Age of Overload

How do you feel about copycat bands? For every Blazon Stone and Ария, there are usually a dozen weak efforts that play similar music to their idols without capturing the essence. I was always of the opinion that thrash had more soundalike bands than most other genres, though listening to Ancestor (祖先) has made me reconsider how I think of “copycat”. You see, they have released Sodom songs since their inception, and Sodom have had nothing to do with any of them. The songtitles may provide subtle clues, such as the conspicuous ‘Deathlike Silence’ on the debut album or the slightly damp ‘Winter Hurts’ here, which I see as an ode to ‘Nuclear Winter’. However, the vocalist’s exactitude in imitating Tom Angelripper will put the matter beyond doubt, as will the band’s excellent mimicry of the Germans’ late-‘80s sound.

Age of Overload is the debut EP of Ancestor, yet they had around a decade to perfect that sound before putting it to tape, which may explain the accuracy of the thrash chops contained within. The riffing sounds right on the point of launching itself into death metal, drums clattering furiously forwards without ever giving in to pure blasting, while the guitarists opt for noiseburst solos rather than more organized shredding, barring a clean section in ‘Winter Hurts’ that constitutes the only breather of this 20 minute release. Just like on their first full-length last year, I feel like Ancestor only had to get to grips with Sodom’s signature mid-paced breaks to be the full package, though ‘Into Madness’ shows a decent attempt at reproducing the trick. ‘Immortal Dream’ may be the strongest representation of the style, however, seeing as it sounds the sharpest and most confident of the main cuts.

Shockingly, the release ends on a cover that isn’t by Sodom, although Protector are simply another German reference from 1987, meaning that little difference marks out any of the songs here. If you count yourself among a legion of fans that can’t get enough of Persecution Mania and Golem, you can now enjoy the Chinese version, presumably for a fraction of the cost of the German originals. Age of Overload definitely isn’t bad, though it seems a little redundant.