THE BEAST

NEANDERTHAL - RISE  - Reviewed By Metal Digest ! Check it out here at this link: https://metal-digest.com/2023/05/13/neanderthal-rise/

Whether you think that Neanderthals have been fairly or unfairly represented since their discovery over a century ago, one thing has is certain, Neanderthals survived ice age onslaughts and were thought to be extinct… until now. In deepest, darkest southern England, Neanderthal have been playing heavy metal and have released their debut album ‘Rise’.

                You’d think there would be something primal, doomy and stonery about a band called Neanderthal, but instead, what the listener gets here with his album is a band which plays a modern style of thrash metal. This is the sort of metal assault which makes the bedrock… get it? Nevermind. Fusing the stomping modern thrashing metalcore rhythms of the likes of Lamb of God with the complexity of Gojira and pure raw energy of Testament, particularly through the harsh vocals of Alec Shelmerdine the listener is clubbed over the head and dragged back to the cave. This all comes together to mean that ‘Rise’ has some real aggressive assaults and tracks such as ‘A Simple God Complex’, ‘Desecration’ and ‘Cut Print Kill the Pig’ are perfect examples of what this band does well.

                Realistically, there isn’t anything here that hasn’t been done before. However, ‘Rise’ is a good, solid album of modern thrashing metal which does what it says on the tin. Nothing more required. Metal Digest

Release Date: 3rd June 2022

FFO: Testament, Lamb of God, Gojira

Location: Essex, UK

Based in Essex, UK, Neanderthal are a modern metal outfit with a ten-year pedigree. The ferocious four piece were established in 2012 in the heart of Southend, by its founding father Alec Shelmerdine (bass and vocals), with the sole objective to create a sound that embodied his passion for the music he had lived all his life. In Summer 2016, Jay McGregor joined the cause. With his blistering drumbeats forged by the thrash metal of old, he complimented the thundering sound of Shelmerdine’s four string and the complexity of Stokes & Loveridge’s guitars perfectly. Post covid big changes arrived, with the departure of both Stokes and Loveridge, Shelmerdine moved back to guitar when Andy Ewings (Spewy) joined on bass and Dr Tom Robinson-Perry took over on second guitar duties. Now complete and ready to leave their very unique pulse pounding mark on this vast landscape known as Metal It`s not possible to hold Neanderthal to one style, one minute its crushing riffs, then high speed melodic rhythms, then heavy dynamic crushing breakdowns. It’s a unique brand of metal, and its totally their own. This all adds up to fusing the gap left between the bands that inspired them and the more mainstream metal causing even the most casual listeners to nod their heads to the beat of their sound and sing along to the catchy choruses. Hungry listeners across the world craved Neanderthals tonal tuneage, and they continue to enjoy a decent following in Europe and the Americas. Probably one of the standout strengths of the band are their awe-inspiring live performances. Already headlining most of their live performances this year, they bring a relentless steamroller of a show. Like any band worth their salt, Neanderthal treasure their fans and their continuous support to them is never forgotten. There may be a lot of metal bands out there, but there is only one “Neanderthal.”

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Follow the band at these links:

https://www.facebook.com/Neanderthalband1
https://www.instagram.com/theneandergram/
https://twitter.com/NeanderthalV2