Return to Pangea

I can't help but instinctively come into experiences with rethrash fare such as Breathless anticipating the sonic equivalent of warm beer and cold pizza. Something that if even appreciated for what few merits it possesses at the time, will make sure your innards pay the price later for your flagrant indiscretion. And if this was the band's debut Thrashumancy I would have turned heel and thrown in the towel before even hitting play, but these are circumstances wherein I plead for the opportunity to be proven wrong and fed my own harangues. No, Breathless didn't leave me strewn about in pieces amidst the floor of the pit gasping for more, but I did walk away with a reasonably sore neck and more importantly, some hope in modern thrash after all. Can you believe it?

Drawing a bead on these Spaniards' style isn't a cakewalk either, and it is the fact that they leave their proverbial back door open to more eclectic influences that gives Return to Pangea such a strong footing and springboard to reach a higher echelon of quality. Although there is little throwback appeal to the approach here from a sonic point of view, Breathless assemble a decently virile armament that threw me more than a few sidewinders. What stands out the most for me personally is the melodic element, which while a paramount cog in the overall mechanism, is wisely not exhaustively overused and/or emphasized. The closest parallel I can draw here would be post-Endorama Kreator, insofar that the music strays dangerously close to modern melodeath at times, yet retains just enough open-note slushbox rhythm abuse to maintain thrash supremacy. Leads zip to and fro adrift the typical scales, but are played with a peerless ear for melodic equilibrium, ultimately locking in quite competently right behind the gusto of the riffs proper.

Return to Pangea is melodic thrash metal with the proclivity for brawny, borderline-epic note progressions helmed by commanding, yet amateur barks courtesy of one Eduardo Moreno. He has that all-too-common tendency to emphasize the long "o" vowel whilst enunciating, and it grows rather tiring after a short while. This is normally associated with metalcore vocalists, although it is generally a result of the loud, exhaled style of screaming employed. Moreno clearly avoids designation under such a shaky banner, but improvements would be made to Breathless' formula if a more falsetto-based singer nabbed the reins. Either way, it isn't a huge hurdle to navigate due to consistent songwriting and a reasonably busy, distinctive disposition on the whole.

The riffs are rightfully the prime juggernaut here, truly nailing the upper mid-paced Bay Area sound when they start firing on all cylinders. Thankfully that level of quality constitutes most of the record, splicing in a near-perfect balance of forearm-shredding blitzes alongside slamming grooves in that decidedly (and ultimately endearing) '90s style. It makes for a varied listening experience, and has value even today since so few bands managed to pull such a pairing off (Demolition Hammer and Forbidden both come to mind). "Killing-sophy" is the expected destroyer of worlds to kick affairs off, and other favorites include the quasi-"Fade to Black" theatrics of "Beyond the Ritual" and the high bodycount allocated to "Spinning Metal." I came out of Return to Pangea a better thrasher for experiencing what Breathless has to offer here, and newcomers hoping to bang out a few odes to angst in their garage should lace up their white Reeboks and follow the example being set here. You'll thank me (and them) later.



Promo courtesy of The Metal Observer

Notice anything different? Return to Pangea is an album which is far more likely to be taken seriously, void of any overt 'thrash-this' 'thrash-that' nonsense and potentially even teasing us with a genuinely interesting concept. Now, I doubt the sophomore album by Breathless could possibly be something as enthralling as a tale about Earth's landmasses being crushed together once more, but I'm very willing to be proven wrong, and for at least part of this album they're rattling their sabers about just such a apocalyptic scenario. More importantly, Return to Pangea is an improvement over its predecessor in nearly every discernible category, with a richer and more focused selection of riffs that channel some of that potent Teutonic influence circa Destruction into some genuine, melodic thrash which at times feels a lot like modern Artillery, albeit less wildly proficient and possessing distinctly different vocals.

The power of the guitars alone is enough to thrust this past the debut in terms of quality, where they had seemed a little too punchy and processed on Thrashumancy, they're really cleaned up here and there is a better mix of the rhythms and occasional lead flights. The structure of the riffs carries a slightly less surgical feel to it, and more of a bright, 'feel good' style with lots of bluesy little tails and fills in between the Stützer Brothers-like finesse. There is no shortage of variation here, the songs are each stuffed with a good number of progressions, and while they're not always so memorable, they at least rock consistently and the choices feel pretty sound. This is not going to live up to the technical European thrash masterpieces of the later 80s, not by any stretch, but the amount of effort these Spaniards have put into this is at least vastly superior to most of their pizza thrash peers who are more or less cloning the crossover and denim & leather thrash of years past without the level of charm and songwriting needed to pull it off...no, I'd put this more in a class with modern bands like After All and Vektor who really took the spirit of the old school and plugged it into contemporary recording standards which don't sound entirely too derivative to even bother about.

Props to the level of production they added to Eduardo Moreno's vocals, taking that blunt and ugly charisma he exhibited on the debut and then throwing in reverbs and echos here or there which highly his higher pitched screams, reminiscent of Schmier...maybe Schmier's deformed cousin who'd clout you over the head, stuff you in the trash can out back of the high school cafeteria and then go and spend your lunch money on dope. Something like this never happened to me, I promise. The drums and bass sound more flavorful and peppy because they've got something to actually celebrate here, a few riffing progressions that are worth a damn surrounded by others that are at least on the winning side of average. The leads aren't exactly substantial, but they're far better than they were on the first album and actually imbue a little fire and emotion into the tracks. It's not perfect, and there is plenty of room to grow yet, but Return to Pangea is basically exactly how you want to re-assess your band's trajectory and come out the better for it. The cover art may seem a little too death metal and chaotic for the music itself (reminded me of Danes Invocator), but really if you're into bands like Headhunter, Destruction, and Artillery in their 21st century forms, or Greek acts like Suicidal Angels and Angelus Apatrida, then this is worth your time.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com