I read a review somewhere of this album. I couldn't
believe my eyes when the reviewer made a comment about the cover being 'unnecessarily
abusive'. Eh?! Is this Janet Jackson? Is it Justin friggin' Timberlake? No.
I repeat: No!
This is heavy fucking metal and audio-visual abuse is part of what we are!
The cover of 'Need to Suffer' is grim, certainly, but so be it. That's part of
their expression, and it goes well with the music. The music is not Janet
Jackson either.
Legen Beltza, my favourite Basque thrashers, excel in brutal,
technically adept and tight thrash metal and have with this their third studio release
delivered another hard-hitting punch.
The progress made since 'Dimension of Pain' from 2006 is on the whole not vast, admittedly,
but it is there. Again, both US and German thrash influences mix in a sweet,
deadly cocktail, with Xanti's rabidly howling vocal performance surely dividing listeners
in haters and lovers camps as do masters like Mille, Blitz and Schmier. You have
Exodus, Testament, Slayer, Kreator and Destruction rearing their ugly heads
inside the big, Basque thrash pie - along with Legen Beltza's own sound and
style.
The most notable progress made to mine ears is the guitar work. Brilliant pieces
and solid thrash in abundance.
Go get, boys and girls, go get!
