To most of us, the name Schmier is synonymous with Teutonic thrash titans Destruction, but unbeknown to some, the singer/bassist parted ways with the band for a while in the early 1990’s, during which time he chose to focus on his other band Headhunter. After recording three albums, they called it a day with Schmier returning to his main band until last year when he announced his plans to resurrect Headhunter. At the tail end of 2007 AFM put out re-releases of their back catalogue, and following a tour with Destruction, Schmier hid himself away in the studio to record this album.
The good thing about Headhunter is that it is thrashy enough to appeal to the Destruction fans holding more than just collectible appeal, but at the end of the day, this isn’t Destruction. Schmier uses Headhunter to explore a more melodic variety of metal, which takes a few of the staple thrash elements and threads a solid layer of power drenched heavy metal through the veins.
Crunchy guitars and thrashing drums are met with a modern production, with the grainy vocals of Schmier remaining a constant force. ‘Silverskull’ is an atmospheric stomper drenched in melodic chorus lines and slow marching rhythms, while the sleek, winding guitar work on ‘Remission’ is met with a King Diamond-esque vocal delivery which mesh together to create a sound that is both powerful and haunting.
Stomping drums on ‘Doomsday For A Prayer’ forge a wall with a thudding bass and relentless guitars that veer into Judas Priest territory. As ‘Back To The Wall’ begins, the jazzy drum patterns walk with a cool, calm swagger and play off against the groove laden basslines offering a funky jam-session vibe, and the experimental tone set on previous Headhunter outings.
This has some powerful and memorable tracks, and production can’t be faulted, although this doesn’t hit with quite the same impact as a Destruction album.
http://www.official-headhunter.com/
