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░ ██ ██ Artist: Perversifier ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Perverting the Masses █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-12-22 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: ArmΘe de la Mort Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Evil speed thrashing metal! The first album of █
█ French PERVERSIFIER, with a full line-up, is ready █
█ to kill!! This is a pure piece of raging thrash █
█ metal. Fans of old-school thrash metal in the █
█ tradition of KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, SLAYERà brutal █
█ and fast! █
█ Kev Desecrator being one live drummer for several █
█ bands coming from Australia and touring Europe, █
█ lyrics of one song have written by Ian from TRENCH █
█ HELL/SHACKLES! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ In simple terms, Perversifier?s debut offers old █
█ school thrash metal. It reminds me of Nuclear █
█ Assault?s epochal "Game Over", because these █
█ French aggressors are focused firstly on riffs, █
█ secondly on riffs and thirdly again on riffs. To █
█ get the statement more precisely, they mainly █
█ concentrate on high speed riffs. Some eternal █
█ moaner might say that they are narrow-minded. █
█ Maybe that even is right. But from my point of █
█ view, there is nothing wrong with that, because █
█ rapid guitar riffs are nothing less than the █
█ quintessence of thrash metal. They are therefore █
█ the primary reason why we love this style of █
█ metal, if I am not mistaken. Seen in this way, it █
█ would not surprise me if you would share my █
█ enthusiasm for this band after listening to their █
█ amazing first full-length. █
█ Their songwriting skills know how to please. The █
█ tunes do not follow a progressive approach without █
█ avoiding the necessary amount of breaks. All █
█ pieces sound fresh and belligerent while bridging █
█ the past and the present of the thrash genre. █
█ Taking into account the highlights of this album, █
█ we can report that this style is still █
█ characterized by an enormous liveliness. Honestly, █
█ this keeps me young, despite my biological █
█ degeneration. But sorry, I did not want to make a █
█ digression. Let?s get back to the highlights. █
█ Although all the songs achieve a good level, I █
█ want to emphasize "Raise the Black Fire" and "Evil █
█ Speed Thrashing Madness". As you may have guessed, █
█ the latter is nearly perfectly described by its █
█ programmatic title. I can just add that it █
█ explodes after a mid-paced start due to its █
█ fantastic riffs. Furthermore, it offers a nice █
█ mosh part after the solo. To be honest, the █
█ songwriting formula of "Raise the Black Fire" is █
█ not much different from "Evil Speed Thrashing █
█ Madness". Both tunes also benefit from the hoarse █
█ and raw vocals of Perversifier?s singer and █
█ songwriter KD who shows a solid performance during █
█ the whole album. Small restriction: two songs █
█ serve as (instrumental) intros. The lyrics of the █
█ other pieces deal with the typical subjects of the █
█ genre. You will therefore find a characteristic █
█ buzzwort in each and every song title. █
█ The old-fashioned cover does not appeal to me. How █
█ many threatening evil monsters did we already have █
█ to face during our metallic existence? Moreover, █
█ the picture is not artistically valuable. However, █
█ this does not have a significant impact on the █
█ overall impression. More important is the fact █
█ that the currish production puts all instruments █
█ in the right light. █
█ One could come to the idea that "Perverting the █
█ Masses" is rather perverting the original █
█ rebellious approach of heavy metal because of its █
█ tradition-conscious songwriting. The compositional █
█ formula pays tribute to the heroes of the previous █
█ generation instead of revolutionizing the genre. █
█ This might be true in a sense, but as long as this █
█ way of proceeding leads to such an explosive █
█ result, I do not care about this. Instead, I would █
█ be happy if Perversifier would release a worthy █
█ successor whose songs follow a similar pattern, █
█ because thrash metal - please forgive me for using █
█ this phrase - will never die. Enjoy the riffs! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Whenever one thinks of dirty, filthy, extreme █
█ thrash metal with an eye for aggression within an █
█ old school context, one doesn't normally think of █
█ France, though people may be inclined to think █
█ again lately given how far reaching the influence █
█ of the thrash revival has become in the past few █
█ years. Then again, the northern fringe otherwise █
█ known as Brittany would be the likely place for █
█ such an eventuality given the strong Celtic █
█ influence on the area and the history of continual █
█ warfare between Britain and France in said locale █
█ throughout the centuries. However, the sound that █
█ comes with the thrash outfit known as Perversifier █
█ is more easily identified with a notorious 3rd █
█ party just a bit further east, complete with the █
█ correspondingly dark and decrepit imagery to boot. █
█ The rather auspiciously large demon adorned debut █
█ that is Perverting The Masses takes its cues from █
█ all the likely players, presented in a rigidly █
█ orthodox yet highly energetic sound package. █
█ Between the sepulchral, ghoulish vocals and the █
█ high speed fury that dominates much of the listen, █
█ it's hard to miss the parallels between Kreator █
█ and Destruction, particularly the nimble, Slayer █
█ inspired thrill ride that was Infernal Overkill █
█ and the more precise yet still chaotic Endless █
█ Pain, the latter of which carries a bit more in █
█ common with the denser production that is featured █
█ on this updated French take on the style. There is █
█ a slight helping of the drunken humor of Tankard █
█ also littered amongst a few of these songs, █
█ introducing a slightly early Metallica flavor into █
█ the mix as was heard on Zombie Attack, █
█ particularly on songs like "Alcoholic Necrolord" █
█ and "Under Hades Command", which have a slightly █
█ NWOBHM sense in the riff work reminiscent of █
█ select songs on Kill 'Em All and Slayer's Show No █
█ Mercy, commonalities also shared in Tankard's █
█ aforementioned debut. █
█ There is little to outright complain about in █
█ terms of overall execution, but the limitations of █
█ the way that this band approaches emulating their █
█ heroes are noticeable. The lead guitar work, while █
█ fairly impressive, often comes off as more of a █
█ obligatory exercise and meshes some elements of █
█ Kerry King and Frank Blackfire with a fairly █
█ restrained and by the numbers outcome. The vocal █
█ work, while intense, is largely one dimensional █
█ minus the occasional gang chorus input. Likewise, █
█ the bass is pretty strongly neglected, thus █
█ shifting most of the emphasis to the riff work and █
█ the drumming, which is the strong point of this █
█ album. Songs such as "Perverting The Masses", █
█ "Raise The Black Fire" and "Evil Speed Thrashing █
█ Metal" definitely have no want for speed or █
█ intensity, and occasionally break into fairly █
█ interesting territory in the lead guitar █
█ department for a few fleeting spurts. It's the █
█ same basic story as a number of prominent 2nd tier █
█ albums out of Germany immediately following 1986 █
█ (think Assassin and Necronomicon), but with a █
█ slightly heavier guitar sound. █
█ This is by no means a bad album, in fact it gets █
█ the job done quite nicely, but it's more a solid █
█ and occasionally exciting listen rather than a █
█ full out thrill ride. It would definitely be well █
█ received by most die hard thrash metal fanatics █
█ who eat up this stuff like candy, but it's sort of █
█ a toss up as to whether anybody with only an █
█ occasional taste for this mode of thrash should █
█ invest in it given the sizable number of bands █
█ that really bring home the punishment. That █
█ forbidding cross between a demon and a giant with █
█ a pterodactyl for a head that's reaching for the █
█ hapless crowd below needs a few more winged █
█ minions to close the deal, and the same goes for █
█ the tricks in Perversifier's musical arsenal. █
█ You're at about a 7 and a half guys, and we need █
█ you at an 11. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. I am Become Death 1:37 ░
░ 2. Perverting the Masses 3:41 ░
░ 3. Under Hades Command 4:25 ░
░ 4. Killing Spree Pandemy 3:46 ░
░ 5. Raise the Black Fire 3:34 ░
░ 6. Invocation of Corrupted Souls 1:13 ░
░ 7. Evil Speed Thrashing Metal 4:49 ░
░ 8. Alcoholic Necrolord 3:27 ░
░ 9. Infernal Bloodlust 4:40 ░
░ 31:12 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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