Unleash the beast...
Being sucked straight into this festival of brutality with opening track 'Bones of my Enemies', you certainly know what you are going to get from Usurper. This is plain, simple, no bullshit Death Metal that places a fistful of metal firmly up your ass.
Usurper are certainly a brutal band and with past albums like Twilight Dominion and Necronemesis you may think that they would not be able to follow them up but they do this very well. They have certainly stuck to their old roots and influences such as bands like Celtic Frost and Bolt Thrower, which you can feel the anger of in their music- pure fucking carnage.
This is certainly what metal is all about and tracks like 'Kill for Metal' and 'Wrath of God' certainly confirms that. With lyrics on subjects such as werewolves, killing and war, they certainly follow the tradition. This is what Usurper do and if you think it's stupid, then obviously this isn't a band for you.
Usurper have come a long way since 1993 when they first formed. After recording 5 albums they are now signed to Earache Records and seem to gradually getting the recognition that they deserve. They're to be relatively unknown in the UK at the moment- but not for long. If you have heard 'Reptillian' on one of those Earache competitions and do not like it, you should give this album a chance. Believe me, the song does not do this album justice.
The standout tracks on this album are 'Ectoplasm', a brilliant little instrumental, which features some dazzling guitar work from "Carcass" Chris and Rick S. Scythe. The other brilliant track is 'The Bones of My Enemies' which has a rip-out-your-lungs-and-stamp-on-them-repeatedly opener that you simply cannot dislike.
Something that usually does not get mentioned in most CD reviews is the artwork. Artwork on this album it is simply brilliant and deserves a mention- you should buy this CD just so you have something this cool looking in your collection!
If you like straight forward, no messing about, straight out Death/Thrash metal, then this album is most certainly for you. Everything about it is good in some way...The guitar work, the vocals, the drums, the bass, the artwork... Everything. Even if this does not sound like your thing, you should still give Usurper a chance because you might well surprise yourself! A fantastic album and well worth the listen.