SEAX - Speed Metal Mania
December 17, 2016, 7 years ago
(Self-Financed)
Third release from Worcester, MA band. Not the most original title, but it hits the nail squarely on the head! Coupled with shrill (and admittedly acquired taste) vocals, not easy to ignore. The title cut kicks things off, with a crash of guitars, then straight into a speedy, infectious (and oft repeated) riff. Doubtful a band you'd see at ProgPower, but hey, these nine selections (“Wastelands” is only a moody 69 second instrumental) are all about fun time execution, not technical precision. At times, the tempo frenzies towards punk territory, but the guitar work always returns things to a metallic footing. Dirty riffs to commence “Forged By Metal” and a quick solo before the first Banshee wail is unleashed. Akin to a one-take demo, there's not a whole lot of variation in the approach: just plug in, play as fast as you can and occasionally scream your head off. Raw buzz saw guitar is the name of the game throughout.
Check out titles like “Leather And Spikes”, “Possessed By The Axe” and album ending “Speed Forever”. Old school tones and themes on “Nuclear Overdose”, but catchy as Hell. A guilty pleasure that will probably mean more to those that lived through the ‘80s emergence of speed/thrash metal, but nonetheless enjoyable for all ages. As they used to say, Buy or Die!
