Shadow of the Sword

No intro, no gimmicks, no frills. Stälker - I feel free to use the "ä" - invite the audience to jump headlong into their world of speed / thrash metal. The band hails from New Zealand and I am happy to see that this country has still (or again) something to offer. The last interesting band from this land was, in my humble opinion, Demoniac - until I realised their moronic lyrics on "Stormblade". However, Stälker have no racist tendency. After having heard the advance tracks, inter alia the very fast and dogmatically titled opener "Total Annihilation", I thought that "Shadow of the Sword" offers exclusively rapid eruptions. Now I know that the trio has more influences that shimmer through their compositions.

"Path of Destruction" starts almost wistfully with its mild drum rolls and comparatively soft guitars. Furthermore, the fantastic "The Mutilator" surprises with a pretty harmonious sequence that hails the typical melody lines of Maiden. Due to their speedy implementation, they also build a bridge to formations such as early Blind Guardian. Yet Stälker offer more sharp edges and the drummer is not interested in sleeping his day away. His restless double bass, his propelling snare and his general velocity are important features of the group's sound. Speaking of the sound, the crystal clear production lacks loudness, but it emanates a very fresh feeling. The musicians from Wellington provide evidence that a traditional style does not necessarily go hand in hand with a somewhat stale performance. Admittedly, this is not a totally new finding, but it is worth mentioning due to the amazingly crisp vibrations of "Shadow of the Sword". The high velocity generates an enormous intensity and the 38 minutes pass by much too fast. By the way, I suspect that the duration and the number of songs (ten) is a charming indication of the band's most preferred era of metal and simultaneously a rejection of opulent CD formats.

Stälker ignite a firework of speed / thrash metal and one finds all these great ingredients that shaped the early albums of this style as well. The shredding guitars, the high-pitched screams and staccato background vocals, the modicum of insanity, the conservative yet comprehensible song patterns and the more than acceptable technical skills. This debut is so pure - I have doubts that the guys have ever heard any other music than metal. Be that as it may, they are definitely familiar with Death's debut, because they exhibit their version of "Evil Dead". That's okay, but unfortunately it does not hold new aspects. More exciting are their own tracks. In view of their mind-blowing quality, it is too bad that Agent Steel once released a pretty lukewarm album of the same name. Otherwise we could call Stälker an unstoppable force. But under these circumstances, it makes more sense to say that people who like the EP of Trench Hell or the second full-length of Merciless Death will also accept Stälker as a phenomenal supplier of very good music.

I cannot tell you any highlights, because it would be stupid to copy the entire track list (maybe minus "Evil Dead"). But I am able to say that the band does not rest during the whole playtime and "Total Annihilation", "Shadow of the Sword" and "Satanic Panic" are among the most typical tracks on this furious, thrilling and boisterous album which has three effects. It puts a smile on the face of old thrashers, it cements the fact that speed and thrash metal still have a lot to say and it does not need any gimmicks to catapult New Zealand back on the map.