Opening up the release, “The Many Licit Paths” has a brief atmospheric opening loaded with exotic flair which quickly transitions into full on riffing. Powerful with its impact, the tumultuous wall of riffs and commanding vocal snarls hits like a truck and drags you right into the tightly controlled chaos. Tight palm muted riffs which twist and turn with chugging riffs and sliding power chords give a solid rhythmic structure and the more exotic melodies which break out in the solo towards the end add a touch of style and technique found in The other halves of the Megadeth guitar attack a la Friedman, Kiko and Broderick.
“Extreme Fire Hazard” is a straight up shot of adrenaline. Sharp and speedy riffs stab away with tightly galloping bursts, gang vocals litter the chorus and the borderline frantic vocal snarls are spat out with a pacing fitting of the urgent nature of the songs title. Again, a more refined lead style is found where mindless shred would be expected, but the emphasis on technique and delivery is welcomed. Titular track “Full HD” is the first strong instance of the crossover elements blending into the sound. Reminiscent of Municipal Waste and Suicidal Tendencies, the frantic vocals drive the track on like someone who has had one too many energy drinks, twitching and on edge before random bursts of mania. “Macarena Mosh” is another frantic thrash attack with some fantastic displays of rhythmic prowess. The tightly shifting riffs don’t let up for a second and the frantic vocal snarls with gratuitous gang vocal shouts will no doubt make this a fun track in the live setting with bodies crashing into each other and plenty of ‘dancing’ to the commanding pull of the music.
“Speak Your Truth” has a punishing edge. It’s sharp pedal tone riffs which trade off with heavy pounding gallops give it a huge intensity and the light hearted edge of the previous tracks is pushed out of sight on this one. The bass sounds fantastic on this one and the urge to head bang along is simply too much to resist. “Beast” has a melodic edge reminiscent of the Scandinavian titans The Haunted. Again, tightly controlled and intensely sharp in its delivery, it pulls no punches with the furious delivery with its more serious feel whilst retaining that classic thrash feel with the commanding vocals and gang shouts to add weight where it is needed. “John Was Born For Metal” starts off with some fancy arpeggios before exploding to life in a sharp thrash attack. The ‘fun vibe’ is back again as the riffs kick in and there’s plenty of gang vocals and air raid siren screams which make me think of Speed Metal titans Evil Invaders; just in your face, fast paced metal! Intricate fills, twisting leads and rapid fire riffing, it’s just a flat out speed loaded assault.
“Shōnen Fist” takes its name from the popular manga and anime culture. Full of tongue in cheek references to the nature of these alternative (by Western standards) takes on superhero stories, it’s just as over the top musically as any of the stories which feature in these publishings. “W. N. M United” brings back the classic thrash feel once again. A piercing air raid siren scream signals the call to arms and the gang vocal loaded chorus which reveals what the anacronym in the title stands for (World Needs Mosh) will no doubt have the crowds showing us exactly what is required. Despite its fun flavour, it’s a serious musical beast with its intense riffing and refined soloing and after the whole pandemic and social distancing, the track is right in the fact that we need mosh!
“Boc De Biterna” is a high octane, in your face thrasher. Walls of powerful chords and raw screamed vocals nail you from the start and the pace rarely lets up. Tightly controlled bursts of riffs into thundering chugs and turbulent shifting chords which are backed up with a masterclass on the drums makes for a great penultimate track and when it shifts to the lead section halfway into the track the feel changes. Exotic shred meets clean gang vocals and the Megadeth styled lead work adds some class to an already solid track. Wrapping it up is “Escape The Electric Fate”. Starting off with an exotic flamenco inspired segment it quickly transitions into the relentless riff onslaught we have come to expect at this stage of the album and again, the intensity is kept right up there. Roaring vocals are loaded with power and the rhythm section once again has everything perfectly locked in. Majestic shred solos and powerful atmospheric overtures just add to the fire in this track. The moody transition towards the end of the track gives a brief moment to catch your breath before it explodes back to life once more for the final charge, closing the album in a fine way.
Crisix don’t pull any punches on this album. A fantastic blend of classic and modern thrash courses through every track on this release, tying together the famous stomp-like groove of Anthrax with the party heavy insanity of Municipal Waste, tying together tradition with crossover chaos. From massive head banging riffs to flat out frenzied bursts, the five piece combine serious metal with serious fun which is almost certain to ignite any live crowd into a sea of moshing madness. An essential release for 2022.
(9/10 Fraggle)
Leave a Reply