Artillery - Legions

Thrash Metal
Metal Blade
2013








1. Chill My Bones (Burn My Flesh)
2. God Feather
3. Legions
4. Wardrum Heartbeat
5. Global Flatline
6. Dies Irae
7. Anno Requiem
8. Enslaved To The Nether
9. Doctor Evil
10. Ethos Of Wrath

Well, here we are again with a new vocalist for Artillery. I remember the last time this happened I was pretty worried. Flemming Ronsdorf was a big part of Artillery's sound and one of my favorite thrash vocalists. Soren Nico Adamsen erased any doubt I had about the band being able to continue though as he was a perfect fit. I absolutely loved When Death Comes and My Blood so once again, I am sad to see an Artillery vocalist go. This time I'm slightly less skeptical though. I mean if the band managed to find a new vocalist who kicked ass the last time... maybe they can do it again here.

Then again... Maybe not. It didn't take me long listening to this album to know where this review was headed. After a few tracks it became painfully obvious that the high and and thin vocals Michael Bastholm Dahl simply do not have the muscle for thrash material. I know Artillery has always had somewhat of a power approach to the vocals, but these are just way too lightweight. The vocals just have little force, no variation like the band has had in growls or screams... Nothing. It's sad really because the songs are quite good. The Stutzers lay down some awesome riffs here and the music is extremely headbangable thrash. The music is aggressive as hell and loaded with energy. It has that nice clean sound with some middle eastern flair the band has had since By Inheritence and the band's trademarks are firmly intact on everything. This is almost everything I expect and want from Artillery... but the vocals. Oh man the vocals. Dahl's not an incompetent singer and I bet he'd be ok, if not spectacular, in a power/traditional band, but the singing just sucks the fire right out of this album.

This has got to be the most tragically flawed album I have heard in some time. The end result is I just can't get around the singing. It's actually really frustrating because this could have been an excellent album. As is... it's just too depressing to listen to. May this new vocalist's stay in the band be short. Is there any way I could personally bribe Soren to come back to this band?

Highlights: Chill My Bones, Enslaved To The Nether

Rating - 3.0/5

Artillery - My Blood

Thrash Metal
Metal Mind

2011

1. Mi Sangre (The Blood Song)
2. Monster
3. Dark Days
4. Death is an Illusion
5. Ain't Giving In
6. Prelude to Madness
7. Thrasher
8. Warrior Blood
9. Concealed in the Dark
10. End of Eternity
11. The Great
12. Show Your Hate 2011 (Re-Recording)
13. Eternal War 2011 (Re-Recording)

Hey look a new Artillery album and it took less than the neighborhood of a decade. We're off to a good start already. Seriously, I loved Flemming Ronsdorf, but if the band needed a vocalist change to put out material more regularly than practically never... it was a good trade. Not to mention I thought Soren Nico Adamsen did a very admirable job on When Death Comes.

Well with the excitement over the fact that there simply is a new Artillery album out of the way, it was time to listen to the thing. Upon doing so, I have to say that the album did not exactly jump right out at me. At the very least not in the same way that When Death Comes did. Maybe it was partly that When Death Comes had a new sound/new singer and was fresher. More than that though the songs on the last album had more immediate hooks and more addictive choruses. All in all my initial reaction to this album was 'pretty good, but not exactly what I was hoping for'.

After listening My Blood more however, I started to warm more and more to it. It's still true that this release is not as catchy and anthemic as When Death Comes, but it does thrash ahead with some pretty good energy. I don't rate this one as highly as the last, but nor is it by any means a bad album. Actually, is a really solid album that's head and shoulders above much of the current thrash scene. Good riffs and very headbangable. Most thrash bands could only hope for an album this solid from start to finish now days. Another bonus is the couple of bonus tracks I got with this one which are re-recorded versions of some old Artillery tracks. In the end, I prefer the originals as they were pretty damn good to start with, but it's still nice to hear the new singer's takes and he does an admirable job. I have no doubt this band would be good live for the new and the old material.

In the end, this is not something I'd consider a modern thrash classic like When Death Comes, but nor is the formula broken or the band putting out bad material. This is actually one of the better releases I've heard so far this year. The winning formula of middle eastern sounding riffs that thrash hard and some solid vocal deliveries that add to the energy is still intact. This just doesn't quite have that extra something to really push it over the top/to the same level as When Death Comes. I'd still highly recommend this album to any fans of Artillery and thrash in general. If you like your thrash metal with a power touch than this is very solid.

Highlights: Monster, Mi Sangre, Warrior Blood, Dark Days

Rating - 4.0/5

Artillery - When Death Comes

Thrash Metal
Metal Mind Productions

2009

1. When Death Comes
2. Upon My Cross I Crawl
3. 10,000 Devils
4. Rise Above It All
5. Sandbox Philosophy
6. Delusions Of Grandeur
7. Not A Nightmare
8. Damned Religion
9. Uniform
10. The End

Skepticism is the first word that comes to mind when I thought about a new Artillery album without Flemming Ronsdorf. Certainly, I did understand why the band decided to move on without him, but that doesn't mean I won't miss his unique voice. The fact is though that the band wants to be more active and he does not. So be it. This is too good of a band to sit on the shelf for 10 years.

After listening to this album I am prepared to eat any words of doubt I had said about the band picking Soren Nico Adamsen as a new singer and continuing. This album is a monster and Soren slides easily into the role of Artillery's singer without changing the dynamic much. He is not a sound alike to Flemming, but he does have a knack for the same sort of power metal-like choruses and they retain much the same vibe. The thing that really amazes me about this release though is the bag of riffs these guys brought to the party. Holy shit does this album shred and the sound reminds me of a logical follow up to By Inheritance. In short, this album is everything I could have wished for and far more than I ever would've expected. When Death Comes is a nonstop thrash assault that is worthy of being called a modern thrash metal masterpiece and I am floored by it.

Really I never could've predicted this sort of a thrash metal beast. Losing Flemming seemed like a major blow to the band and their last attempt at a reunion BACK was not their best album as it was nowhere near as shredding and seemed a bit phoned in at times. It appears that with a more cohesive lineup the band has found their fire again and one of my favorite thrash metal bands ever is back with a vengeance. I'd say When Death Comes stands up with their best material and that's a high compliment from me as By Inheritance is one of my favorite metal albums. If you are a thrash metal fan then you need this album and if you like thrash metal with a hint of power like perhaps Paradox then you really need this album.

Highlights: When Death Comes, 10000 Devils, Upon My Cross I Crawl, Sandbox Philosophy, Not A Nightmare

Rating - 4.5/5