Thrash metal is often criticised as being too formulaic. On the other hand, how far can a “thrash” band really push the envelope before they are denounced by the community as being “not thrash?” I’m as guilty of that as anyone; few things rile me up in quite the same way as a young band with a few thrash influences, claiming to play the Bay Area way and yet what they actually play is a bunch of rehashed slayer riffs over triggered drums and topped off with some clown with ear tunnels grunting over them. What it comes down to is wanting the music to do what it says on tin, so to speak; you wouldn’t be too happy if you bought a can of beer and discovered it was filled with orange squash, would you?
Verdict Denied are an exception; no-one can deny (pun intended) their thrash metal roots which are so classic in their delivery, and yet there is a heavy amount of experimentation within their style. I am reminded a lot of Forbidden such as on ‘Dark Twisted Laughter’ which is a real frenetic fist-pounder of a track. The chants of ‘die, die, die’ are hurried out with the energy and speed of a hoodie on the run from the filth while the melody itself has me thinking of track ‘Tossed Away.’ ‘Twisted and Menacing My Stare’ is another firm nod to the Bay Area this time with some solid guitar work and a nice heavy chorus. This is the kind of track that gets the head banging and Testament are an obvious point of reference here.
Don’t expect a straightforward, wall to wall thrash album though; this album also comprises a substantial amount of non-traditional elements and there is a very progressive approach to their music in general. ‘This Soul of Black is Mine’ (note the Testament reference there) is quite a typical thrash ballad in some respects with acoustic guitars a la Alice In Hell. This gives off a certain amount of atmosphere and the female vocals here are a nice touch, adding a Gothic aura. The female vocals are quite unexpected in the genre but it does seem to work; the lead vocals on this track are a different story though, as while they sound great on the thrashier numbers, here they seem to attempt a dramatic style that to these ears come off as strained and a tad cringeworthy.
This album really does inspire in me mixed opinions. In theory I think Verdict Denied have some great ideas, but the progressive elements especially come across as weak in places and cause some of the songs to lose their way and venture off into boring territory. While there are some elements that have me genuinely excited, it comes off as being slightly messy and a wee bit botched together. The guitar solos, unlike the riffs, are not typically thrash and are well applied with a power metal slant. I really do want to like this album, but there is something about it preventing me from doing so. Perhaps with a bit of fine tuning they will sort these problems out and I look forward to hearing what their next album sounds like.
http://www.verdictdenied.com
http://www.myspace.com/verdictdeniedband
