Okay, this is Metal Month, the month of Metal, so where else would we start? However as it
is Metal Month we're going to run one every week, so four in total. Surely over that period of time we'll come across something I can review? Don't be so sure, given my track record with
And right out the traps we have ... another unsigned band! Grrrr! And a power metal one at that! Okay, let's just see if they managed to upload anything to Youtube or anywhere. They're called
Now, someone please explain to me how a band can be together since 1994 and release precisely ONE DEMO in 2002? Not even a self-financed album? A single? Holy Great Dio, as The Batlord would say! Oh well, with a totally unique name like that they're going to be easy to find music from, aren't they? Sigh. Move on. Push the button. YOU push the button! PUSH IT!
Right. Another unsigned band. This time they're atmospheric dark metal and go by the name of
but what does it matter, as we're not going to be able to hear what their music is like. Let's see .. together since .... 2008 with one demo. Wait just an axe-grinding moment though! What's this I see on YouTube????
Woo-hoo! Videos! Here's one called "Nocturnal comfort". Seems these guys originally formed under the name of Winter Without End (cheery eh?) and their music sounds as upbeat as their name. Hey, if Nick Cave joined a metal band this sounds like the sort of thing he'd have them play. Nice in its way, bleak, with a slow funereal rhythm, not quite likely to get you headbanging but certainly listenable. In fact, so far I'd be loath to even class this as metal, more like progressive rock or ambient. Ok, this is interesting. Seems to be one guy making the music, a James Trow. Right, now he's hit the power chords and it does indeed sound metal. You know, I really like this! Why is it that bands like this don't get signed? Let's try another one from them...
This is called "Enduring faith", and I really love the raindrops effect. I've sussed by now that Moonlit Wake are (is?) a completely instrumental affair, and this James Trow guy is quite an undiscovered talent. Let's hope that doesn't remain the case for too much longer, and someone snaps him up soon.
Satisfying as that was though, I really still want to find at least one album I can review, so let's push on. OK, this looks promising. They have albums.
Band name: Violator
Nationality: Brazilian
Subgenre: Thrash
Born: 2002
Status: Active
Albums: Chemical assault (2006) Annihilation process (2010) Scenarios of brutality (2013)
Live albums: "Thrashin United: Live in Santiago" (2007) (DVD)
Collections/Boxed sets/Anthologies: None
Lineup: Pedro "Poney Ret" Arcanjo (Vocals, Bass)
Capaco (Guitars)
Marcio Cambito (Guitars)
Batera (Drums)
(I haven't included notes on Founder Members here as everyone bar Cambito seems to have been in at the start)
From their own website, they describe themselves as the "third-world sensation of thrash" --- though in these politically correct time perhaps that should be the "developing world sensation of thrash" --- nah, hasn't got the same ring to it, has it? But they certainly seem to be on a mission to return thrash to its roots, to integrating the underground "DIY" scene with the mainstream in metal, having supported some major names and toured Europe and Asia. But true to their name, rather than conquer the world they want to "annihilate any throne or altar". I have a feeling The Batlord would, or does, love them.
Incidentally, they're not the only Violator on the Brazilian scene. There's another band named the same but they come from Sao Paulo, whereas these guys hail from Brasilia, the capital.
And so on to their recorded output. Well as you can see from above they have three studio albums, not counting EPs and "Splits", and the Sharks of Groove have been very kind to me for once, so I'm going to dive right in to their debut album, released four years after they formed.
Chemical assault --- Violator --- 2006 (Kill Again)
So with the sound of an airliner flying overhead we're off to a breakneck start as "Atomic nightmare" gets us underway. Well, at least they sing in English, though to be honest the vocalist, Pedro, has a very hoarse scream that makes it a little hard to make out what he's singing, allied to the fact that he sings as fast as the guys on guitar riff, making it all a little difficult to work out. But it's certainly Thrash, there's no doubt about that. Some fine supersonic shredding from Capaco and poor old Batera is well named, as he batters the drums as if trying to beat them into submission. It's not technical, it's not pretty and it's not reserved, but it's not bad either. Certainly bands like Anthrax and Annihilator, even Tank do this better, but for four guys from Brazil it's pretty okay.
The interestingly-titled "UxFxTx" (which apparently is a sort of acronym for "united for thrash") more or less delivers the same sort of thing: blazing, ultra-fast riffs and solos, hurried and almost desperate screamed vocal. And drums. It slows down a little in the middle for some tasty fretwork, and even Batera kicks it down a notch as the melody becomes a little more recognisable. Mind you it doesn't last and the song ends on what sounds like Pedro puking. Oh --- kaaay. On we go with "Destined to die", but I have to say, though we're only three tracks in I'm not really seeing a huge amount of difference between tracks. It's all shouted vocals, Mach II guitar and steamhammer drumming, kind of all blending together.
"Addicted to mosh" kind of (kind of) slows it down a little, but not for long, and yeah it's all more or less the same --- speed, power, noise. Meh. I know this is what Thrash can be said to be all about, but I've listened to other Thrash Metal bands and these guys are just, well, cartoonish to me. It's like, let's be as fast and loud and screamy as we can and not bother about the songs. Sort of the Thrash Metal world's answer to Dragonforce? Sigh. I'll be back at the end to voice my overall opinion, unless anything amazing happens before the end of the album.
No, surprisingly it did not. You know, I like thrash metal but this is just a mess. It's like four guys bashing out tunes in their garage or their bedrooms and thinking they're cool. Apparently they've gone down really well in their native country, which only makes me think there can't be too many good thrash bands to choose from in Brazil. This is amateurish, unstructured, loud for the sake of loud, fast for the sake of fast, low-budget third-rate thrash metal.
Like I said, Batlord will probably love it!
TRACKLISTING
1. Atomic nightmare
2. UxTxFx
3. Destined to die
4. Addicted to mosh
5. Brainwash possession
6. Ordered to thrash
7. Toxic death
8. Lethal injection
9. The plague returns
10. After nuclear devastation
It's not that far off punk really, to be honest: there's no melody (yeah: listen to Anthrax or Anvil or Kreator and tell me there's no melody there!), no structure in the songs, such as they are, little in the way of technical expertise and the singer is not a good singer. It's just as well they say they don't want to conquer the world, because the kings of thrash metal are not going to be exactly shaking in their boots at the thought of the competition!
You know what's coming now...
