Well, there it is... that signature scream to
start the disc off in fashion! Henceforth, the 9th chapter has been Unleashed!
This one opens with immediate speed and classic, early 90's-era thrash riffing.
“Hammer Battalion” features 13 tracks of quite diverse material.
"Your Children Will Burn" is much more in the vein of 80's thrash
(Possessed) and sometimes reminds me of the death metal band Resurrection,
particularly during the chorus. "This Day Belongs To Me" is a
major kick in the throat-type track! This one reminds me of Morbid Angel.
It has that heavy, slow-down groove with double-kick underneath. "Black
Horizon" starts off as classic Unleashed (much like the 1st track),
but then breaks into this sort of Viking / thrash groove and back again
into deriving speed. "Carved In Stone" sounds much like Nile in
the early stages then sort of goes doom and later into a nice solo. It's
a huge mix of nearly everything death metal has ever done to be honest with
you. There are lots of fast choppy riffs and super hi-fi guitar solos, which
is a particularly nice addition to their sound over the past couple of discs.
Anyone into Unleashed will also notice their more Viking-like theme as opposed
to their darker lyrics from the early days. However, I would also say that
“Hammer Battalion” (musically) takes me back about 15 years!!
Not as much "cookie-monster" in this one - LOL! A very pleasant
listen to say the least!!
Rating: 90
Reviewed By: Thomas Mitchell |
