Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World

'Hard Times Hangin At the End of the World' is the most amazing thrash metal album you'll never probably listen to. You see, Children is such an obscure band that there's barely anything known about their current whereabouts or if they'll ever make a return to music. Even if they do, I doubt it's going to be a triumphant one because barely anyone knows about or listens to them. There's scarce information even on this album, their only release, which is a shame considering how stellar and fresh it comes across in its execution. Thrash metal with strong progressive tendencies? Haven't heard of many bands playing this style of thrash except for Vektor, who I absolutely adore, and Voivod, who I haven't explored much of but definitely intrigued to do so.

It's a modern take on good ol' thrash metal and eschews the raw aggression synonymous with the genre in favour of a more joyous and exuberant sound. If we disregard the little instrumental title track, which is a spacey Spanish guitar number that reminds me a bit of Opeth towards its end, the songs are actually pretty long; the shortest one being well over five minutes while the longest ones inhabit the ten-minute mark. Not that old-school thrash has not had long compositions before but that would usually be one track in an album of eight to ten. This time, we have just six tracks to play around with, spread over not-exactly-measly 42 minutes, so there's less filler and much more room for every individual song to flow and breathe supply. The longer a section goes, the better it develops, and the more rewarding it gets to wait for the next.

More or less, the tempo remains constant across the album but the songs are pretty distinguishable in their own right. It's progressive all right, not in the wake of, let's say, an Opeth or a Porcupine Tree, or even current Vektor, but the songs are dynamic and varied enough to not sound humdrum or repetitive. The way that ten-minute opener 'Advanced Mind Control' keeps changing direction, especially its elongated intro and its varying melodies one upping the other, is a lot of fun to behold. It's a very guitar-driven sound, lead and rhythm both, and you constantly keep hearing one unique riff after another, grander in scale than the previous; there's not much in way of acoustic passages or keyboards to amplify or add any distinct sound effects, but it does not matter based on how the songs have been arranged. They stretch the instrumental sections to show off their musical skills and you bear witness to a bevy of spectacular riffs taking charge while a strong torrent of melodies simmers underneath, waiting to erupt and mingle with the riffs, then everything coming together to impart an explosive and seemingly unstoppable effect. This feeling is best captured in the final four minutes of 'Time Is the Living', a fantastic thrash metal song that barely slows down and emanates a lot of energy as a result. You keep guessing what's next and every turn leaves you awestruck and ecstatic. Even if there's a lot to process and unpack, everything seamlessly falls in place and in spite of a structure that's ever-changing, the music's not very difficult to get into.

Chunky thrash metal riffs abound and modern production values make it an interesting album to behold. There's a tinge of old-school thrash like Overkill and Exodus in some of the riffs but that's balanced by the modern, more elaborate stuff. 'Nuclear Bummer’s' intro has some uncanny resemblances to Metallica’s 'Spit Out the Bone', although the latter came out much later, so was it the mighty Metallica that took to Children for inspiration? Would surely be interesting if they did. The vocals are unrefined and rather perfunctory, not really my favourite aspect, but they recall Tom Araya’s forbidding screams at times and bring an odd charm as deliberately not being too polished or uptight. That's also the vibe the whole album emanates - of some very close friends, metalheads to the core, not taking themselves too seriously and going all out to make fantastic music they're passionate about. At least that's the impression I got after, surprisingly, finding they had a wacky and hilarious music video for 'Power Spirit' on YouTube. Some careful searching later on and I was able to locate both Adam Bennati and Skyler Spohn on Instagram, seemingly content with their current lives and having left these Children days long behind. Which honestly kind of makes me sad that there may never be another Children album, but good for them both to be doing good in their lives.

'Hard Times Hangin At the End of the World' does not and mostly never will get the recognition it deserves, but it's easily one of the best one-off albums you will ever listen to. A truly fantastic debut from a fairly new band with barely any back catalogue to fall back on. They took the best elements from old-school thrash and blended it with their own style to create a sound that can appease both old-school fans and bring in new ones like myself. In fact, it's on par with some thrash metal classics that, in my opinion, are kind of overblown and overrated. I'll not go around naming those bands or albums though. I doubt it's available in a physical format anymore but, surprisingly, remains ubiquitous on all the major streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music. That it exists there in all its glory is very heartening to witness and I'd urge everyone reading this to give it a chance while you still can. You'll not be disappointed I swear.

Why should you listen to this album? Everybody knows thrash was perfected in 1986, and everything that followed withered in comparison, right? Well, I'll give you partial credit for that one, because this is so much more than your run of the mill 'I-wanna-be-just-like-Kerry-King' thrash metal. Though there's no denying that they belong in this genre, there's nearly nothing on this album that even resembles Slayer. And that ain't a bad thing. In a way, this band reminds me of Rumpelstiltskin Grinder; they might be tagged as 'thrash', but I'd say 'alternative' would fit them better as they both blend such a wide array of genres into their songs.

You doubt their powers? Just give the first track a listen, the almost 10 minute instant classic 'Advanced Mind Control', and I think you'll be pleasently surprised. Although they blast some furious beats (see 'Power Spirit') and shred out some wicked riffs that would force the devil himself on his knees, they still manage to incorporate some fresh ideas and give this album its own personality. Twin melodies that would get them aknowledging nods from Iron Maiden, facemelting solos and guitar mastery that you haven't seen the likes of since Dimebag, and there's even some progressive elements to be found here too! Comparing them to these legends might be as blasphemous as the Beatles being bigger than Jesus, I'm simply pointing out the talent and potential we're dealing with here. Just have a listen to the innovative riffs on tracks like 'Nuclear Bummer' and 'Time Is the Living'.

Amidst all the chaos, they make room for the soothing, acoustic instrumental that is the title track. A beautiful blend of the gentle plucking of nylon strings and echoing pianokeys, this is one of the songs that shows how talented and creative these guys are, and just how much potential they've got. That's also my reason for not giving them a full 100% on this review. Even though this is an amazing piece of work, I feel that this is just the beginning of something huge, and they've got the potential to do even better. While their contemporaries are just punishing their instruments, attempting to be the most noisy and brutal thing to hit the world of thrash since Kreator, Children are already miles ahead of them for three obvious reasons; actual, musical talent, no sense of restrictions or limitations, and most importantly, a mind of their own.

And thats my overall impression. Thrash is probably one of the genres that has the most critical fans, almost impossible to please. If it ain't 'Angel of Death', it's shit, and I think thats why so many bands play it safe and stick to the same old recipe, not daring to be different. This genre is due for a revolution, and Children just might the start of it all...