September 16, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Grim Fate is the first full-on assault from the New Jersey outfit known as Horrifier. The band’s brand of power/thrash metal is deliberate intensity without much in the way of stylistic embellishment, but the album more than makes up for that with sheer power through simplicity.

The vocals from guitarist Joe Potash are completely effortless, a certain plus for the band. There are no grand screaming trivialities, Halford-esque pitches or guttural growling; a straight-forward approach void of pretentiousness and overwhelming emptiness is what adds to the old-school charm of Grim Fate. The mid-Eighties sound that was coveted by such bands as Helloween, Running Wild, Metallica and Obsession is so nicely called upon here that it’s a certain winner for your throwback needs.

As with any bare-bones offering it can be either a hit in spades or a miss by a mile, and while some people might find this particular style generic or thin others will see the magical homage to days past when power metal was actually accredited properly; long before the bombastic illumination of the modern era power metal was a Hallow’s Eve Tales of Terror collection with plodding riffs not so much technical as they are Heavy Metal 101. What once was the mighty Ride the Lightning way back in ’84 has been coherently recycled here to a valid degree. “True Metal Never Rusts” possesses a slight “Trapped Under Ice” feel in the solo rhythm section that forces a cracked smile at what once was so brilliant so seemingly long ago. It’s easily my favorite track on the CD, but the rest of the tracks have some amazing time changes, solos, gallops, and any non-cliche device out there you might care to recall.

Even at the “Decisive Victory” point the album remains strong with tunes that not only cause you to consider fits of tempestuous violence on house plants but manage to recognize the true historical definition of power metal long before Queen’s Night at the Opera became a blueprint for the current trend of “friendly” metal. There’s certainly no Stratovarious or Hammerfall here; its near flawless style of caustic metal will stick in your craw for a while if you’re so inclined to enjoy this little venture back to the period that gave this medium its longevity and charm.

“From Beyond the Grave” channels the long-dead spirits of Metallica so sweetly that one might almost figure this would have been the perfect bill back in ’85 with both bands battling for supremacy on any given night. What the San Francisco band may have diluted to a sickening degree over the past few years has been recaptured and bottled for slow consumption.

The overall enjoyment factor here is, without question, one that I feel the need to pass along. Heed my advice and check out some serious power thrash that will stop just short of leaving your neck for dead after thirty-five minutes of hair-flipping raging.

Release Date: May 31, 2010
Label: Witches Brew 

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Ultimatum
2.  E.B.E.
3.  Premonition
4.  True Metal Never Rusts!
5.  Decisive Victory
6.  Grim Fate
7.  Exordium/ From Beyond The Grave
8.  Stalingrad

Total playing time:  36:40

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Horrifier - Grim Fate