Born of the Bomb

You know, believe it or not, I was a 14 year old kid once. I couldn't get enough of thrash metal, and dove deep to find cool new bands on Spotify - which there were practically dozens, perhaps hundreds of, especially in the neo-thrash scene. Guess how many of those neo-thrash bands I discovered back then I regularly revisit nowadays? Outside of Municipal Waste, Power Trip, Gama Bomb, Havok, Violator, and Traitor... (remember that these were out of probably hundreds of bands I listened to) literally none of them. Lich King was one band I dug back then, but now? Not really into it, to be honest. I'm still a massive thrash fan, don't get me wrong, but Lich King isn't it for me anymore. Born Of The Bomb is not a worthless album, though it's not a particularly memorable one either. Oh well, at least they're not doing a Venom LARP and passing themselves off as a real band. (*cough cough* Interceptor)

We Came To Conquer, Wage Slave, and In The End, Devastation are okay. Not anything to write home about, but not bad. Fan Massacre is also pretty funny, yet these tracks all share a common theme - they're not memorable at all. We Came To Conquer is probably the best of these four, and I think the vocal delivery here is alright. Speaking of, the vocals. Oh my, this is by far the worst part of the record. I cannot take Tom Martin's vocals seriously, it sounds like a boy on the cusp of adolescence whining. Maybe he was trying to do Tony Foresta-style vocals, but did it poorly. The riffs and lyrics both are just recycled thrash tropes almost to the letter, with literally no original spin put onto it. Wage Slave, which seems to be an anti-capitalistic track, is the exception and not the rule. A quick reminder that by the time this album was released in 2012 Lich King had done pretty much the same thing on three previous records, and then one more record after this (though I would argue that The Omniclasm was slightly more risk-taking than Born Of The Bomb). The cover of Agents Of Steel, originally by Agent Steel, isn't bad. However, the rest of the tracks aren't anything special, dragged down by the vocals and the guitar work, while admirable, is derivative. The lyrics aren't much better for the most part, too. Out of these remaining songs, I would actually like to pick out two, Agnosticism and Lich King IV (Born Of The Bomb), which clock in at almost 9 minutes and 8 minutes respectively. Considering that practically every other track is half of that, and the fact that this is a thrash album after all, this was a surprise. Nevertheless, this cannot save a record suffering immensely from the staleness plaguing modern thrash, the excess of generic bands in the genre, and so much more.

Look, I know Lich King has their fans, but I just can't wrap my head around how I, or anyone for that matter, would elect to listen to this when you've got much better thrash metal to throw on. Sodom, Kreator, Protector, Vio-Lence, Dark Angel, Testament, D.R.I, Sadus, Sacrifice, Forbidden, Tankard... I could be listening to these and so many more, and I'd get much more out of any of these bands' discographies than Lich King's. Even within the neo-thrash movement, you've got Vektor, Hatchet, Graveripper, Deathhammer, Enforced, Void, Warbringer - where does Lich King fit on this list? Born Of The Bomb is not a terrible album, but does it leave any lasting impact on the listener?

Lich King emerged during the early 2000s thrash renaissance, alongside such acts as Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust. I was very into bands like these when I moved away from binging the big 4 et al (Exodus, Testament, etc.), but never checked out Lich King much beyond their one song, Black Metal Sucks. I always assumed they were an alright band in a tier below the rest, like Bonded by Blood and later Havok, but I was dead wrong. Some of their songs are like that, but this album in particular stands above the rest as a crowning achievement, serving up a perfect blend of pizza and normal thrash.

But to get this out of the way now: the first proper song, We Came to Conquer, is not a bad one, but has not quite stood the test of time. In 2012, it was understandable to release a funny song where they basically say "we rule and the other bands in the scene drool" but it's ultimately a [municipal] waste when you consider that it could have said the same stuff without references that firmly tie it to the early 2010s. The riffs and music, however, are still good. Another song I'm not crazy about is In The End, Devastation, which has a great main riff and awesome sections toward the end, but is otherwise fairly standard, especially in the verses and prechorus. Apocalyptic lyrics and a great bridge/solos alongside twin guitars do help, but can't save it from being one of the songs I don't care for as much. Both of the lesser tracks are right at the beginning though, and as soon as the aforementioned highlight of a bridge hits, the rest of the album follows suit and delivers a scintillating payload of both pizza and serious thrash alike.

Fan Massacre is an example of a funny song that works. It consists of the band trash-talking their most annoying subset of fans, like the ones who constantly request that the band make a Deathcore Sucks and/or Emo Sucks. Aside from funny lyrics, the band gives us some quite memorable, chunky riffs, and even a nice breakdown before the solo. The two best songs on the album, though, have got to be Wage Slave and the hulking, nearly 9-minute epic, Agnosticism. So many memorable moments to choose from with these, but I'll shout out the bridge in Wage Slave, which features not only memorable riffs and melodies from the guitars, but also promiment bass. Agnosticism is brimming with cool shit: oriental-style leads, a Hallowed Be Thy Name sort of ending, lyrics about how nobody can truly know the meaning of life, a generally slower, melancholic tempo, and Seasons in the Abyss-style clean guitar. It also features actual vocal melodies, rather than only sticking to the Municipal Waste-esque shouted vocals which vocalist Tom Martin normally indulges in. Some of the best solos on the entire album are featured here, cementing this song as a true highlight of an already great album.

Lich King synergized pizza thrash, serious thrash, downtempo Slayer-style riffs, and classic speed metal quite well with this album. That last aspect is a bit latent and spread out, but Agents of Steel brings it to the forefront with aplomb. I'll admit that while the production is not soulless and cleaned out like some of their contemporaries, it doesn't quite stand out as particularly amazing either. And maybe for some, the shouting can get a bit old (not me though). The sequencing of the album, the perfect blend of styles, and the ultra-consistent, great songwriting of 90% of the album, (not to mention the two Morbid Saint members featured on the killer title track), makes listening to Born of the Bomb intensely enjoyable. Even if you think you hate pizza thrash, this album approaches the style very tastefully, and has attributes that most kinds of thrashers can latch onto and love. I'm glad I checked this one out, it's a great slice of enduring new-school thrash, fully deserving of the acclaim it received upon release.

In my humble opinion, the regency of the Lich King began pretty miserable. He acted like a fool, awkward, unsure and without good ideas, but then he found a way to become a better ruler. His first acceptable manifesto was called "World Gone Dead" and - allow me to skip the "Super(fluous) Retro Thrash" bullshit - now he has presented us a government declaration of the finest art. "Born of the Bomb" has nothing in common with the blundering first steps of the king. Instead, he dishes up a proper thrash inferno. Given his newly gained strength, it remains a mystery to me why he still has an affinity for cover versions, but I admit that "Agents of Steel" is one of the absolute all-time classics and the Lich King does justice to the extraterrestrial monument. Even lead singer Tom Martin shows a brilliant performance, expressive and flexible. And he masters the high-pitched screams very well.

The signature track of Agent Steel is unbeatable, but the dudes of Lich King have written highly interesting compositions as well. The rasping guitar that introduces "Combat Mosh" does not promise too much and the well-hung riffing at the beginning flows into an aggressive, straight and angry piece of pure thrash. Well, it goes without saying that the entire album holds nothing but 100% thrash. Don't be fooled by the title of the aforementioned song, no Seargent "D" or a comparable creature invites you to a mosh session, although there is a brief mid-paced part after the second chorus. Instead, the band offers a solo where the guitarists seem to fly weightlessly. "Axe Cop" with its razor-sharp guitars celebrates another orgy of high speed and generally speaking, the band has not changed its style. The guys just execute their ideas better than ever before.

The album's production creates a proper amount of pressure. It's a clean, but not sterile sound and the guitars prevail without suppressing the drums or the vocals. Nevertheless, the huge improvement of the song material marks the great surprise of "Born of the Bomb". More or less all songs profit from a mature design, a certain degree of catchiness and an enormous heaviness. Admittedly, the nonsensical "Fan Massacre" marks the exception, inter alia due to the imbecile lyrics. The musicians want to kill all of their fans, but I do not know whether it is already a "massacre" if two or three dudes are in danger... However, most tracks, for instance "In the End, Devastation", combine abrasive mid-tempo guitars with high speed eruptions and some "Reign in Blood" riffing is interspersed as well. Furthermore, the freaks from Massachusetts have created an epic monster track ("Agnosticism"). It offers a great number of riffs, lines and leads that have a melancholic, oriental or desperate touch. The second heavyweight ("Lich King V" with a playtime of eight minutes) offers a varied construction and acceptable lines, no adorable monument, but a decent closer.

Summing up, "Born of the Bomb" outshines its predecessors without batting its eyelid and it seems as if the band has overcome its childhood diseases. Maybe it is impossible for an American formation of the 21st century to reach the level of the pioneers of the eighties. But - to add another "maybe" - maybe I just should not wallow in my nostalgic memories. The truth is: the eighties are long gone, I have become an old grouch and Lich King have released a good album. Let's see what our majesty will do next.

A really, really welcome surprise. That's exactly what the fourth album by revival thrashers Lich King has been for me. I've never been a fanboy or a longtime supporter of the band, to be honest I haven't enjoyed their previous efforts, leaving out some sporadic tracks here and there, mostly from World Gone Dead. But folks, this is impressive, to say the least. It's an evidence that these five guys could also get serious and do something of high level; I know that many people may have doubted about it, however believe me, it's the truth. Provided that you aren't another of those jerks who cast shit all over the retro-thrash scene, in this case there's nothing for you here.

There are a lot of things that could be said for each song, and that's because the album is quite varied; of course Lich King are no Coroner nor Vektor, but even the most straightforward tracks that we can find on Born of the Bomb left some traces in my mind, urging me to go back and to give them another listen. Furthermore, it seems also that the guys have developed a real sense of humour: I've always appreciated when the artists manage to take themselves not too seriously without becoming cringy, and concerning this I cannot be disappointed at all. I mean, it's impossible to listen to 'We Came to Conquer' or 'Fan Massacre' without at least wondering what they had drunk before writing the lyrics! Personally I'd rather laugh out loud and not care too much about it. Nevertheless, without giving excessive space to the lyrics, the music itself steals the scene here. Unfortunately only two of the five musicians who performed here are still in the formation, which is preparing a quite long-awaited follow-up after nearly four years. All in all, that's a really good way to take leave of the listeners, I must say.

Yeah, the ten songs on here are absolutely top-notch thrash metal. The guitars play the key role on Born of the Bomb as the riffs fill each and every song, without falling in repetitiveness too easily, and the SOLOS! Man, Rob Pellegri is an absolute beast, and he's surely the one I'll miss the most, with all the respect due to the rest of the line-up. Once again, 'Fan Massacre' is a perfect example of the proper way to abuse your six strings and at the same time to sound fantastic. But don't be afraid, these Sadus/Slayer-esque deviations are not prominent as there is a major sense of melody throughout the rest of the album. For example, 'Wage Slave' is a damn solid track (those blast-beats in the intro!) softened with a sweet solo which, albeit not as technical as the others, fits perfectly in. Another trademark Lich King hit may be the following 'In the End, Devastation', a track greatly well-structured and unexpectedly varied.

Notwithstanding all this, the second half of the album succeeds to impress even more than the former, as it opens with the surprising, and nearly nine minutes long, monolith that is 'Agnosticism', the outcome of a more serious work of songwriting, facing the theme of life after death; the song itself is a welcome variation in the script, with its mid-paced approach and the vocal lines focused on melody, before one of their best solos ever. Once again, admirable work. And trust me, things keep going better and better: the couple 'Combat Mosh'/'Axe Cop' features probably the most simple recipe, yet the latter stands out thanks to some of the best riffs you'll find nearby and its perfect use of gang shouts in the catchy chorus. I assure you that it will stick in your head for a while. Now how would you round off a work of this extent? Well, the 'Agents of Steel' cover is, needless to say, successful: that riff would be cool even if played with a garbage grinder, it's true, but somehow Lich King make their style fit in a song nearly 30 years older. And it sounds really good. Finally we have the last one: it continues the saga of the Lich King-related tracks (one per album so far), but this time there is a pair of (really) special guests. And when I read their names, I couldn't have been more excited: no less than Patrick Lind and Jay Visser from Morbid Saint! The first is immediately recognizable from his evil, harsh voice which seems to have been preserved for decades, since Spectrum of Death came to life. Vice versa, Jay Visser lends his hand in the monstrous solo of the song, rivaling with Pellegri to create an absolute shred-fest which ends epically this fantastic album.

I can't express a final judgment without repeating the words 'impressive' and 'surprising' once again. In my opinion Lich King couldn't really make something better than this. Maybe Tom Martin's performance at the mic, usually not so exciting in the past, could be better, but it's at least decent here: the falsettos in the chorus of the Agent Steel cover are a precious addition to all this. The rest of the band is surely at a higher level, as I've hinted above. After my experience with Born of the Bomb I have started to follow more the band, on hold for a worthy successor of this little masterwork; because, like it or not, a revival thrash masterwork can sound like this too. Who knows if the new line-up will disappoint all the expectations or turn out to be even more successful than this one; what it's possible to assert for sure, is that five guys who can claim a release like this can also live on the fat of the land and be satisfied at the same time. Hope this won't be their choice, though.

Kudos to the King.

You can also find this review on MetalBite.com.

"Maybe other bands play, and maybe Manowar kills. But none of that s**t matters, Lich King Rules!". As i expected, Lich King didn't disappoint. After I had the chance to listen to their last album I was sure that the new one will be a good one and after listening to it I'm so happy I was right!

First of all, the mixing and the audio quality are better than any other Lich King record. The riffing is awesome, many of the riffs are pretty catchy and the songs are very well structured. The drummer works hard for the money, the bass is audible and the vocals are as good as usual. The thing that impressed me the most are the solos, the composition and complexity is awesome. I couldn't listen to a song without liking the solo. All of this combined make an awesome thrash album. It's hard to compare this album because Lich King have developed a pretty original style which is hard to compare, still it's pretty obvious that the Exodus, Testament or Kreator influences are there.

The lyrics are written with the same humorous style, keeping you entertained: "Fans are all jerks/Thanks for the tour bus but now we don't need you... so goodbye" (Fan Massacre) & "I will throw a baby/To save the town from scum/They explode robot heads/'Cause babies are dumb" (Axe Cop, a song based on the "Axe Cop" comic) being my favorite ones. Not all the lyrics are on the same humorous track, though. Some of the songs are covering serious topics, like philosophy or the economic system. If you have a good sense of humor and you like social-based topics, you will like the lyrics.

The overall atmosphere is a violent one, as it shall be (it's thrash, after all), but this album has the perfect combination between music and lyrics so you can't get bored. One of the best things about it it's that it doesn't get repetitive. Maybe a riff or two will seem to be alike, but overall it will keep you entertained for the whole audition. Every song deserves to be checked out, but the highlights for me are "Agnosticism", "Fan Massacre", "In the End, Devastation", "Combat Mosh" and "Axe Cop". They also covered an Agent Steel classic, "Agents of Steel" and did an excellent job.

Even if you're a die-hard old-school fan I'm sure you will still enjoy this album. It keeps the old-school sentiment alive and also has that new-wave feeling in it. For me, it's one of the best NWOTM albums. Also, if you enjoyed World Gone Dead, i'm sure you're gonna like Born of the Bomb too.