Betrayer F. T. M.: No Life 'Til Fury

I just want to say before I review this album that the cover is quite unpleasant. I can't tell if it's some kind of horrible birth or a surgery gone horribly awry, but it certainly wasn't an image I wanted to contemplate for very long. Thrash bands have long been drawn to cover art that features impossibly terrible cover images, often drawn from nightmarish hospital scenes. I'm not sure what the appeal is, but it is certainly a striking component of thrash metal. Someone is going to need to explain it to me one day.

Aside from its cover, No Life 'Til Fury is a rock solid thrash album. Each of the songs has a kind of anthemic quality to them that only thrash fans can enjoy. These guys have certainly listened to lots of thrash and have drawn on the best of what's out there for inspiration. The lyrics are standard fare, possibly even clichéd--rebellion, rock and roll, anger, aggression--but they work well enough. Most of the time, the singer is engaging with the "oh yeah" or "yeow" kind of bravado that fans sometimes love in a live setting. These guys are a thrash band but haven't forgotten the showy side. Sure, it can be cheesy, but it need not be. The important thing, in any event, is the music and these guys bring it to our attention loudly and directly. From beginning to end, this album is a relentless, driving, force, one that establishes plenty of thrash credibility. The solos are terrific and bring to mind the work of a young Kirk Hammett.

I want to mention that this album is also a cool showcase for slick bass playing. For too many bands, the bass parts are nothing more than a helpful part of the back end, something to hear but not really listen to carefully. On this album, the bass was very much a part of most of the tracks, kind of like the way the bass parts by Steve Harris so beautifully factor in to work by Iron Maiden.

Track Listing:
1. Machine
2. One Day of Fury
3. To Kill Or Die
4. La Orden Del Chaos
5. Midnight Poison
6. No Life Til Fury
7. Infernal Metal
8. Caught by Hatred
9. The Burning Road

Added: August 9th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Myspace Page
Hits: 1919
Language: english

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