TRAITOR (Germany) - Exiled To The Surface (featuring Angelripper) - Reviewed By Bravewords ! Check it out here at this link: https://bravewords.com/reviews/traitor-exiled-to-the-surface
After an atmospheric intro (“Rura Penthe”), the title track to Traitor’s newest opus Exiled To The Surface kicks in with razor sharp guitars and wild drumming. Ah, the sounds of authentic German thrash metal. The band’s fourth full-length album and armed with a steady lineup, Traitor has consistently been churning out material since their inception in 2009.
The production is crisp with emphasis on the guitars and a thick underlying bass. The soloing is clever and on point, just check out the descending scaling on the title track or the melodic theatrics on the burner “Zordrak”. Sodom’s Angelripper provides guest vocals on the accurately titled “Total Thrash”, but the strange and fascinating cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” appears in the middle of the record and the arrangement actually works well in a thrash metal setting. Definitely one to be heard! It’s also different that drummer Andreas Mozer also serves as the band’s vocalist and he charges ahead with Mille Petrozza style vocals – a robust bark filled with anger and chaos.
At 11 tracks and 40 minutes, this is the right amount to digest with this style of music as too much of a good thing can lead to burnout. With a track re-recorded from their 2015 release (“Teutonic Storm”) and several others featured on 2019 compilation Decade Of Revival, the crawling, predatory “Metroid” (Nintendo reference?) which then goes full-out on speed sticks out as a highlight. Thrash is alive and well and Traitor does it an honest and fulfilling way. Give these guys and this album a listen. - Bravewords
Release Date: 8th July 2022
FFO: SODOM, KREATOR, WARBRINGER
Location: Germany
The fourth studio album of the Swabian threshing squad TRAITOR is probably the most versatile of her career so far. From the Teutonic old-school sound of "Total Thrash", the title song of the documentary that will be released in cinemas this summer, to German thrash metal, guest vocals by Tom Angelripper (SODOM) and Holger Ziegler (ABANDONED), to the cover of the WHAM classic "Careless Whisper", everything is represented that makes the hearts of friends beat faster in hyper speed metal.
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Inspired by "Squeeze", one of the creepiest "The X-Files" episodes ever, in which serial killer Tooms is up to his mischief, the song "66 Exeter Street" creates a similarly sinister atmosphere as once SLAYER's "Dead Skin Mask". The beastly snarling vocals of drummer Andreas Mozer paired with razor-sharp riffs and an ominously booming bass, drives the listener pleasant, cold shivers down the spine and pure fear sweat on the forehead. Perfectly set to music, sheer horror.
"The Thrash Commando from Balingen strikes back. The title track of their album "Exiled To The Surface" should be proof enough for the fact that TRAITOR have finally arrived in the first rank of the teutonic Thrash Metal. The riff storms unleashed by the two guitarists are precise as if cut with a scalpel, despite the speed of light, and the drummer's vocals, reminiscent of a young Mille Petrozza, cut through the eardrums like a phaser through Klingon steel. "Get ready for the thunder of the Teutonic Storm!"
For the documentary "Total Thrash", which will be released in German cinemas at the end of May and tells the story of German thrash metal, TRAITOR was not only allowed to contribute the title song of the same name, but also none other than Ruhrpott veteran Tom Angelripper of SODOM did the honors of singing the guest vocals in the studio. If that's not an accolade! Here the old school meets the new generation and the vibe of the 80s is transported into the 2020s. In the truest sense of the word "great cinema". This is also the official cinema movie Track for the Documentary "Total Thrash - The Teutonic Story". The Movie is right now in the German Cinemas and will be soon available on DVD/Blue-ray and for streaming (Stream will be online in September). If you need more infos about the movie, here is the website: https://totalthrash.de/en/
Can metal be danceable? Is it allowed to shake a leg in the Circle Pit? You may. And you can! With their cover of the "WHAM!" classic "Careless Whisper", TRAITOR have managed to square the circle with a wink, put on the 80s cuddly hit and make it sound so brutal, dirty and groovy at the same time that even George Michael starts headbanging in his crypt. The first metal track that you can be WHAM'ed by!
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01 - Guilty As Charged
02 - Exiled To The Surface
03 - Total Thrash (Feat. Tom Angelripper)
04 - 66 Exeter Street
05 - Zordark
06 - Careless Whisper
07 - Teutonic Storm (2021)
08 - Metroid
09 - Into The Nightosphere
10 - Space Seed
11 - Decade Of Revival (Traitor Part IV)
Follow the band at these links:
https://www.facebook.com/traitorthrash/
https://www.instagram.com/traitorthrash/
https://twitter.com/traitorthrash
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdLeDbx3IhsbpfaCj1-8xnw
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3rHTxH2it9i3O73UQbnMvM
https://violentcreekrecords.bandcamp.com/album/exiled-to-the-surface-preorder
https://www.nuclearblast.com/eu/traitor-exiled-to-the-surface-cd-1001666
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/traitor-exiled-to-the-surface-cd
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