ADRENICIDE - "NATURAL BORN THRASHERS" 2008


Assuming you all possess the sort of keen memory akin to that of an angry Sicilian mob boss out for justice then perhaps you'll undoubtedly recall an earlier review I penned on this impressive 80's inspired thrashcore act from the UK which at that very time had me summing them up as an 'angrier Municipal Waste.' Well, those of you that did yourselves a tremendous favor by seeking out and then punching various holes in your bedroom wall to the sounds of their '07 debut, Raging Full On will no doubt want to break out the nunchucks, black spandex pants and practice Bruce Lee choreography on your younger brothers to these thrashers' latest and greatest, Natural Born Thrashers. Rest assured my dear readers for as the title obviously suggests these three drunken pranksters aren't about to have their scrotums snipped, get frosty, multicolored hairstyles by a hairdresser named "Bruno," invest stock in Revlon eyeliner products and aspire to be the sort of emo cult band that writes music for sappy teen dramas which cater to androgynous looking couples anytime soon. No sirree! Rather they prefer to stick to the same formula of writing the sort of old school pummeling thrash licks which remind us that perhaps it's about time we blew the dust off those old DRI, Tankard, Nuclear Assault, and Suicidal Tendencies LPs we have buried way beneath the weight of our hardcore porn and anime DVD collections.

Whether or not you consider this as a good thing, nothing has changed musically. The sound and aesthetic of the true 80's thrash/crossover sound is there just stomping around in all of its neanderthal, testosterone fueled glory. However if there is one noticeable yet subtle nuance that lends a more menacing, intimidating vibe to the proceedings it would be the ever more present crunchier, ultra bassy riffing and frantic, stampeding solos which seem to recall classic Bobby Gustafson era Overkill. Indeed there seems to be a lot more machismo laden chest thumping going on this time around and perhaps it has something to do with the band's obvious leanings towards more thrash 'metal' than 'core' on this one. Yet somehow I find myself digging the angrier, darker vibe for it makes for a more startling, intimidating listening experience. Further the occasional dance floor filling mosh sections are lent a bit more muscle as a result which have me recalling some of the provocative moments of the short lived Crumbsuckers (Gee, remember them?). After all, let's face the facts here, folks. While drunken frat party acts like Tankard certainly have a certain, unique charm to them still the gimmick, like Andrew Dice Clay's brand of comedy tends to wear thin after awhile; especially amongst those already desensitized by the shock tactics committed in black and death metal circles. Basically if I had to then compare RFO to NBT I would have to say that the progression (or regression perhaps?) is somewhat akin to the movie Rocky with Sylvester Stallone in that the former (RFO) shows this struggling pugilist's impressive potential and charisma but back then he was still a bit unfocused to compete with the major contenders out there. Yet we still root for the underdog just because we're aware that despite not possessing the endurance he still possesses a lot of heart. Yet the latter release showcases a much more menacing animal full of piss and vinegar which no doubt stems from long hours of harnessing and fine tuning the performance. In fact, to give you an even further description of what I'm referring to here I'll gladly refer to the 17th track on display entitled, "Perfecting the Virus" which serves as one of the fastest songs on the disc by far. Building at an increasing momentum and velocity that practically and ridiculously borderlines classic grindcore in fact (think "Hang the Pope" by Nuclear Assault here), vocalist Neil Armstrong spits out spastic, venom laced dialogue in short, rapid bursts to the machine gun tattering beat of the snare as if he's practically standing on a podium inciting fellow mental ward patients to raid the drug cabinets. Indeed, now that's endurance.

While there is nineteen songs here on display fortunately none of them run past the two minute mark which overall sums up the entire listening experience to roughly 35 minutes or so. Just a quick get in, get out fashion before the cops arrive and discover the bodies. Still this obviously won't convince all the death and black metal elitists out there to give this a listen but rather the older dudes like myself will most likely appreciate it for we actually grew up during the decade this band pays glorious homage to. Sure Adrenicide is nothing but a 'retro' band as some critics would so blatantly charge and apparently the dudes that comprise this band aren't ashamed in the slightest to be categorized as such. Yet somehow they pull it off well and make it convincing without having to resort to the fashion statement part of it in the same manner as say, wannabe 70's punk bands adopt the squatter lifestyle just for the sake of doing so. Further, should anyone still descredit this band on the very premise of which I just stated, well then you might want to ask where the members of various contemporary DM staples like Impaled, Ribspreader, The Chasm, etc. derived most of their influences from.





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