Contra Omnes

Where to start? Bestial Invasion are a Ukrainian collective coming from apparently nowhere and that now present their second album, "Contra Omnes". Although brief, this introduction could be the story of any underground band that presents itself to the world in 2017... was not "Contra Omnes" a very rare musical anomaly that honors and that only finds its peers in works like "Control and Resistance", "Unquestionable Presence "," Focus" or "Mental Vortex ". Hard to believe? We'll get there. First of all, the band is clearly influenced by Watchtower, Atheist, Cynic and Coroner, creators of the above-mentioned works. Then, if this sounds unrealistically ambitious, by hearing "Contra Omnes" we soon realize that Bestial Invasion surpasses or - worst case scenario - easily equals any of its influences, and this is where everything becomes unprecedented: if sounding like their idols is already a tremendous compliment, to think that the band generally surpasses their idols seems ridiculous.

It is not. In fact, Bestial Invasion are wondrous musicians both individually and collectively, and "Contra Omnes" proves it beyond any doubt. It is a progressive thrash / speed metal record in the true sense of the word, with lots of neoclassical nuances, flamenco (!) and a lot of question marks spread evenly throughout the album. If the guitars of Aleksandr Klaptsov and Denis Shvarts create rare classic moments and solos that make you cry, Sergiy Bondar's restless and precocious bass work reminisces of Sadus-era Steve Di Giorgio on steroids, while Vakhtang Zadiev's voice competes shoulder-to-shoulder with Alan Tecchio or Bruce Dickinson in their prime. Ivan Semenchuck, the drummer and maybe the most discreet member of the band, divides himself among all the instruments as if it were a maestro and his orchestra, strolling between progressive thrash, the typical death metal blastbeats and the prolific variation of jazz as if it were a walk in the park.

There is no middle-term in "Contra Omnes", there are no gray areas, it's all black and white - it's a singular, solid, adult, and very rare album, although (at times) it sounds too much like Atheist, but then again Rand Burkey himself (Atheist) collaborates along with Shaun McCoy (ex-Confessor) with a guitar solo in "Prisoner of Miserable Fate", which makes us think if the crystal-clear influence isn’t a pro instead of a con. The icing on the cake comes in the form of Destruction's "Thrash Attack" and Grim Reaper's "See You In Hell" covers, the latter featuring John Gallagher (Raven). The production is what is expected of a classic and even the cover is an amazing and atypical work for a thrash metal band, even if progressive. Let's be clear: "Contra Omnes" has everything that takes to enter the top 3 of the best albums of the year for many metal fans. Love metal? Buy this.

Originally written in Portuguese for Ultraje Magazine (http://ultraje.pt/bestial-invasion-contra-omnes-nota-9-510/).