Thee Almighty

This act sprung up without any warning in the mid-90’s, in Lakewood, Ohio of all places, and before you know it they already had two full-lengths up-and-running by the end of 1997. They must have had the support of the whole community over there as there mustn’t have been too many metal practitioners from this particular region at the time, to just shoot one uneducated guess.

Healthy support or not, one can’t deny the fact that the guys have done a good job on the album reviewed here, with the clear intention on holding onto the 80’s US scene’s values, and on bringing back sweet memories of the exploits of acts like Heretic, Liege Lord, Meliah Rage, etc. Although the songs are lengthy this is not really progressive, multi-layered music as the guys prefer the carefree, impetuous rhythms as evident from the epic “My Sanity” which is split into two by an aggressive thrashy stroke; a strange application, but getting the job done to put the element of surprise forward that is also served on the title-track, a belligerent thrashing shredder with sharp cutting guitars and another furious speedy digression, the steady clean mid-ranged vocals interrupted by more brutal deathly ones to a curious dramatic effect.

“Life's Casualties” has a most poignant lyrical, piano-driven intro that lasts for over 3-min, but the excellent soulful vocal performance and the exquisite leads make the situation way more attractive right after, this over 8-min heavy doomy/semi-balladic saga later not providing much save for the staple fast-paced deviation at the end. “Sign of the Times” is a sign for more energetic things to come, and although this is a bit more than a rowdy mid-pacer with echoes of Manowar (the title could be a nod to “Sign of the Hammer”), the steam-rolling approach and the epic embellishments should keep the fans happy before “Sinbound” enters the arena with ship-sinking doomy riffs; those are superseded by dynamic thrashy jolts that border on the gallop, their stride finished (un)timely by said doomy inauguration disguised as a finale. “Last Breath” is indeed the last breath… sorry, track the band combining power, speed and thrash into one appetizing riff-fest with some striking more technical guitar work elevating this number to the status of the highlight here, not without the help of the more involved, more passionate vocals.

Well done, children of the gruesome dark ages, the band producing a nice tribute to their native scene from some ten years ago, good boisterous music that had its immediate follow-up in the form of “Expiration Date” which came with a more aggressive sound, more frequently adhering to thrash, with a dark pessimistic vibe which at times bordered on the monotonous. I’m not sure whether the EP provided a “third time’s the charm” conclusion to the guys’ career as I haven’t been able to track it down, but even if it hasn’t, the band should by all means be proud of their achievements all of them shot in a very quick succession, not leaving the groovy/alternative/industrial trends much room to breathe, this not very well known retro blitzkrieg a vital ingredient in the stirring of the old school revival.