December 2021 Feature Release – The Pit Edition
So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.
This month’s feature release for The Pit has been nominated by Vinny. It's the 2017 sophomore album "Unstoppable Power" from Norwegian thrash metal outfit Condor.
https://metal.academy/releases/24159
Wow good call Vinny, this album fucking rips. Really got off on this one. I rustled up a review in between being beaten black and blue by it's relentless aggression:
I'm sure you are all familiar with that scene in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega hits Mia Wallace with an adrenaline shot after a heroin overdose and she sits bolt upright with a huge gasp. That was the effect this album had on me the first time I sleepily put it on just after waking up one morning. There is no subtlety here, there is no light and shade, this is nothing more or less than an adrenaline shot to the heart that will energise you and thrill you. Condor are a Norwegian three-piece and blackened thrash metal is their meat and drink, red and raw. The songs in themselves aren't especially memorable (and that isn't a criticism) - there are no melodic hooks or riffs for your brain to cling on to, but they are aggressive and they are relentless. For thirty-six minutes this album makes you feel like you are on a runaway train without any means of braking, holding on for dear life as it hurtles along. In a way it kind of reminds me of Reign in Blood, in that occasionally the band sound like they are barely holding it together and are on the verge of it all falling apart into chaos, but somehow they manage to maintain the integrity of the songs, which makes for a remarkably thrilling listen. Lyrically the songs mirror the music in that they deal with violence, horror and evil and Chris Sacrifice's ragged shrieking vocals perfectly fit in with this aesthetic. Condor have managed to pull off the extremely difficult trick of, to a certain extent, reproducing the sound of their heroes, such as Sodom, Kreator and Slayer whilst also making it sound modern and relevant to younger audiences as well as appealing to original fans of those bands.
Apparently Condor are members of the Kolbotn Thrashers Union, a loose grouping of thrash bands from the Kolbotn area of Norway, brought together by Fenriz of Darkthrone and include Nekromantheon who have released one of 2021's best thrash albums. In my opinion blackened thrash albums like Unstoppable Power and the aforementioned Nekromantheon's Visions of Trismegistos have saved thrash metal from it's twenty-year long sojourn in the wilderness and bands playing this style are now starting to sound relevant again. Long may it continue as these albums have made me enthusiastic about thrash metal once more.
4/5
Wow good call Vinny, this album fucking rips. Really got off on this one. I rustled up a review in between being beaten black and blue by it's relentless aggression:
I'm sure you are all familiar with that scene in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega hits Mia Wallace with an adrenaline shot after a heroin overdose and she sits bolt upright with a huge gasp. That was the effect this album had on me the first time I sleepily put it on just after waking up one morning. There is no subtlety here, there is no light and shade, this is nothing more or less than an adrenaline shot to the heart that will energise you and thrill you. Condor are a Norwegian three-piece and blackened thrash metal is their meat and drink, red and raw. The songs in themselves aren't especially memorable (and that isn't a criticism) - there are no melodic hooks or riffs for your brain to cling on to, but they are aggressive and they are relentless. For thirty-six minutes this album makes you feel like you are on a runaway train without any means of braking, holding on for dear life as it hurtles along. In a way it kind of reminds me of Reign in Blood, in that occasionally the band sound like they are barely holding it together and are on the verge of it all falling apart into chaos, but somehow they manage to maintain the integrity of the songs, which makes for a remarkably thrilling listen. Lyrically the songs mirror the music in that they deal with violence, horror and evil and Chris Sacrifice's ragged shrieking vocals perfectly fit in with this aesthetic. Condor have managed to pull off the extremely difficult trick of, to a certain extent, reproducing the sound of their heroes, such as Sodom, Kreator and Slayer whilst also making it sound modern and relevant to younger audiences as well as appealing to original fans of those bands.
Apparently Condor are members of the Kolbotn Thrashers Union, a loose grouping of thrash bands from the Kolbotn area of Norway, brought together by Fenriz of Darkthrone and include Nekromantheon who have released one of 2021's best thrash albums. In my opinion blackened thrash albums like Unstoppable Power and the aforementioned Nekromantheon's Visions of Trismegistos have saved thrash metal from it's twenty-year long sojourn in the wilderness and bands playing this style are now starting to sound relevant again. Long may it continue as these albums have made me enthusiastic about thrash metal once more.
4/5
Glad you enjoyed it Sonny. Both my Pit and Horde clan releases this month are "no fucks to give" violent and primitive releases. Condor only have two full-lengths and I have never gotten round to their debut (or the EP that precedes it) and it is a shame they split up although I believe all members are still active in and around the death, thrash and heavy metal scene in some capacity. My copy of Nekromantheon's Rise, Vulcan Spectre should land this week in the post so I plan a night of some blackened thrashing madness later in the week with this Condor release on the playlist.
Thanks for suggesting this one Vinny. I quite enjoyed Condor's no-holds-barred take on the classic Teutonic thrash model. As soon as I saw the artwork I suspected that my old mate Rok from Sadistik Exekution had been involved & a quick Google search confirmed my suspicion. It's a perfect depiction of what you can expect to hear too. "Unstoppable Power" gets off to a rollicking start with two of the highlight tracks opening proceedings but the excitement does drop off a touch from there on with only the excellent "Malevolent Curse" seeing Condor returning to the same exhilarating level as ""Embraced By The Evil" & "Riders Of Violence". I'm not sure where people are pulling the "blackened" thing from because there's absolutely no black metal on display here but there's a crap-tonne of speed metal influence going on & the melodic work that's present in so many of Condor's riffs is drawn straight from early Destruction who also possessed a strong speed metal component. I'm more of a fan of the more pure thrash metal outings than the ones with a stronger speed metal component which is in line with what I'd expect given my taste profile. The vocals are nice & raw while the guitar solos sound a bit flat for the most part due to some clear technical & theoretical limitations. Overall I'd suggest that Condor offer a low commitment 36 minutes of nasty thrash with a raw aesthetic that resides predominantly in the underground which should be no surprise to those who are aware of the links to Darkthrone mastermind Fenriz.
For fans of Deathhammer, Nekromantheon & Inculter.
3.5/5
Yep, this is a thrash metal album alright...
Look, my opinions on thrash are very well known at this point and if they aren't, look to my Reign in Blood review from a few weeks ago. I tired to like this album, I swear. But I am so sick and tired of the lack of effort that is being brought forth in thrash metal now three decades removed from its golden era. Every song sounds exactly the same; a quasi reminder of the grooves from records like Kill "Em All and Show No Mercy, but blown out into this mess of a mix where drums, guitar (rhythm and solos) and vocals are fighting each other for screen time. Any attempt at a lead is obliterated by its consistent tremolo picking rhythm guitar and Bråthen"s blackened death screeches. And worst of all, they go on forever without any growth to the intensity. Sure, songs like "83 Days of Radiation" and "Horrifier" start off slow, but that last for less than a minute, and once that skank beat comes in the drums, and the tremolo guitars begin, you're stuck there for the full five and change.
The only redeemable moments are the second track "Riders of Violence" for not overstaying its welcome, and the actual attempt at a hook on "83 Days of Radiation", but falls off a cliff for me when the drummer forgets how a metronome works and it becomes just another thrasher. I'll throw this one into the same pile and a band like Warbringer. This is in one ear and out the other I'm afraid.
5/10
P.S. At least Condor know how to track a bass properly.
Making no bones about it, I fucking love Unstoppable Power. I loved it from the minute I first laid ears upon it. I immediately went and ordered a copy after one listen and am proudly blasting this CD (now some 4 years old) as I type this review. This is an album that showcases perfectly why I listen to extreme music. Condor had no fucks to give when making this record and it shows in bucketloads.
Unstoppable Power is under-produced and that is how it should be. Nobody listens to raw thrash metal for production values, do they? The barely controlled fury of Condor was a force to be reckoned with, but they had way more than just thrash metal in their repertoire to make Unstoppable Power a success. Incorporating those early Teutonic sounds with speed metal leads and tempos, throwing in blackened vocals style and a punky attitude for good measure made Condor as interesting as they were relentless. There are even occasions where NWOBHM gallops ensue on the record. Do you have to work to hear them? Yes, you do and so you jolly well should do! The clue is in the album title - Unstoppable Power – these guys didn’t come to write poetry.
Album opener Raised by the Evil sets the stall out brilliantly with its menacing intro and raging storm intensity levels. Listen to the inflection on Chris Sacrifice’s vocals and how he shapes words like “fire” for maximum dramatic effect without ever seeming to being striving at all, like it all just happens organically.
The main to riff to 83 Days of Radiation is stuck in my head for life. The rabid passages that they somehow try to pass off as verses are terrifying as if written by some severely unwell mental health patient on the walls of their room in blood. The lead work is done by players of obvious quality but again, there are no fucks given here either and for all the clear ability on show they just do not see the need to polish anything at all. The cumbersome nature of everything is all just part of the appeal for me. The beginning of album closer just sounds like it was thrown together in all honesty, and I am left wondering where we are going here yet still, soon enough we are drowning in that raging intensity that just will not relent.
In the liner notes in the CD booklet the band thank individuals for lending them bass amps, stepping in on gigs at the last minute and steering them clear of shitty contracts. That’s exactly how I would expect life to have been for these guys when the band was active and that harem-scarem ethos is worn proudly on Unstoppable Power.
5/5
Unstoppable Power is definitely more than solid and is above every other random, average Thrash record in every way. The energy and aggression is there, the vocals are more passionate than most, the bass lines are great, and the riff progressions and transitions on tracks like "Chained Victims" are fantastic. In terms of the older-school, messier production, my only complaint is that the cymbals sound extremely blown out to the point where I wasn't enjoying it, but I could get through it most of the time. I can see how this would be a deep cut hit for massive Thrash fans, but I fall on the same side as Saxy in that this is kind of just another Thrash album for me, even though I'll give it more praise overall. While it's extremely consistent in quality, none of the songs really jumped out at me other than "Chained Victims", leaving Unstoppable Power as a nice experience that probably isn't going to stick with me.
It's starting to become pretty apparent why I tend to lean towards Thrash Metal hybrids like Tech Thrash or Thrashy Death Metal, since a pristine old school Thrash package leaves me feeling like something is missing.
3.5/5