21Lucifers, In The Name Of...
If one Lucifer ain’t evil enough for you, then 21 of them should be more than enough for any malicious needs. At least that’s what 21Lucifers seems to think as they shred through 18 tracks of catchy, technical thrash with a feral evilness that could only be found in the darkest depths of hell.
There’s a good deal of variety on this disc. At times, the band shows instances of sheer technical brutality then shifts to levels of musicianship that will surprise and delight — capturing groove filled death metal riffs with a blinding ferocity of unrelenting thrash, catchy hooks and elements of black metal. Hell, they even throw in one of the best covers of Faith No More’s “Surprise You’re Dead” I’ve ever heard for good measure.
In The Name Of
the opening track is a great intro to the band as they hit with slowly building riffs and thick drum work before opening up the gates to hell with their second song on the album.
Violence
Man, this song is incredible. It features layered vocals that work so well together, creating evil harmonies and dynamics to go along with Dragonforce-like guitar solos. Serve all of it at light speed and you’re got “Violence” one hell of a track. I can’t get enough of the chorus either. It’s hard to imagine that this is the band’s debut full length — they’ve got the sound of seasoned pros.
Art of Chaos
Evil riffing and machine gun drumming explodes from your speakers at the onset of this next track. Vocalist Erik Skoglund’s hyper active approach pays off with a series of screams and change ups throughout his delivery.
Greed Spreader
More thrashing goodness keeps the pace up as “Greed Spreader” erupts. Man, these dudes know how to shred and mix it up well with groovy choruses and hooks. There’s so much going on in each track, yet 21Lucifers maintains the songs continuity so well.
Die Dead Gone
A thick bass line gets this one started as thrashing riffs and pummeling drums join in quickly. There are so many bursts from all parties throughout this short track. It’s like Satan forgot to take his Ritalin this morning. It’s one hell of an aggressive song.
Hate Will Prevail
A brief sound clip starts off “Hate Will Prevail” as the band unleashes unholy hell upon your ears with this caustic monster.
Hope Fades
Aggressive and evil are two words that easily come to mind when trying to describe this track. Layered vocals proved great depth while groove laden riffs fill the air.
Perfect Hell
The band starts this one off slightly slower than the previous tracks with groovy guitar work and calculated drumming. If you’re head isn’t on a swivel with this one then you need to put down the album cover and go find yourself some country music. This is one of those tracks that will garner the band plenty of notoriety.
Despair
“Despair” starts off with a slow bit of guitar work and light drumming in the back ground. This one is a bit more structured in it’s base with memorable riffing and melodic elements. It’s an excellent change up from the beating the listener has been taking on the previous eight songs. There is some amazing guitar work throughout the song’s length with screamed vocals that reside in the background to emphasize the melodies and impressive musicianship of this song.
Kill or Blood
After the epic and anthemic sound of “Despair”, 21Lucifers pick the pace back up with bludgeoning death metal that’s full of groove oriented rhythms and guttural vocal work. There are a few moments of impressive guitar leads in this very short track.
Man-made Misery
Machine gun drumming and evil riffing get this one moving along at a full sprint. Excellent vocal work from Skoglund and searing guitar solos from Tobbe Ols and Nicklas Lindh.
Suprise You’re Dead
21Lucifers take Faith No More’s “Surprise You’re Dead” and dipped into a vat of boiling, festering evil before placing it on this album. Wow.
Killing at Will
“Killing at Will” is an aggressive, thrashing affair full of driving riffs and unrelenting drum work. Add in a few layered backing vocals and you have yourself a classic song.
Where Apathy Dwells
This one has a bit of a chaotic feel to it that adds an interesting dynamic that we haven’t seen so far on In The Name Of…. I’m really enjoying the overall feel of this song.
Self Pollution
A classic riff starts this one off before pile driving drums join in. There are some great guitar moments throughout “Self Pollution” that you’ll definitely want to be on the look out for.
Quid Pro Quo
Groovy riffs and drum work get this one flowing nicely. There are plenty of tempo changes in this one to keep you fully entertained this late in the disc.
5 Infernal Years
The shortest track on the album brings out the band’s early grindcore roots with a simple sound clip and Napalm Death like aural explosion of sound.
Retaliation
The final song on the album has a very large, rich sound to it. I’m more than impressed with the guitar work on this album — from the breakdown like riffs to soaring leads, these two dudes have awed and inspired. Let’s not forget Olle Ferner on drums. That dude has been legendary on this album
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It’s hard to believe this is the band’s debut full length release. There’s just so much going on throughout this disc’s tracks that it’s surprising that such a young band could produce and maintain it’s presence so well without faltering. Catchy hooks, thrashing apocalyptic riffing, maniacal drum work and a seriously impressive vocal attack all combine on a disc that’ll surely garner the band well deserved attention this year.
Favorite Tracks:
All of them
Additional Notes:
N/A