Moshquito - World's End (2001)

After what must have seemed like a long and frustrating period of inactivity, due to climates outside the band itself, it must have felt like a relief for the Germans Moshquito to get their debut Secrets out in 1998, and then move forward. World's End sees the band on Morbid Records, and it continues in the same, thick and bombastic direction as its predecessor, but the semi-technical writing with grooving hooks seems to have been sharpened here. The problem is that there are just too many grooves and mid-paced tracks, and very few of them feature impressive riffing or anything more than the average slug-fest you'd expect from, say, Hate Squad or some other purveyor of mediocrity.

"World's End" itself is an exception, incorporating synthesizers and acoustic guitars for a rare atmosphere that works well with the steadied, plodding guitars and constipated, brutal vocal tone, and had the entire album involves such an atmosphere it would have made a far more unique and compelling listen. I can't say that the individual riffs standout, but the leads slice right through and its a mature, engrossing listen. There are a few others with the same aesthetic, namely "Cold Grave" and "Liquid Killer" which both has great bass work involved, but to even arrive at this point you'll have had to wade through less impressive numbers like "Do What You Want" and "Animals". The band too seldom picks up the pace, aside from a few outbreaks in "Hunting Demon" or "Flesh", so despite the album's admittedly dark and sobering tone, it does eventually develop some degree of ennui in listening, like frost slowly gathering in the eardrums.

The production is also not that hot, but then this was not exactly a high budget recording. The guitar and bass players are talented enough, trying to keep the compositions hectic in spite of their methodical plotting, but they're not mixed very well together, and I don't care for the guitar tone in general, it's too reminiscent of other dull groove/thrash records which sound absolutely lifeless. The vocals are suitably angry but monotonous after a spell, this guy will rarely attempt anything outside of his safety zone, and the material suffers as a result, especially those cuts that hint at a deeper beauty (the title track, for example). World's End is somewhat of a progression from the debut, but a sideways progression, with a few interesting ideas that don't seem fully enough developed.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/moshquitometal

Moshquito - Secrets (1998)

As was the case for a number of East German bands in the early to mid 80s, Moshquito (formerly known as Argus) were hampered by their political climate, and thus were unable to produce much more than a few demos before the wall came tumbling down. But after disbanding for a number of years, they decided not to abandon their dream of entering the thrash arena, finally doing so with Secrets in 1998. What surprises me, though is that for one arriving so late to the game, deep in the thrash void of the latter 90s, the band does not attempt to simply present that earlier incarnation of themselves like some old high school football glory...and Secrets sounded current and modern.

This is not a heavily German-influenced thrash album, but reminds me somewhat of perhaps the aggression of Pantera or Sacred Reich with a meaty, punched-out guitar tone and tendency to swerve into terrain more complex. "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" had my hopes up, with a fine acoustic intro that someone like Paradox would have written, and then some half decent if ultimately unmemorable riffing. "The Damned" also has a ridge of clinical melody in its opening volley that recalled the influence of tech thrashing, but this too doesn't pan out into anything impressive. Some of the better riffs are found nestled in "Mutant Heroes", "No Return (To Inferno)", and even the big grooves in "Greedy Eyes" or "You Want to Live", and the vocals, while nowhere near perfect, are thick and effectively vexed. Moshquito is also not afraid to pace themselves with clean guitar segments, or a fun cover (Hendrix' "Purple Haze").

They deserve some credit, for sticking to their thrash guns. You'll find a few groovy rhythms and breakdowns, but nothing on the level of so much waste being spewed forth during that damp decade of decay. They also seem to have this forward looking tone, some modernization that they've married to their 80s influences. However, there is ultimately just not enough quality music here to recommend the debut. If one could compact all of the better riffs down to 2-3 tracks, you'd have a half-decent EP worth. But so much of this material is underwhelming, with no choruses of note, nor outbreaks of vital energy so essential to the classics of this genre. It's great that there were bands willing to perform real thrash without any real agenda or concerns for its viability, but like a peacock dowsed in river mud, Moshquito just didn't have the aural plumage to attract the ears of potential mates.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/moshquitometal