Massacre/Sound Pollution
Chilean thrashers CRIMINAL have six albums under their belt, plus this seventh one. They have made aname for themselves touring with the likes of KREATOR and SLAYER, plus over-the-top attention and sales in their native country. Since their early days of relocation to the UK in 2001 they have struggled to maintain a stable lineup. Today the band consists of the ubiquitous bandleader Anton Reisenegger, guitars/vocals, Spanish guitarist Olmo Cascallar, and the 50% that is non-Latin, drummer Zac O´Neil and bass player/producer Dan Biggin. They promise an album far away from the overedited, overtriggered sterile productions of today, while retaining faithful to the big guns of the genre. Interesting mix…
The opening three tracks are not convincing. The opener “Order from Chaos” may be typical of the politically conscious band, but it is not sharp enough to open this album. The two others, “Resistence Is Futile” and “The Ghost We Summoned” show better tendencies, but only the first mentioned is a good enough song to attract interest. But the title track is in the old SLAYER tradition, short and snappy, barely over the two minute mark, it puts CRIMINAL where I suspect they aim at being. The drum sound is overall quite flat, a bit disappointing after the initial promise. The last 50% of the album is far more satisfying. There are doomy elements in “Tyrannicide”, they develop the songs more as the playing time increases, the grooves are there, the echoes of SLAYER mix with KREATOR and the ending of “La Santa Muerte” gives them a kind of mother tongue credibility. Their technical side is displayed in the excellent “Feel the Void” and the time travel back in thrashing times, yet with a slight modern edge feels much more thorough. But the sadly lacking 30-50% of the album may well cost them in sales figures…
Track List
Order from Chaos
Resistance Is Futile
The Ghost We Summoned
Akelarre
State of Siege
Tyrannicide
Feel the Void
The Power of the Dog
Vows of Silence
La Santa Muerte
www.massacre-records.com www.myspace.com/criminal
