Description

Black vinyl with lyric insert

Death Is King is the debut album from the Swedish thrash metal act Black Cyclone. The album is an unstoppable, speed metal assault filled with N.W.O.B.H.M.-styled solos, with a mixture of clean and Agent Steel-like high-pitched vocals and lyrical themes ranging from Lovecraft myths and anti-religion to anarchy and anti-establishment. There are many U.S. thrash elements in the veins of Slayer, early Anthrax, early Megadeth, Municipal Waste and early Testament besides Overkill and some parts that remind me of teutonic thrash. Raw riffage with a speed-tastic overload can sometimes be very sloppy, but in this case, it’s actually quite concise. Instead of being a bunch of overused power chords, the guitar licks are raining all over the place, and deliver very bouncy rhythms that don’t get drowned out by the desire to go crazy with speed. The good thing about the rougher edges is that it adds an extra punch to the songs. Crunchier overtones take the forefront here, which fits well with the songwriting. When push comes to shove, Death Is King is a clear attempt at reviving the classics from decades ago, and they do a solid job of making that clear without being an exact copy. Essentially, there’s a blunt projection of 80s thrash, as well as moments of stripped down speed metal that take back the ferocity an inch or two. Mostly though, this serves as a strong throwback to the roots of the style and anybody that digs speed and thunderous tones should give this disc a spin.

Track list:
1. Death Is Crowned As King
2. Hordes
3. Black Cyclone
4. Falling Star
5. Beast Battalion
6. IÄH
7. Under Your Hoof
8. Death by Crushing
9. This Is It