Though perhaps not quite fair, Slayer meets Spiritual Beggars would be a perfect summary in order to describe the sound of Kayser, a new band hailing from Sweden. Former Spiritual Beggars singer Spice and guitarist Mattias Svensson of The Defaced have come together in order to create a modern thrash metal album with plenty of groove and heart-stopping twin guitar work. Things start pretty fast, as the shredding right in the intro of "1919" starts things off evoking Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman in their prime. South of Heaven era Slayer influences come through in every riff and solo, as they hit bigger heights on the following track "Lost Cause", which is opened with rapid-fire thrash riffery and excellent vocals by Spice whose powerful voice does the song (and the album as a whole) justice. Going from Tom Araya-like shouting to Voivod-inspired nasal singing on songs like "Cemented Lies", Spice is an excellent singer to say the least.
The album is balanced successfully between 80's thrash metal and Dio-era Black Sabbath, and it encompasses concise yet very strong moments of epic passages that are laced with intense guitar riffs, memorable hooks, and groovy speed lines, all marked by effective drumming courtesy of Bob Ruben (see "Good Citizen"). Speed and thrash metal are united on "Noble Is Your Blood" before the ambitious epic of the album kicks in: "7 Days to Sink" begins in a grindingly slow way, akin to Sabbath's Heaven & Hell, and picks up a nice Spiritual Beggars tone featuring incredibly well-sung lyrics. Much like its counterpart, "The Waltz" continues to tread on the same musical path, enveloping a tenacious Beggars groove underpinned by a maniacal guitar solo that goes from heavily pounding to pure hate-driven ferocity. These songs are interspersed with shorter thrash numbers, characterized by easily identifiable traits. "Like A Drunk Christ" stands out for its awesome tapping melody and exotic guitar scales, while, "Rafflesia" for instance, declares Exodus-like thrash metal war and reaches its zenith with the inclusion of a killer lead guitar drive.
It is quite impressive that Kayser have managed to craft such an old-school album in this day and age, even when most of their influences have strayed away from their roots noticeably. Along with the new Spiritual Beggars released earlier this year, Kayser's debut is a fine work of thrash metal and late 70's/early 80's heavy metal.
Track Listing
- 1919
- Lost Cause
- Good Citizen
- Noble Is Your Blood
- 7 Days To Sink
- Like A Drunk Christ
- Cemented Lies
- The Waltz
- Rafflesia
- Perfect
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