Battle of Grace

It’s rare that musicians find themselves in trouble with the PRC instead of the PMRC, but I’d bet that the Chinese government will be more interested in the album cover to Punisher’s Battle of Grace than Tipper Gore and her cronies. The striking image of statues of Chairman Mao and a beheaded Karl Marx being transported through an industrial landscape would seem to suggest that the band advocate a new era in a country where the former leader is still held in high esteem. Maybe it's not enough to get them blackbagged, but it's a bold statement nonetheless. Whatever the risks they may be taking, the doses of politics infused through their thrash metal approach make the album strongly reminiscent of the ‘80s, in which their aesthetic choices were most prevalent.

The major influences on this sound are all the big names of thrash, such as Metallica (circa Ride the Lightning), early Exodus, and perhaps Onslaught if you’re looking for a comparison that includes the vocalist. His voice is unclear for the most part even though he sings mostly in English, snarling his mouth into punky shapes that rise in intensity as the volume of phlegm in his throat increases. Maybe that sounds a little nasty, but that seems to be the point. As for the band, there’s nothing nasty about them, allowing some trad metal melodies to enter the songs via copious lead guitar, which is carried out with at least as much skill as those aforementioned three big names. As such, the 10 songs here stay at a fast pace though not always a high intensity, building up into some speedy grooves or mellowing out during lighter solos.

The way that the Chinese five-piece constructs each piece suggests a lot about the thought put into making an album, not just a selection of songs. Two longer numbers bookend Battle of Grace, leading into the title track with a tried and tested slower riff, while ‘Styx’ seals the exit by some pirouetting riffs and a smattering of atmospheric leads. Between those more complex cuts, songs limit themselves to four minutes or thereabouts, often finding a suitable introduction for the mood or theme of the piece. ‘Heyday’ and ‘Out of Body’ are two such experiences that back up the statement of the cover art: the former commencing with an old radio sample of the hourly pips followed by the unmistakable noise of a shotgun being loaded, promising action to come; the latter song I believe has a spoken sample in Japanese at the beginning, though it’s beyond my ability to tell you about the contents. One theory is that it's connected to the remaining tension between the two countries since their bloody and inhuman (according to the Chinese) clashes in World War II, something that Japan has never publicly apologized for. Other songs contain minor memorable features, mostly in the way of leads or the audible choruses of ‘Sicock’ and ‘The Heretic Ode’.

I’m quite partial to the melodic style of thrash displayed on Battle of Grace and, barring ‘Vulture’ becoming a bit too rhythmic, I can’t think of a song I dislike. ‘Heyday’ and ‘The Heretic Ode’ are two that I certainly enjoy, while ‘Styx’ is a great closer; however, if I had to choose the best, I would find it difficult since few of the songs have definite high points and merge together more and more as the album goes on. That probably means that Punisher will get away with the political risks taken since I can’t imagine this becoming a classic, certainly not in a country where metal is scarce and music sales low. I also suggest you don’t pop a copy of Battle of Grace in your suitcase if you’re heading to this area of the world any time soon, just in case someone decides to have a look.


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