Black Majik Terror

Lately, I've found myself shifting away from the more grand meta way I've been looking at metal. Less brainpower spent on "Does this philosophically clash with the presentation? Is this doing anything truly new? How does the context of the wider scene affect this album's impact?" and much more spent on adolescent surface-level stuff like "Do these riffs fucking rule?" And that's what leads me to today's subject, New Zealand's Stalker (there's an umlaut in the name but my stupid english keyboard doesn't have a button for that so you'll have to deal).

Black Majik Terror is the band's sophomore album, but their debut completely slipped past me despite being my exact jam purely because 2017 was jam packed with raucous throwback speed metal and they just slipped through the cracks. In a much less crowded year, Stalker has managed to jump out of the darkness and punch me in the face with a force akin to a coked out Butterbean. Taking a more surface level approach to music lately has helped Black Majik Terror spring to the forefront of my listening cycles because this is some of the dumbest shit I've ever heard. There isn't one single heady idea, no new interesting or creative twists on an old formula, nothing of the sort. This is tried and true speed metal with obscene tempos, ludicrous soloing, and endless tuneless yelping but it's played with so much fucking gusto that I can't fault it one bit. This is the Zapp Brannigan of speed metal - all CHA with zero INT. Apart from the brief moments of respite in "Holocene's End" and "The Cross", this is forty unbroken minutes of straight ahead downhill pummeling. It's actually kind of hard to talk about because that's really all there is to say. Tracks like "Intruder" and "Of Steel and Fire" are loaded with so many riffs and screaming leads that there isn't any way to really dissect them without disorienting yourself.

This frantic lack of restraint calls to mind OG heavyweights like Agent Steel and Razor, and if you don't like Razor then when the fuck are you doing here? The very nature of playing throwback speed metal gives them a pretty limited pool of influence to draw from, but I'd say they stack up against (and surpass) most of their contemporaries drinking the same juice like Ranger or Vulture. I'd say they're most similar to Evil Invaders simply because they both ape Razor so hard, but in reality, the correct answer is Seax. The big difference between the Kiwis and the Massholes is that charismatic intangible I mentioned earlier. Both bands aim for pure speed above all else and include vocals that aim for raucous squawking and incoherently bizarre falsetto wailing, but Seax never really felt confident in doing so, instead just kinda imitating John Cyriis while being self conscious of how ridiculous it sounds, whereas Stalker's Dave King just strides out on stage with his cock fully out and makes eye contact with you while pointing directly at it while making noises somewhere between a deer mating call and Massacration. It's so rad, I fucking love it. It's the same reason I love Scanner's Hypertrace so much. This kind of vocal approach lives and dies on the vocalist's ability to sell it. In objective terms it sounds like ridiculous wailing, but in context and presentation it sounds like unhinged primal fury, and Stalker absolutely sells it. I would trade my wedding ring for the vocal stems just so I can blast them out of my front window all day.

So yeah, Black Majik Terror is just pure speed and wailing and that's all there is to say about it, but conveniently that's all I want out of this style. This is the exact opposite of "thinking man's metal" and I'm fuckin' here for it.


Originally written for Lair of the Bastard

Three years after the release of their debut album, Shadow of the Sword, Stälker delivers another one-two uppercut of bombastic, invigorating, and downright enjoyable speed metal released under Napalm Records. Implementing the tried-and-true formula of 1980s-inspired speed and thrash metal, this three-piece outfit paints their brand of heavy metal with an overdose of maniacal personality breathing life and energy throughout each of the nine songs comprising this full-length album. Clocking in 39 minutes and eleven seconds, the length of this recording is appropriate—each song demands the listener’s attention, with minimal meandering, cutting straight to the point in its delivery of entertaining and invigorating guitar rhythms that capture the spirit and fervor that pioneered heavy metal’s explosion throughout the early-to-mid 1980s. A tad bit dirty yet clear to the ear, the recording quality allows each instrument to breath individually yet envelops them together into a cohesive whole. Each instrument sounds distinct and synchronized in unison under a relatively gritty yet organic production sound, where each instrument is immediately identifiable. In essence, Stälker maintains a similar sound to their Shadow of the Sword record, while venturing slightly more ambitious in their compositional arrangement and identity.

Chris Calavrias outdone himself with his performance throughout this record: Each guitar riff, rhythm and melody maintains a fluid arrangement allowing each song to consistently lead into one another embellishing the cohesive nature of this recording. Each song is led by a memorable guitar rhythm redolent of Agent Steel’s Skeptics Apocalypse, and even Exciter’s Heavy Metal Maniac among other early-to-mid 1980s heavy metal influences.

Nick Oakes’ drumming throughout this album maintains a steady tempo where each rhythm gradually increases its pace to the standout guitar riffs painting a clear personality for each song. The percussion is exactly what one would expect from a speed or thrash metal band: Not necessarily complex yet deliberately upholding a mid-tempo cadence throughout each song. With that said, “Holocene’s End” runs against the grain with a distinctly slower percussive rhythm not unlike which many doom metal bands employ. Overall, Oakes sounds acutely comfortable behind the drum kit, resulting in a sound that is pleasant to the ear and further cultivates the cohesive nature of this album.

Last but not least, David (Daif) King’s bass and vocal performance is what one would expect if they heard Stälker’s debut full-length album. The bass guitar is audible and dances in-step to the frantic waltz of Calavria’s guitar musicianship. These two instruments are two peas in a pod, closely tied together, resulting in a focused sound where these two musicians accompany one another every step of the way. Furthermore, King’s singing is akin to what one might have heard through Shadow of the Sword. King utilizes an array of grunts, shouts, wails and even falsettos throughout each song, driving home a distinct attitude defining this record.

Stälker’s Black Majik Terror is a downright cathartic album that is bound to please a lot of people I reckon. Lean back, and crack open a can of beer as Stälker delivers an authentically frenetic shot of speed metal to liven up your night.

Nothing can stop impending attack,
Unholy vengeance has unleashed the black,
Unleashed the demon,
Thundering roar,
Pure hell surrounds where were cities before!