Apocalypse Warhead: Opening the Silos

Check this out: Apocalypse Warhead is the one-man project of Tuukka Laitinen. He sings, plays bass, guitar, and drum machine. He also writes the lyrics and the music. Finding this out feels a little like peeking behind the infamous curtain and discovering that the Wizard of Oz is just a mortal man. The music here is just too big, too fast, and too aggressive to be the work of one man, but facts are facts.

So what does Apocalyptic Warhead sound like? Death metal, mostly, though there's plenty of thrash here. What sets this band apart from others, though, is the blistering tempo of the music. Moreover, the songs are unrelenting and highlight some truly exciting guitar leads. The rhythm parts here are among the tightest and coolest passages I've heard in a while. Even better, the lead parts, especially the solos, are fast and impressive. The vocals aren't much, mostly incomprehensible growls, but they don't distract too much from the music. I would have preferred a little more understanding of the lyrics here, especially since every song is so obviously part of a larger commentary on the nature of human warfare and the problem of nuclear weaponry.

The music, as I mentioned above is fast and technically proficient, especially on tracks like "Opening the Silos," "Experimental Warfare," and "RK 62." It's pretty solid overall, even though it risks being repetitive at times, especially in the vocals. The guitars are always exciting, but are at their best when they break free from the pounding rhythms and highlight Laitinen's superb lead style. This guy has chops. Without question, though, the best track on this album is "RK 62," an instrumental track that highlights the very best of what Apocalypse Warhead has to offer. If you hear only one track on this album, let this be the one. Without the vocals, Apocalypse Warhead sounds as tight as the titans of early thrash metal. If I were this guy, I'd ditch the vocals and give listeners an instrumental album. It's fair to compare this band to Megadeth, mostly on their shared interest in mankind's potential for mutually assured destruction. But the comparison goes further because this band takes the proficiency and mastery of Megadeth and makes it faster and more aggressive. could do with this material, but goes further.

Track Listing:
1. Opening the Silos (Cold Cunts of Full of Fire)
2. Extermination of Human Life
3. Hostile Technological Singularities
4. White Death
5. Experimental Warfare
6. From Hell
7. RK 62
8. A.R.J.E (Res Oritur!)
9. Warhead Apocalypse

Added: January 23rd 2013
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2121
Language: english

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