The Metal Crypt on Facebook  The Metal Crypt's YouTube Channel
Review: Vindicator/Metal Witch - Outbreak Of Metal Vol.1
Vindicator
www.myspace.com/savindicator
Metal Witch
www.metalwitch.de
Outbreak Of Metal Vol.1

Label: Slaney Records
Year released: 2009
Duration: 46:21
Tracks: 12
Genre: Heavy/Thrash

Rating:
3.75/5


Review online: July 14, 2009
Reviewed by: Michel Renaud
Readers' Rating
How do you rate this release?

Rated 3.73/5 (74.55%) (11 Votes)
Review

A split album, and it's not Black Metal? Now that's a little uncommon. Outbreak Of Metal Vol.1 mixes the old with the new, with Vindicator being a relatively new Thrash band formed in 2005, and Metal Witch a Heavy Metal band formed 20 years earlier, in 1985. Thrash vs. Heavy? Surely this clashes somehow? Well, not really. Vindicator are on the "clean" side of things as far as Thrash is concerned, so they tip toe into Heavy Metal territory from time to time, while Metal Witch's style is quite raw and sometimes border on Thrash. Bottom line, as a whole this split album flows pretty well, and the passage from track 6 to 7 is not a culture shock.

Vindicator pretty much belong to the "New Wave of Thrash", which means that they do things old school, essentially steering clear of modernism in the genre. It also means they don't really invent anything. But what's important is what they're delivering, and overall I found these to be rather enjoyable songs, thrashing away with some aggression, some seriousness and oftentimes with a bit of a party-ish vibe - couldn't be but think of Municipal Waste on a couple of tracks, even though they don't sound alike, the vibe is similar. Fun overall, with a pretty good vocalist that manages not to annoy, unlike many of newer Thrash bands. They take a little punk turn on "I Hate People", which really sticks out since it sounds so different from the rest. "U.S.S.A." is where the band takes a rawer approach, this one definitely less polished than their own compositions.

Metal Witch is just what you'd expect from a band formed 25 years ago: Some raw, basic and catchy Heavy Metal. A good dose of heaviness is also at the rendez-vous, mostly the guitars although the drumming does get its share of heavy pounding. The vocalist's style is more thrashy than the one in Vindicator, save on "The Curse of the Wolf" where the style is quite different and, I must say, very annoying. To make matters worse, on that song not only are the vocal melodies memorable, but so is the addictive main guitar riff. As a result, the song annoys me but it's also the one I remember the most. :) It's not a bad song, it's catchy as hell, but the vocals in the chorus just get on my nerves. I'll live. ;) Just like Vindicator, Metal Witch isn't something that's going to "wow" you - it's been done before. But just like their split-mates, the songs are fun, with Metal Witch having the upper hand on the catchiness.

Not groundbreaking by any means, but a cool release nonetheless. I've put this one on repeat for hours and never got tired. If you're looking for some old school fun and don't have a "Thrash Elite" stick stuck up your ass, you can't go wrong with this one.

Click below for more reviews
Latest 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Various Books/Zines 



The Metal Crypt - Crushing Posers Since 1999
Copyright  © 1999-2024, Michel Renaud / The Metal Crypt.  All Rights Reserved.