‘Satan’s Heavy Metal’ was a raw demo released some 3 years ago, I have witnessed the band live on numerous occasions and I must say, this debut album release is a slap in the face surprise. The raw energy remains, the somewhat clumsy nature of tiny parts of the solos still remain but the quality of their arrangements are a marked improvement. It’s a black thrash thing to pigeon hole, it’s not Slayer worship as you may figure from the band name, but more so in line with fellow British heroes Venom, Motörhead and Warfare. More recent bands of notable comparison would include Wraith, Bewitcher and of course, Midnight. There’s a majority of thrash, but it’s darker, more cynical and delivered with a quality slab of vile angst and as stated in their press release, nocturnal menace.
The old guard of thrash lyrical content is present, there are tales of our apocalyptic future, nuclear demolition, it’s far from romantic, it is not meant to be. On the flip side, during ‘Turbo Evil’ there’s some really nice harmonised guitar parts, melodic, but still bestial heavy. The opener ‘Onwards to the Cemetery’ gives you an immediate flavour of the album. The horror as depicted by the striking artwork is present in the music. ‘Vengeful One’ is evil whilst ‘Seven Gates’ tops off the anarchy in a cool sense of heavy.
The thing that’s struck me, whilst these Manchester based lads have retained their rough edges, there’s a marked improvement and development in terms of presentation and song structures. Clearly taking their art to a higher level. I have enjoyed this, I play this on many occasions and it’s a promising release that should stretch their dark necro thrash to a wider audience.
(8/10 Paul Maddison)
Leave a Reply