Algebra - Feed The Ego
Well, once again Unspeakable Axe Records have knocked another one out of the park! This time it is Switzerland’s Algebra and their new album entitled “Feed The Ego”. This one is going to open up a lot of eyes and minds and leave you wondering just how long it will be before they take the crown of thrash metal. However, due to a distributor issue, the official release date on this album is slated for the middle of September. Even so, trust me, it will most definitely be worth the wait.
When this cd first starts, he initial riffs, although played with a death metal like precision, are most definitely influenced by Metallica. I would say like a mixture reminiscent of the “Ride the Lightning” and “And Justice for All” albums. Not too polished and not too clean, the riffs find a nice middle ground that compliment the over-all song construction. There are also influences in there from bands like Cyclone, Faith or Fear, and most definitely Sepultura from around the “Arise” era. It is not too far-fetched to say that the riffs on this album sound like Dark Angel got together and tried to play Slayer’s “South of Heaven” using the technical ability found on Forbidden’s “Twisted Into form”. Does this sound chaotic and all over the place” Good, because that is what Algebra is, chaos that is here and there and everywhere at once, enveloping you in a glorifying sound of thrashing greatness that has not been heard since the late 80’s and early 90’s. The solo work on this album is most definitely classically inspired more so than thrash, but they incorporate this particular style in places where it is most effective. You certainly wouldn’t want a classically inspired solo in the middle of thundering thrash riffs. No, instead they use the classical solo style in the slower, deeper sections of these songs to maximize the aura and feeling of the overall tune. Not to worry though, a more gritty solo style is also used in appropriate fashion when it is called for.
The drums on this release are predominantly thrash inspired, yes, but there are also elements of classic heavy metal and a slight influence of death metal as well. When you listen to this album, you can really tell the drummer is enjoying himself by displaying the pride of his craft with absolute precision. The double bass sound really nice on these tracks where applicable. It’s not insanely fast and it doesn’t need to be. No doubt he could rival the likes of, for example, Gene Hoglan, but in my point of view homage is better than emulation in this situation. I have absolutely no complaints here but in listening to this album multiple times, I really wish the drummer would have had a solo track to showcase his talents of sonic obliteration. Perhaps on the next album there will be a track like this. Regardless, you cannot mess with perfection! The bass is more noticeable in some parts than others and no doubt this is due to the song construction itself. On the parts where it is more noticeable, you can tell and it almost feels as if the guitar riffs are riding then flowing right off of the bass lines. One doesn’t necessarily carry the other, but the complimenting style cements the fluency of this album.
The vocals on “Feed the Ego” are influenced by the likes of Dark Angel, Faith or Fear, and dare I say early Voivod, and those are just the thrash vocal patterns. Where needed, the band also incorporate clean singing in the vein of Opeth and Katatonia, with a slight Paradise Lost variation for good measure. The vocalist definitely has a good set of lungs on him. There is no doubt in my mind he could sing even more powerful than he did on this album, but like I said you can’t mess with perfection. That’s just what “Feed the Ego” is, perfection! When you take each element and interlock it with the other, the result is an album that will be memoriable to even the most sophisticated of metal fans. There is no need to find the variable of X or Y. Even the order of operations does not apply here. Algebra has already done the math for you and each track results in a correct answer every time. All you need to do is put this cd in your stereo, turn the volume up and enjoy an album that no band in the world of modern thrash metal can come close to. Algebra are yet another classy and respectable band on the Unspeakable Axe record label that take absolute pride and precision into their work and deliver nothing less than the same at the end of the day.
When this cd first starts, he initial riffs, although played with a death metal like precision, are most definitely influenced by Metallica. I would say like a mixture reminiscent of the “Ride the Lightning” and “And Justice for All” albums. Not too polished and not too clean, the riffs find a nice middle ground that compliment the over-all song construction. There are also influences in there from bands like Cyclone, Faith or Fear, and most definitely Sepultura from around the “Arise” era. It is not too far-fetched to say that the riffs on this album sound like Dark Angel got together and tried to play Slayer’s “South of Heaven” using the technical ability found on Forbidden’s “Twisted Into form”. Does this sound chaotic and all over the place” Good, because that is what Algebra is, chaos that is here and there and everywhere at once, enveloping you in a glorifying sound of thrashing greatness that has not been heard since the late 80’s and early 90’s. The solo work on this album is most definitely classically inspired more so than thrash, but they incorporate this particular style in places where it is most effective. You certainly wouldn’t want a classically inspired solo in the middle of thundering thrash riffs. No, instead they use the classical solo style in the slower, deeper sections of these songs to maximize the aura and feeling of the overall tune. Not to worry though, a more gritty solo style is also used in appropriate fashion when it is called for.
The drums on this release are predominantly thrash inspired, yes, but there are also elements of classic heavy metal and a slight influence of death metal as well. When you listen to this album, you can really tell the drummer is enjoying himself by displaying the pride of his craft with absolute precision. The double bass sound really nice on these tracks where applicable. It’s not insanely fast and it doesn’t need to be. No doubt he could rival the likes of, for example, Gene Hoglan, but in my point of view homage is better than emulation in this situation. I have absolutely no complaints here but in listening to this album multiple times, I really wish the drummer would have had a solo track to showcase his talents of sonic obliteration. Perhaps on the next album there will be a track like this. Regardless, you cannot mess with perfection! The bass is more noticeable in some parts than others and no doubt this is due to the song construction itself. On the parts where it is more noticeable, you can tell and it almost feels as if the guitar riffs are riding then flowing right off of the bass lines. One doesn’t necessarily carry the other, but the complimenting style cements the fluency of this album.
The vocals on “Feed the Ego” are influenced by the likes of Dark Angel, Faith or Fear, and dare I say early Voivod, and those are just the thrash vocal patterns. Where needed, the band also incorporate clean singing in the vein of Opeth and Katatonia, with a slight Paradise Lost variation for good measure. The vocalist definitely has a good set of lungs on him. There is no doubt in my mind he could sing even more powerful than he did on this album, but like I said you can’t mess with perfection. That’s just what “Feed the Ego” is, perfection! When you take each element and interlock it with the other, the result is an album that will be memoriable to even the most sophisticated of metal fans. There is no need to find the variable of X or Y. Even the order of operations does not apply here. Algebra has already done the math for you and each track results in a correct answer every time. All you need to do is put this cd in your stereo, turn the volume up and enjoy an album that no band in the world of modern thrash metal can come close to. Algebra are yet another classy and respectable band on the Unspeakable Axe record label that take absolute pride and precision into their work and deliver nothing less than the same at the end of the day.
- Survival Nowadays
- Prisoner Outdoors
- Necessary Evil
- My Shelf
- Profound Guilt
- Feed Me More
- Egosystem
- The Fort Broke
- Monotask
