Originally self released last year, Sonic Unyon has re-released the debut full length album from Saskatoon’s Untimely Demise in order to catch the apparent tail end of the the retro thrash revival.
While I have never really dug the current explosion of throwback thrash I have enjoyed some of the bands that mix a little thrash with some more modern and sterner elements like Skeletonwitch, Hemoptysis, early 3 Inches of Blood and such, and luckily Untimely Demise fits right in there with those bands; thrash backbone, a dash of NWBHM, some melodic death metal and some harsher Kreator -ish rasps, and the whole thing chock full of riffs.
Though only clocking in at 32 minutes and 7 songs, there’s enough solid music here to keep your interest and there’s a feral energy as well as a retro gloss that mixes into something a little more than a mere trend hopping retro thrash act. Opener “Virtue in Death” pretty much sets the tone for the other 6 songs with a galloping thrash riffs flocked with enough melody and solo work to make it a little more than a simple throwback. “Hunting Evil” opens with a classic bay Area riff and some nifty shreddage at 1:15 and 3:30 in. And while some may think the abundance of solos in most of the tracks are a bit indulgent, I found them to be not only well placed and played, they add a nice dash of energy to the songs, that typically rely on archaic thrash structures.
The album’s mid section features the two longest and more varied tracks in the title track and “Unmaker, both over 5-minutes long. The former has a nice chorus of sorts, while the latter initially hints at a epic ballad before delivery some stern, mid paced thrash riffage and Matt Cuthbertson mixing in some more traditional vocals in with his rasp . “Forger of Belief” gets back to a more direct, high octane tone, while “Streets of Vice” gives us a pure, classic thrash pace and hue.
The album closes with “Bloodsoaked Mission” a thunderous example of the bands modern yet retro take on thrash, with polished solos and melodies bouncing in and out of the cantankerous thrash effortlessly. Overall a nice little find by Sonic Unyon, that should appease a wide cross section of fans, especially thrash fans old and new.
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You spelt “steel” wrong I think.
Either way, that’s a kickass album!
on Oct 17th, 2011 at 19:19And I spelled “spelled” wrong I think.
Either way, I’m a fucking genius!
on Oct 17th, 2011 at 19:21