Mental Pollution

Mental Pollution was delayed a couple of times and as a patch on the wound, back then the band released the song Revolt, and already there the difference from the past release to this was clear. When it comes to the vocals, it seems that the band have chosen to dial the mayhem button down a little and the vocals are more easily understood than before. Is this an advantage? That's close to being a question I can't even answer myself. In a way it is an advantage as it kind of makes the bands music more accessible and they kept their aggression from Nuke which is a fortunate thing! The production is better this time so the sound of Battery really powers through and it also came in handy for the bassist on the title track, it takes of instantly and you can just hear this bop, bop, bop sound hammering into your ears. A nice pounding in the face tempo, and it really gets your blood flowing. But to really sum it up, the better production really gives it a notch, so it not a disaster that the mayhem is more controlled, and of course the bass is not only notable on the track just mentioned. Together with the guitar and the drums they are mixed perfectly and just the way it should be.

I'm glad there's a band like Battery. They are one star seeds in the new wave of thrash metal, if I even can categorize them under that. I always saw the NWOTM as a cliché of bands singing about putting on their bullet belts and puking. It was fun for a while. A very short while.

The next step for Battery would be a debut album. With a good label and an appropriate amount of promotion, Battery could be the right band at the time. Hopefully they won't take a bunch of their previous demo songs and re-record, like some bands do. It would really be uninteresting for people who already know them. From the break of the war sirens in The Hazmat Squad to the abruptly ending in the title track, this EP is a spine breaking piece of work that is well worth the penny, hopefully they will keep it up in the future and rise to the top of the resurrected "popularity" of thrash metal.

-Alexander Dinesen
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