Get ready to go metal thrash mad, the Canadian way. Untimely Demise is one of many kick-ass thrash metal bands on the Canadian metal scene, many of which were never given the attention and praise they deserved and ended up in oblivion. If would be unfair is Untimely Demise suffered the same kind of, well, untimely demise as many of those underrated thrash metal bands, because Untimely Demise's 2010 City of Steel is really an awesome slab of solid thrash metal.
The album is going to be internationally released in September this year (with a differently ordered tracklist, it seems), giving the band a well-deserved chance to make it big on the international scene.
Stylistically, Untimely Demise combine the aggression of Exodus with the finesse and technicality of Megadeth and inject a good dose of Schuldiner influences. And I am sure that we can agree this is not the worst combination in the world. I certainly really like the type of technical yet aggressive speed-thrash metal that Untimely Demise deliver on City of Steel, which contains all the elements of old school thrash metal aesthetics and is coherent in that sense, but at the same time this is a quite melodic and varied album that never becomes boring to listen to.
Some tracks, like 'Virtue in Death' and 'Hunting Evil' are all out thrash metal attacks with a semi-high level of technicality, while the title track manages to stuff Schuldiner style riffs with old school triplet speed metal and Youthanasia-era Megadeth melody into the same song, while the awesome 'The Unmaker' is more of a speed metal tune with lots of references to both power metal and Iron maiden-style NWoBHM. 'Forget of Belief' is an uptempo thrasher with midtempo triplet passages and melodic Schuldiner-inspired riffs infused with a slight neoclssic feel. Untimely Demise Draws mainly on traditional thrash metal, but a track like 'Streets of Vice' does contain a Pantera-style groovy riff and a couple of not-too-fast Suffocation-esque blastbeats, while 'Bloodsoaked Mission' returns to the sphere of all out speed-thrash metal.
The production is crisp and well defined, but not polished (and you can hear the bass), which means that you can hear all the musical details, and that is something I appreciate with quasi-technical thrash metal like this. The musicianship is obviously top notch, and the guitar solos are impressively shreddy and technical, while the drumming is "in constant motion", to quote Mike Portnoy, and rock solid. The vocals are harsh and, while there sometimes are some growls, it sounds like the result of an attempt at cloning Angela Gossow, Blaine Cook, and Steve Souza into an evil angry imp. In other words, the vocals are sick, and in thrash metal, sick vocals is a good thing.
Any lover of thrash metal should treat themselves to a copy of this album when it gets re-released worldwide in September, because it is really that good. Buy it and support Canadian thrash metal!
Track Listing:
1. Virtue in Death
2. Hunting Evil
3. City of Steel
4. The Unmaker
5. Forget of Belief
6. Streets of Vice
7. Bloodsoaked Mission
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