This installment of the Monday Morning Metal Report has about all of the subtlety of a herd of bulls running down the cobblestone streets of Pamplona, Spain in the middle of spring. Oh yes, my friends, chaos ensues and bodies are thrown about like rag dolls or gored within inches of a lifetime of singing in those higher registers. But, that is the way of metal. The more ferocious, the more evil, the more gruesome, well . . . all the better, and the guys at Candlelight Records have provided us with all the metal necessary to chase the work week blues away. Take any of the next three albums, throw ‘em into your sound system of choice, and prepare to obliterate the senses of all those within a twenty foot radius of you. We’re putting all the coffee shops out of business this morning coz’ no coffee will be needed. If this stuff doesn’t get the blood flowing, then you’re too far past dead for help. 
Obituary – Darkest DayOh dear God!!! There’s that oppressively low guitar tone and some of the most sinister and instantly recognizable vocals in the genre! Yes, Obituary is back, showing that they haven’t lost a step with their latest diabolical release entitled Darkest Day. In fact, it could be argued that rather than showing any signs of slowing down or softening their sound with age, these Floridian death dealers have actually gotten better with time. Gee . . . that’s a refreshing thought. The riffs are as brutal as ever, detuned to the grotesque; the beats are concussive, cracking the skull with every crack of the snare, and the vocals are bellowed as if John Tardy is vomiting the very demons that plaque him, and they want to take a piece of him with them. If you’ve never heard Obituary then this is the perfect time to get educated, but that’s not to say that Darkest Day is more accessible than works past. It’s just that this album captures the band doing damn near everything perfectly with a production that’s crisp and clean, while still ensuring that the sludge-y grind of the band’s menace isn’t lost.
By the time you get to stand out track “Payback,” you should be pretty tenderized. The second track, “Blood to Give,” should have worked you over pretty good with its rhythmic tom intro and then into that quintessential Obituary mid tempo groove. The drums not only drive this tune, but add excellent accents to enhance our aural beat down. And, of course, the vocals with their layered, multi-track effect are filled with all the anguish of the tormented soul. This is the kind of performance that has me glancing nervously at the other Obituary discs in my collection and wondering why they don’t get spun more often. Clocking in at just over three and a half minutes, this tune is over far too soon and begs for my shivering fingers to paw for the replay function. Awesome tune!
“Payback” is another riff-irific, groove oriented, slaughter fest. Though the riffs aren’t the most complex in the world, they do that something special with their slowed down groove. Essential to powering the tune along is the drum work of Donald Tardy as he doesn’t overplay his portions, a la Lars Ulrich on Death Magnet. “Payback” doesn’t need a million notes or extra beats to get the point across that this song is all about crushing all who stand in its way. Hats off to Obituary for recognizing that they’re masters of the genre and don’t need to play outside of the context of the songs to impress their sound upon anybody. Slow and steady, double bass flurries added for texture on occasion, switching deftly to the ride to change things up just so subtlety . . . kind of goes with that saying of the wise man talking because he has something to say while the fool talks because he has to say something. “Payback” is a perfectly executed work of death metal!
Buy here: Darkest Day
Blood Tsunami – Grand Feast For VulturesWell, if Slayer were ever to retire from the biz, it’s safe to say that we have a replacement waiting in the wings. Now, I don’t want y’all thinking that this last statement means that Blood Tsunami is some blatant rip off of the Slay-tanic ones, but there are enough similarities that will inevitably make your thrash sensitive ears perk up with pleasure. Actually, Blood Tsunami may be a hair more brutal, especially in the vocals, but you get the idea. Grand Feast For Vultures gives a nod to the old school of thrash, but also incorporates elements of death metal, black metal, hell . . . even a little bit of that twin guitar harmony attack so prevalent in the NWOBHM movement. The only thing these guys don’t do are ballads, so hair metallers . . . there’s the door. Don’t let the pitchfork poke you in the ass on the way out.
From the opening riff of the cheerily titled “Castle of Skulls,” the thrash elements burst forth in their entire hair whipping, foot stomping madness. Double bass drums thunder along with the beat, creating a wall of destruction, the vocals are a violent force; imposing their will on all who dare to listen, the guitars crunch with the perfect amount of distortion to make things menacing while keeping the notes coherent. Everything within the song builds to that cataclysmic moment that we’ve all been waiting for. Yes, every thrash song has one . . . the mosh part! The chaos of the previous two minutes or so disappears and we’re left with a palm muted riff of domination, the drums join the guitars, adding their weight to the mounting tension, and then there it is . . . a riff that grabs all of those mosh happy freaks by the shirt collar and drags them in counter clockwise fashion around a room of unsuspecting concert goers. It’s brutal and beautiful all mashed up into one!
Other notable tracks are “Nothing But Contempt” with its heavy than thou break, most reminiscent of “Rain in Blood,” the great chord progressions on the opening to “Personal Exorcism,” and the most excellent and epic instrumental “Horsehead Nebula.” In fact, it’s this last song that cemented the notion that Blood Tsunami had more to offer than pure old school thrash. The guitar harmonies are steeped in a sonic brew of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest back when the guitar duos worked in tandem to create those great meandering lines of sound. The power chords are replaced by melody or enhanced by the melody, not just pummeling to the point of collapse and sensory overload. And, there’s something else about Grand Feast For Vultures . . . every track features incredible guitar work, screaming one second, uber-melodic the next. These guys never seem to noodle for the sake of hearing themselves play. They work within the context of the songs, accenting notes where they need to and keeping the songs dynamically interesting.
Susperia – AttitudeNorway’s Susperia have returned from quite the hiatus to deliver the blackened thrash-y sounds of Attitude, and damn near killed their singer in the process. Now that’s some dedication to your art if you practically die while doing it. Fortunately, Athera has made a full, or full enough, recovery and the band is moving along. Anyway, it is all about attitude when it comes to this form of metal. There’s a bit of blues-y swagger to some of the grooves, but for the most part, the album is a modern take on thrash metal. Big chugging guitar riffs, double bass drum tirades, scorching and guttural vocals make up Susperia’s sound . . . always have, probably always will. Attitude may be a touch more accessible than albums past as the songs have a slower groove and more melodic take than, say, Unlimited or Vindication, but that’s not to say this is an album for lightweights. God no! Susperia will forever be heavier than the mainstream metal stuff that saturates American airwaves.
“Sick Bastard” is the perfect example of how Susperia balance the brutality with the melodic beauty. Opening with a chaotically drummed pattern over a wildly distorted guitar, Athera enters the mix with his two toned vocals havoc, and the melee begins with limbs flailing in every direction. Heavy and groovy, the song shifts in tempo a couple of times before grinding down to a slower tempo where Athera’s vocals have the opportunity to soar. Richly melodic textures fill his voice as he croons over a guitar riff that reminds me of some of Katatonia’s more gothic sounding tones. Before you know it, the song is in full tilt boogie as the tempo kicks back into high gear, showing that these guys have a great sense of dynamics to go along with their sheer will to break shit.
“Another Turn” opens with another richly melodic vocal performance, Athera shedding most of his diaphragm shuddering guttural tones in favor of actually singing. Dude actually has a great rock voice that would fit well within any genre. This song captures more that accessible sound and more mellowed vibe, but dammit! This is a hot song with great textures being used by the guitars. The solo rips with a virtuosic sensibility, adding as another example of the musical prowess that this band possesses. If you’re more of a headbanging thrill seeker, go back to the second track, “Live My Dreams,” and be prepared to groove to that detuned guitar chuggery and galloping riffage. Note the difference in vocals performances . . . this one being much more aggressive and immediate. The rhythms also have the driving power that will cement the song as one of the finer points of Susperia’s history. Attitude is truly solid album for metallers of all ages! - Pope JTE
Buy here: Attitude
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