Alcoholic Invasion

Devastator are yet another new thrash band with the last three letters of their name being 'tor', written in a suitably old school logo. However, unlike the vast majority of newer thrash bands, they do not come from South America or Mexico but instead from Italy, on of the least likely places for a Metal band to come out of.

'Alcoholic Invasion' is their second full length without counting their live album, and it is an enjoyable record. Unlike some other new thrash bands, Devastator do not rip off their heroes from the 80s, but instead have their own signature sound of sorts. This doesn't really sound like any other thrash band I have come across except for perhaps Tankard, but even then it is hard to find comparisons past the lyrical themes. So what does this sound like then? The riffs have a definite hardcore influence to them, the best examples being 'Alcoholic Invasion' and the amusingly titled 'Chuck Berry Wants Hardcore', both of which almost sound like they could've been on a Minor Threat record in parts. However, you also have the songs which are tremolo based, such as 'Breath of Stukas in Rage'. The best comparison to what those songs sound like is 'Pleasure to Kill' era Kreator, but with a sense of fun to it. The rest is basically composed with traditional, chunky thrash riffing with the occasional Heavy Metal moment. All of the tracks are pretty much the same speed, that being a bit above mid paced. There is no real groove to be found on here, which is also a definite plus considering how many new bands who are hyped as 'thrash' turn out to be groove metal bands with the occasional thrash riff thrown in. Vocals are nothing special, and are mostly a hardcore bark with some singing reminiscent of The Ramones. Drumming remains simple while the bass just shadows the riffs. Lyrical themes revolve around war and alcohol, and as a result the band obviously don't want you to take them too seriously.

When you combine all of these elements you get a pretty fun thrash metal release. Most of the time this is some great stuff that you can put on and headbang to. However, there are some negatives to the release. Firstly, there are instances in which it feels as if the band had run out of riffs and as a result took a previously played riff and added some strange guitar noises or an extra note to it. This doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it can get annoying. Secondly, some of the songs sound a bit clumsy. By that I mean they sound like not enough thought was put into composing the song so that it flows well. There are times on the album where you'll be happily headbanging when a pointless solo or badly done thrash break will appear. Not all the solos or breaks are bad, but there are some on here that make the listener wonder what the fuck Devastator were thinking. Finally, the drums in the mix are a tad bit higher than they should be. While not overpowering the guitars, it would've been preferred had they been mixed a little lower.

It is not a bad release at all though. Fans of thrash will definitely like this, and it is refreshing to hear a new thrash band that doesn't rip off their influences for once. It's fun, thrashy and good to bang your head to, but overall it feels like something is missing to make it a great release as opposed to merely a good one.