Reviews
2007-06-26
I've heard some good vibe about this band for some time now, initially I assumed they play another variant of the melodic black metal some of its members did before, but when I heard they owe more to American thrash, with the name Testament usually used, I immediately became interested.
Well, their new album isn't Testament, and it's not exactly American thrash. It's a combination of new school groove with some Pantera-like harsh vocals with some Thrash elements. It has some good riffs but it seems the band has put more effort into song-writing than just writing good riffs, all of that makes this an interesting, and strong album, but not the thrash-favorite some of the fans might expect.
As musicians, these guys know what they're doing; strong drumming, good guitar work, and the vocals are certainly one of their strongest aspects, moving from Machine Head-like aggression to more melodic, softer sections. While the first two tracks are all right, the album really hits its stride with "The Clone", one of the heaviest tracks here, which has some great thrashy riffs. It's here that the true ability of the band shines through.
The next track is again something which demonstrates what makes this album work, it's a long, progy cut, with some acoustic guitars and far more interesting vocal work. The fact these guys can pull off something this different speaks volumes.
So basically, you can be an oldschool thrash addict or a newschool man, but this should probably attract both, while it's mostly varied and groovy enough to cater for the latter. In any case- a solid addition to the band's spotless resume.
Alon Miasnikov
