Sometimes a good musical pummeling is just what you need. I would never want to be physically pummeled, that doesn’t feel good at all. But a good, metal pummeling is just what the doctor ordered sometimes. You put on the music, it kicks the shit out of you and all is right with the world.
Which is what I wanted when I listened to this release, and I knew I was probably going to get it as I had heard an EP from this band earlier in the year. It didn’t prepare me for the full onslaught of this full length, though. This is some brutal music right here. I guess that when you name your band after the largest atomic bomb ever detonated, which resulted in the largest artificial explosion in the history of mankind, you kind of have something to live up to. Tsar Bomb fully live up to their namesake.
Hailing from Malaga, Spain, these guys absolutely take no prisoners. This album is full of songs about the destructive capabilities of mankind, the different weapons of mass destruction we have created to do in our fellow human beings on a massive scale. And, as their press release puts it, “as Lucifer looks on in sadistic pleasure”.
These guys straight get after it. Another band that has created a very good black/death hybrid, this is very well written and executed music. Listening to this is gonna hurt, and definitely will leave a mark. And that is why we listen. I do not want something bland, something generic that I have heard a hundred times before. I want music that kicks my ass and does it in a way that hasn’t happened before. And there is something about European metal that is different, heavier, more evil and nihilistic than the American counterpart. Go ahead, argue with me if you want, but it’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
Tracks that I love from this release? “Nuclear Feast” has some killer riffs and makes great use of riffs that are played in unison as the band really tears it up. “Zyklon-B For The Human Race” is a great example of what this band is capable of as they slow it down and still manage to be brutal as fuck. And as far as song titles, nothing is more brutal Zyklon-B, the pesticide turned agent of death by the Nazis and their gas chambers. Title track “Neowarfare” just rips from beginning to end with some truly pummeling beats and speedy playing. And album closer “Nammu” just hits all the right spots for me.
I also have to mention the drums. They are programmed, but they sound like a real drummer, which is the way it should be. Many times programmed drum tracks wind up being very generic sounding and you can totally tell they were programmed. I did not know these were until I read the notes. Kudos to the band for that.
This is a new band definitely worth checking out. They have something to say and do so in their own voice, which is harder to do all the time as metal lurches along. Many bands have come along, many styles have been established, and to be able to stand out is a big accomplishment. Dig this album now and look forward to many more great things from Tsar Bomb.
-- ODIN