It’s time to Thrash again with Suicidal Angels!
Formed in 2001 by Nick Melissourgos (vocals/guitar), the Greek band reinforced by Orpheas Tzortzopoulos (drums), Aggelos Lelikakis (bass) and Gus Drax (guitar, Black Fate), has signed to Nuclear Blast and announced the release of Profane Prayer, its eighth album.
An epic melody appears at the start of When the Lions Die, the first track, but it quickly transforms into a solid jerky rhythm, complemented by powerful vindictive vocals. Piercing leads and solos are the perfect accompaniment to the band’s energetic charge, which is sure to get the crowds moving before moving on to the ominous Crypts of Madness, where the vocal parts become more threatening. The rhythm is also more oppressive, as are the screeching harmonics before the slow, misty break, but the acceleration leads us to a fiery finale, then to Purified by Fire, the next track, where the musicians deploy all their energy through explosive riffs packed with spasmodic leads. The raw Old School approach is perfect for the more frantic parts, as it is for the slow, dissonant passage that leads us to Deathstalker, a long composition that begins as a soothing ballad before becoming heavier thanks to saturation, while retaining melancholy melodies. The clear sound returns to soothe the atmosphere with the voices of Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord), Efthimis Karadimas (Nightfall, The Slayerking) and Fotis Bernardo (Nightfall, ex-Septicflesh), but it gives way to rage for its final, closely followed by Profane Prayer, the eponymous track, which returns to the stirring Thrash roots on which the band doesn’t hesitate to unleash. The dark melodies return from the very first moments of The Return of the Reaper, but the catchy rhythmic pattern is quick to crack down thanks to its lively influences, while keeping a moderate pace in contrast to Guard of the Insane, which doesn’t hesitate to bring out the double-kick roll to complete the blast fury. There’s also an elaborate solo that links the waves of fury, as on Virtues of Destruction, which takes less than three minutes to line up its riffs at full speed. The album draws to a close with The Fire Paths of Fate, the last and longest of the compositions, which opens with a haunting female vocal as saturation gradually builds, eventually becoming an impressive basis that lets the guitars express themselves before returning to a brief moment of traditional sounds, then finally blending the two before a final vocal comeback.
Suicidal Angels’ Thrash Metal is raw and uncompromising. Fans of Old School sounds will be extremely satisfied with Profane Prayer‘s aggressive tracks, while enjoying the more melodious passages.
90/100