Album Review: Teramaze – “AnhedoniA”
This is one of those occasions where something quite unexpected descends on you. Teramaze are a thrash band hailing from Australia, and up until giving the album a listen, I’d never heard of them. In fact it all came about while I was browsing through Nightmare Records web page, having been directed there by one of their stable mates. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say, the label has some great bands on it, and is well worth checking out.
Now this album is right up my street. I like ‘old school’ thrash, and at times this band remind me a lot of Annihilator, well musically at least. The album is a thrill ride from start to finish, with thundering rhythms, very heavy riffs, and face melting solos. Oh yes, this is a VERY good album. I would go so far as to say that I absolutely LOVE it.
Australia has produced some great rock bands, but not many seem to make it across to the UK. I’ll bet that there’s not many people who could name more than a handful, so when I come across an Australian band that are this good, I kind of ask myself why the hell I haven’t heard of them before.
From a personal point of view, one of the major pluses is that the vocalist can sing. I really can’t stand all of that screamo shite, or roaring vocals. Sure it has it’s place in the metal world, but just not in my record collection. This album has a ‘proper’ vocalist, where I can hear what is being sung clearly, and the vocals suit the music perfectly. They bill themselves as a prog metal thrash band, and that description is not far from being right on the money. For me though, it takes me back to the glory days of fast pounding rhythms and screaming guitars, oh and maniacal shredding.
Musically though, the whole thing has been given an overhaul, thereby putting a 21st century twist on things. It gives the music a fresh sound, and on the whole it’s altogether very different. In a world where more and more bands are going for the ‘metal roar’ approach to the heavier side of rock, Teramaze are a breath of fresh air. Treat yourself to this album, stick it on in the car, and just try to keep your driving from getting as fast as the music….
This album is an absolute gem, and it was only by coincidence I found out about it. I could have missed out completely and never even known about it, and after listening to this, I can confirm that had that happened, it would have been a tragedy worthy of a Shakespearean play. Don’t you miss out either and visit www.facebook.com/teramaze
