Cruel Force – Dawn of the Axe
August 18th, 2023
Blackened Thrash Metal
Shadow Kingdom Records
Mannheim, Germany
I first discovered Cruel Force when YouTube recommended me their killer fucking music video for “At the Dawn of the Axe”. That video ruled so hard with its retro video aesthetic, excessive use of fog machines, and blue-purple lightning. It immediately sucked me into that song and I knew I had to check out the rest of the record based upon its awesomeness. Though Cruel Force have released two records prior to Dawn of the Axe, this record was my first exposure to their work, and man this thing absolutely rules.
Do you yearn for the glory days of ancient thrash? Do you long for reverberating drums that sound like they emanate from the deepest pits of Hell, razor fire guitar riffs that burn like a buzzsaw blade, and vocals that sound akin to any of the first wave black metal bands? Well then you need look no further than Dawn of the Axe. This record has all of those tropes of this elder genre and more besides.
The vocal performance from frontman Carnivore is exactly what I crave from this style of music. He’s got a venomous bite that feels like it fits somewhere in between the yelling of Cronos from Venom and the harsh screams of the Teutonic thrash bands of Germany’s early thrash scene. Its pretty one note throughout the record’s runtime, but I don’t mind the execution. The album passes by fast enough that the vocals don’t wear out their welcome. Aside from that Carnivore is also joined by his bandmates in moments of gang vocals that back up the leads, littered all throughout this album’s runtime.
The riffs, provided by guitarist Slaughter and bassist Spider, are pure blackened thrash metal that sounds like it was ripped straight from the ages of yore. If you’re a fan of bands like the aforementioned Venom, or Canadian groups like Razor or Annihilator, then this music was handcrafted specifically for you and your ilk. Its got that kind of hellish black metal tinge to the remorseless, relentless speed of the riffs that threaten to lop your head off and leave you a bloody corpse on the side of a desolate road. There’s even a bit of Megadeth-inspired Arabian influence to be had on tracks like “Across the Styx”. Indeed the axe’s time has come as the guitars will show no mercy to any of those who dare to pop this record on. I do think that the riffage is at times a little bit derivative but by and large it’s not too much of an obstacle to the listening experience.
The drumming, from GG Alex, as you might expect, hearkens back to the kind of drumming present in this type of old school thrash metal throughout the 80’s. It’s fast and punky, but not without its technical aspects either. There are times when the tempo changes on a dime, going from ultra fast one-two beats to slower slogs on the double bass, evident on a track like “Death Rides the Sky”. I love how much emphasis is placed on the ride cymbal here, as well as how its produced. It truly sounds like an old school drumming style, especially when it comes to the fast rolls on the toms that feel ripped straight from the playbook of Pleasure to Kill era Kreator. I also love the subtle emphasis placed on the floor tom, which comes in occasionally, like on the track “Night of Thunder”, to accent every second beat during the chorus. It’s an interesting choice that adds just a little extra flavour to the track.
This thing is also produced immaculately. It sounds shockingly accurate to the way that old school bands from the past sounded. I’m downright impressed by just how archaic and true this album sounds. They nailed everything from the guitar sound to the reverb on the drums to the echo on the vocals. It sounds like it was ripped straight out of the 80’s, which is obviously exactly what they were going for. The mission here was accomplished in spades. My only gripe is that I wish the bass was a bit more present in the mix. Some tracks, like “Devil’s Dungeon”, have the bass a bit more audible, but the guitars more often than not drown it out.
This album is the complete package for old school thrash purists and is a must listen for fans of early Slayer, any of the Teutonic thrash giants, and the previously mentioned Canadian bands. If you miss the way that thrash used to sound then you’ve arrived at the album just for you. This thing is a blast from the past and a half and I hope metalheads the world over uncover this gem.
Final Verdict: 8.5/10
Great
Favourite Tracks:
“At the Dawn of the Axe”
“Night of Thunder”
“Devil’s Dungeon”
“Across the Styx”
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 