Showing posts with label australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label australia. Show all posts
21 Jul 2014
Malichor - The Serum [Single] (2014, Self-released)
Ah yes, here we are again. We find ourselves once more in the company of Malichor from Australia, brandishing the proud tradition of blackened thrash metal. Malichor's previous releases have left me expecting nothing but the best in ruthless metal riffing and music from lovecraftian hell. With equal measures Re-Animator and From Beyond we're being spoiled with a take on lovecraftian tales that don't involve the standard Cthulhu/Nyarlathotep schtick.
Side West kicks things off with what is arguably the bands fastest piece yet, their violent tunes rip-and-tearing their way into existence with savage ferocity. Great tempo is achieved through impeccable tremolos and brutish blast beats, a time-tested recipe perfected and distilled into a fine spirit of Malichor. Side Tillinghast dogmatically preach that humans are such easy prey, and promptly makes a reality of their threats to prey upon you. The release is a single, of that there can be little doubt, and it effectively eliminates any meandering and thoughtful lingering that might have found its way into their earlier songs, not once leering its ugly head for fear of being swiftly decapitated in true Re-Animator style.
Some aspects of songwriting come at the cost of other prime elements. On The Serum, the riffs seem to have taken somewhat of a step down from the high quality of the previous material, and in general most of the songwriting has taken a back seat in pursuit of faster speeds. The Australian band's modus operandi has always been a simple one, mixing almost elementary riffs and straight-forward drumming with absolutely exquisitely intense compositions. That method has only been made more apparent when Malichor took the step forward into faster tempos, but a rather uninteresting sound that lacks force results in only a vague interest in getting to know the material. The two tracks presented on side West and side Tillinghast are thoroughly deserving of almost the same praise Malichor's previous material has had, but at first it warrants nothing but a cursory glance. 7/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. The Serum
2. Easy Prey
Malichor on Bandcamp
Malichor on Facebook
Body Tags
2014,
7/10,
australia,
black metal,
black/thrash metal,
self-released,
single,
thrash metal
31 Mar 2014
AK-11 - Legendary, Demonic & Invincible [Demo] (2011, Self-released)
Self-proclaimed "triumphant black war metal" band AK-11 started out in 2011 with Valak being the only member. Valak had fashioned this demo, "Legendary, Demonic & Invincible", already by November the same year as a tribute to classic black metal acts like Celtic Frost, Burzum, Emperor and others. In 2013 two new members were added to the lineup, but AK-11 has yet to release anything as a trio.
Though black metal is traditionally stripped down to the bare necessities this goes especially for AK-11. On this demo there is not a breath wasted, not an effort spilled on fancy solos, symphonic orchestrations or overly complex compositions. What the sole member, Valak, puts forth on this first demo is convincingly simple black metal tunes condensed to a fine spirit. Though AK-11 hails from Australia, at least half the demo is sung in Russian as a tribute to the famous Avtomat Kalashnikov assault rifle. While this doesn't have any direct influence on the music found on "Legendary..." it accentuates the vodka-fueled slavic sounds that tracks like Shest' Shest' Shest' i Katyusha take on through inventive guitar riffs.
Most of the tracks are almost literally bursting with energy. Tracks like the satanic "Sniper's Glory" and Slava Rossii stand out as tracks of an especially engaging kind with their enticingly traditional riffs and mechanical blast beats, and the "Legendary..." demo is characterized by an unusually high lowest point in terms of songwriting quality. The riffs in particular catch the eye as one of the demo's strongest competences, Valak's raw vocals and his overall ability to write captivating material not falling far behind.
Production is often devalued in black metal, the genre often being seen as inherently lo-fi. This deep-rooted disregard for quality of sound seems to have also been part of the recording process with AK-11. Seeing as Legendary, Demonic & Invincible is a demo this can more or less be excused, and the - what I assume is a - drum machine has the samples fairly balanced with the abrasive sound of the guitar and the grey veil of Valak's vocals. The demo warrants excitement for future releases by AK-11 and is itself well worth a listen. Australian black metal often takes on a strong thrash metal influence as seen with bands like Deströyer 666, Nocturnal Graves, Gospel of the Horns, Atomizer, Malichor, Razor of Occam and so on and so forth. AK-11 sticks out like a sore thumb in this crowd as a band trying out new things, even if these elements aren't necessarily major parts of the band's sound. 7/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. The Cleansing Stream
2. Vechnyi Ogon'
3. Slava Rossii
4. Legendary, Demonic & Invincible
5. Sniper's Glory (Satan Guides My Aim)
6. Shest' Shest' Shest' i Katyusha
Visit AK-11 on Facebook
Download the demo FOR FREE
Body Tags
2011,
7/10,
australia,
black metal,
demo,
self-released
19 Aug 2013
Malichor - Ancient Brew [EP] (2013, Dead God Productions)
2013 marks the 6 year anniversary of Malichor, previously known as Myth. Having released 3 demos and 2 EPs at the time of writing Malichor from Australia, a band that I have previously lauded for their extremely well-written EP "Lurkers in the Crypt" from 2012, return with yet more blackened thrash in the vein of Deströyer 666 and Desaster on their newest EP "Ancient Brew".
The EP starts out with a track of the same name, and we are greeted with a torrent of feverous power tapping, courtesy of guitarists R. Malice and A. Abominatus. There can be no doubt: This is indeed Malichor. The Marduk-esque vocals of lead singer D. Defiler going hand in hand with the aggressive blasts of the drums of R. Morturus, the booming bass of B. Fleshripper and the afforementioned guitars are easily recognizable especially because of the riffs. These are no ordinary riffs. These riffs will stay with you forever.
There's not much negative stuff to put a finger on. The main thing is that the EP would benefit a lot from a clearer production. True, a gritty production can work in a band's advantage in regards to atmosphere, but with Ancient Brew the production seems a little muddy making it hard at times to decipher the riffs.
The most admirable thing about Ancient Brew is the fervor with which Malichor deliver their material. Though not as grimly uncompromising as Lurkers in the Crypt, the Ancient Brew EP has its own thing going primarily because Malichor on this release dare experiment a little more. It doesn't have the same epic riffs as "Demonic Power to Infinity" off the last EP had or the same easy to follow choruses as "Jackal's Spell" did, but stuff like the down-tempo part in "Morbid Intoxication" and . It's not that the 2013 EP is just a pile of experimenting riffs. It has its fair share of barbarous riffs, raw vocals, speed and face-melting solos, perhaps even more so than the previous EP regarding the last bit. 8/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Ancient Brew
2. Morbid Intoxication
3. Delirium
4. Black Dog's Lair
MALICHOR official Facebook
Dead God Productions official site
Body Tags
2013,
8/10,
australia,
black metal,
black/thrash metal,
dead god productions,
ep,
thrash metal
22 May 2013
Beyond Mortal Dreams - Dreaming Death [EP] (2012, Lavadome Productions)
Beyond Mortal Dreams may sound like a gay gothic metal band, but in reality they are the crème de la crème of what Australia has to offer death metal-wise. They've been around since the early 90's as "Suffering" but changed their name to Beyond Mortal Dreams in '95 only to go on a break from '99 to '03 before finally releasing a demo in 2004. Dreaming Death is only the fourth release from the band as Beyond Mortal Dreams.
Variations in speed, heaviness and intensity are what keep things interesting on the Dreaming Death EP. They have the filthily heavy, gut-churning guitar sound and base for their riffs as Mitochondrion, Portal and Antediluvian, and yet they have a sound that is entirely their own. Their compositions aren't completely straight forward, but at the same time they don't sound that technical or progressive, and the drums and guitars work in perfect unison to create that intense and imposing atmosphere that many Australian death bands are known for.
Beyond Mortal Dreams are neither high, mid or low tempo death metal. Part of the destructive beauty of Dreaming Death is the fact that the band play whatever the hell they damn well please as long as it fits in the song in question. The drums form a fearsom foundation for the veritable meat-grinder that is the guitar tracks, which in turn are spiced up with the gurgling roars of the lead singer.
Often this type of metal has a severe lack of hooks which makes the music bland in the long run, but stuff like the pumping guitars and drums in the second half of The Filth of Their God and the sinister guitar solo in Dreaming Death are more than enough to make this EP memorable.
Dreaming Death is a phenomenal EP and a carnal show of ferocity and aggression, but with the EP being only 4 tracks long the otherwise well-executed Beherit cover song feels a bit unnecessary. The track in question, Beast of Damnation, does fit their overall theme well and has been adapted nicely to Beyond Mortal Dreams' style, but... I'm grasping at straws really, this EP is awesome. 9/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Feast of Carrion
2. The Filth of Their God
3. Dreaming Death
4. Beast of Damnation (Beherit Cover)
BEYOND MORTAL DREAMS official Facebook
Lavadome Productions official website
Body Tags
2012,
9/10,
australia,
death metal,
ep,
lavadome productions
15 Apr 2013
Lamia Hyde and the Southern Witches - Conjuring Lamia [Demo] (2012, Self-released)
To briefly introduce the band Lamia Hyde and the Southern Witches is a band that according to their own biography play dark hypnotic music with a touch of inspiration from black metal bands and mythology aswel as horror movies. At the time of writing the band has 17 likes on Facebook. Though Facebook is by no means an indicator of quality it was already here that I began having doubts if my time would be well spent listening to it. The pretentious picture of a masked man aswel as the mind-blowingly horrible "art" that resemble the demented drawings of a mentally challenged 3rd grader didn't help much in staving off this assumption.I can only guess that Lamia Hyde and the Southern Witches, in spite of the very misleading band name, consists of a single person. While I have yet to actually describe the music on the Conjuring Lamia demo, let me tell you that I too would conceal my identity if I were the author of such horrid "music".
The demo consists of 4 relatively short songs ranging from just over 2 minutes to a little over 3 minutes in length. At 11 minutes of playtime total it seems excessive to actually call this a "demo" rather than just a small compilation of random material. And boy does it sound random. Most of the time the songs are comprised of parts that sound like they were composed for vastly different purposes and put together with complete abandon, and the lack of good flow seems to be a recurring theme with Lamia Hyde and the Southern Witches. For the most part the demo is poorly executed and sometimes an instrument will completely fall out and then come back a note or two later, leading to a generally untight disposition.
I don't think I have ever heard a demo that sounds so inadequate or incomplete. Conjuring Lamia has next to no artistic merrit or musical value. What disturbs me the most is that someone made this. This didn't just turn up on its own, someone deliberately created this monstrosity. Someone somewhere on this god forsaken planet is proud of having made this. Every single element feels out of place, and the elements that sound ouf of place don't fit together either. Every attempt to find a redeeming quality was met with disappointment. One might even think the band was created as a joke, but most joke bands I've heard are way better. The only small thing I found that has any hint of quality behind it is that rather than relying on programmed instruments and sounds the Australian band has seemingly recorded every instrument by hand, and this does grant the demo a small pinch of authenticity, but unfortunately not nearly enough to outweigh the inadequacies of the rest of its parts combined. 2/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Serpentine Glamour
2. Conjuring Lamia
3. Three AM
4. Throttled by an Angel
LAMIA HYDE AND THE SOUTHERN WITCHES official Facebook
If you by chance want to check out the entire thing, the EP is available for download here
Don't believe me? Think I'm being harsh? Check out this video and tell me I'm wrong.
Body Tags
2/10,
2012,
australia,
black metal,
demo,
self-released
23 Feb 2013
Malichor - Lurkers in the Crypt [EP] (2012, Self-released)
One of my major beefs with black/thrash is that some bands tend to take the easy way and make it sound like terribly simplistic bedroom black metal with a few thrashy riffs and d-beats strewn around here and there. All in moderation, really - It's not like Desaster is the most technically advanced band ever, and Deströyer 666 often follow the exact same patterns in songwriting. But the difference is that those two bands do it with moderation; Their music may not be the most varied of sorts and may not have crystal clear production, but they make it work and make up for any shortcomings in brilliant songwriting.
A band that has chosen to take the high road is Australia's black/thrash quintet Malichor. The Lovecraft-themed band don't overdo anything. It's straight to the core black and thrash metal in equal amounts, and it works astonishingly well for them. Their recipe for disaster consists of iconic, catchy riffs over a high tempo rhythm section made up of a thrashy and audible bass aswell as drums presenting varying degrees of blasting. The vocals too are greatly varied, ranging from animalistically roaring growls to the more classic, rasping black metal vocals.
Though melody is seldom part of the equation in black/thrash metal, Malichor has found room for a rather melodic riff in the track Jackal's Spell. I was worried that it would break the malicious atmosphere that the band had already by the second track created on the EP, but I found that it added another element of mysticism to the music that fits Malichor's Lovecraftian style very well.
It's obvious that Malichor take a lot of influences from the 80's, both in their stage names and their music. But to me "Lurkers in the Crypt" is so much more than blatant 80's worship. It's not so much that they're revolutionizing the genre, because let's face it, they aren't. But in later years it seems all bands are either tighty than a nun with crystal clear production, or the directly opposite, making Hellhammer sound like the afforementioned. Malichor found a great median between the two. Their half-sloppy playing provides the EP with some much appreciated dynamic, and I found the EP to be very well written in general. Of the four tracks on the EP there aren't really any tracks weaker than the others, and all the tracks provide the release with it's own element to make it a wholesome experience. "Jackal's Spell" provides the more melodic elements aswell as a pumping headbanging piece, even if melody is something seldom seen in relation to black/thrash, and the iconic "Demonic Power of Infinity" is probably the fastest of the four tracks aswell as being the most unrelenting. It reminds me of some Norwegian black metal which combined with their hints towards Deströyer 666's memorable choruses and satanic solos makes it a breathtaking experience.
The music in itself isn't very lovecraftian and doesn't invoke visions of the great old ones or anything like that, but the cover reminds me of a certain short story by H.P. Lovecraft called "The Statement of Randolph Carter", in which the main character, Randolph Carter, describes how he and one of his associates visits an old graveyard and how his partner goes into a crypt only to suffer a horrible death to some unspeakable, unnamable horror. The whole ordeal is quite vividly described and as such, to me, goes very well hand in hand with this devilish EP.
All in all Malichor show great potential on "Lurkers in the Crypt". Their sense for songwriting and ear for riffs is astonishing. Following in the wake of a new wave of satanic speed metal they measure up to some of the genres forefathers in terms of songwriting, and I found Malichor to be just as vigorous, profane and unrelenting as some of the genre's revered progenitors. 9/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Lurkers in the Crypt
2. Jackal's Spell
3. Demonic Power of Infinity
4. Cerebral Debauchery
MALICHOR official MySpace site
Body Tags
2012,
9/10,
australia,
black metal,
black/thrash metal,
ep,
self-released,
thrash metal
30 Jan 2013
Dead Hills - Purgatory / Winds of Time [Demo] (2012, Cloister Recordings)
I think it's safe to say that Australia's export of metal bands isn't very impressive. Other than a few bands like Portal, Psycroptic, The Berzerker, Vomitor, Abyssic Hate, Sadistik Execution, Hobbs' Angel of Death, Mortal Sin and Deströyer 666 I hardly know any Australian bands worth mentioning, and for a country its size it seems odd that the scene is so relatively small globally. As such Dead Hills with all its depressive black metal tendencies and electronic ambient elements was a rare sight for me.
The Purgatory / Winds of Time demo, which is Dead Hills' debut release, immediately struck me as having a brilliant production and sound. Having listened to a lot of bedroom black metal projects I've experienced that most people apparently think that shitty production is mandatory in black metal. Dead Hills, however, presents its material with an astoundingly solid production. It provides the music with a vigorous guitar sound that still leaves room for plenty of organic warmth aswell as audible drums.
The main thing that draws my attention is the fact that Dead Hills have a thing for epicness. There is something soaring and grandios about the sustained intrepidness of the entire demo, but especially on songs like the 15 minutes long Leaves of Ash has Weaver found room for a certain epic sound that is rarely heard otherwise in the black metal scene. The stark contrast between the tortured Varg Vikernes inspired screams and the beautifully organic and naturesque moods created by the creative riffing is also worth mentioning as this is one of the central elements that makes Dead Hills stand out from so many other black metal acts.
In a scene where there are so few internationally known bands, such as the Australian black metal scene, creating an easily recognizable sound and/or style is imperative. As such I'm not saying that Dead Hills are unique or othwerwise really original - The influences from classic 90's black metal such as Darkthrone and especially Burzum is highly prevalent and dominant, but then again Weaver has a certain touch that makes his music relatively easily distinguishable from the bands from which he takes his inspiration. One might say that the interest for the creative impulses of the classic bands have propelled Dead Hills to a more modern sound without being completely removed from the roots that spawned it.
I was told the demo is to be understood as two seperate demos/albums put into one, and the Purgatory / Winds of Time demo does seem excessively long for just one release, even if most depressive and atmospheric black metal bands tend to produce longer releases. But even so the music itself never gets boring or dreary, and I never felt that anything was missplaced or otherwise didn't fit in. I can see how it would be beneficial to split up the release as it would make it easier to focus on a few of the songs. Having to listen to 1 hour and 30 minutes straight of black metal it makes me grateful that the music doesn't such monumentally. 8/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Clearing
2. Purging Fog
3. Nocturnal Hatred
4. After
5. Majesty in Mystery
6. Flight Through the Opaque
7. Twilit Trees
1. Wells
2. The Wilt
3. Haze
4. Leaves of Ash
5. Graveyards Over the Sea
DEAD HILLS official Facebook
DEAD HILLS official Bandcamp (WITH FREE DOWNLOAD!)
Cloister Recordings official site
Body Tags
2012,
8/10,
australia,
black metal,
cloister recordings,
demo,
depressive black metal
18 Nov 2012
Sewercide - Severe Trauma [Demo] (2012, Self-released)
Sewercide have obviously been listening to Max Cavalera-era Sepultura. I detect huge amounts of Schizophrenia through Chaos A.D. worship on this demo that infuses the fast, aggressive thrash metal with the heavy, distorted musical psychosis that is death metal. The 4-piece utilize a very dynamic sound to fuel the bonfire that is their chosen style. Just like Sepultura.
And this brings me on to my main point: Why listen to a Sepultura clone, when you could just listen to the actual Sepultura? Even if they're a very enthusiastic copy with huge amounts of talent, is there any point in listening to Sewercide rather than putting on Beneath the Remains? Let me answer that question in a very short manner: Yes. The Australian conspirators may sound a lot like Sepultura, but even so their music is hugely enjoyable and played with such force and ferocity that it WILL be an enjoying experience.
Now with all these positive remarks I end my review with some small downsides. Unlike timeless classics like Slayer's Chemical Warfare, Sepultura's Territory, Kreator's Pleasure to Kill or Slaughter's Incinerator - Tracks that would all fit the style of Sewercide - this band's music sort-of lacks something to really get me hooked, like a memorable riff, catchy chorus or hellish drumroll. I also haven't adressed my dislike for overly short demos. I can easily understand why a newly created band wants it's music unleashed upon the innocent crowd as soon as possible, but I would've like this demo was a bit lengthier. On the other hand, it is easily within the first couple of years of a band's creation that most bands release their most vigorous, brutal and uncompromising material and I can see why it would definitely be benefitial to have a slew of highly destructive tracks out there.
In closing Severe Trauma is a very short, but mighty effective demo. Sewercide have convinced me in relative short time that their potential is undeniable, and if they continue releasing material at a rapid pace I will be a more than happy reviewer. 8/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Pyrocataclysm
2. Seismic Annihilation
SEWERCIDE official facebook
Also check out their online store!
If you don't believe me (and even if you do) their tracks are freely available on Bandcamp and Last.FM!
Body Tags
2012,
8/10,
australia,
death metal,
death/thrash metal,
demo,
self-released,
thrash metal
3 Feb 2012
Various Artists - 8 Way for Destroy the Music [Split] (2011, Shit Music for Shit People)
It starts off with Culo from Chile. Culo delivers 18 songs coming in at almost 3 minutes. Their style is mostly headpounding noisecore with vocals screamed at the top of the lungs and saturated with inaudible guitars and blasttastic drums. The Chilean band sets the tone and grindmasters Disinterested Handjob from the land Down Under quickly follow with their 6 equally short bursts of rapidfire, though their general outlook is abit less noisy than Culo.
The Equadorean band Menso Noise offers a lengthy track mostly consisting of a guy talking in portuguese with concentrated blasts of grind. On the next quest to destroy music is the American band Gorgonized Dorks which is somewhat a surprise on this release as the music could probably best be described as industrial drony noise with occassional explosions of ear-tearing screams and distorted instrumentation. Quite apocalyptic, really.
Going in a different direction the Danish shit-themed grindcore band Fækal Omsorg (Fecal Care in English) are the only band on the release to have actual riffs and what could very well be actual song structures. The Danish toilet-warriors have a more well-defined sound and a much better vocal performance than most of the bands on the split.
Next comes Drongo, another Australian grind-mutant. Drongo's 11 cellphone mic-quality songs sort-of stand out from most of the music on this split by having parts that sounds predominantly black metalish. The last two bands, the Americans "Infecting the Dissected" and "Video Nasty", are more of the obvious Anal Cunt worship that's generally going on here on this split. Borderlining plain noise these two enemies of melody and harmony offer their cacophonous paroxysms of noise as a final prayer and sacrifice to the gods of noise.
The average song length on the split can't be much, and it would seem that this tendency to blink-of-an-eye lengthed tracks is an ongoing trend amongst noisy grindcore bands. The influences from Napalm Death's first album "Scum" and the noisecore legends Anal Cunt are numerous and obvious, ranging from the songs that are barely even music to the "micro-songs" that have become so fashionable in grind music.
I must say that rating and grading a split like this is a rather troublesome task. The music is utterly chaotic and mind-numbingly vile, but since this is most likely the goal it would seem that the bands of the release have succeeded. And then, if I give them a low grade like 3 or 4, would it be seen as a great compliment or a grievous insult?
For the most part I'd say that it was very difficult to enjoy this split. Perhaps that was intended. Be that as it may, I enjoyed Fækal Omsorg's part and I was rather surprised to find that I also enjoyed the one track by Gorgonized Dorks.
All in all I think this split deserves 3/10 guitars. Whether this is good or bad, I'll leave for the readers to decide.
Tracklist:
1. Culo -18 Songs
2. Disinterested Handjob - Vashta Nerada (Count the Shadows)
3. Disinterested Handjob - We're All Fucked Now
4. Disinterested Handjob - A Commentary on Reznor in the Late 90's
5. Disinterested Handjob - Tainted Meat
6. Disinterested Handjob - F, F, SF
7. Disinterested Handjob - Stop Hating on Pigs
8. Menso Noise - FUA!!!
9. Gorgonized Dorks - Untitled
10. Fækal Omsorg - Soup
11. Fækal Omsorg - Filter
12. Fækal Omsorg - Crap
13. Fækal Omsorg - Spinach Cunt
14. Fækal Omsorg - Puke-Bomb
15. Fækal Omsorg - Turd Explosion
16. Fækal Omsorg - Noise Lung
17. Drongo - 11 Songs
18. Infecting the Dissected - Swarm of Flies
19. Infecting the Dissected - Decomposing Entrails
20. Infecting the Dissected - Delayed Corrosion and Decay
21. Video Nasty - Secticide
22. Video Nasty - Impaled Hell
23. Video Nasty - Suicide Kult Kill
24. Video Nasty - Divine Art of Shit Sex
25. Video Nasty - Madness Made Machine
26. Video Nasty - Clan with a Plan
27. Video Nasty - MagiSick
28. Video Nasty - They Burn like Witches
SHIT MUSIC FOR SHIT PEOPLE official site
2 Dec 2011
Sabretung - Conquest [Full length] (2011, Self-released)
Making straight up GOOD thrash metal can be hard to do. Fast guitars, shredding riffs, speedy drumming and ripping vocals aren't all you need. It's been done since the early 80's. It needs something... Extra. It either needs to be something out of the ordinary or just be plain well carried out.
Sabretung - A band relatively well known in the metal underground in no small part due to their relentless marketing - is one of the newer thrash bands Australia has to offer for the still growing movement of 80's thrash revivalists. Having released nothing but an EP 5 years ago entitled The Price is Pain, 2011's CONQUEST is the Australian thrash quartet's debut album.
At first listen I wasn't impressed, but with each listen my interest for this album grew. I find the vocals somewhat loud in the mix and while the vocals themselves are generally poor, unvaried and have a tendency to sound overproduced the choruses are where it's at. Most of the 9 tracks feature catchy and memorable choruses of varying character, even sometimes incorporating gang shouts of differing quality.
At first listen I wasn't impressed, but with each listen my interest for this album grew. I find the vocals somewhat loud in the mix and while the vocals themselves are generally poor, unvaried and have a tendency to sound overproduced the choruses are where it's at. Most of the 9 tracks feature catchy and memorable choruses of varying character, even sometimes incorporating gang shouts of differing quality.
Mostly mid-tempoed this album is a fairly standard thrash album made like it's meant to be made. It's just catchy metal like they made in the 80's.
Conquest overall offers classic thrash metal structures with a minuscule modern twist saturated with wholesomely great guitar riffs and drums that sound absolutely incredible. Featuring elements from most of the schools of thrash Sabretung has produced an all in all enjoyable album and a fun listening experience. For a debut album Conquest certainly isn't shabby, and if you're a fan of especially Lich King and Exodus I'd recommend giving Sabretung a listen.
As I said earlier, if you make straight up thrash metal you better make it fucking awesome or it WILL be boring, and while I hugely dislike the vocals Sabretung's Conquest is a load of highly enjoyable although standard thrash. The Australian quartet brings absolutely nothing new to the tabel but utilizes tried out elements in this potent concoction. 7/10 guitars.
Tracklist:
1. Suicide Terror
2. Total Conquest
3. The Thing
4. Army of Dead
5. Chainsaws
6. Barbarian
7. Bloodlust
8. For the Term of his Natural Life
9. Eliminate the Weak
Body Tags
2011,
7/10,
australia,
full length,
self-released,
thrash metal
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