Hailing from deep within the London underground comes true warriors of chaos under the moniker of Äxe. These fiends have forged an album burning with true blackened heavy metal passion. Their sound has taken a page from the early days of speed metal, taking inspiration from legends such as Bathory, Venom, Sodom, and many more of the legendary old guard. Äxe is able to modernize it, resurrecting that iconic sound and breathes new life into it giving it their own unique sound.
The album starts with no punches held back, with the shrieking feedback of the guitars wailing in your ears as the opening track No False begins, it immediately jumps into a thrashing assault, with powerful d-beats, fiendish vocals, and shredding guitars, it’s a strong start for these warriors of chaos. Those were familiar with this first wave style sound of black metal, know the priorities. Guitars and vocals are always on the forefront with drums being a good second support, but what I find fascinating with this band is that each part sounds incredibly heavy and impacting. Most of the time the bass can get lost in the sound and the fury of wailing guitar solos and ÖUGH style barks, but the way Äxe have mixed this album makes it so that each instrument is really represented. The bass, in particular just has such a heavy impact that it leaves a very memorable mark after listening.
Of course the highlight of the band lies in its vocals and searing guitar solos. Neheroth, a familiar name for those who are versed with the scene’s morbid arts and dark etchings, provides the voice for Äxe. He’s able to create a truly classic sound, delivering each line with a ferocious impact and venomous conviction.
Behind the guitars are new names for the underground, M. Warmaster and Professor Speed. These two compliment each other on every track, with one providing the perfect support for riffs and melodies while the other wails away on the guitar, it’s screams matching those of Neheroth.
Overall, this album is a true blast from the past. A relic stuck in time and brought to the modern era. The warband of Äxe has certainly made a strong show of force with this release, and I can only see them getting better as time passes. The burning passion for true heavy metal is alive and well within this band, and is carrying that torch forward, hopefully that passion can carry them far but as of right now, I know I’ll be stuck headbanging all the way through this album. A must listen for true warriors of metal.