Starting in 2006, Finnish thrash band Axegressor possess the right relentless execution that probably gains them passionate followers the minute their music pours out of speakers or amplification. Last is their third album but my first exposure to the quartet’s sound, and this brings me back to a time when band’s weren’t chasing the commercial dragon but instead just being primal and unfiltered.
One listen to material such as the slower, semi-tribal rhythmic “Mind Castration” or the speed metal adrenaline riffing for “Social Pressure” and you’ll know that Axegressor has a love of early German thrash and possibly the early American side as well – Sodom, Kreator, Exodus, and maybe a little Agent Steel in there for a good measure. Johnny Nuclear Winter as a singer has a maniacal presence, injecting off kilter screams as well as serious deep throat work, up to the task of matching the musical proceedings in a biting, ‘Angelripper’ meets Mille in a dark alley way.
Musically the quartet aren’t all about bashing your brain in at unlimited Autobahn speeds. They are just as heavy in mid-tempo or slower doses, as guitarist Seba Forma hits all the right aural never ends through superb trailing notes and mood altering picking changes for highlights such as “A Fistful of Ignorance” (think Coroner meets Forced Entry) or the street level jumpy nature to closer “Determinator”. Themes of war, killing, and social injustice take up the majority of the band’s lyrical outlook- and kudos for a fair, balanced production that allows bassist Aki Paulamäki equal share to Axegressor’s necessary thrash execution.
Blowing by in a rather quick 37 minutes, Last is mandatory for those who are tired of the new generation of acts that regurgitate the 80’s heroes in a polished, safe packaged manner- and could make some of the German old guard re-think their output on their next studio endeavors.
Matt Coe, HMS
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