Psychotically Enraged

I once saw an advertisement for a Hatebreed album that called it “The Ultimate Fusion of Metal & Hardcore.” Whoever came up with that line obviously never heard Odious Sanction’s “Psychotically Enraged.” There are two things that immediately stand out about Odious Sanction while listening to this album. Number one, the drummer is a fucking blast-beat and double bass MACHINE. Seriously, this guy has got some incredible stamina! Even the breakdown beats have double bass and blasts worked into them. Second, the guitarist seemingly never runs out of sick riffs. And that is ultimately what makes this album such a great listen – the riffs. Forget technicality, soloing, math-metal wanking, etc… with Odious Sanction it’s all about the endless flow of fluid, incredibly heavy riffs. Oh right, there are two other guys in the band… well the vocalist has a hell of a set of lungs. He’s doing pretty much straight-up hardcore screaming the whole CD. And by screaming, I don’t mean some studio-magic-condenser-mic bullshit screaming, this is the real deal – the kind you can’t fake. The bassist pretty much sounds like he’s doubling the guitar riffs, which quite honestly is exactly the thing to do in a straight-up riff-based band like these guys. He’s got a good sound, punchy yet slightly distorted, which again is quite appropriate. So here’s the deal – if you’re into hardcore at all, you’ll love this CD undoubtedly because of the vocals and the overall “hardcore feel.” But death metal fans should definitely not overlook this CD. The blasting drums, MAMMOTH riffs which never end, the sheer intensity, brutality (a word which is way overused to describe metal but definitely applies here) and speed are all quite death metal influenced. Let me put it this way – I’m a death metal guy who has always despised the hardcore “pit-ninjas” at shows who like to practice their kung fu in the pit and flail their limbs blindly to every hardcore or hardcore-influenced band they see. But if Odious Sanction ever got back together, and I had a chance to see them, I think this would be the only shit that would ever make me want to behave like a pit-ninja. It’s that fucking heavy, AND IT NEVER LETS UP UNTIL THE CD IS OVER. Get this CD any way you can.