Style: thrash metal (clean-ish vocals/spoken word)
Review by: Sam
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 15 February, 2019
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the February 2019 edition of The Progressive Subway.]
If you read our about page, you’d know that this habit of mine of searching the Metal Archives for good things started with a desire for modern tech/prog thrash. So when I saw that Aftermath released a highly rated album back in 1994, and that this was their comeback album which seemed to have good reviews, I was excited. Not overly excited (as I don’t listen to much anymore nowadays), but excited nonetheless.
So how good was Aftermath?
Well, on the first few listens I generally enjoyed this album. Their thrashing is unspectacular but generally solid. However I quickly noticed There Is Something Wrong with this album (pun intended). Like the good thrashers of old, Aftermath’s lyrics are about how the government is evil and controls and hypnotizes everyone with their propaganda, etc. Opener False Flag Flying (I don’t count <1 min songs) sets the tone for the album. It starts with a nice aggressive thrash assault, but then quickly shifts into an eerie, unsettling riff with whispered vocals (There’s so much you don’t know…). Then after a while there’s a disappointing guitar solo and the song goes on two minutes longer than it should have. Doesn’t that sound exciting?
Woohoo it isn’t. You know, this band just wastes so much freaking time on their interlude and spoken word sections that try to be unsettling. I’m just gonna channel my inner MA critic from here: it feels as if this band wastes so much time on spoken word because they know their thrash isn’t memorable enough by itself to make a worthwhile record. First listen it’s ok, but from there on this thing becomes a chore to get through. They have some decent riffs, but the singer relies completely on a gimmick, the tech leaves no impression whatsoever and their solos are utterly forgettable. I’m not even sure whether this is meant to be a music album or a political message. No, this is not another Victims of Deception (Heathen, 1991, US-CA). This is a terrible album that relies solely on a gimmick for value. Avoid if you want anything of substance.
Recommended tracks: False Flag Flying
Recommended for fans of: Heathen, Artillery
Final verdict: 4/10
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Aftermath is:
– Charlie Tsiolis (vocals)
– Steve Sacco (guitars)
– Ray Schmidt (drums)
– John Lovette (guitars)
– Chris Waldron (bass)
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