German thrash act Holy Moses how now been around for 30 years, and on this latest 2 CD set 30th Anniversary In the Power Of Now, the band have re-recorded 20 of their most memorable songs as well as given their fans two brand new tracks specifically for this release. Led as always be vocalist Sabina Classen , the rest of the band here in 2012 features Michael Hankel (Guitars), Oliver Jaath (Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals),
Gerd Lόcking (Drums), and Thomas Neitsch (Bass).
I guess if you are a longtime fan of Holy Moses, this will be a really fun re-introduction to many of their strongest tunes from throughout their career. Unfortunately for the rest of us, 30th Anniversary In the Power Of Now just confirms what we already knew, that Holy Moses always were and still are a pretty average thrash band. Sure, some of these songs, like "DefConII", "Jungle of Lies", and "Corroded Dreams", contain some nifty riffs and tight grooves, but the vast majority here just come across very dated and a tad bit juvenile. "Reborn Dogs" and "Disorder of the Order" for example are almost laughable, and "Symbol of my Spirit" and "Nothing for My Mum" sees the band, and Sabina especially, unsure of whether they want to be a S.O.D. styled crossover act, a thrash band, or death metal. In the end she's just not a good vocalist at any of them, as her garbled, throaty growl just isn't convincing enough in any fashion. I'd rather hear her deep growls in slower, doomier fare like "Lost in the Maze" any day over much of what she has on display here.
In the end, I'm all for any band sticking it out for 30 years, so congrats to Holy Moses for a very long career that's seen its share of success. Problem is 30th Anniversary In the Power Of Now just reaffirms the same opinion I've always had for these guys, that they were just never much more than an average band who just don't quite have what it takes to play with the big boys of the genre.
Track Listing
CD1:
01 Clash My Soul
02 Jungle Of Lies
03 Finished With The Dogs
04 Symbol Of Spirit
05 World Chaos
06 Ssp
07 Borderland
08 Lost In The Maze
09 Walpurgisnight
10 Welcome To The Real World
11 Near Dark
CD2:
01 Reborn Dogs
02 Def Con II
03 I Feel Sick
04 Nothing For My Mum
05 Disorder Of The Order
06 Corroded Dreams
07 Entering The Now
08 Creation Of Violation
09 Panic
10 Decapitated Minds
11 Master Of Disaster