In the Vein of Blackened Steel

The history of Protector is full of ups and downs. It contains fascinating albums like "Golem" and "A Shedding of Skin" as well as thousands of line-up changes and a release break that took almost twenty years. The untimely death of their drummer marked the tragic climax. Now the formerly German band is back with a number of new (Swedish) members, but the musical orientation of the group remains the same.

"The Dirmholt" comes in like a wrecking ball. Its opening riff pays tribute to the band´s heroic deeds of the eighties. While continuing the songwriting approach of "Golem", the riff offers aggressiveness as well as catchiness. This also applies to the whole song whose malicious chorus could hardly be any better. The raw and rasping voice of the last remaining founding member, Martin Missy, has not lost any of its expressive power over the years. The track is rounded off by successful breaks and tempo changes. In conclusion, it is perfectly capable of withstanding comparisons with their old classics.

Erazor represent the current generation of German black thrash combatants, however they could also be a remnant of times gone by. While being immune to modern influences, the musicians understand their trade. They are true to themselves and present a song that could have been taken from their debut. Do not misunderstand me, it does not sound like a leftover. It tends rather in the same direction as Protector´s contribution. Due to its interesting structure, the song hardly ever drags. The riffs sound somewhat weaker than those of Protector's and the track is less catchy, but this is no big deal because "In Darkness" convinces with its heaviness and its dark aura.

So although Protector deliver the better track, Erazor´s output knows how to please, too. Apart from that, both bands benefit from a fairly good production and the carefully thought- out design. The vinyl, coloured purple and black, looks great and an additional lyric sheet is attached. In effect, this means that those of us who are interested in honest black thrash metal cannot go far wrong by buying this record.