Reviews for November 21st, 2012
Sterbhaus – Angels for Breakfast and God for Lunch
Sterbhaus is a Swedish thrash/death band from Stockholm and “Angels for Breakfast and God for Lunch” is their second album.
I have to start by saying I love the album title, “Angels for Breakfast and God for Lunch.” But this begs the question, what is left for dinner at that point? Sterbhaus seem to take pride in not taking things too seriously, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this extends to the quality of their music, because these songs will rip your face off and hump your bloody eye-hole like an over-zealous demon dog.
The music on this album is very thrash in nature, while the vocals have a rough edge that reminds me a little of Mille from Kreator. So while the vocals are technically harsh, the words are not hard to make out.
The production sounds wonderful. There is a very clean sound to the album; the guitars are bright and distorted with just enough punch to complement the drums, which are thick but not muddy. Rather they provide low-end as well as a bright, tight punch that cuts through the guitars without seeming intrusive.
I do not normally encourage people to submit music through Facebook; rather I direct them to the Submissions page. The best way to get my attention is not usually posting some random YouTube video on my Facebook page, because even if I like what I hear, I have so much on the calendar already that I am not going to hunt you down to ask for more. One of the few exceptions is when Jimmy from Sterbhaus sent me a preview through Facebook. I really liked what I heard, and like the metal junkie I am, I asked for more, which he provided. This is the exception, not the rule, because Sterbhaus really blew me away.
So to all the metal minions out there in the wide world, I say unto thee that you should hear Sterbhaus. These guys are simply incredible. Do yourself a favor and give them a listen. Here is the track “Insecticide.”
Alphakill – Unmitigated Disaster
Alphakill are a thrash metal band from Winnipeg, Manitoba and “Unmitigated Disaster” is their first album.
This album title is a total misnomer, because “Unmitigated Disaster” is anything but a disaster. This is old school thrash in style but contemporary thrash in execution. Alphakill had me well before the midpoint of album opener “Thrash Eternal.”
Most “new” thrash that I hear anymore carries some DNA that I recognize from some other, earlier thrash band. I am not opposed to this if the music is done well, that is, after all, the most important thing. But other than a passing musical resemblance to various early thrash bands, Alphakill sounds surprisingly distinct to me. I credit this to the vocals, which do not remind me of any other thrash singers. The vocals are basically clean, though they are sometimes yelled, and at times are even sung in a way that stirs my emotions like only Manowar can. I suppose if I had to compare him to anyone, it would be a young Hetfield.
The production sounds pretty good, though like many thrash albums, it sounds a little thin. This takes away nothing from the enjoyment of the album, I just wanted to note that it could be improved upon next time around.
“Unmitigated Disaster” is another album that I highly recommend checking out. Here is the track “Rebellion.”
Randomorder – The Forbidden Knowledge
Oh what the hell, what say we throw on some more thrash, shall we? Next up we have Randomorder from Austrailia and their first album, “The Forbidden Knowledge.”
It really gets me thinking when I hear three different thrash bands in a row, and yet none of the three sound particularly like the others. Non-believers of the metal faith listen to metal but hear only loud noise; I listen to Sterbhaus, Alphakill and Randomorder and hear three distinctly different bands all within the same metal sub-genre. I love metal.
Randomorder sounds like they are a little more in the Warbringer corner of the thrash ring. The songs are fast, nimble and biting, with no-nonsense barked vocals which sound like Randomorder plans to take no shit from anyone.
The production on “The Forbidden Knowledge” sounds just the slightest bit muffled in my headphones. I think everything is mixed very well, and I am still going to listen to this album relentlessly, but I would love a brighter sound on their next album.
I will lend my stamp of approval to Randomorder, thus shall I complete today’s thrash trifecta. Here is the album’s title track, “Forbidden Knowledge.”