5 tracks – Duration: 20 min.
Yes, this is it! From the first seconds, you realize that SCHIZOPHRENIA from Antwerp/Belgium is passionate, old school Death/Thrash Metal, the way it was meant to be. You sense the hunger of these four musicians like you can feel it with retro acts such as CARNATION and EVIL INVADERS. It is no wonder that this EP sounds so brutal: Bert Vervoort, guitarist in CARNATION and owner of Project Zero Recording Studio, and Yarne Heylen, the bassist in CARNATION, were responsible for the recording, mix, and mastering. In the 8-page booklet, there is a photo of the band members wearing shirts of DEICIDE, MASTER, VENOM, and MORBID ANGEL and are backed up by Marshall amplifiers. So you know what to expect, buckle up your seatbelts!
The five tracks rage like a short but fierce storm, leaving nothing but ravage behind. The first track ‘Structure of Death’ is an instant outburst of Death/Thrash violence giving you an adrenaline rush with fast (sometimes double-bass) drums, aggressive & raw vocals, and thrashy guitar riffs and frenetic solos. ‘Perpetual Perdition’ does not give you time to breathe either with its speedy instrumentals, there is just a brief moment of headbanging groove and a solo towards the end of the song, to end with a SLAYER-esque riff. The guitars on ‘Mortal Sin’ start a tad slower but the tension builds up and the drums reveal that the intention is not to make this a slow track either and before you know it, everything thrashes away. ‘Schizophrenia’ starts with thrashing guitars and double-bass drums announce yet another piece of aggression, maintaining the same style of the previous tracks, but without getting boring. No, ‘Beyond Reality’ is not ending the album with a ballad: full speed ahead in a time machine back to the early nineties.
Roberto Toderico’s hands crafted the dark cover artwork which has a nostalgic nineties look & feel.
Hopefully, Covid-19 will be beaten by March 2021, because then they will hit the stage together with VADER, TANKARD, and ALTAR at Metalworks Fest in Kuurne, Belgium – I expect a lot of energy. As for ‘Voices’, I am loving it, I cannot wait for a full-length. It is an absolute must for fans of DEMOLITION HAMMER. Check them out!
9 out of 10 skulls
THRONE OF ABSENCE 