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░ ██ ██ Artist: Repression ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Animal Raw █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 1988 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2020-01-11 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Heavy Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: BWS Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ On the surface, Animal Raw is an appropriately █
█ named lump of overcooked German speed metal with █
█ the budget of an inner city high school drama club █
█ reenactment of The Manchurian Candidate. Whether █
█ or not something truly special lies below the █
█ surface is at least partially up to you, the █
█ listener. Are you the type to look at your oldest █
█ pair of sneakers with nostalgia and pride of their █
█ longstanding duties? Or do you view them as a █
█ decrepit, foul-smelling dyad that would be █
█ replaced at the earliest convenience? █
█ Tracks like 'Breakin' the Chains' and 'Highway █
█ Loose' don't have much to offer but a crude, muddy █
█ pragmatism consisting of a very narrow gamut of █
█ leads. Even the more ambitious dual guitar █
█ harmonies and bass leads are swiftly undermined by █
█ the all-encompassing filth of vocalist Gast. His █
█ gristly baritone seems competent enough at first; █
█ quite similar to Tank bombardier Algy Ward. But █
█ unlike in classics such as Filth Hounds of Hades, █
█ it's only a matter of time until the charm of █
█ Gast's half-octave range wears a bit thin. █
█ 'Defenseless' is a prime example. The power █
█ ballad's sappy melodrama would be bad enough █
█ without the completely incompatible snarls that █
█ deliver it. The most egregious example, however, █
█ is their cover of 'Radar Love'. You know the one, █
█ by Golden Earring? What should be the Dutch █
█ National Anthem? I'm amazed by how many people █
█ have no knowledge of the greatest driving song of █
█ all time (Honorable Mention: 'I Speed at Night'), █
█ so if you're one of them, I'll summarize: It's a █
█ steering-wheel thumping masterpiece that covers a █
█ deceptively vast vocal range that only becomes █
█ apparent when I attempt to sing along. It paces █
█ itself. It storms into raunchy and invigorating █
█ crescendos. It is the coolest damn song of all █
█ time, and it's everything that Repression isn't. █
█ While an exercise in bravery, Repression is simply █
█ too brigandly to pull it off. █
█ Look at me, sounding like a rock snob all of a █
█ sudden. I'd like to stress that I like what █
█ Repression was going for throughout Animal Raw. I █
█ love some dirt and gristle in my speed metal, and █
█ one dubious cover is not enough for me to █
█ excommunicate the entire album. However, the █
█ majority of their dirt is derived from a pitiable █
█ budget and overly simplistic leads. At the risk of █
█ my speed metal cred, I found myself needing a █
█ little more than that. I need a little more █
█ substance and a little more texture. In other █
█ words, I need my speed metal to feel a little less █
█ repressed. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Breakin' the Chains 3:29 ░
░ 2. Highway Loose 2:45 ░
░ 3. Nightrider 4:26 ░
░ 4. Mystery Eagle 4:03 ░
░ 5. Piece of the Action 4:39 ░
░ 6. Defenceless 4:05 ░
░ 7. Hungry Eyes 4:49 ░
░ 8. Radar Love 5:25 ░
░ 33:41 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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