There Will Be Blood

Getting pissed off at those damned neighbors who keep insisting that you keep your music down to a respectable level? Tired of that annoying neighborhood informant who keeps spying on your daily affairs? Well, fear not, for there is more than one way to bloody up an axe than to go the route of the literal axe murderer. Just mix up some of the finest Motörhead and Metallica riffs, crunch them up with a somewhat more processed guitar sound, downplay the production value just a tad and throw in a scream happy wailer in the mold of Tom Araya and with no pun intended I assure you, “There Will Be Blood”. Believe me when I tell you, that gigantic blood stained axe on the cover of this bad boy is not just for show.

The band behind this bloody exterior and mean as hell interior fancies itself as some sort of Vindicator, though it would seem the primary wrong they are righting is the fact that Violent Night has yet to put out a full length album in nearly 10 years of existence. Rest assured, if one wishes to denigrate one of the two bands as being a mere side-project, it would not be this one that takes the axe (yeah, that pun was intended). Granted, this particular incarnation is a bit more punk infused and flirts with the crossover sound a bit more than the progressive character of the latter outfit, but they carry their sound quite nicely and pull off a mean mixture of “Overkill” meets “Kill ‘Em All” with a slight dash of “Game Over” just for good measure.

While this whole album is an exercise in consistent auditory treats, the more of an early 80s Metallica feel they go for the better they tend to sound. Case and point being the gallop happy self-title song “Vindicator” which dishes out a nice mixture of “Phantom Lord” and “Ace Of Spades” in one tight little package covered with red stained spikes. Plenty of room for gut-wrenching speeders is made too in the mold of “Gore Orphanage” and “There Will Be Blood”, as vocalist Vic Stown rambles like a demented skin-head with the appropriate gang-chorus bringing up his rear. Interestingly enough, the band likes to front load their mid-tempo thrashers as seen in the crunch-infused “Deathfront Demons” and “Fresh Outta Hell”, both of which are somewhat reminiscent of “Seek And Destroy” and bring out more of a vintage NWOBHM feel in the guitar department.

This is the sort of album that was probably more suited to 1983, yet didn’t manage to get written until 2008, but hey, better late than never. Would Lemmy’s wicked bass assault be any less powerful had he been a few years later than Steve Harris in upping the instruments functionality in the metal medium? The production on this decrepit little zombie cookie is somewhat lackluster, particularly the dry as hell drum sound, but otherwise it’s a solid rollercoaster of good old thrashing that could use a bit more love. So get out those special customer speaker and crank that shit up to 11, because this is one blood bath that deserves to be heard by both the willing and the unwitting.

Vindicator is thee, somewhat new, up and coming thrash metal band from the Cleveland, Ohio area. Put together by two-fourths of the members of the disbanded Violent Night, Vindicator was able to release an EP early on, and after much wait, a full-length was cut. Thus we have There Will Be Blood.

Everything about this album screams raw and brutal thrash metal! From the blood and leather on the front cover to the last pound beaten, gang vocal rallied, and rightfully named song of the album There Will Be Blood. While Vindicator seems to be garnered into the popular “Thrash Revival” category, there is some uniqueness to the bands sound.

The riffs vary greatly, not song to song, but within each song – which is reminiscent of the old thrash days that appeared in songs from bands like Anthrax and Slayer. The riffs also vary greatly by how they are structured. Some of them are straightforward - bang your head thrash riffs (most of them are actually). But a lot of the breakdowns are pretty well crafted and intensely orchestrated, which sounds similar to the work that was done in Violent Night (which tended to be more progressive). Combined with driving bass lines and some great drumming, the album comes together harmoniously.

This album is not without fault of course. The leads are really good, don’t get me wrong. However, sometimes they sound almost a little to complicated for thrash metal, as if they might belong in a different genre all together. I am not saying bad solos are needed for thrash, but these solos are very thought out and crazy, for lack of a better word, which makes the listener pause for a moment to wonder why they went for this sound. The production is anything but superb; however, it is not cacophonous to the ears. This could go either way depending on how you like your thrash. I tend to enjoy the under produced old school thrash sound, and when it sounds to cleanly produced, I think it takes a little away from the genre.

The singing on the album is very much improved from the EP. The band started out with the growling and scruffy voice of ex-Black Trinity member (a black metal band). While the vocals were not awful in the past, it was hard to follow and understand the lyrics. The singing is much more cleaner rather then rough, yet still maintains grit that makes the album flow nicely together.

I recommend this album for all those who love thrash metal. This is no crossover thrash, punk, but straight balls to the walls, punch some one in the head thrash metal. If this came out in 1988 instead of 2008, you would probably not notice the difference. While Vindicator’s sound is reminiscent of the old great 80s thrash bands, they still keep a unique sound and style of thrash that words cannot even describe – which is why a listen to There Will Be Blood is a must.

Finally is the word that comes to mind when prying the plastic wrapping from Vindicator's debut album There Will Be Blood. Much like Exodus's Bonded By Blood, There Will Be Blood should have been released way before it did. There is a lot to hold accountable for this but who cares! The band is back and here to thrash and destroy. The album is jammed packed with their classic thrash anthems along with a few new songs. Awesome songs ranging from moshing your brain out of your skull to nuclear holocaust to demons rampaging the world. Thrashing riffs will send your fists through the air and catchy lyrics will have you shouting along with the gang vocals!!!

If you have heard Vindicators demo's you'll notice one particular thing different with the music. Marshall Law has changed his vocal approach for the album. Before his approach was in the vain of Sodom or Kreator. Now he has a more scream tactic much like that of Paul Baloff. I would say this works even better because it separates Vindicator from bands who sing in harsh tones like Toxic Holocaust. It's about the best level of intensity needed for this album. The production ranges from good to great. The band didn't over produce and left things a little raw which I think is the best way to serve thrash metal. The only big thing I noticed was the guitar tone on track four Hallows Eve seems different then the rest of the album. Another great thing with the songs on the album are the present of gang vocals. Something I loved hearing in Anthrax and Vio-lence songs. It gives the listener a chance to be part of the band.

The band writes their style of thrash by smashing together the sounds of the German scene and the Bay Area scene with hints of the East Coast thrash. There are plenty of speed and in your face thrashing with Fresh Out of Hell, New Clear Assault, and Thrash and Destroy, but the band also adds some different styles to the album. Hallows Eve sounds much like a Deceased song with its .. horror lyrics and rhythm approach. One of the original songs Vindicator has a break down section that sounds like a Motorhead riff. Pain and Suffering is a instrumental intro to Shrapnel that takes much style from Iron Maiden or Iced Earth. It's nice to hear a bit of variety in the record.

If you are a fan of Vindicator you probably already own this album and can't wait for their next release. If you are just getting into this band then I strongly suggest picking this album up. If you like thrash metal you will not be let down by this killer debut.

Proof once again that good album art never hurts. I picked this up spontaneously after being amused by the awesomely cheesy cover only to find a pretty good modern thrash band that wears some influence on their sleeve.

First off the production isn't particularly great but I've heard much much worse from more established bands and in all fairness the minimalistic lo-fi sound suits the material.

The songs are all in the vein of late 80's extreme thrash and all are pretty competently executed considering this is a debut album. Bassist/vocalist Marshall Law growls in a higher register yelp reminiscent of Mille Petrozza and even borders on Chris Reifert.

My personal favorite song on the album is Hallow's Eve, judging by the lyrical content I assume it's about the 1978 horror film Halloween. It's perfectly paced, fast but controlled. The guitar solo is played with a surprising amount of feeling and restraint, the chorus just puts it over the top.

Overall, this isn't revolutionary stuff but it's just simple. enjoyable 80's styled thrash. The band certainly has a sense of humour and don't take themselves too seriously (the "bonus track" is the band mimicking guitar sounds). It's just good headbanging fun that I think most fans of thrash will find something to like about. I expect good things from these guys in the future.