| Reviews for Baby Stab Horror's Manifesto Infernale |
| So I had a chat with Satan... - 55% |
| Written by Jonpo
on November 2nd, 2009
|
| ...and he asked me if I could get this band to stop pretending they are in league with Him. When you hear a name like Baby Stab Horror certain images come to mind, likely coupled with certain expectations as to the sound. Personally, I was expecting a menacing, depraved, or at least malevolent sounding record. That was just not the case. Let's go ahead and get the first and most significant complaint out of the way. These guys rarely thrash, and aside from some half-heartedly rasped vocals there is nothing "black" about their sound. This sounds like what you would get if you trapped some kids who only listened to Gothenburg-styled death metal in a room with instruments, bad 90s thrash, and told them to create blackened thrash metal. The guitar tone does not help matters, as it lacks all manner of crunch. The faster sections sound sugary sweet, and I can't recall a single speedy riff from this album that made me want to bang my head. That is unacceptable from a "thrash" band of any kind. The band does not sound comfortable when playing fast or attempting to thrash, and I think this is supported by how often they lapse into groovy, psuedo-Frostian type riffs. The only concern here is that an unhealthy number of them start off sounding fairly primitive and menacing but end with some sort of melodic run or even worse a goofy pinch harmonic mess. Still, the drumming comes to life a bit during the groovy sections, and things on the whole move much smoother and more coherently. Mercifully enough, ladies and gentleman, that's about it. The one thing these guys nailed in my opinion is the running time. Just under 30 minutes of mediocre, Gothenburg-derived blackened thrash is enough for me. I will put the disclaimer out there that if you have an affinity more towards melodic death than black/thrash, this may actually be to your liking. If you want to thrash like a maniac while hailing Satan, however, avoid like the plague. |