Suicidal Angels - Divide and Conquer (2014)

If you'd asked me five years ago, I might have written off Suicidal Angels entirely as another act jumping on the re-thrash bandwagon; but five records deep, with no sign of limp wristed pizza metal in sight, it's quite clear that would have been an unjust assessment. You don't go this far without a serious investment in what you're producing, and these Greeks have never fucked around on any of their albums that I've heard, a few of which I reviewed in the past and were admittedly decent. No, they're not great, not exactly full of unique ideas, and a lot of their riff patterns seem like facsimiles of West Coast rhythms from the later 80s, but one cannot accuse the Angels of lacking the anger, vivacity, or momentum to appropriate honor their forefathers. Through Divine and Conquer they continue to set that record straight, with a consistent 50 minutes of headbanging, and while they don't really surpass themselves, or even attempt to, this is nearly the equal of past albums like Dead Again or Sanctify the Darkness, the downside being that it's more of the same...and the returns seem to be diminishing with each new release.

This is punchy, polished and efficient economy-thrash the likes of which most resemble Exodus, Anthrax or Vio-lence on records like Fabulous Disaster, Persistence of Time and Oppressing the Masses, very much in that 1989-1990 epoch where a lot of the raucous, rawness of the genre had been scrapped in lieu of its success and bigger studio budgets. Tempos alternate between 'go for the throat' mid-to-fast paced trots, and then slower 'mosh pit' sequences highly redolent of classics like the "March of the S.O.D." or "Toxic Waltz", and almost anything in between is covered. They'll accelerate enough to prevent any sense of tedium to take over, but at the same time they never really push themselves beyond any limitations. We're not talking the unhinged speed and absurdity of a Fastkill, or the technical brilliance of a Vektor, but something more in line with Warbringer, Evile, The Haunted, Bonded by Blood or maybe even Dew-Scented with less of a melodic death influence in place. A few of the riffs have a melodic edge akin to the modern Artillery stuff, with lots of propulsion but little payoff in terms of replay value...that said, when you're in the midst of actually experiencing Divide and Conquer, it's hard not to have your neck tense up a little and ready itself for the strain...because Suicidal Angels are competent and cognizant of exactly what choir their style is preaching to.

Having a vicious vocalist is always a help, and Nick Melissourgos has an appreciably dirty inflection which is like a mix of Zetro, Tom Angelripper and Mortal Sin's Matt Maurer. Really, it's his presence mixed in with the guitar riffs that makes the album function, but I do feel like his barking is probably the only 'wild card' on the disc, and even that is a tightly controlled component. A lot of the guitars here simply never cross that margin of the 'been there, done that' which has sort of plagued the band since the start, and thus after hearing this album I found it a bit too interchangeable with anything I'd heard from them before, not to mention a lot of the other thrash revival acts from Greece, Spain, Brazil and the US like Released Anger, Angelus Apatrida, Aggression, Merciless Death, Violator and so forth. And, really, when we look back on these first two decades of the 21st century with regards to thrash metal, it's only going to be the bands that contributed the most savagely, technically or some sort of innovation to the field that we hold to memory, because otherwise there's no reason for us not to break out our genuine 80s classics, most of which were better composed in the first place. If it comes down to me spinning Divide and Conquer versus Bonded by Blood or Kill 'Em All, this is going to sit on the shelf forever. And that's just not okay, to be 'okay'.

There's a reason the more evil, blackened speed/thrash bands like Antichrist or Deathhammer kill so hard on a record...they don't hold back, whereas this album is a little too clinical and tidy to make a splash. Divide and Conquer isn't a record to change anyone's mind, and there's nothing much to dislike apart from its redundancy. The colorful cover art, serious and somewhat timeless lyrics, and tight musicianship continue to define these Greeks, but I keep wanting something more. Maybe a filthier mix, more explosive guitars, or just something I simply don't expect. If you really loved the last 2-3 albums these guys put out, then I can't imagine you'd wanna pass on this one, it's not at all fraudulent party-thrash or taking the piss. But Suicidal Angels can kick the thrash-ball around the field all day; sooner or later they need to score a goal or two, and this isn't even in the penalty area.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

http://www.suicidalangels.com/

Suicidal Angels - Dead Again (2010)

Greece continues to hone itself as a hotbed for quality thrash metal, a distinction it did not bear in the 80s (when it mattered most). Along with Drunkard and Tornado, the Suicidal Angels are one of the front runners, painstakingly evolving themselves with each new release, and their third and latest offering, Dead Again, takes a few baby steps past its predecessor Sanctify the Darkness. Not the steps that will propel the band to the top of the rock, mind you, but at the very least, you feel like you've gotten a solid punishment here, where the previous album just squeaked past the gates of mediocrity.

Suicidal Angels have a familiar approach to riffing that rekindles the passions of Slayer, Kreator and Sodom, though they will also cruise off at a mid-paced mosh that summons nostalgia for Exodus. The gruff, biting vocals of Nick Melissourgos most remind me of Tom Angelripper, and at a few points I though I had screwed up and was listening to the wrong album, since the new Sodom is just around the corner. At any rate, the guitars are crafted with precision, and the rhythm section tight as a pair of undersized combat boots, but the album's polish might actually work against it in some places. With compositions so aggressive and mean sounding, the album can tend towards gimping itself with such a clean tone. That's not to castigate the riffing itself, because there are a number of tunes like the Razor-speed "Violent Abuse", S.O.D. lurching "Reborn in Violence", and Vio-Lence/Sodom fusion of "Search for Recreation", in which the riffs excel. That's a lot of violence...

Unfortunately, not all the songs hit with the same impact. All are snappy and professional, but a few of the slower hitters like "The Trial", "Dead Again" and "The Lies of Resurrection" hinder the overall excitement, failing to keep momentum alongside their spiffy, rapid fire counterparts. Suicidal Angels are not an original band, and they'll tell you this themselves, so there are moments in which their music feels interchangeable with a number of other artists ranging from Dew-Scented to Sodom. Still, at least 6-7 of the songs here are quite fun, inducing fits of neck hammering that take you straight back to the 80s, despite their modern, controlled mix. There was more enjoyment to be derived here than either of the band's previous offerings, so if you're not too picky about your retro-thrash, you could certainly do a lot worse than Dead Again, and might seek out its undead vulture men for a taste of concussive belligerence.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.myspace.com/suicidalangels

Suicidal Angels - Sanctify the Darkness (2009)

Nuclear Blast has snapped up yet another thrash metal band, and if this isn't proof of the genre's official 'arrival' (though it never quite departed), I don't know what is. Suicidal Angels is a Greek band akin to Released Anger. They play a heavier band of thrash with a slight touch of death metal, and a riffing style only marginally derived from the Germanic sounds of Sodom and Destruction. The band is fast, crisp, furious, and thankfully they do not blow hot air out of their asses in the form of 'thrash' titled songs or excessive retro mongering. Sanctify the Darkness is actually their second album, and continues the blasphemous lyrical spew that permeated their 2007 debut, Eternal Domination. Disease and corruption of Biblical proportions dominate the lyrics, and Nick Melissourgos has a decadent grit to his vocals (partially imbued by his accent) which helps them stand out.

Suicidal Angels is at first "Bloodthirsty", but though the song picks up in a frenzy, it's not the best foot forward for this album, simply sounding like an average Sodom sound-alike. "The Pestilence of Saints" is better, with a good thrust to the lead-in rhythm and a brief Slayer-like breakdowns, before the solid verse riff. "Inquisition" opens with a death metal rhythm, proceeding through a mid-paced thrash shuffle and then into a faster death/thrash rhythm with Sodom and Pestilence influences. "Apokathilosis" breaks into a nice thrashing trot and has some wild leads, and "...Lies" once again evokes the forceful, fanatical riffing of Sodom and Slayer. As for the album's latter portion, there are some solid tracks in "No More Than Illusion", "Beyond the Laws of Church", and "Dark Abyss (Your Fate is Colored Black)".

This is certainly no original band, and not about to steal the throne of Greek thrash established by Flames a few decades past. But their energy is as infectious as their influences would dictate, and it's a fun listen, although the tracks do start to feel very samey throughout. The mix is good and punchy, with the crisp licks and light hammering of the drums in great balance to bear the brunt of the unkempt vocals. Sanctify the Darkness is at least a superior offering to that being produced by the other old school thrash bands who seem to make waves these days, a sign that the band has been plugging away for years. But I would never reach for this album over the source material.

Highlights: Inquisition, Apokathilosis, Beyond the Laws of Church

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.suicidalangels.com/home.php