So continuing on with my love/need for Thrash metal in my life, I just had to delve into the latest from Messticator, and boy am I glad I did. For those that may be unfamiliar with the band, they are like the 2nd coming of Dead Head.(Not to imply Dead Head is gone, by the way) Be prepared for a full-on onslaught in the best way possible. If you are familiar with Dead Head, they play an aggressive form of Thrash with some predominant Death aspects. Well, Messticator takes that playbook and continues the theme in their own way. The band goes for the jugular on the onset and leaves you wondering what the hell happened after its almost 1hr runtime.
Yes folks, you read that right. I can see your astonished and skeptical faces already. Thrash is meant for immediate gratification, to hit you with the riff and get out. You may be thinking that at that length you will either be bored or reduced to a mueling pile of sludge upon its conclusion. I would almost agree with you for the most part, but when you get such an enjoyable listen, you cannot help but be drawn in to most of the tracks on this release. Plus, to add to the fact is that Messticator is not quite your typical Thrash band. As you listen to the material, you will see they have much of those aforementioned Death metal influences as well.
The band plays a welcome form or amalgamation, if you like, of Entombed Wolverines Blues era groove and stomp, a bit of Lord Belial in maybe the melodicism and songwriting, but it’s all seen through the portal of a Thrash lens. Think of the more aggressive Thrash legions such as Korrosive and Deathgrave from Oakland, CA, and maybe early Diabolical (SWE), and you will see the path that Messticator has taken. I will say that, granted, it’s not anything groundbreaking or that we are experiencing the next stage of a Thrash Metal movement, but damn, you just have to appreciate the intensity and the conviction the band puts forth.
Upon first listen, you will notice a more in-your-face production compared to their debut. This improvement is aggressive and warm, bringing the guitars and the drums a bit higher in the mix. The bass is much too low for my liking and can only truly be heard in certain intervals or little solo-like moments contained in the various tracks. The vocals come across like an angrier Chuck Billy at times, but there is also plenty of Sven Gross in his delivery as well. (R.I.P.) Speaking of Fleshcrawl, the production does sound reminiscent of those classic mid-era albums as well. So that is definitely a plus in anyone’s book if I do say so myself.
Not too much of the negative to speak of. If anything, I will acknowledge further about the runtime. Yes, the band offers a bit of variety in songs such as ‘The Tyrants Scepter’ and ‘Cougar Claws’, and one such number clocks in at a touch over 6minutes. Most of the midtempo tracks are grouped in the back half of the album. Planned maybe?! After the unrelenting assault you receive at the beginning, it’s good to have a bit of a reprieve. Despite this, I will say a song or two could have been deleted and thus really tighten up the overall delivery and hence make for a more palatable album for all.
