Artist: Suicidal Angels
Title: Bloodbath
Type: Album
Label: NoiseArt Records

I've seen the name Suicidal Angels a couple times, but never really paid it much mind. I'm kicking myself about that now. This album is fast, aggressive and quickly gets its hooks in you. It has a bit of a Kreator/Sepultura feel to Nick's vocals, with them being aggressive thrash vocals, but perfectly audible and never entering into death growls. I think this suits the music better too, because the guitars don't require any overpowering vocals to obscure their speed. But they can also break things down as during the slow lead on "Bloodbath".

Summing up what all thrash bands are about is "Moshing Crew" where they just let rip and shred with an exuberance all their own. A pretty acoustic intro for "Chaos (the curse is burning inside)" builds nicely into a steady metal rhythm which eventually morphs into a lengthy but very well played lead. Panos and Nick trade riffs expertly on "Face of God" where each is playing something distinct but they work really well as a whole over Orfeas' drums. A very Slayeresque riff is used on "Morbid Intention to kill", but when it finally kicks into gear, the song is full of quick changes in speed rhythm.

"Summoning of the Dead" on the other hand is just plain fast 'til the lead breakdown where everything slows down to make the lead seem even faster. They employ slightly heavier vocals on "Legacy of Pain", while "Torment Payback" has all the intensity of a Dark Angel track. "Skinning the Undead" is a fun track, very upbeat and bouncy. Angel's bass is never used as a foreground instrument, but its solid presence is clearly felt throughout the album. The final track, "Bleeding Cries" has a nice solid and steady beat which works really well when the lead solo is played, as there's no further slowing down required, in fact the song actually speeds up to keep up with the lead on this occasion. So all in all a thoroughly enjoyable romp of the thrash variety and having the Ed Repka artwork on the cover isn't going to hurt either.

http://www.suicidalangels.com

Marco Gaminara

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