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Blood Tsunami

Grand Feast For Vultures

Written by: EW on 01/06/2009 15:02:26

Blood Tsunami are most notable for being the current home of Faust, the original Emperor drummer imprisoned in the mid-90's for homicide in the period the Norwegian black metal scene was making headline news across numerous countries, and were formed shortly after his release around 2004. Rather than going back to the BM sound and scene though the newly created band is very much in the vein of the classic 80's thrash wave; perhaps not the most original now but Blood Tsunami's take on it is more genuine and profound than most others doing the same thing at the moment. Their debut album in 2007 was entitled "Thrash Metal" - 'nuff said.

"Grand Feast For Vultures"' take on the formula revolves around the heavier end of the thrash scale unlike contemporaries Evile, Gama Bomb and the like who you could say sit in the middle of the thrash league of extremity. A meaty clear production and a vocal style utilising a combination of mid-level growls and some shrieking still sits "Grand Feast..." in the league of thrash but with strong allegiances to Kreator, both old and new, and Faust's pedal-heavy drum tactics it is primarily going to be an album for someone who generally gets along better with death and black metal than for those whom thrash represents their pinnacle of brutality. On top of this, Blood Tsunami are very competent musicians all round, and this shows most evidently in the long periods without vocals, notably the 12 minute instrumental "Horsehead Nebula", which features some classic metal-style twin lead guitar action, as well as just in the meat and bones of the title track and the Slayer-esque thrash of "Castle of Skulls".

You'd have gotten long odds on betting that the aforementioned lengthy instrumental track would stand out as the album's highlight but that is exactly what has happened here as "Horsehead Nebula" is extremely well constructed and through various changes of scenery never feels like the 12 minutes that it represents. Through avoiding the cliches of the scene holding back many of the current US and British thrash bands Blood Tsanumi have produced an album worthy of the attention that was always going to come their way with Faust in the ranks and "Grand Feast..." can stand amongst the finest thrash albums of the decade, up alongside the likes of Testament's "The Gathering", an album equally single-minded in it's intent and ability to pull off the musical intentions of it's creators so capably. The result is an excellent listen and one in a position that should be of entertainment to a large snapshot of the metal world.

Download: Horsehead Nebula, One Step Closer To The Grave, Castle of Skulls
For The Fans Of: Kreator, Slayer, Dark Angel
Listen: Myspace

Release date: 24.04.09
Candlelight Records