”Bliksem” is the Dutch word for lightning and once you hear this band, you can see why they are named this. The Belgian thrash outfit with a very gratuitous helping of classic 80’s heavy metal 5 piece have played with a wide range of acts, from Obituary to the Kaiser Chiefs and recently have supported Flotsam & Jetsam on their latest UK tour. With the promise of thrash, classic metal and some doom and psychedelic weirdness thrown in for good measure, this release certainly promises to be a gruesome masterpiece or one would hope.
From the off, the sinister intro to “Crawling In The Dark” gets your attention with its semi-hypnotic Middle Eastern vibe rich progression and sound, which has a great build up effect and adds a touch of drama before the full on metal groove filled with power kicks in. Vocalist Peggy Meeussen’s lyrics are delivered with some serious grit to them echoing shades of Doro and the guitar riffing combined with the pounding and well-timed bass and drums works a treat. Filled with great riffs and attitude, the track gets you and keeps you hooked. Technical wizardry in the solo explodes out of nowhere and a final chorus into another twisting solo wraps it up nicely. “Kywas” is a full on thrash metal assault. Cutting riffs, venomously delivered vocals and as fast as a cheetah pumped up on steroids, its relentless bombardment does not let up. Even when it appears to slow in the chorus, the pace is still blistering and the one moment of reprieve is a real heavy groove before it explodes back to life with another wild thrash like solo.
“Room Without A View” slows the pace slightly with its steady thrash groove and when the verse comes in, it has a powerful headbanging feel to it. Full of groove with a more melodic approach vocally, the classic Iron Maiden like sound rings out loud and clear on this track. With little lead fills littered across the track, it doesn’t really explode to life until near the 3 minute mark when the thrash kicks in. Getting faster, heavier and more intense, it has a fantastic sound with the now scathing vocal delivery and blistering solo which really ups the ante for the album. “Mistress Of The Damned” is where things start to get weird. With a hypnotic Blue Öyster Cult styled intro, bringing in the psychedelic elements promised musically and vocals which for some reason make me think of Skin (Skunk Anansie) in the sound and delivery, the soft and ominous track changes the game completely. Even in the chorus it has a slight impact but it’s not really that heavy and the solo is mostly blues inspired until it finally picks up with a slight metallic edge to it before a powerful vocal display in the final chorus.
“The Hunt” brings us back to more familiar territory with a classic NWOBHM sound. With a great rhythm section display, especially from the bass, it has a real steady pace to it with a solid headbanging groove and in the chorus it has a solid sound and catchy vocal hook to it. When it hits the lead section, as expected it is twisty and melodic, mixing complexity with flair for maximum effect and the transition from solo to the final verse-chorus run is well placed and sounds great. “Morphine Dream” is the epic of the album, weighing in round the 9 minute mark and like “mistress Of The Damned”, it brings the weird back. With more of a Black Sabbath styled doomy approach, the slow, pounding and heavy intro really brings an evil and moody atmosphere to the track. With the clean and hypnotic vocals catching you in a trance once again, it lulls you into a false sense of security before the lyrically gritty and heavy sounding chorus hits you with an uneasy, haunting feel. Dramatic sounding and heavy in the mid-section with a fantastic harmony guitar line over a murky chugged rhythm, the track really beefs up and the switching from evil to solo to riff worship to solo once again rounds the track off great.
“Twist The Knife” once again brings us back to familiar territory with a real blistering thrash attack. Gritty and strong vocals, relentless pace and energetic riffs drag you back to life after the previous track and in the chorus it gets even faster and more frantic sounding. Vocally solid with intense riffing and a venomous delivery, this short burst of pure thrash is a perfect wakeup call and a great way to set up for the final tracks. “Barbaric Nation” brings back the classic metal feel with a melodic lead over a slower paced series of big riffs and pounding basslines. With some interesting riffs, it slowly builds up until an almighty vocal scream ignites the powder keg and blows this track wide open. Fast paced, pounding grooves and a real venomous musical delivery make this one hell of a heavy groove laden track. “Fucked Up Avenue” brings us back to thrash city and the venom continues with the relentless musical assault and scathing vocal delivery. Fast and heavy verses and choruses lead to a real frantic break section with some great drum patterns and the classic wild thrash solo caps it all nicely. Closing the album is “Out Of The Darkness” and this brings back the hypnotic psych vibe again. With some great sounding acoustic work running through the track and melodic vocals, the song doesn’t really get heavy as such, but it brings a different kind of heavy in terms of the atmosphere it creates. The sound does darken and distort towards the end as the harmony melodies become more metal sounding and for the outro we get a great metal-come-blues styled lead with some powerful chugs to close this record.
Overall, Bliksem have crafted a well rounded album. Mixing the right amounts of classic metal with thrash and proto-metal, it has the right balance of heavy to dark and thought provoking and is rich in content. Fantastic vocal work and great music backing it up, this is one album you should consider checking out this year if you’re after a surprise. It’s not quite a masterpiece but it certainly is a work of art.
(8/10 Fraggle)
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