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░ ██ ██ Artist: Battery ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Armed With Rage █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2014-04-08 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Punishment 18 Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Introducing the debut album of Danish thrash band █
█ Battery. Oh, and if you're already thinking about █
█ it, no they are not named after the Metallica █
█ song. Formed in 2008 they have a couple of demos █
█ and an EP released prior to this album. █
█ Having known Battery for quite some time, I've █
█ also heard most of their material and can kind of █
█ reflect on their past releases and put that into █
█ my opinion of this album. The production on Armed █
█ with Rage is absolutely explicit. The band knows █
█ how a metal record should sound in these modern █
█ times, and just to clarify, that sound is old █
█ school! Every single instrument is well audible █
█ just the way they should be, bass players and █
█ drummers, you are going to love this record. █
█ Actually it doesn't matter what instrument you █
█ play, you don't even need to play, this record is █
█ something every thrash fan should experience. But █
█ be assured of this: the bass and drums sound █
█ incredible! The album keeps on going in the █
█ highest gear available throughout the most of the █
█ record, only to be smashed by the mid paced █
█ opening of Vermin of Fukushima, which is one of █
█ the best tracks of the album. But it might be hard █
█ for the record to grip onto some listeners as it █
█ doesn't really slow down that much. I don't really █
█ have a problem with that since I know what kind of █
█ party I'm attending here. In spite of that I must █
█ say Vermin of Fukushima is like a fresh coat of █
█ paint and I welcome it, and hope to hear more █
█ material like it in the future. However some █
█ traits from their EP Mental Pollution is missing a █
█ bit on Armed with Rage. The EP had a little █
█ heavier sound and I simply just love the █
█ production on it, it's some of the best sounding █
█ records in recent years. █
█ So having listened to that EP since it came out of █
█ course made me love it and its sound. And that █
█ sound has been altered a bit for Armed with Rage, █
█ it is more thrashy and raw now, and I had to give █
█ the album a few spins to get used to that (note █
█ that it's not a bad thing). Something that has █
█ been dialled down is the use of gang shouts in █
█ their songs, and the ones that does have them are █
█ not as powerful as the ones on Mental Pollution. █
█ Just listening to the title track from that EP █
█ exhibits the amazing sounding gang shouts which is █
█ some of the best I've heard on a record since the █
█ classics from the 80's! That brings me on to the █
█ vocals, and I am not going to say the singer █
█ sounds like this and that vocalist from bands we █
█ all know. Why? I've read many reviews doing just █
█ that and most often I don't agree with the █
█ reviewer. So here is something that is hard to █
█ disagree on: Chris "Steel" sounds like Chris █
█ "Steel". However he is not your average (dare I █
█ say mediocre?) shouting vocalist. He definitely █
█ got his own characteristic raw and gritty sound █
█ and trademark screams so to speak (perfectly heard █
█ on the track Genocidal Gatlin Gunners). But... on █
█ previous releases the vocals were more "Chris" █
█ (try to play along) a lot of his "trademark" █
█ screams and when a song gets going you would be █
█ greeted with a "JAAAAOW!" all this is however █
█ present in their live renditions of the material █
█ from Armed with Rage, but not on the record █
█ itself. That and the gang vocals is the only small █
█ griefs I got, and be well assured they are small █
█ ones, because even though it is early in 2014 as █
█ of this review, it will sure rank high on my list █
█ of favourite releases from this year! █
█ These days it is pretty hard for new metal bands █
█ to stand out, and it's no different for Battery. █
█ Looking at their logo, you're not in doubt of what █
█ genre they play. Their cover for this release was █
█ done by Andrei Bouzikov who is kind of shaping up █
█ to be the Ed Repka of our time, at least in my █
█ opinion. Many artists get covers done by him, and █
█ he does excellent jobs. So what does make Battery █
█ stand out? The sheer quality of their releases and █
█ this is not different. The album adds amazing █
█ songs to their already thrashing catalogue with █
█ songs like Vermin of Fukushima, Genocidal Gatlin █
█ Gunners, Narcotic Mirage and Armed with Rage. You █
█ definitely want to check out the first two by any █
█ means, the riffs are instant smashers, you will █
█ not regret it! By the way did you notice it said █
█ Vermin of Fukushima? In case you've been living █
█ under a rock, or simply forgot about it, some █
█ years back there was a toxic leak at the Fukushima █
█ powerplant and this song is about rats getting █
█ mutated by that and starts killing people. A bit █
█ silly for some maybe, but overall Battery uses a █
█ bit more serious lyrics compared to many new █
█ school "eat pizza and drink beer" lyrics, and the █
█ band is incredible good lyricists. █
█ Even though the record was delayed because of bad █
█ label deals, Punishment 18 Records saved the day █
█ and it is a good feeling to finally have a full █
█ length from this band. After the recordings they █
█ brought on J÷kull as guitarist, so it will be █
█ interesting to see his contributions on the next █
█ album. I think I've summed up pretty well what I █
█ think of this record, and if you like it, then you █
█ should check out the bands EP Mental Pollution and █
█ their demo Nuke, and make sure to get your hands █
█ on with tracks such as Ruins of Radiation, Born in █
█ a Beaker and The Hazmat Squad, just to mention a █
█ few! And if you're a gym-goer I can definitely █
█ recommend tearing it up with this album on your █
█ playlist. I think I have covered just about every █
█ single reason why you should get this album, it █
█ will no doubt be a fresh addition to your █
█ collection! █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Narcotic Mirage 5:34 ░
░ 2. Armed With Rage 3:19 ░
░ 3. Indirect Oppression 3:06 ░
░ 4. Halo of Hypocrisy 3:41 ░
░ 5. Hostile by Content 3:50 ░
░ 6. Vermin of Fukushima 5:27 ░
░ 7. Pyramids of Decept 2:56 ░
░ 8. Sense Eclipsed 3:26 ░
░ 9. Zombestial Incantation 2:35 ░
░ 10. Genocidal Gatlin Gunners 4:02 ░
░ 37:56 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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