“Crusher has indeed crushed and attacked every component of their music with surgical precision.”
There are times when you blast a new album and, throughout the listening experience, you find yourself repeatedly thinking of one word most representative of the release you’re exploring. I had genuinely forgotten the name of the album during my initial listen, and yet “Uprising” was the word I carried with me through my first spin.
From the eerie intro leading into a military march to the unyielding opener that doesn’t leave a moment to breathe, the album wears its name to perfection. Although the band dates back to 2002, it does fit well within the current wave of Teutonic thrash revival. The album feels like an authentic representation of all things Destruction, Kreator, and Tankard melted into one.
As an avid thrasher, the album has provided me with all the manic rage you’d hope for from such an outlet. From the relentless riffing of “Revolution” to the progressive structure of “The Price of Life” and its melancholy, passing by the catchy sing-along chorus of “B.A.T.”, the release serves all kinds of bangers, with melody at times, groove, and unrelenting direct thrash attacks.
Most often, bands wanting to venture into different elements within one album tend to mix it all up and spawn a soup of different influences; however, Crusher has indeed crushed and attacked every component of their music with surgical precision, leading the album to carry its own identity and a recognizable sound of its own, whether that is musically or sonically.
While this album is not a revolution in the thrash genre, it’s one of those releases that are needed once every few months, and its great strength is appealing to thrashers, fans of melody, “progheads”, amateurs of groove, and old-school and new-school fans alike.
Despite the album being rooted mainly in old-school influences with hints of newer material, the production is very clean and powerful. It does not engage in the unnecessarily loud modern approach to metal mixing and mastering, but rather offers a balanced mix that puts every element forward. The guitar tones are also crafted with a lot of care and attention, tweaked with precision, although lacking a bit of high end to my taste, as more ear-lacerating sharpness could have served the thrash riffing better. Overall, the mix leaves everything breathing freely.
A solid release, with numerous tunes, certified pit starters, and memorable anthems.
