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Violated > Only Death Awaits > Reviews
Violated - Only Death Awaits

Only the death of thrash, again, if this keeps up - 50%

autothrall, April 25th, 2010

Violated are going on a few years now, but they're another entry into the massive explosion of old school thrash bands that is settling across the worldscape like an ever falling rain of ashes. They've got a very fast and exciting style, which seems to balance the faster German tones of a band like Destruction or Tankard with a brutal vocal edge that recalls the current of US tough guy thrash metal like Exhorder. Sadly, despite all their endless energy, Violated are another of these bands that just don't write anything in the way of new or memorable songs. They can all play their instruments like mad, with their arms and feet moving a hundred miles a minute, but I could not remember anything about this album when I was through listening to it.

"Out of Focus" is fast and furious and certainly angry thanks to Hans Wiks' gruff tones, but despite some of the band's spritely uses of higher string chords to punctuate the thrashing flood, it never builds to any worthwhile sequence of notation. "Lack of Empathy" slows for a neck breaking pace, and injects a little melody into the bridge, but once more, it's hampered by a lack of good writing. And there are six more tracks which suffer much the same fate. In fact, it is a strain to pick out any exceptions. "Vengeance of Time" has a hook to it that almost goes balls out power metal, but then it falters into a sequence of dull rhythms. The title track thunders forward with some bass, but even the bass is a bore.

Only Death Awaits is a frustrating album because I can barely think of the words to describe it. It's such a level playing field that never dares to ascend beyond the barriers of its own thrashing limitations. It's great to pay tribute to thrash metal by forming a new thrash band, fuck, thrash is pretty much my favorite form of metal music ever...but right now there are thousands of bands doing this, and all of them must face the same challenge of writing good songs, and sticking out, if they want to survive or create a successful 'second wave' of thrash popularity. After hearing this album, I can think of no means by which Violated will stand out. This is as forgettable as the last trip you took to the postal box to grab your mail, finding only bills and solicitations that you threw into the rubbish.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

To pay homage to their thrash forefathers - 60%

twan666, April 3rd, 2010

Violated's debut, "Only Death Awaits", is the ultimate tribute to Slayer. The riffs, the melody, the drumming, and even the vocal styles sound just like something yanked from "Reign In Blood" or "South Of Heaven" with just a tinge of Metallica. It's thrash galore, and fortunately isn't a total rip off or too poorly produced. The music is certainly groovy in the vein of something that Dew Scented would do, but also holds a very raw, primitive buzz that heralds back to the 80s days. Many of the songs on this album try to be melodic thrash with plenty of chord progression with a lot of solos that aren't blistering, but instead well done with good harmony. The vocals certainly sound like a deeper version of Tom Arya from Slayer meets Jasta of Hatebreed, but hold their own in the sense they have a lot of groove to them in the way he screams. He even sings for brief moments like on "What You Give is What You Get." The drums are by far the most simple thing on the album, but can be just as rapidly paced without breaking the melody.

Not everything on the album is Slayer influenced thrashing fun. There's a sample from Predator at the beginning of the album to set the mood for the chaos to come, and then "What You Give Is What You Get" has an excellent bass line in the beginning that is sorely missing from the rest of the album. "Apokalupsis Eschaton" is an acoustic piece that sounds nothing like thrash at all but holds a very dark mood that sets up the next track, like a calm before a storm. A great momentary interlude before things heat back up again. "Only Death Awaits" has some great drum work that is sure to rock anyone's head off, even if it sounds a bit too much like Slayer again. And the track is a little short compared to the rest, which can leave listener's hanging.

Obviously if one is a fan of Hatebreed, Slayer, Metallica, Dew Scented, Megadeth or almost any thrash band they will enjoy Violated. While some fans may feel the group's kinship to Slayer and Metallica considering how similar their styles are may feel the credibility of the band has been "violated," make no mistake that Violated is certainly a group with talent. The riffs are catchy, if not inspiring. The music energizes and makes one remember the good days of the 80s when things were raw and catchy compared to a lot of overproduced music that is out in the world today. Violated should be thrashing for a long time and continuing to pay homage to their thrash metal forefathers without tarnishing their legacies.

Written for www.brutalism.com