2005-11-07
This is a new album by a veteran Munich based band, that has been around since 1993, somehow, they were dropped of the scope during thrash's hay days, but they continue standing firm and creating quality thrash albums since.
This album is no exception, and maybe through today's resurgence of thrash, the band may finally receive the respect it deserves.
This album certainly justifies it, it takes elements from all off thrash's greatest bands, such as Kreator and Coroner, to name a few, and infuses it with new ideas and some kick-ass riffs.
The fact they did not release too many albums as of now is evident in their overflow of guitar riffs throughout the album, the opener, Childsoldier, a long track that opens the album with a strong jolt, has more riffs than some bands have a complete albums, the vocals are mid-section high, somewhere between Kreator and Sodom, and the band also benefits from a really solid rhythm section.
Sound wise its classic 80's thrash, well produced but still raw and aggressive, and the band really comes to full throttle with the two next tracks, Rabies and Berserk, both a bit simpler and more direct than the opener, both have killer riffs and great lead guitar.
The choice of lyrics in Doggy Style seems weird, what with the song's music sounding serious and not as humoristic as you'd expect it to be, but I guess old-school thrash bands can do things that most metal bands cannot get away with.
In short, this is a great retro thrash album, which still manages to sound fresh and interesting, good for old school metal heads like me, but it should also appeal to younger thrill seekers out there.
Alon Miasnikov
