The Hirvi: Old School Killspree

The Hirvi loosely translated means “The Moose� and they are an authentic throwback of the late 1980’s thrash scene in Finland. In fact, they are one of the bigger names back then and now decided to release their songs on an eight-track album. The Hirvi get right to it with a thrash winner “Dying Time� that is pure thrash through and through with slight touches of old school Metallica (no pun intended.) With “Satan is Back� they are stick to their thrash underpinnings but go black metal a la Mercyful Fate for a soul-pounding performance of scary-lyrics Scandinavian-style. I particularly fond of “The Hirvi� which opens with a rockabilly bass beat and turns to an Anthrax influenced riff coupled with major doses of Slayer. The fact that The Hirvi can execute all I described without any production gimmicks is itself a testament to their maturity and musicianship. Bravo.

The Hirvi manage an epic track of over seven minutes “Dance, Dance, Dance� which is similar to a historical sonic journal of all their stylings and musings put together in a fantastic arrangement of thrash meets high octane finesse. This is the very song bands save for concept albums and then unleash onto the fans. “Old School Killspree is no traditional concept album but in a logical if not chronological way it faithfully represents what the band did in the past and can do better in the present.

On “Vihan paiva� a very short Finnish language song the music is furious but fun and I suspect this track is probably a hometown favorite in Finland. “Killer Instinct� is my takeaway song (a song that sticks with me as I finish reviewing an album) in that it’s constructed and delivered according to the creative tastes of The Hirvi. If it’s a coincidence that this song doesn’t have any leanings towards any other bands then so be it. But it strikes me like The Hirvi found the thrash band they set out to be which is original and organic. They actually sound live in the studio. That speaks to heart. And that is remembered in history. May they do more than this in the coming years.

Track List:
1. Dying Time 4:45
2. Satan is Back 4:52
3. The Hirvi 3:47
4. Dance, Dance, Dance 7:40
5. Vihan pairva 1:31
6. Don’t Fuck With the Runners 4:37
7. Killer Instinct 5:20
8. Jumla on hyva 2:22

Added: May 30th 2018
Reviewer: Mark Antony Rossi
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1663
Language: english

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