Audiopain "The Traumatizer" CD
[Vendlus]
I had no idea what to expect from this Norwegian act, but was surprised to be greeted with six tracks of raging metal that kind of has a sound similar to late-80's German thrash (portions of "Believer" sound like they could've come straight from Kreator's "Extreme Aggression" album) mixed with a blend of midpaced contemporary Norwegian black metal dissonance. My only real complaint is that the songs are far too long, so despite offering tons of different changes and a good amount of clear variety, there's no real need for some of the tunes to top six or eight minutes, as they can lose their focus and start to drag on. "Living Among Humans" opens with more of a midpaced run that makes the dissonant notes stand out more than usual, and I actually quite enjoy the strange creativity of that approach. The title track has some of the most traditional thrash riffing, getting a little faster at times but also possessing an early-80's thrash lean towards more of a rock playing style, though honestly due to all the hammer-on/pull-off riffs the repetition is far less effective here than it was in "Living Among Humans". Similar types of repeating riffs make the quick instrumental "Thrash Mental" also one of the less interesting pieces, though its midpaced chords and the distorted bass break are very cool. The consistent and pounding tempo of "Religion of Reality" is nice, but as soon as the track speeds up with some tremolo picking it falls apart, making the eight-minute length a good example of one that would benefit greatly from some cleaning up. The recording is somewhat raw but fairly effective. You can hear the bass doing its thing in the background, the guitars and drums dominate in the center with dry and natural tones, and the sneering vocals are ever so slightly distant by comparison. The guitar tone is a little choppy and could stand for a crunchier, more fluid texture, but... I think it helps the bass peek through and keeps things clear. Apparently the band uses few overdubs in the studio so they can replicate everything in the live setting, and there's definitely a basic sort of live feel to the natural vibe of the way this thing is recorded and mixed, which is sort of refreshing. The layout looks nice with some bleak figurative images and dirty abstract textures creating a consist appearance amongst the text. The real kicker is the diecut booklet, though. I've never seen such a thing as the way this thing folds and pieces together! The pages are sort of separated into three bands each with some partially cut out of the center of the booklet, and one acting as a flap that tucks through to secure the booklet in place so that the remaining bands can overlap the other pages. It's hard to explain, but it's pretty god damn impressive. The lyrics do very little for me, but fuck it, the way they handled this fucking layout is creative as hell. I'm not as impressed by the music, but as a thrash fanatic it does have some shining moments for me. Were they to trim the fat and keep the songs in more of a linear three- to five-minute range, or take a harnessed and creatively effective direction for the longer songs, I think they'd be better off. This is cool, though. (6/10)
Running time - 34:10, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Believer, Living Among Humans]
Vendlus Records - http://www.vendlus.com

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