Ground Zero

I found out about this band through their continuation, Misery Loves Co., an industrial metal outfit from the 90’s that I happened to like quite a bit, especially their explosive self-titled debut. In other words, I tracked down their only album “Presage of Disaster” some time in the mid-90’s, and I was quite surprised that it had somehow sneaked under my radar back then as it wasn’t hard to find at all.

Said album was an admirable display of old school thrash intricacy combined with bouts of aggression with echoes of Gammacide, Terrahsphere, and several of their Bay-Area brethren (Metallica, Testament); an appetizing slab of less ordinary thrashing goodness that could have been translated more aptly than with the angry vociferous hymns of Misery Loves Co.

The demo reviewed here was the first fruit of the guys’ endeavours, less technical and less aggressive than the official release but pretty intriguing nonetheless. It may even be the better proposition for some with its airy uplifting character and these impetuous speedy crescendos which are in full swing on the valiant headbanging roller-coaster “Pow Wow”, and later seldom pause for a break. The headbangers will also have a lot of fun on the short explosive “The Shape) of Rage” before the more diverse, more progressively laid-out “When the Boot Comes Down” moves things around with a wider array of tempos that vary wildly from quiet balladisms to near death-intensity.

Gorgeous melodies will one come across at the start of “Strikezone”, an otherwise metal thrashing madster with a few more technical implements including a virtuous bass bottom; no such ados on “M.A.D. (Armed for Justice)” which serves straight and to-the-point speed/thrash with a very brief balladic respite, a formula repeated on the more aggressive “The Dice”. The situation gets more complicated on the labyrinthine “Masquerade” the guys trying to preserve the intensity by playing around with less orthodox, more technical riff-patterns, the actual sign here that things might become more serious in the future, but one that is nowhere in sight on “Instant Blaze” which deserves its title on all counts shooting another direct hyper-active cannonade at the listener who may be a bit bemused by the few psychedelic quirks provided mid-way, and especially by the short derogative take on AC/DC’s “Touch Too Much” here titled “Tatsch Tooo Matsch”.

The vocals are very similar to the ones on the full-length, not very expressive clean mid-ranged, sounding a bit thinner here with a less serious punky flair. The production qualities are not bad at all assisting in this effort’s achieving its role as the dress rehearsal before the official showing, the band still fonder of the more stripped-down, less sophisticated ways of execution. A thrilling, moshing ride that is by all means worth tracking down by those who liked the full-length and would be curious to delve deeper into the roots of the good old Swedish thrash scene.