Suicidal Winds
Chaos Rising
4.5
Synopsis:
Of all the metal genres, one I just don’t get into is the whole blackened thrash thing. So when compounded by the fact I’ve recently had to endure the likes of Nifelheim, Desaster, Gospel of the Horns, Witchery and others, when Suicidal Winds starts to play and I’m greeted with blackened thrash, my eyes rolled a bit.
Review:
I’m not sure why I don’t like black/thrash. I like black metal and I like most thrash metal, but it just seems an odd alliance to me, with only Impaled Nazarene being the only example of the genre I enjoy. It’s just to these ears the two styles don’t meld to me very well, though I really can’t give a concrete reason why. Maybe I just like my black metal majesty and infernal austere presence blended with thrash’s more playful upbeat delivery. Or maybe thrash having black metal’s regal nihilism evil thrust upon it seems forced. I dunno. I digress.
Anyhow, for the genre, I guess long running Celtic Frost inspired Swedes Suicidal Winds to do their thing with a typical spikes ‘n’ leather gusto; black rasps layered over gritty thrash riffs sped up a tad and a whole black/death metal visage and themes, but on the whole, there’s nothing on the band’s fourth full length album to get too excited about. There’s (predictably titled) fast songs (“World’s End”, “Annihilation and Chaos”, “Chaos Rising”, “Death To All”, "Unevitable Doom”-their spelling not mine, "Born to Hate" – yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn), there’s less fast songs, there’s a biting, guitar tone played through a more gritty visage, there’s squealing solos and it’s all played with an urgency and sneer that’s par for the course for the genre, but it's nothing to get me to come back to the record, or the genre for that matter.
Of note though, is the band does seem to hint at their Swedish death metal roots on occasion with a few moments of crawling mood like the intro, “Slowly We Frost” and “Ballad of Death”, that has a Metallica ballad meets Entombed feel to it, but those are rare moments on an otherwise forgetful album from a forgetful band. I suppose it’s kept them off the streets for over a decade though.
