For the first little while, the thick and heavy sound of "Antichrist Militia" may create the impression that it is death metal. However, this impression dissipates very quickly if you compartmentalize the riffs. This is thrash metal, and nothing more. On the whole, Front can be classified as representatives of the proverbial "worldwide thrash metal revival", but for the "revival" this process becomes too blurry and prolonged, so it's simpler and more correct to say that "Antichrist Militia" is "old school thrash metal with modern sound". And an important amendment: it's combat thrash metal. Yes, that's exactly what Finnish Front is.
As for black metal, well, in a similar way a bombastic blast beat in league with a massive riff in the beginning of the title song bring to mind Marduk, but this impression is even more illusory. This becomes clear when Front switch to a mid-tempo (and most of their work is sustained in mid-tempo) – this is thrash metal again, that's all. And when such a pattern "in the spirit of Marduk" is used in the last song "Machinegun Blasphemy" too, it is no longer able to mislead. But no doubt, the spiteful vocals, which are something between the growling death metal style and screaming black metal shrieks, could be confusing regarding genre affiliation too.
Front support their violent drive throughout the whole release with very dynamic, scorching riffs. These are battle riffs, attacking riffs, ruthlessly blowing everything in their path. And the superimposing of the furious sound of a machine gun burst upon the equally fierce thrash metal riff in "Machinegun Blasphemy" vividly illustrates the essence of these riffs. They sound almost identical, guns and guitars. Front, that's just their way. The "Doom Cult Legion" intro sets the appropriate mood for "Antichrist Militia" – it's a kind of sound design for the release cover: the whistling of missiles and bombs, the clatter of tracks, a wild bestial roar, machine-gun bursts, an explosion. By the way, this is a very old school trick, almost every thrash metal band used such a sound effect on their album in the 80s, so, no Marduk's military topics again.
The riffs, in which one can quite clearly discern the strong influence of the old school, seem to fit themselves in this "militant scheme": a short riff in the spirit of "Criminally Insane" at 02:45 after the "Antichrist Militia" chorus, and the opening riff in this song is repeated in the finale – and it's clear as day this time, that it is Slayer, not Marduk at all; "Venom & Salt" begins almost like "Angel of Death", and there is a bridge in this song at 01:45, which is played with a downstroke, also in Slayer's manner. Definitely, there is a lot of Slayer-ish sounds on this release. To put to rest this comparison, it should be noted that the short licks in "Antichrist Militia" (well, a chaotic high pitched tone, misrepresented as a guitar solo) are also almost Slayer-like "solos". And there is definitely a full-fledged solo in the vein of Slayer in "Venom & Salt" at 02:44.
But thrash metallers "do not live by Slayer alone". The mid-tempo and highly dynamic "Iron Front" begins with a punky thrash metal riff with a strong Motörhead influence, and as the song progresses, a pure Teutonic thrash metal riff sounds, Kreator of the "Endless Pain" period, something like that, and at 02:39 a considered solo sounds, also more like Kreator. The first riff of "Machinegun Blasphemy" is also something very familiar, maybe Assassin. As for the "solo part" of the heavy fuzzed bass, like a bulldozer's engine in "Antichrist Militia" at 03:22, – it was a very popular technique amongst the American hardcore / thrash metal acts, so here it turned out like an insert from a different genre. The same bass in "Iron Front" at 00:24 is less hardcorish.
All these influences sound very organic and modern, so the old school in the interpretation by Front turns out to be even more original than it might seem at first glance. And don't forget the modern sound of "Antichrist Militia" – on the verge of death metal, but not death metal all. Perhaps, today's thrash metal can only be like that.
Well, the fifth song "Mouths of War" stands apart from the rest of the compositions. Built on a single mid-tempo riff, thanks to the samples used in it, it is perceived as a provocation. Ah, it's clear that the ingenuous Finnish thrash metallers used the dictators' speeches in different languages to convey their warlike-to-the-eyeballs-and-beyond atmosphere, their only "ideology" is old school thrash metal. But under current conditions, the "Wollt ihr den totalen Krieg" speech is unlikely to be perceived as an innocent joke. The song itself is very "groovy", that's for sure.
The Metal Observer