Cripper - Devil Reveals (2009)

Cripper's debut album Freak Inside was a welcome surprise, female fronted German thrash metal with a crisp and bludgeoning aesthetic, channeled right from the street and perfect for your fist fighting needs. Devil Reveals picks up where the debut left off, though the tracks feel denser and the guitars slightly more complex.

Britta Görtz can create some memorable hooks just through the blunt brutality of her vocals, in particular when the band creates a melodic weave of guitars behind them. This is obvious in the first vocal track "I", which has numerous great tech thrash riffings which could remind one of the masters Destruction, Tankard or perhaps a few of the mid-career offerings from Germany's best known female fronted thrash outfit Holy Moses. While I expected the lyrics to be horrible (a sad fact for much thrash metal, especially the modern variety), I am once again surprised by the rather snide but intelligent output here:

From a decent crowded journey
Into a private desert land
Up-to-the-minute reviewed autonomy
Proof of independent anonymity
When the highest point of individuality
Culminates in loneliness
We reject our identity
And declare all reflections to be wrong

You could do a lot worse than this. No reveling in retro garbage to make fun of the very form of music they are performing. As for the tunes, they consistently rock. Although most lack super memorable hooks, it's enjoyable throughout its playtime. "Life is Deadly" often manifests a winding feel to the guitars not unlike Artillery. "Caged With a Gun" is dense and brutal thrash with some old school metal rocking out and catchy chorus. "In the Pit" reminded me slightly of Testament (not just the title, but a few of the riffs), and it certainly has the big hammering breakdowns to honor its namesake. The title track is another great song with its pumping bass guitars and flowing mid-paced thrash.

My hate is my comfort
My hate is my shell,
my justification
to send you to hell

Devil Reveals has a superb, clean production to it, with the guitars loud and Britta's vocals sitting central and brutal. She's proven again that she can throw down with the tough guys, you will find no fairy sissy tripe on this record . The album is a clear step up from Freak Inside, and one of the better pure German thrash efforts I've heard lately, even if it does have a song called "FAQU".

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (This seeking is concealing)

http://www.cripper.de/