Growing up listening to 80’s thrash metal was a gift. Bands
like Sepultura and Dark Angel really pushed the boundaries of what thrash bands
could achieve. Twenty odd years later, older bands are still putting out great,
but not mind-blowing, albums. These older bands, however, are making room for
new comers such as Havok and Warbringer. While both bands are very good at
sounding old-school, they lack the heart and soul of the bands they are trying
to emulate. What the genre needs is a band that is strictly in-your-face,
unapologetic and more old-school than old-school. Ladies and gentleman, such a
band has finally arrived. On “Twenty-First Century,” Death Mechanism delivers
something so fierce and unrelenting, it demolishes their first two albums.
You’d also swear that it’s from the 80’s. Welcome back to the Golden Age of
thrash.
One notable difference from the rest of their work is that
the production value is much better.
“Human Error .. Global Terror” and “Mass Slavery” were good, but very
muddy sounding. Produced and mixed by Coroner’s Tommy Vetterli, this album is
crisp and very full sounding. Pozza’s vocals have never sounded more demonic
and his guitar playing hasn’t been this tight. Manu’s drums are more chaotic
than they’ve ever been and Pedro’s bass is very fulfilling. Each song is played
with precision that bands lack nowadays.
Songs like “Monitored Procreation” and “Centuries of Lies” have tempo
changes that would make Slayer jealous. They also experiment more on this album
than before. “Collapse 2000 A.D.” is a great change of pace and shows that they
don’t always have to be blisteringly fast to sound good. Tommy Vetterli’s solo
on said song is also great. “Tipping in Front” and “Human Limits” are more
groove focused, which changes the pace of the album for a little bit, but then
gets right back into it with “Obsolete Cults,” which is probably the best track
on the album. “Hidden Legacy” and “Exotropy” are the lowest points on the
album. While not bad by any means, they just don’t do anything else but
re-tread what the album has already done.
What Death Mechanism have created with “Twenty-First
Century” is a time machine that goes back to a time where thrash was loud and
vicious. While it isn’t entirely original, they add enough of their own flair
to make it stand out. The tempo changes and groove oriented riffs are truly
masterful. Sure the album has a few flaws, but what album doesn’t? In all
honesty, “Twenty-First Century” is better than anything Havok or Warbringer
have done. Death Mechanism keeps getting better with every release and it
shows. They put a lot of care and effort into this release. “Twenty-First
Century” is an absolute must listen. Keep real thrash alive!
8.5/10
- Brian DuBois
Myspace - https://myspace.com/deathmechanism
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