Kev Rowland It is not unusual for bands to go through line-up changes, but there is no doubt that what has happened with Massacre is a little unusual in that no-one in this line-up played on the last album, while vocalist Kam Lee (Mantas, Bone Gnawer) and bassist Mike Borders were both on the very first demo, 1985’s ‘Aggressive Tyrant’. Joining them in this new line-up are Rogga Johansson, (Megascavenger, Rib Spreader) on guitars, Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath) on guitars, Brynjar Helgetun (Crypticus) on drums, and solo fiend Scott Fairfax (Memoriam, As the World Dies) on guitars. Although this is a brand-new band, Lee has been working with everyone involved for years, Lee says. “Rogga and Brynjar are in my band The Grotesquery, and we’ve been working together since 2009; we have four full-length albums out and a self-released single. Jonny and I have the band Nattravnen together we have a full-length album out. We’ve been doing this band together since 2015. Scott has been an associate for years, and I did some vocal work with him in his band As the World Dies. So, all these members I’ve known and worked together separately on music projects for years. When we started looking to make new music for a new album, we had a couple of other members, but they aren’t worth mentioning and their involvement isn’t important. When it came down to getting the proper people, I had to reach out to members I knew I could trust and who I felt would be able to bring the proper and correct Massacre sound that was demanded.”

Lee is often cited as being one of the most important singers of the early death metal scene, with his trademark growls setting in place the musical style we have all become so used to. That he has worked with everyone in this band means this does not sound like a new line-up but rather is a solid slab of the genre hearkening back to the classic days. It does seem strange to hear Massacre without guitarist Rick Rozz as he is the only person who played on all previous albums, and indeed he and Lee had attempted to form a new version of the band as Massacre X in 2016 before being threatened with legal action and instead performing as Gods of Death.

But whatever anyone thinks of this line-up continuing the name of Massacre, this is a nicely paced album where the band slow it down at times, providing space within the arrangement so that when they bring the fire it is that much more powerful. There are even moments when they toy with some black metal within this, but for the most part this is solid death with all other changes providing contrast which works well. Nice solid release.

 

UMUR "Resurgence" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, Tampa, Florida based death metal act Massacre. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in October 2021. It´s the successor to "Back from Beyond" from 2014, but there´s not a single remaining member left from the lineup who recorded the predecessor. Massacre formed as far back as 1983 and have disbanded and reunited many times since in different constellations. The 2021 version of Massacre features original lead vocalist Kam Lee but other than him no one else who have previously played with the band. Lee has among others brought with him his former The Grotesquery bandmates in guitarist Rogga Johansson and drummer Brynjar Helgetun.

Rick Rozz guitar riffs and playing style were always defining features of Massacre´s sound along with Lee´s growling vocals (although the latter didn´t perform on "Back from Beyond" (2014)), so what does a Massacre album without Rozz sound like? Well...the guitar tone is not as distinct sounding as the guitar tone that Rozz is known for, but other than that the material on "Resurgence" are actually very true to the core old school death metal style of early 90s Massacre. Age has not caught up with Lee yet and his brutal yet intelligible and commanding growling vocals are a joy to listen to. The riffs are relatively simple and straigt forward old school death metal riffs with a lot of thrash metal influences (and some pretty well played solos), and the drumming is equally simple. The lyrics deal with surreal/occult themed horror (H.P. Lovecraft in particular), which is a topic suiting the material well.

"Resurgence" is well produced and features a sound production suiting the music style. The tracks aren´t that different from each other, but featuring only 10 tracks and a 40:14 minutes long playing time it´s not a major issue, and it´s not unusual for releases in the genre, that you have to give them quite a few listens before tracks begin to stand out. This album isn´t the worst sinner in that respect though, and it´s ultimately relatively catchy. Honestly I didn´t expect much when I received the news that Massacre had regrouped for another run and a new album ("Back from Beyond" (2014) was solid and enjoyable enough but didn´t blow my socks off), but after listening to "Resurgence" I´ve been pleasantly surprised. It´s arguably not an extraordinary release, but it´s a good solid old school death metal release, and fans of the genre are recommended giving it a listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.