Imagine if you will. A band that shrills, spills and thrills. Tearing back the proverbial shower curtain to the release of your infinite shrieking. Well, they shriek, you shrill. Anyway, this German outfit is defiant and raw. Thrashy and heavy.
Let’s begin with a hellish shriek belting out the opening lines to "Skull and Bones". Dude screamed throughout the whole song! This is a nightmare come true; in a good way. The next one leads with a killer bass ditty before the band punches in and smacks you with the power riffs of "Nailed to the Cross." The vocals get a little deep here, as well as with "Detox". The voice is dirtier than high pitch.
"Morning Star" starts off with a mellow melody, and then hits you with a wrecking ball. This one brings back the screaming vocals. A dirty little groove kicks off "World of Temptation". It also slows the tempo into a pseudo Alice in Chains "Man in the Box" feel. A heavy, angry bit of an intro for "Hellraiser". Again, the vocals get all down and gritty. I am enjoying the fact that the singer doesn't stick to one style of screaming.
"Lord of War" hits you again with vocals from hell, pounding drums and heavy distorted guitars. A classic drum intro in slow-mid tempo 4/4 begins the heavy, thick toned "Black Sun". Vocals switching between deep and high pitch - insane solo as the music revolves. This is the definition of "heavy". Ending here with a bang is the title track, "Free Nation". News sound bites add an industrial feel to this song. This one is my personal favs.
Downside unfortunately is that the kick drum sounds too "clicky" throughout. There's no "thump". The kick is supposed to punch you in the gut. These just hurt my ears. Upside is the vocals and how they differ between songs. The arrangement of the songs worked real good and the mix was alright, too. All in all, a dirty, raw, heavy record with good song-writing and descent solos. I give 'em a 81/2.
Tim Duran, HMS
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