Time Signature
Through the madness...
Genre: melodic thrash / power-thrash
Teramaze are branded as a progressive thrash band, and this description has also been applied to their latest effort "Anhedonia". Well, to be honest, I am not sure how progressive I think this album is. It definitely has a a lot of sophistication to it, and there are a couple of odd time signatures and other elements of finesse every now and then, but is that enough to make it progressive?
In any case, we are dealing with melodic thrash metal here - at times even describable as power-thrash. And melodic thrash which, in my opinion, is not only original, but also pretty damn good. The combination of melodic vocals, riffage which is at times melodic and at times aggressive but always sophisticated, and rock solid drums works incredibly well, which we hear already in the opening title track.
While grounded in melodic thrash metal, there are also elements from modern rock in general to be found on this album, and this influence is especially prevalent in Brett Rerekura's at times AIC-like vocals. In the big picture all of these elements fit neatly into the overall sound, as does the crisp and well defined production.
So, this is a very good work of melodic thrash metal, which I find inspiring and invigorating. There is a sad note attached here, though, as Julian Percy, who plays the drums on this album, died from heart problems in 2009 and thus never lived to see the release of "Anhedonia". But, given the sheer quality of the music and the artistic success that this album is, what better way to honor and commemorate Percy than through "Anhedonia"?
Fans of melodic thrash metal should definitely check out this release. It is aggressive but melodic and sophisticated. It is already an artistic success, but you can help make it a well-deserved commercial success, too.