Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Underground
Label: Self-released
Released: 2017
Runtime: 40:56
Rating: 4/5
Every album made in Slovenia that carries the »heavy metal« tag counts. Not just because there are so few of us Slovenes in the galaxy to begin with, but because we Slovenes, by tradition, make damn good metal. And it’s practically a rule that Slovenian metal bands fight their way through and keep themselves afloat entirely on their own. Independently. Underground, valiant Primorska devotees of the hard-hitting structures described above, from the Goriška lowlands to be precise, based in Šempeter pri Gorici, are no exception.
What the ambitious, bold »Demo« EP hinted at three years ago, the studio debut »Brutalizer« confirms. On their first full-length, the guys have honed, deepened and defined their revivalist, retro-sounding approach to songwriting even further. It draws inspiration from the traditional gains of the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement’s legacy, led by Iron Maiden of course, but Underground can also be pulled toward the life and work of Judas Priest (the track Texas Chainsaw Massacre), which in turn creates an unstoppable bond between the band and the eighties metal that developed on the soil of the old European continent. Associations that jump to mind are the German bands Stranger, Scanner, early Helloween, Midnight Darkness and Stormwitch too, then the Danish Witch Corss and Mercyful Fate, or the Belgian Ostrogoth, and across the Atlantic “pond” the American Liege Lord, while the marching pomp of the track Horrors of the Past also revives the vibe of the old Omen.
Still, Underground are heralds of a new generation of metal. They approach things with their own musical mindset, naturally. The inspiration is logical, so the band isn’t delivering a musical revolution or anything we haven’t already heard, but it does bring out an album of real heart and a huge, fierce commitment to the traditional ways of making heavy metal. The quintet is not short on fiery performance. »Brutalizer« consequently ignites with full blood.
The debut brings eight tracks, three of which, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Horrors of the Past and Burn in Fire, the band already presented on the »Demo« EP. Undergournd have grown in the three years since the EP came out. As songwriters and arrangers, and as a band that knows how it wants to »sound«. The »repackaging« of familiar metal tricks from the legacy of European metal tradition has therefore been a total success. The songs have everything we fundamentally look for and demand from a quality, traditional-sounding heavy metal record in 2017. High flow, dynamic development, unbridled rhythmic rolling and stampeding, contrasting buildup of theatrical drama in the moods, peaking in catchy, singable and (occasionally) bombastic choruses. On top of that, the record delivers superb communication between the two guitars at every step, whether in split multi-part solos, flirting within third harmonies or adding other inventive ornaments over the lead guitar phrases. Production-wise, the album achieves excellent liveliness, and its building blocks pulse in a balanced placement. In the songwriting, the band put the instrumental passages under the magnifying glass in particular, led by the mid-eight sections. In doing so, they prove they have a well-developed sense for keeping songs compact, even in the parts of the compositions that veer into modulation or a change of rhythm, because the guys handle those moments deftly too, so the song flows smoothly back toward the final chorus and the outro.
On their debut, Underground are shamelessly pumped up, hellishly fast and sharp. They don’t skimp on fuel or ammo. With their steel, sharpened teeth they chew mercilessly through the album’s runtime. Only the track Mouth of Madness shows a bit of naivety, with a predictably clichéd riff over a rhythmic pattern that has been used many times before (in metal history). In those predictable melodies the song gets a little dull, since as a whole it doesn’t move much in what it says, and the record loses some of its noble raw edge and untamed recklessness in the middle, from these five lionhearted Primorska stallions.
Vocalist Mario Murgič is the record’s own special magnet. He develops a venomous high register that few in the new generation of Slovenian metal can match, and so he has no trouble bridging a three-octave difference in pitch. Along the way he keeps his power intact, carrying it effortlessly from the mid range to the high and highest registers. The vocals are the deciding weight on the scale that makes »Brutalizer«, alongside its otherwise polished instrumentals, ignite and hit with full blood, with no brakes and no hesitation. The English is also handled quite satisfactorily in the metrics of the sung verses.
»Brutalizer« is an exceptionally fine, high-quality record for a studio debut. The band has no shortage of creative drive or a vehement urge to prove themselves and gain recognition. Underground approach things with passionate fire, they’re technically polished in performance, and in their arrangements they seek compositional perfection. All of this is quality and more than satisfactory, considering we’re talking about a studio debut. After what they’ve shown on »Brutalizer«, Underground are a band that’s definitely worth betting on. The compass needle with this debut is pointing in the right direction. Toward the creative, expressive zenith that this kind of evolution will surely bring on future studio releases.
Underground – Texas Chainsaw Massacre (official lyric video):
Lineup
Mario Murgič – vocals
Jernej Kranjec – guitar
Simon Rupnik – guitar
David Rogič – bass
Aleks Legiša – drums
Production
Urban Merhar
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Stoneheart Asylum
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
4. Horrors of the Past
5. Mouth of Madness
6. Punisher
7. Brutalizer
8. Burn in Fire
9. House of the Devil
