Order and Punishment

"Rad A Trest" ~ !T.O.O.H.!

Out of all the music one could listen to from 2006, this is one little gem that seems to stand out, yet not really have that much attention. "Rad A Trest" is an album by a band named !T.O.O.H.!, short for "The Obliteration Of Humanity." The band is from the Czech Republic and play a very...odd type of technical death metal, blending grind, progressive elements, and an all around bizarre attitude. After the release of this album, the band would split up due to problems caused by their record label, which is sad because I would have loved to heard more from this band. But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end...at least !T.O.O.H.!'s ending is a happy one.

From the very moment you start to listen to this CD and hear the almost demon inspired dog like growl, you can almost guarantee yourself that this album will be brutal and worth the listen. At first, I was put off of the album for one major reason: the vocals. When I first heard the vocals, I couldn't believe it. I thought they had totally killed the experience of the music. But as I listened to the CD more and more, the vocals grew on me. In all actuality, the vocals are very hard to get used to, but if you end up liking them, you may agree in saying that the spastic quality of them and their high pitch go along well with the music. You have no idea where he can go with the idea of his vocals. Some screams are chilling, and others are just wacky. The vocals almost make it seem as if he is going insane, which just add to the oddness of this band.

The drum work truly stands out on this album. The drumming is very tight and always seems to be a tempo keeper, seeming to never miss a beat at all. Usually, the drums work in a formula in which they hit hard at the beginning of a song and continue to be a driving force throughout all of the songs. You try to keep up with him and he seems to just hit drums out of nowhere, throwing the listener off track at times, always keeping the drum work and the music fresh.

A very key instrument on this album is the bass. Not only is the bass audible, something not very common, but it is very intricate. At times there are bass solos which just make you wonder if a guitar solo can counteract it. The bass is very driving, almost more driving then the drums. Freedom is an amazing bass player, and some of the bass lines are just breathtaking, especially on songs like Al-Amin, Hanicka Pribeh Nebozacky, and Kali. The bass is probably some of my favorite work on the album.

And who could forget the guitar work? Everything about the guitars is amazing. The riffs to the solos, you couldn't ask for better guitar work on an album like this. Songs like Al-Amin, Konec Kontinentalniho Kontejneru, and Kali have amazing guitar work. The solo in Al-Amin is almost like bliss, and as FromHlidskjalf has already stated an opinion on, the riff and solo at the end of Kali is one of the most emotional and passionate, and ends the CD and the career of this band in a perfect way.

I would love to one day maybe see a return of !T.O.O.H.! But part of me doesn't want them to come back, for the simple fact that after having made an album like this, there seems no way to surpass it. The band left in one of the most positive ways imaginable, releasing an album that could not only be considered an Album Of The Year, but and album that could be considered a Death Metal classic.