Angrepp - Warfare
. . .
Black and thrash metal go together like coffee and cigarettes. Like black metal’s harmonic sophistication but not its lack of rhythm? Like thrash’s primal oom-pah but not its lack of creativity? No problem – put them together! I have a soft spot for this stuff. From sloppy elders (Destruction, Kreator, early Slayer) to meticulous modern practitioners (Audiopain, Aura Noir, Deströyer 666), it’s some of the meanest music around.
Angrepp are the latest to ascend these ranks. On only their first album, Warfare (Abyss, 2010), they go toe-to-toe with the greats, as well as the usual suspects (Christianity, those who dare oppose them, and so on). They mostly win. The only potential weakness is Dan Swanö’s clean production. It does highlight, however, how well these Swedes can play. They blast, they jangle, they spray machine gun fire. Occasionally they summon Motörhead’s ghost, but it, too, marches in lockstep. The attack is surgical, and makes up for ham-fisted lyrics: “Fuck you all / A proper carnage is to be served / Satan has conjured his army / And the formation is impervious”. Demerits for the passive voice, but merits for use of the word “impervious”. Only in metal!
Angrepp is Swedish for “assault”. The name is apt. For a lean, mean 35 minutes, Sweden is not a neutral country.
[audio: ANGREPP_LEGIONSARISE.mp3]
[audio: ANGREPP_DICTATOR.mp3]
Amazon (MP3)
CM Distro (CD)
Dark Descent (CD)
Abyss Records (CD, shirt)
