Viru5

It’s a refreshing change to hear a modern band writing some good-quality throwback classic heavy metal and Germany’s Bäd Influence has done just that. With some elements of speed and thrash thrown into the mix too, the forty-five-minute record, ‘VIRU5’ offers twelve tracks of fantastic listening. What it lacks in speed, it compensates for in melodies, grooves and variety. Traditional heavy metal has been a genre that’s never stuck out heaps to me, but Bäd Influence captured every moment of my attention through their unique melodic style.

My favourite part of this album is the way the vocals are used. While predominantly using a cleaner style that reminded me somewhat of Bruce Dickinson there are some amazing screams and growls thrown into the mix. A technique used throughout the record to pair the two is singing every second line of a verse or the chorus using one of the aforementioned vocal styles (and every other line using the other style) before layering the two together perfectly to sing the final line. Sometimes this alternating pattern will also use a higher, more melodic female voice or create a harmony of voices in the background. Every track this is used on makes it more memorable and enjoyable and stuck out to me as the best element in the album. The drummer plays some catchy grooves too, instead of opting for the usual kick-and-snare. Not to say of course the album lacks a classic blast beat or double-kick rhythm - It most certainly has enough of those to balance out the record.

I was hoping the accent marking on the ‘A’ of the band’s name was a reference to the almighty Motörhead and I believe I was right. I could hear the iconic double bass drum of Overkill on several tracks which can’t be a coincidence. However, what the band lacks in this tribute songwriting is speed. ‘Armies of the Undead’ is a track that definitely should have been played far faster. The speed-metal influence is dominating here and it’s crushing that it’s not played as fast as it could be. Especially that lyrically speaking, it’s a classic metal battle cry; a call to arms. These are the songs where speed is the most critical factor of all and for a two-minute track it just feels awkwardly slow because it’s obvious it’s meant to be a fast and exciting song, but it just is not played that way. Tragically, the only times it feels the speed is ramped up are the interval and outro tracks, ‘Glaubbe Hoffnung Leiden’ and ‘Römisch Acht’ respectively. Combined, this totals to not even three minutes of the usual speed and fury one could expect from a classic heavy metal band. If it weren’t for the track ‘Verrecke’, these would also be the only songs sung in German on the album. Verrecke ended up being my favourite track from the album, predominantly due to this reason. It’s also by far the most thrash-sounding song, opting to favour growls as the primary vocal style demoting the clean singing to a more secondary role. However, this track still has plenty of the band’s melodic sections within it so it doesn’t just stick out like a sore thumb.

While the band does lack a few more guitar solos than I’d prefer, almost every track has a great melodic chorus or bridge. In the moments when the volume is quietened down and everything is played softly, every instrument can be heard beautifully and clearly, each doing its own thing while also playing with the song. It’s during these moments when the drummer will often play some nice chops around the toms, something as a drummer myself, I easily appreciated. It doesn’t take too long to realise this band truly is an underrated gem with the talent to back it up.

Bäd Influence have done a superb job in creating a throwback record to metal’s early days of melodic playing and songs of glory. However, they also show how far it’s come with some of the more aggressive and darker moments of the record. While it would have been nice to hear some much faster playing, any listener is more than compensated with the many melodic sections and bridges, vocal harmonies and the beautiful German language. This seriously is a band that deserves far more attention and praise.