Outrage - Run Riot (2020)

Outrage could safely be considered an institution of Japanese thrash metal, with almost 35 years of experience and recordings behind them, no massive gaps between releases, no sizeable breaks of any sort, very little if any deviation from their chosen path; yet they've gone virtually unnoticed in the rest of the world beyond the microscopic (but always increasing) niche of metalhead Japanophiles. Even then, this is not a band that fits into any of the major trends of their own country's metal scene writ large...they're not visual kei artists, they're not playing the blistering, trendy symphonic power metal nor are they a mashup of extreme groove metal and some idol group. I can recall a day when I'd read mention of them as a 'next Metallica', probably around their old albums like Black Clouds and Blind to Reality, back in some old metal or skater rag, but as with most such predictions and appraisals, it turns out only Metallica was the next Metallica...

That's fine, because Outrage is still pretty good, and Run Riot, their 14th full-length effort, doe just what its title advertises, a molten hybrid of thrash and speed metal aesthetics which doesn't sound like the band members have aged a day since that late 80s era. If you're looking for complex song structures or nuanced riffs, this is not exactly the band for you, but if you want simple, predictable, catchy energy drenched in wild lead guitars and charismatic barking thrash/hardcore vocals, that's all here. Noaki Hashimoto, who has fronted the band for most of its career, has a nice timbre which ranges from mid-ranged grit to a higher scream, and although his accent does naturally mold his delivery, the lyrics are hammered out clearly and don't delve into Engrish. He's often got some solid gang shouts backing him up and ultimately they get a broader selection of vocal weapons than you'd expect from the style. The guitars are a mesh of pure old blitzkrieg US thrash circa 80s Metallica, and bluesier speed/heavy metal which would make Lemmy and company blush; naturally this might create a split identity for the band, but somehow the strong studio mix and the vocals hold it all together into one unified, fist flailing brawl with cuts like "Cyclops" and the hilarious titled "Supernaturally Outlaw of the Cosmic Void" providing ear candy for anyone who likes their thrash metal straightforward and effective.

If they have any faults, it's only that they can occasionally get a little overly silly like "Science Spirit Hits" which is more like Butthole Surfers style rock & roll, but even that is catchy here, and I rather like how the effects on his vocals kind of evolve as he gets angrier, and it's some mean driving music either way. Surely there's nothing present on Run Riot that would surprise anyone that had heard the band's music before, only that the band hasn't had a wider reach. It's not like they do anything more crazy or special than other, comparable bands, but from front to back this is just a fun album with enough versatility that it never gets boring across the 44 minutes and change. I usually check out all the band's albums as they arrive, because I've always had a fondness for the veteran Japanese bands like this one, or Loudness, or Anthem, and I'd have to say this is one of the best they've come out since their first three. It's about as un-pretentious as it gets, and there aren't a lot of unique riffs that will stick out for long, but it's perfect for your Corvette cruises, or at least the dreams you have of having them.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://outrage-jp.com/

Outrage - Brutal Human Bastard (2013)

The simplistic sort of death metal advocated through bands like Austria's Outrage is honestly pretty brave these days, when you consider that it's not a style many fans of the broader genre really go for. Groups like Six Feet Under and Jungle Rot received mixed at best reactions from an audience divided between the nostalgic saturation of old school, atmospheric, evil death metal aesthetics and the more flashy, athletic scene honed in more for precision, technicality and clinical production standards. So efforts like Brutal Human Bastard don't cross my path very often, and while that might be a good thing in general, these guys actually attack the genre from a slightly different angle than I'd expected from the cover. I won't go on record to say I'm the biggest fan, but this sophomore outing gets a little credit for having a few refreshing ideas, hit or miss, which define it.

The bedrock of the songwriting is slower, churning, accessible death metal circa Bolt Thrower or Six Feet Under which is heavily mosh-flavored; in fact the large majority of the time the material is pit ready at the cost of creativity. That's not to say the riffs don't work, especially in the clarity of the production which allows you to feel the weight of those rhythm guitars straight in the belly, but you won't often be surprised by the notes they choose, it's more a vehicle for the front man's broad yet monotonous gutturals. Where the band really shifts it up is in how they obviously take a big influence from rock and thrash metal, and come up with these pro lead guitars sequences through most of the tunes that are quite catchy, and even more impressive in that their contrast with the bulkier, brawling undertow doesn't come at the cost of the music's overall potency. I'm not going to call it 'melodeath', although certainly there are a lot of faster paced melodic death metal groups that place a similar emphasis on the consonant lead-work, harmonies, etc, but it definitely creates a warmer vibe than what you'd expect on Realm of Chaos or War Master.

The drumming is quite good on the album, a lot of steady, tribal, warlike rhythms to keep those simpler mute patterns more bombastic than they'd be otherwise, and although I'm not always the biggest fan of 'clean' mixes for my death metal records, this one services the style well. I did not get much out of the riffs, mostly just blander death/thrash patterns I've heard before, but sometimes they bust into a cooler tremolo picked passage or something that stands out from its surroundings, and the album doesn't really experience any lulls, it's consistent stuff throughout, for good or ill. Though the growls are pretty bog standard to the genre, they do throw some snarls over the top to give it a more Deicide vibe, and he can shift the guttural up to a slightly higher pitch for variety. For me, the main highlight was always the leads and melodies and how they combined with the rhythm section to create something seasoned and dynamic. Song titles, lyrics, even the album title were just a 'meh'. I can't give Brutal Human Bastard a glaring recommendation, I was lukewarm with this stuff at best, but those looking for some intro level death metal (and I don't mean that insultingly) which is honestly the polar opposite of trendy right now might dig it.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

Outrage - We the Dead (2014)

Outrage was an obscurity during the German emergence as thrash, speed and heavy metal masters in the 80s, but after nearly a 20 year silence decided to give it another go, which has turned out a lot more productive than any of the aspirations of their respective youths. Demo compilations and six full-length albums have now seen the light of day (since 2004), and We the Dead will mark the seventh, retaining the simplistic and effective cover art style of its predecessor Go to Hell (2011) and I had presumed a musical one as well. And would you know it, that's the truth, but the 4-piece has gone ahead and surpassed itself with a bloody, appreciably loyal aesthetic to anyone that has heard not only their last works but the sadistic directness of their far more popular German peers like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction.

Essentially, this is a rough & ready blackened speed/thrash metal album which recounts the older offerings of the Gods like Sentence of Death, Endless Pain and Persecution Mania, with raucous death bark vocals more akin to Angelripper than Schmier, and lots of precise machine gun riffing which isn't above the occasional transition to a classic headbanging middle pace, or something even more slow ("Be That As It May") where the bass lines can push through the wall of rhythm guitar a little better than when they're on full throttle. But overall, I think they really shine when they're picking more rapidly and resurrecting nostalgia for their countrymen; you get that same incendiary feeling you heard on the classics 30 years ago. The lead guitars are efficient, expressive and blazing, the drums tight, and the vocals have a lot of the grisly flaws that give the album that much more personality. As for riff construction, I can't say it's really all that special or unique when contrasted against their forerunners from either the Teutonic big three or the West Coast US legends, but at least they offer you quite a good range without losing anything by way of consistency.

The production is actually pretty good, though, rivaling some of those better influential recordings rather than the demo-like caustics present on a lot of 'tribute' bands. Like their peers Necronomicon, Wicca, Assassin and Accuser, Outrage prove that the German bench is just as deep as that of its international futbol team, at least if you're seeking out a more authentic nostalgia concocted by guys who were actually present when the magic unraveled. We the Dead isn't going to change the world, and it's likely to be written off pretty quickly in lieu of a million other bands... After all, most of these underground scene veterans, when reunited, are facing off for the attention of an audience which has been inundated by decades of exposure to both their more successful counterparts and all the 'retro' party bands which photocopied their creative template well enough (but were more interested in how their battle jackets looked than doing anything to expand upon the music they so love). It's a tough crowd to crack, but I promise if you're hunting for material that can give you the same visceral impact you might have once felt for Pleasure to Kill or Agent, Escalation or Agent Orange once did, Outrage and We the Dead present a reliable option, at least until something brilliant comes along.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.outrage-band.net/

Outrage - Go to Hell (2011)

There have got to be a dozen or more bands with the Outrage brand name, and yet these Germans have shared the handle with the once great Japanese band for perhaps the longest stretch. Formed way, way back in 1983, they were a demo level act who took a huge hiatus until the 21st century, then suddenly kicked off a productive streak that involved no less than five self-released records from 2004-2010! You'd think most bands might give up by that point, but not this Outrage: they are stubborn as hell and quite competent at what they do, which is a mix of straight old school speed/thrash with vocals and lyrical concepts that place them slightly into that same black/death metal category that spawned Venom, Bulldozer and more recently bands like Sweden's Bewitched.

The premise is simple: play music that sounds like a serial killer or cultist is stalking the listener through a foggy, dark night in a city of brick, smoke and offal. The guitar tone sounds enormous, even if the riffs being flogged out are all quite simple and derivative of hundreds of speed, thrash and heavy metal acts over the span of decades. I am not going to lie about it: there are not many guitar progressions on this album that are all that thrilling, but the actual sound and execution here definitely highlight the experience of their creator (Udo F, 'The Bringer of Doom'). What's more, the vocals of 'The Voice of Hell' Frank P are nothing more than brutal and bloodied barks which feel like a rabid dog biting at your heels as if they were kittens. That is, until he emits the hilarious shrieks that often turn up at the ends of vocal lines.

Point in case, the song "Astaroth" where he bounces back and forth during the chorus over the Hallows Eve-like mid-paced riff. Admittedly, this is a bit goofy sounding, and not as manic as something Tom Araya might have issued forth in his halcyon days; but there are certainly a lot of fans of old thrash or speed metal who will enjoy the contrast without doubling over in laughter. I was not one of them, at least not on this track, but it could have been worse. There are certain songs here that I actually enjoyed quite a lot, like the arena-sounding rush of "The Inner Contract", Hellhammer machismo of "Into the Abyss of Belial" or the thundering, faster paced follies of "Slave Trader" and "Refugee to Beyond". But the rest straddle the lines between average and only mildly enticing, and most of the leads on the album competent but forgettable.

In summation, I can't say that I loved or really enjoyed Go to Hell, but neither did I dislike it. There is a market for this sort of sound, and obviously its progenitors love it a great deal, so fans of early Hallows Eve (Tales of Terror), Slayer (Show No Mercy), Sodom or the more brute, recent works of British legends Venom might get something more out of the album, especially when one takes into consideration that most of the tracks here were written in the 80s and are being polished up here from their demo incarnations (which are also available on a new comp the band has out).

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

http://www.outrage-band.net/