Genres: thrash metal, prog metal, crossover thrash (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Metallica, Power Trip
Country: Finland
Release date: 2 February 2024
Most people are fiber deficient, so when they have frijoles for the first time in a while, they get an upset stomach. It’s why TexMex makes people flatulate; likewise, Death Mex are a musical wet fart. Ok, I’ll admit that I wrote that before I even heard a note, but Death Mex aren’t actually bad, so that roast was a tad uncalled for—natural consequences of a terrible band name. On the contrary, Rebuild & Resist is surprisingly competent for a band called Death Mex with that album cover. One final thing of note: why on earth are a Finnish band called Death Mex of all things? You’d expect them to be from, y’know, the American Southwest or something… I digress.
Each song on Rebuild & Resist wears a different coat, creating a strange, jumbled thrash album of varying styles. From the Black Album-esque cleans of “Free Estate of Mind” to the crossover thrash appeal of “Utility Monster” to the near-proggy “Herbal Therapy,” you never know what you’ll get: this is exacerbated by the multifaceted pipes of singer Pauli Lantta, who effortlessly switches from gruff cleans and punky barks to a more impressive singing style where he unleashes a bit more manicism instead of playing it so safely within paradigmatic confines. Truly, Lantta makes and breaks this album as his vocals are the biggest differentiator in between tracks and styles—whichever of his voices you like best will define your favorite tracks.
Despite the vocals constantly slipping between registers, Jaakko Korkeamäki’s drumming is largely static—his playing mimics a younger Lars before all of his effort left by the wayside—competent enough but distractingly bland. He makes an effort, certainly, but the playing feels left in the dust by the other instrumentalists. Axemen Peter Salonen and Timo Korkeamäki don’t write the most creative parts you’ve ever heard, but they’re meat and potatoes thrash, classics that are hard to botch. For example, “Free Estate of Mind” and “Virtual Reality” both have a twanginess in the riffs befitting of a band named after Mexican-American cuisine and the catchy speediness should make old-school metalheads feel safe and comfortable, but it’s all a bit tepid.
Most of Rebuild & Resist is a tick too slow. Sure, it’s thrash—and that means speed—but it lacks a dangerous edge, and with lots of switches into noticeably slower sections, the whole package comes across as unfortunately lethargic, especially when Death Mex is at their best when playing high-octane, working man’s thrash redolent of old Metallica or the perpetually overlooked Paradox. Moments are sprinkled across the album when Death Mex really kick it into gear—the solo at 4:00 into “Loathsome to Lethal,” the transition and subsequent guitar lead at 2:00 in “Herbal Therapy”—but the rest is frustratingly close to making me go feral while merely inducing a bit of lukewarm headbanging. The final performer I have yet to mention, Jesse Mörsky on bass, helps the album reach its fullest potential, especially when he’s front of the mix, and his driving basslines really create most of the momentum in Death Mex’s music. I’d’ve loved for him to solo a bit more—be a bit more Burton than Trujillo—but you can’t have everything in retro thrash, can you?
This review is on a prog blog, so I’d be remiss not to close out mentioning progressiveness, which there is a distinct lack of despite the band advertising themself in that way, boasting “progressive song structures” on Bandcamp. I respect the ambition to make such a claim, but I also would appreciate a bit more in the music to back it up: heck, Death Mex could write some bangers with a proggier focus, especially as it would push that drumming into some weirder rhythms instead of the relentless march of half time. Death Mex should resist the temptation to continue writing retro thrash and rebuild into a more progressive package.
Recommended tracks: Herbal Therapy
You may also like: Paradox, Toxik, Anarchÿ, Condemned AD, Venus, Arsena
Final verdict: 5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: independent
Death Mex is:
Rhythm Guitars – Timo Korkeamäki
Drums – Jaakko Korkeamäki
Lead / Rhythm Guitars & Additional vocals – Peter Salonen
Vocals – Pauli Lantta
Bass – Jesse Mörsky
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