounds like a recorded rehearsal, quite logical when taking in mind that the album took just 3 days to record…

Things move from slower cuts like the opener "Black Jewel Throne" which sounds exactly like a Hellhammer song, to faster numbers like "Lust In Red", but mostly in mid-pace black-thrash which relies more on atmosphere than anything else.

I can't say it's over original, Warhammer did exactly this kind of music for 4 albums, but still, this has a lot of charms for old-schoolers, and this kind of music just isn’t done anymore, so I guess these guys have their niche ready. Not the best oldschool album I've heard, but it's certainly among the better ones.

Alon Miasnikov