|
For all lovers of the
Bay area metal sound of the 80’s which brought forth the likes of
Slayer, Testament and of course Metallica
, fear no more the spirit of
the San Francisco is alive and well but has relocated itself in Europe,
well Germany to be more precise with the charged thrashing guitar sound
of Abandoned.The band may hail just south of Hessen, Germany and were
formed by guitarist Holger Ziegler and vocalist Eric Kaldschmidt, joined
by Konrad Cartini and Gunt Auschrat on drums and bass respectfully who
soon joined the ranks to revive that 80's thrash sound.
'Thrash You'
is the bands second full studio release and follows their 2006 opus
‘Thrash Notes’ by carrying on where the other left off, with their
no nonsense guitar driven metal that takes that Bay Area sound to the
next level, with Ziegler shredding like a man possessed and
Kalschmidt’s angst filled vocals being the perfect match for his
lightning fret work.
Things get
under way proper after the short intro ‘Incarnation’ with ‘Visions
of Death’ and it's straight on with the heavy stuff as Ziegler is
unleashed and instantly you're drawn back to those heady days of Thrash
when Metallica were a thrash band and Slayer were at their peak.
When rampaging guitars and a pounding drum beat were the order of the
day, with Kaldschmidt cutting through the vocals like a man on a
mission.
This no holds
barred assault is continued with ‘We Are In Hell’, again with
Cartini thrashing out the back beat like an out of control AK-47 and
Ziegler and Kaldschmidt spewing out the riffs like an express train,
this is a true metalheads delight.
The relentless
Thrash seems to have no bounds as the band continue their craft the
speedfest that is ‘Disorder’ and the power driven attack of ‘Die
In Dignity’. If you thought the mid section of the album would
be a more relaxed affair then you’d be mistaken, as Abandoned carry on
the relentless metal onslaught with the pounding tones of ‘Sands of
Time’ and ‘Feel The Fire’, with Ziegler really showing his metal
credentials on the solo during this one.
The band shift
down a gear for ‘Damned For All Time’, while still retaining that
full on Thrash feel that has been the mainstay of the album so far, with
Kaldschmidt laying down his darkest vocal so far. Then it's back
up to fifth gear with the anthemic riff spewn ‘This Is The End’
before really bringing it down with ‘Repentance’. A track that
mixes both electric and semi acoustic guitars for this short
instrumental that acts as an intro into the more heavier refrain that is
‘Too Blind To See’. A track that verges on Power Metal with
its fantastic guitar sound and thunderous rhythm section.
With
the album almost at a close the band turn it up another notch or two
with ‘Search Of Sanity’ and the fastest track on the album
‘Trapped’, before signing the album off with ‘V.O.D. Reprise’.
The real surprise package of the album is this short semi acoustic piece
which puts the lid on a real tour de force old school Thrash album that
will please the ardent headbanger in all of you.
|
