Harm
Demonic Alliance ()
Wydane przez Battlegod Productions//Twilight Vertrieb/Plastic Head Distribution/The End RecordsRok wydania Kraj NorwayNapisał Wouter5
Debuting in 2006 with the fairly non-descript but energetic "Demon" these Norwegians now return more powerful with "Demonic Alliance". Whereas their debut focused more on old school thrash (Exodus, Forbidden, etc) this second record sees the band making a shift towards melodic death/thrash. The biggest influence seems to be newer Carcass ("Heartwork", specifically) while retaining their foundation of no-frills Bay Area styled thrash metal with a healthy dose of Destruction in the riffing and chord progressions. Steffan Schulze (Antares Predator) has a sufficient pissed off vocal approach that reminds of classic Sepultura. The main intend is to sound as chaotic and violent as possible and, unsurprisingly, a lot of the tracks tend to bleed into each other. There isn't a whole lot of variety or originality to be found on this record, something which has plagued Harm since their very inception. Like a lot of the new breed old school thrash metal acts Harm is painfully mediocre and astoundingly non-descript. "Demonic Alliance" is a record that should have been independently released and, in truth, does not warrant a worldwide release by any label. Some of its members have made a name for themselves in the underground, but this does not guarantee Harm an international release of what should have been a glorified demo cd. The only remarkable thing about this release is the stunning artwork. With the current oversaturation of all things thrash it is surprising to see small labels actively taking this sort of bands under their wings. With many of the old school veterans still vital and ever relevant (Exodus, Forbidden, Hirax, Megadeth, Overkill, Slayer, Testament), the Teutonic trilogy (Destruction, Kreator, Sodom) alive and kicking plus a busload of talented imitators (Evile, Fueled By Fire, Toxic Holocaust, Municipal Waste, Revocation, Suicidal Angels, Warbringer) there's enough material to satiate anybody's fix for thrash, both above and below the mainstream. Therefore this record is best avoided in favor for the real thing.
battlegod-productions.com
