Artillery
When Death Comes

Who could forget “Fear Of Tomorrow,” that debut album that, like a bolt from the blue, introduced the world to the new Danish reality, Artillery? I certainly can't. Just like the subsequent albums up to the last “B.A.C.K.,” in which the band managed to find that perfect combination of power, speed, and technique that was noticeably lacking in the explosive debut that was solely based on speed and the desire to kick everyone's ass.

Then nothing. 10 years have passed, and I find myself among the July and August releases with this “When Death Comes” by Artillery.

The question is legitimate: will they be the same as I left them ten years ago, lost in nothingness? A question supported by the fact that the band also presents itself to the public with a new singer, one Soren Nico Adamsen.

At this point, the only sensible thing to do is listen and then judge.

But why do I even bother telling you... They are still the same, always Artillery! They may have a new singer, but what a singer! Definitely a more mature sound and a much more polished production that highlights the band's power even further. A power that it seems Artillery had kept warm just for us, to let it explode in this full-length album.

No kidding. Here we have thrash metal played and sung with the use of the famous counterattacks, the family jewels of old-school thrashers who don't get lost behind trends or various experiments but prefer to play what they were born and brought to the world for.

And if the opener is already an excellent calling card, the following “Upon My Cross I Crawl” shows us a band in full grace, with a top-notch singer always in the spotlight and the guitars busy churning out deadly riffs, with the typical “heavy artillery” distortion that the band had delighted us with since their beginnings.

No longer 1000-speed constantly fired, but more reflection and meditation towards the construction of what is the “song form” to make everything even more beautiful and enjoyable.

Devastating melodies, excellent mid-tempo (“Damned Religion”), solos executed at breakneck speed, and a decisively winning rhythm section make this album an excellent product for this 2009 inflated with dreadful releases (I won't get lost in unnecessary names... those who understand, understand).

Welcome are the reunions and welcome are Artillery, who among scratching, raging, and fast songs (like the wonderful “Not A Nightmare”, one of the best of the bunch along with the deadly “10,000 Devils”, “Sandbox Philosophy”, and the pyrotechnic “Rise Above It All”) also manage to include a semi-ballad built on excellent acoustic arpeggios, where the spotlight is once again on the new singer who showcases all his versatility and flexibility in using his vocal cords.

At this point, I should (perhaps) have convinced you. At least I hope so.

What can I say, my metalheads (with a special eye on the metal ladettes)... The artillery is back, more destructive than ever!

Sayonara!