Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death

The Kaiju are, undeniably, an ideal theme for metal. Huge, unstoppable behemoths of pre-mammalian life, sometimes melded in obscure and horrible ways with machines, these monstrosities were birthed by the atomic age, and have been beloved and feared harbingers of terror and destruction for three generations now, while also serving as a kind of warning about the dangers of depredation and carelessness toward our planet and the life that dwells upon it. Their immense, city-crushing size, fury and destructive potential has long made them worthy fodder for metal bands. Gojira, of course, is common, he being the most well-known of the Kaiju spawn, but the sometimes benevolent yet still terrible insectoid Mothra has also been the subject of at least one classic early 80s metal tune. On this, their debut album, oxygen Destroyer pays tribute to both beasts and many more, in a straight-forward, furious manner that does justice to the enraged propensities of all the dragons of the earth.

It's so nice to hear a band in 2018 that delivers such a succinct, bold, metallic punch to the gut. This is death/thrash metal just the way you (yes, you!) like it: high speed onslaughts of dark, menacingly melodic riffs, nimble drums full of precise fills and slashing cymbals, screaming solos and a vocalist spitting fire and wrath like the angry Kaiju themselves. If you like Vader, you will probably like this, but I also hear reminiscences of classic late 80s bands that pushed thrash into its most violent extremes, like Morbid Saint or even old Sadus. So, as you can imagine, Speed is predominantly fast-as-hell, but there are bludgeoning stompy parts scattered liberally throughout most of the tunes, and rather than giving you time to "get your breath back", these only serve to increase the violence. I think the busy nature of the drumming probably has a lot to do with this. These slower passages sometimes have that foreboding "get ready guys because something really evil is coming!" quality about them, which I liken most to Autopsy at their dankest. So, basically, you're in really good company here.

Most of these songs are really short and to-the-point, and the band doesn't waste a second, except perhaps to make room for some concise movie samples. The introduction sets the scene with planes flying and bombs falling over a wind-swept terrain, and from that point on, this monster just never lets up. For a while, as I listened for the first time, I found myself wishing for a deeper, or "yellier", vocal approach, but the caustic gargles and snarls do end up working rather well, and give this an added quality of inhuman intensity that in the end I rather grew to like. Both guitarists get their chance to show off with some truly wild soloing, and while I can't say they distinguish their individual qualities as much as, say, Sherman and Denner, they both complement one another excellently and are clearly on fire for these songs. I bet the writing sessions were probably quite exciting.

I must say, These Oxygen Destroyers did a fine job of making a strong sounding album that could contend with any "major" metal release, and probably do better than most. The drums are highlighted by the mix, and that's not a bad thing as they are played with dexterity and spirit, with some nice, sharp cymbal-work in particular standing out and even perhaps being a little inspiring to fellow batterymen like myself, though how he got them to sound so shiny and "tingy" I just don't know -- maybe he has a cadre of mind-controlled slaves who polish them daily?

Like many of its inspirations, this is a short album, giving us just under half an hour of music. It's about perfect for this as it leaves you feeling spent (from all the thrashing!) yet inevitably wanting more. The sonic formula they have worked out here is about perfect for them. I hope this isn't a one-off. Some more variance in lyrical subject matter might help them. I mean, the song titles are great and at times worthy of Bal-Sagoth in terms of sheer verbosity, "Vanquished by the Unrelenting Devastation of the Celestial Behemoth" being my favourite of the lot, and the Kaiju theme works pretty damn well for them, but even at 29 minutes here the possibilities for interesting descriptions of destruction and mayhem seem nearly exhausted. There's absolutely no reason for them to feel compelled to stick to this theme though as it doesn't come off as a gimmick for the band to rely upon in any way. Titans, never slow down!