Napalm/Sound Pollution
Austrian band ARTAS has been around for five years, and they have won Metalchamp 2007, plus released two albums, this included. Modern metal is the preferred flavor, mixed vocals, lyrics in several languages, double bass drumming plus mix and mastering by Jacob Hansen (HATESPHERE, HEAVEN SHALL BURN etc.). How did this turn out then?
The intro “A Journey Begins” feels like recapturing the Arab world today, sirens, noises etc. But what was fun and heedless in the eighties is reality for many today. Perhaps ARTAS is the voice of many at present? “Fortress of No Hope” hammers on like SEPULTURA after 1990, but also includes a modern melodic touch. ARTAS is both heavy and catchy; growl, echoes, light grind, everything adds to a mix that is never obnoxious. At their most easily digested they have a clear radio character with clear vocals, as in “The Suffering of John Doe”. A riff that “Rassenhass” has some “Motorcycle Man” in it. Maybe ARTAS is serious modern counterpart to the happy-go-lucky magnitudes of the eighties. Lyris in not only English and German, but also in French and Spanish are part of this package. “No Pasarán” is yet another glittering track of heaviness and melody. French works out alright too in “Le Saboteur”. Good ole Frenchies TRUST was no coincidence. ARTAS works out much better this time that my memories of their debut. There are echoes of SEPULTURA, thrash as in ANTHRAX and softer parts in the vein of SOUNDGARDEN. It is all steeped in an own new costume with several languages and Obimahan Ismahil´s and Hannes Koller´s voices which are complements to each other. Something for everyone at times, but fearfully up to date with the latest news…
Track List
A Journey Begins
Fortress of No Hope
The Day the Books Will Burn Again
The Suffering of John Doe
Rassenhass
O5
No Pasarán
The Grin Behind the Mirror
Gipfelsturmer
Le Saboteur
Mediafada
05
Ashes of Failure
Between Poets and Murderers
A Martyr´s Dawn
Surrounded by Darkness We Are Able to See the Stars
www.napalmrecords.com www.myspace.com/artasmetal
