US Grindcore legend TERRORIZER is back with a brutal crack of skull and bones! "Hordes of Zombies" are unleashed onto the world in a massive riff avalanche that leaves no doubt that this genre defining band originating from Los Angeles in 1987 is delivering yet another masterpiece of sonic destruction.
True to the American interpretation of Grindcore TERRORIZER amalgamate the most forceful elements of Death and Thrash into a true juggernaut of Metal. Since their famed debut "World Downfall" (1989), this beast has been driven by the relentless and precise pounding of Pete Sandoval (MORBID ANGEL), who delivers yet another jaw-dropping barrage. Fans will be delighted to see MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent once more returning to play bass on this album. They will also be glad to hear that excellent singer Wolf aka Anthony Rezhawk (RESISTANT CULTURE), who already refined the highly acclaimed second album "Darker Days Ahead" (2006) is again adding his resonant and fierce growls as well. The new line-up is completed by Katina Culture (RESISTANT CULTURE), who is replacing the sadly late Jesse Pintado (August 28th, 2006) on guitar.
TERRORIZER continue in the vein of their previous releases, but with added years of experience and musicianship. Their mature and effective songwriting is sonically refined by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios. As an offer for their loyal legions, the different formats of "Hordes of Zombies" will feature selected bonus tracks. Get ready: the godfathers of Grindcore are back from the undead!
Line-up
Name
Instrument
Wolf, aka Anthony Rezhawk
Vocals
Katina Culture
Guitars
David Vincent
Bass
Commando, aka Pete Sandoval
Drums
Releases Season of Mist
Hordes of Zombies
General information
Press
Formats
Tracklisting
Bonus tracks
General information
:
Fri, Feb 24 2012
:
Tue, Feb 28 2012
:
Grindcore
:
SOM254
:
available
Reviews
Church Of Nowhere 8,5/10 - France - Mar 2012
Terrorizer is back! 23ans après son premier album culte "World Downfall" (1989) et 6ans après "Darks Days Head" (2006). Autant mettre les choses au clair tout de suite, les déçus de "Dark Days Head" par son coté plus Death Metal et moins Grind (qui lui valut un accueil plutôt froid autant de la part du public que de la critique) peuvent tout de suite se rassurer, les terroristes sonores sont revenus au fondement de la brutalité, "Hordes Of Zombies" est peut-être (voir sûrement) ce que le groupe nous a offert du plus violent jusque-là. D’autres déçus, ceux du "Illud Divinum Insanus", le dernier album en date de Morbid Angel, pourront enfin écouter David Vincent sur un album 200% agressif (même si ne pratiquant toujours que la 4 cordes ici) et surtout le retour d’un Pete Sandoval impérial derrière ses fûts, qui n’a rien perdu ni de sa force ni de sa précision malgré ses récents problèmes de dos et l’opération qui l’avaient obligé à se tenir à l’écart de l’ange morbide et de la scène musicale. Toujours au poste de vocaliste, Anthony Rezhawk a sur cet opus décidé de radicaliser son registre pour une approche beaucoup plus gutturale que par le passé, mais le changement notable et à l’origine de ce retour au Grind est l’arrivée de Katina Cultur (Resistant Culture) a la guitare en remplacement de Jesse Pintado (ex-Napalm Death et qui avait accompagné Resistant Cultur en live), décédé 5 jours après la sortie de "Dark Days Ahead". C’est dès le morceau titre "Hordes of Zombies" que l’on constate cette radicalisation, le groupe n’a jamais eu une meilleure production que celle-ci, le jeu de Katina Cultur est encore plus violent que celui Jesse (moins varié aussi il est vrai), et l’on n’est pas très loin d’un Marduk en version Death/Grind. Le reste de l’album semble avoir été taillé dans le même granite, pas une seule seconde de répit pendant les 37 minutes (hors intro) que l’on se prend comme une avalanche de mandales. Il est même difficile d’avoir une seconde pour faire stop, Pete Sandoval n’ayant pas envie de dévier de ses blast, sûrement trop heureux de pouvoir à nouveau bourriner comme un damné, accompagné par Katina qui bourrine autant a la guitare tout en offrant à l’auditeur quelques aérations comme sur "Evolving Era", l’intro et le final de "Radiation Syndrom", ainsi que des harmoniques sur "Ignorance And Apathy". Difficile d’en dire plus d’un album aussi direct et concis que ce "Hordes Of Zombies", à part qu’une fois relevé de ce bel uppercut l’on retiendra en priorité des titres comme "Hordes Of Zombies", "Subterfuge", "Malevolent Ghosts" (à la guitare proche du doux son d’une scie circulaire), le plus porté sur la cavalcade que sur les poussées typiquement Grind "Flesh To Dust" et le gras "Forward Annihilation". Que vous soyez fans (déçus ou non) de Morbid Angel, de brutalité, ou désirant vous procurer la première grosse claque de ce début d’année, ruez-vous comme une horde de zombies affamés sur ce nouveau Terrorizer !
Phantasm
Metal Hammer 7/10 - Hammered - Italy - Mar 2012
Ecco quel che si dice un disco, ehm, oltremodo "scomodo". Un album che per quanto potrà suonare violento e onesto, il recensore di turno sa già in partenza che non potrà comunque eguagliare i fasti storici di 'World Downfall' (1989), ovvero quello che molti ritengono tuttora il 'Reign In Blood' del genere grindcore. Eppure, eppure... Partiamo da un dato di fatto eloquente: i Terrorizer (side-project di lusso diventato gruppo a intermittenza periodica) non ci pensano minimamente di gettare la spugna e, sei lunghi anni dopo l'uscita del ben accolto ma convenzionale 'Darker Days Ahed' (arrivato nei negozi una settimana prima della tragica e improvvisa scomparsa del chitarrista Jerry Pintado), si ricompattano attorno a una nuova formazione che è tutto un programma. Alla batteria, infatti, siede il leggendario Pete Sandoval che la comunità metal globale attendeva già con vivo interesse nell'ultimo platter dei Morbid Angel (il contestatissimo 'Illud Divinum Insanus' dell'estate scorsa) e invece – dicono per "ragioni di salute" – niente da fare: Pete, in quell'album, non ci ha proprio suonato! 'Hordes of Zombies', terza opera degli stessi Terrorizer, è quindi in primis il gran ritorno del velocissimo drummer originario di El Salvador e la tensione, scaturita del suo drumkit, si sente tutta. Al basso, invece, c'è David Vincent (sempre della famiglia dell'Angelo Morboso) in un ruolo abbastanza marginale che già il biondo singer tenne sul debutto di 23 stagioni fa, mentre alla chitarra – al posto dell'insostituibile Pintado! – si fa largo a spallate addirittura una ragazza. Tale Katina Culture del gruppo punk-crust dei Resistant Culture del quale fa parte anche l'urlatore indemoniato Wolf (vale a dire Anthony Rezhawk) che già ci aveva sfondato i timpani a sufficienza nel precedente 'Darker Days Ahed'. Una bella squadra di macellai, non c'è che dire, ma, datemi retta, inutile inseguire il dorato passato. Quei Terrorizer (che manco a farlo apposta hanno pure dato il nome al magazine estremo più venduto nel Regno Unito...), com'è giusto che sia, non esistono più da un pezzo e la loro magica alchimia, nonostante lo shredding forsennato della volenterosa Katina, si è dissolta una volta per tutte con la dipartita di Pintado. Quello che ha forgiato nella roccia 'Hordes Of Zombies', al contrario, è un sanguinario combo grind che svolge alla perfezione il suo dovere, rigurgita quattordici tracce che più marce proprio non si può (si vedano titoli da tradizione come 'Ignorance And Apathy', 'Generation Chaos' e 'Forward To Annihilation'), azzecca perfino la mazzata suprema sull'uno-due formato da 'Flesh To Dust' e 'Evolving Era', ma il tutto suona – come dire... – addirittura "prevedibile" se qua fossimo alla ricerca di qualche idea che punta dritta al futuro del genere. Non è così, ovviamente. Le "Orde" richiamate dall'oltretomba altro non sono che un full-lenght dalla copertina vintage e dai contenuti in linea per preservare il ricordo dell'axeman dei Napalm Death. Mestiere e voglia di disintegrare l'aria circostante: sospetto che questo saranno i Terrorizer della prossima decade. Teniamoceli stretti, dunque, ma non carichiamoli di troppe responsabilità fuori luogo. D'altronde non stiamo facendo così da parecchi anni anche con gli Slayer?
Simone Sacco
Metal Hammer 6/7 - Germany - Mar 2012
Mit ihrem legendären Debüt WORLD DOWNFALL (1989) hat die damalige All-Star-Truppe schwermetallische Geschichte geschrieben. Ganze 23 Jahre später erscheint nun Album Nummer drei, und das Quartett um die Morbid Angel-Koryphäen Pete „Commando" Sandoval (Drums) und David Vincent (Bass) präsentiert sich frischer als je zuvor. Unterstützt werden die Death Metal-Promis von zwei eher unbekannteren Akteuren: Anthony„Wolf" Rezhak singt zwar schon seit 2005 (und somit auch auf dem Zweitwerk DARKER DAYS AHEAD, 2006) bei Terrorizer, konnte aber mit seiner anderen Beschäftigung Resistant Culture wenig bis gar kein Aufsehen erregen. Von jener Band stammt auch Riff-Grenadier Katina Culture. Und genau die beiden sind es, die HORDES OF ZOMBIES den entscheidenden Schub verpassen. Anthony hobelt mit seinem Organ alles in Schutt und Asche, während Katina mit messerscharfen Riffs das von Sandoval angefeuerte Konstrukt wieder in seine Einzelteile zermörtelt. Hier wird definitiv Death Metal gearbeitet. In diesem Zusammenhang sei aucherwähnt, dass diejenigen, die sich auf ein US-amerikanisches Grind-Date gefreut haben, eventuell etwas enttäuscht werden. Klar, „El Commando" beherrscht den gemeinen Blast nach wie vor, aber generell atmet HORDES OF CHAOS eher Neunziger-Death-Metal-Luft im Stile von ONCE UPON THE CROSS von Deicide. Imletzten Drittel der Scheibe wiederholt sich das Quartett zwar ein wenig, das lässt den Hörspaß aber nicht groß abreißen. Songwriting 5 + Sound 6 + Hörspaß 6 ø = 5,66
Anzo Sadoni
Avenoctum 8,5/10 - UK - Feb 2012
As with any outfit that released an album that was arguably a defining moment in a metal genre and then released nothing else the question begs as to whether said band really needs to release any thing else at all. Terrorizer fit this description perfectly when they released "World Downfall", an album that has been used as a template for many grindcore acts of the US style inclination many times with recent additions being Insect Warfare and Wormrot. Those of us old enough to have been around when said album was released were totally and utterly gobsmacked at the sheer violence and ferocity the album possessed. When "Darker Days Ahead" was released with a different vocalist I quickly ordered my vinyl copy and slapped it on the turntable and awaited "World Downfall Part 2 or The Return, etc" to come blasting forth from my speakers with the same dirty sound that had David Vincent on bass knocking shit out of said speakers, Pete Sandoval clean stripping varnish, Oscar growling in your face and the late Jesse Pintado hacking and slicing at various extremities of the body on the said seminal album from 1989. Alas "Darker Days Ahead" was disappointing on that front and came across as a solid death metal and grind album that lacked ferocity but not playing ability. Some six years later and third album "Hordes Of Zombies" has arrived with Katina Culture having a tough job in following the awesome Jesse on guitar and with the same shouter, Anthony, still bellowing the lining of his lungs off. Again this is in no way a return to 1989 being more aggressive than "Darker Days Ahead". After the obligatory horror style intro the title track blazes in with a riff not too far off proper Slayer. The vocals are terrifying guttural and follow the same one liner then pause style. Once you get the fact that you're never going to get "World Downfall Part 2" this is a violent death and grind album that will give the new Cannibal Corpse album, "Tortured" a good run this year. A short stabbing ferocious riff greets you on "Ignorance And Apathy" alongside a furious grind beat, an attribute that is closely followed on all grind albums. If this album had been released under a different band name or by some new upcoming band this would rank extremely highly on all fronts, but cynical press people have to take in all considerations and rate it based on the Terrorizer moniker. Be that as it may this is a savage album make no mistake. Tunes like "Subterfuge", "Radiation Syndrome" and "Flesh To Rot" are devastating, pure and simple. As with the latest Lock Up album criticism is always going to be high for bands that have a reputation to live up to but in reality this is a damn good album no matter what. "Prospect Of Oblivion" is relentless on the blast beat front, whereas "Malevolent Ghosts" focuses on beating the crap out of you with massive double kick and has a really tuneful quality about it; honest. "Forward To Annihilation" has a short intro before launching into a great riff that is heavy in a dense sense not fast, which is why this is a death and grind album in the same way that a band like French nutters Benighted are. Closing duo are "State Of Mind" and "A Dying Breed" the former of which keeps to the death metal side of riffing whereas the latter is immensely speedy and very close to what you would want in terms of grind. I have absolutely no doubt that this is likely to be viewed cynically by the music press which would be criminal when you have such a brilliant display of death and grind no matter whose name is behind it. Take my word for it, it's a damn good album and you'd be a fool not to check it out.
Martin Harris
Formats
CD Digipak
2 LP
Tracklisting
Intro
Hordes of Zombies
Ignorance and Apathy
Subterfuge
Evolving Era
Radiation Syndrome
Flesh to Dust
Generation Chaos
Broken Mirrors
Prospect of Oblivion
Malevolent Ghosts
Forward to Annihilation
State of Mind
A Dying Breed
Bonus tracks
Wretched [vinyl LP, digital and limited digipak editions]
Hordes of Zombies (demo) [limited digipak edition]