Dark Design - Prey for the Future (2013)

Science fictional power metal is not a new thing, since bands as far apart as Iron Maiden and Crimson Glory were pimping the themes in the 80s, and even some of today's stalwarts have entire albums (Gamma Ray) or careers (Iron Savior) based around some idealized, imagined future. But there are probably a lot of cases where the music just doesn't always match the expectations of the perceived setting. For instance, the debut album of Dark Design, Prey for the Future looks absolutely fucking smashing ridiculous, a labyrinthine collage that seems like H.R. Giger as seen through the eyes of Derek Riggs. It would be impossible for a terminal geek such as myself not to get pumped up at the sight, but then...the music is just not that same level of awe inspiring.

To be fair, what would be? I don't know, but if it's any consolation, the North Carolina quintet is at least performing a pretty rare hybrid of 90s thrash and progressive/power metal which feels like a more primitive alternative to Pharaoh, reliant more or straight rushing riffs more than incalculable melodic intricacies. There is some 80s inspiration for sure, with busy riffs redolent of Helstar, Liege Lord, Omen, or a muscled up Maiden, but I was also struck with some nostalgia for later, comparable USPM like New Eden, Opposite Earth, Jag Panzer (the Century Media years) and Destiny's End. Vocalist Andrew Bertrand has a delivery somewhere between the 'Tyrant' Harry Conklin, Henning Basse and Tim Aymar, smooth at its higher pitches, with a nice fragile strain on the sustained notes, but imbued with plenty of dirt and character when he's belting out lines in a mid-range. I also found the bass player here to be excellent, loudly and confidentally plugging along as early as "Dark Design", and always justifying himself by adding a level of nuance and groove you don't commonly find in this style of power metal.

The leads are very well designed, and the performance of drums and rhythm guitars never in question, but I will say that I occasionally felt underwhelmed by some of the chord patterns and note selections. A few examples include the bridge rhythm in "Dark Design", or the broken groove in "Abiding Contempt", where the vocals really take control and the guitar feels kinda crunchy and cheap by comparison. Or the slower, churning patterns in "Welcome to Your (Doom!)" which feel like pretty average Sabbathian detritus, and just don't really tweak my imagination. Dark Design cannot be faulted for lacking variety here, since they know how to pace out the album, swap some tempos, and prevent any one idea from becoming the beating of a dead horse, but individually when I break up the songs there just aren't a hell of a lot of riffs of note that I would pick out of a lineup of aggressive heavy/power from the 90s or 21st century. Without the leads, the vocals would have almost no competition in drawing the ear, so many of the note progressions just feel like a basic support system for this guy to go soaring over, like a well-hurled pass over the shoulders of the line backers.

I did like that some of the lyrics here were rather topical and relevant, even when teased with a fictional allegory. For instance, I figured "Spice World" would be another Dune-themed tune, but nope, it's about our own crises in the Middle East. Well played. Some are more directly nerdy, like "Dragonmount" which is based on the Wheel of Time series, but I don't mind a mix to be honest. The use of acoustics here as in the intro "Media Res" is quite good, and the cover of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" seems fitting, but when I put the two together, I can't help wondering what Dark Design might accomplish in a straight up progressive rock format not unlike Marillion or something. At any rate, there are a few pretty inspired power metal moments here like the opening to "Meditations", but on the whole I didn't find a lot of the rhythm guitar riffs very creative or that level of escapism I had gleaned from a superficial expectation. It's competent stuff, all too uncommon in the States, and you can tell these are seasoned musicians who have been playing for a few decades. I think they'll certainly develop some traction with fans of the StormSpell, Pure Steel and Heaven and Hell label rosters, but beyond liking the singer, this particular set of tunes felt more like an incomplete launch into the atmosphere than an actual lunar landing, if that makes sense.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/darkdesignband

Eugenic Death - Crimes Against Humanity (2012)

One of the key ingredients I'm constantly seeking in newer thrash, whether it's motivated through sheer nostalgia, or a more progressive and modern spin on the genre, is that the band is actually taking itself seriously, and by extension, taking me, the listener, seriously. Which is in itself fun. I've grown exhausted with the lack of creativity in so many younger bands, clowning around like this is supposed to be the 'Don Knotts' of metal. I want riffs, I want action, I want lyrics about things that don't involve using the genre's name repeatedly in cheap self-promotion, and I want to bang my motherfucking head like I'm not in on some twist of tween irony. While I can't promise that Eugenic Death has the most unique musical perspective in this field, they DO take themselves pretty seriously, and it translates to some angry, old school thrash. Thank fuck.

The North Carolina quartet will probably be most recognized for their vocalist, who uses a very gruff and deep timbre which is constantly bordering on a growl without going over the edge. Bands like Demolition Hammer and Rigor Mortis were known to employ such a tactic, but here the patterns are more rugged and percussive, almost like Max Cavalera circa 1989-1991 without the accent, or the front men of a couple local New England bands we used to have in the late 80s (Formicide, Subjugator, etc). I can't say that I was the biggest fan of this style, since the rigorous barking rarely breeds any character or inherent melody, but at least you get used to it after about 3-4 tracks, and to be fair, the man sounds like a thug, and there is nothing wrong with that on an album like this. Far more of a highlight for me were the guitars, which cycle through blistering speed/thrash licks and mid-paced, moshing breakouts. All pretty West Coast, with a clear lineage from bands like Slayer, Exodus and Forbidden, but there were riffs here that also brought to mind Australians Mortal Sin in their 80s prime, perhaps even a little Anthrax or Nasty Savage. Even better, these guys have a phenomenal guitarist in terms of his leads, each of them was engaging and added to its respective track.

As for the production on Crimes Against Humanity, it's admittedly pretty average, but it gets the job done. We're not talking Warbringer or Evile levels of polish here, but the rhythm guitars are crisp and clear enough, the drums charge along mercilessly, the bass is loud and supportive, and the vocals are a knuckle sandwich constantly cocking back to strike you on the nose. During the solos, I sometimes felt that the rhythm guitar accompaniment was a little skimpy; and there's not an incredibly level of variation in the riff patterns, but I felt like they were well structured enough to honor their influences without sounding too much like specific knockoffs. There are only seven tracks, but they're substantial enough to duke it out for around 37 minutes. At any rate, after the smoke cleared, and my neck stopped twitching, I would be remiss to not admit that I had a good enough time listening through Eugenic Death's debut. It's nothing amazing, and it doesn't set out to be, just an honest pile of thrashing that will hold some appeal to other skilled 80s style thrashers of late, like Havok, Merciless Death and Bonded by Blood. Protective headgear optional.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugenic-Death/114414165293876

Bloodsoaked - The Death of Hope (2011)

When I was reading up on Peter Hasslebrack to write this review, I realized with some astonishment that there was a local connection here, since he once played in the Massachusetts thrash unknowns Deslok, whose first demo Instant Death...Just Add Water! got a lot of rotation from me at the ripe age of 14-15 (the chorus to one of their tunes, 'I am a relic of depression - of misery!' was one of my disaffected teen anthems). Now, Hasslebrack wasn't on that demo, but rather their second the year later, I just thought it was a rather amazing coincidence and proof that the world is smaller than I think. Nevertheless, the guy has moved on to North Carolina and greater things, not the least of which is Bloodsoaked, his one man death metal juggernaut which has to date produced three albums through the stylin' Comatose Music.

Peter performs all the guitars, bass, and vocals here while using a mix of session (Brent Wiliams) and programmed (Shane McFee) drums to support the solid old school riffing. He's also managed to wrangle the iconic James Murphy to perform a few of the leads here, and it's a good fit, for surely some of Murphy's old stomping grounds provided a lot of the influence to what Peter is trying to achieve here. This is essentially late 80s/early 90s death metal with a modern spin concocted through the very precise guitar tone and overall productive values. I hear traces of early Morbid Angel, Death, Obituary, Disincarnate, and all manner of Floridian gods in the bowels of this album, but was much more surprised at the similarity to Dutch forebears Pestilence, in particular their Testimony of the Ancients record or the more recent reunion effort Resurrection Macabre (which drew on the former for much of its riffing structure). The songs have a mechanical, vital semblance to them which meshes solid guitar progressions of menacing mute streams, octave and/or minor chord slides ("The Death of Hope"), repetitious Mameli meets Schuldiner meets Vincent vocal patterns and leaden yet cutting grooves.

Bloodsoaked has the ability to make even the most derivative chugging riff pattern seem somehow fresh and warlike (as in the opener "Lies"), so while you get the feeling you've heard this all before you still can't help but to jerk about in violent libation. Personally, though, I rather preferred the more clinical sounding sequences through the album which focused in on the more delicate, crisp floods of notes. Now, The Death of Hope is not indiscriminately old school in tone: the intensity of the drums is like meticulous brickwork in both the blasted and double bass sections that give it a more modern, brutal edge that you'll hear in a lot of younger tech death acts, if not as acrobatic. However, Hasslebrack's compositions never fly off the handle in terms of self indulgence or wankery. Each practices a measure of restraint, ranging from about 2-3 minutes on average and cycling through only a violent but controlled burst of riffing with near perfect lead placement and no danger of succumbing to ennui.

Admittedly, this utter precision gives The Death of Hope a feeling of tight-assedness that some might feel too callous or inflexible, but I for one welcome our new robot overlords and, like the aforementioned Resurrection Macabre, find this a pretty interesting approach even if it lacks for much range and variation. Not all of the rhythm guitar progressions on the album really stood out to me, but regardless they seemed intense and refreshing despite their obvious sources. The lyrics left a lot to be desired, fairly average ruminations on violence and gore that never become to graphic or interesting, yet I'm sure this is not a deal breaker for most into the genre. Even more, one has to appreciate that Hasslebrack is not just jumping on the current trends in retro death metal. Bloodsoaked doesn't sound remotely Swedish circa 1990, nor does it try to emulate the cavernous atmosphere of Autopsy or Incantation. It belongs to a crop of newer US bands like Nocturnal Torment, Never to Arise and the late Godless Rising in tempering a firm respect for its influences with a contemporary recording aesthetic, and as such it's worth experiencing.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (cancelling this life on lease)

http://www.facebook.com/bloodsoaked666