Band:
Kenny Winter (vocals)
John Ricci (guitar)
Clammy (bass)
Rick Charron (drums)
Discography:
Heavy Metal Maniac (1983)
Violence and Force (1984)
Long live the Loud (1985)
Feel the Knife (EP 1985)
Unveiling the Wicked (1986)
Exciter (O.T.T.)(1988)
Kill after Kill (1992)
Better live than dead (1993)
The Dark Command (1997)
Blood of Tyrants (2000)
New Testament (2004)
Speed, Thrash, Burn (2008)
Info:
Released 22/10-2010
Reviewed 2/11-2010
Links:
listen.to/exciter
myspace
massacre
Their 2010 release is called Death Machine and sports a classical thrash metal approach with loads of aggression and loads of power as well as raspy vocal parts and lyrics about blood and death, or similar. It has a sound that easily draws your thoughts back towards the early eighties and bands like Exodus or Death Angel which I would say they sound a lot like, a little in the vain of Kill ‘Em All, the debut of Metallica as well for all of you who like comparisons and namedropping. Overkill could also have been mentioned on the similar bands section as they are quite similar as well.
As I said, this record has a sound that brings the mind backwards in time towards the early years of thrash metal but does so without sounding outdated soundwise. It also conforms to the laid out rules and regulations for the thrash metal genre and I think no one will ever accuse this band or this record of i anything but pure, raw thrash metal. There is certainly nothing new or revolutionary with any part of this album, it is just pure thrash metal as I just said and now says again.
Death Machine starts with the title track which is a fairly decent track with lots of energy and aggression which sets the tone for the rest of this album fairly well. Another track which is quite fine is the third one Razor in the Back which has a silly lyrical side to it but it is a decent song musically. Also Slaughtered in Vain is a rather good track and then it ends with an instrumental track as well as a hidden track within that one. These said tracks are the ones that stand out for a bit, but they are really not that amazing, they are good tracks nothing more.
There are several things I don’t really care for much when it comes to this album, it feels too long for starters. It is musically completely recycled with no real own new ideas or attempts of ideas. The good tracks are just good, nothing more and the rest of the tracks are plain dull. It is a well made record for all intents and purposes but it has been done before by many and it has been done better, probably even from these guys.
It can be treated like a trip of nostalgia back to the early eighties when thrash metal ruled the world, probably work for those of you with an emotional bond to that time. I have no such thing and therefore this album does not really speak to me at any level.
Surely we should be able to expect “legends” within a genre to make something impressive every time, something legendary with each album. This is not something I can hear from Death Machine, it is alright and nothing more.
HHHHHHH
