UMUR "Hordes of Zombies" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US death metal/grindcore act Terrorizer. The album was released through Season of Mist in February 2012. There´s been quite a few lineup changes since "Darker Days Ahead (2006)" as bassist/guitarist Tony Norman has been replaced by a returning David Vincent (Morbid Angel), who also played on the group´s debut album "World Downfall (1989)", and the late guitarist Jesse Pintado (Napalm Death, Lock Up) has been replaced by Katina Culture. The usual suspects are lead vocalist Anthony "Wolf" Rezhawk and drummer Pete "Commando" Sandoval. The latter is back in the saddle after a long recovery period after a back surgery.

The music on the album is fast-paced, simple and direct death metal. Some people refer to the music as grindcore, but I don´t think there are many grindcore traits in the music besides the omnipresence of blast beats. As expected with musicians as prolific as these guys the musicianship is of course excellent. I especially enjoy the über fast and precise drumming by Pete Sandoval. The man is a death metal legend and it´s obvious to hear why that is on this album. The sound production unfortunately drags the album down a bit. As such the sound is clear, powerful and suit the music well, but the growling vocals are placed way too low in the mix, and it has a negative effect on my listening experience. The 14 tracks on the 38:07 minutes long album are pretty simple and direct and for a couple of tracks that´s greatly enjoyable, but "Hordes of Zombies" soon becomes quite the one-dimensional listen and my attention wanders.

...so overall "Hordes of Zombies" is a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the basic things that make a death metal album a great listen are here, but there are also elements that make this a more average listen. I´d say a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

Time Signature Generation chaos...

Genre: death-grind

One of the most influential names on the grindcore and death metal scene(s), Terrorizer finally release their third album "Hordes of Zombies".

While both grindcore and death metal have evolved into a lot of different variants, Terrorizer have chosen to basically avoid incorporating anything the is remotely related to modern extreme metal. Opting for the expressionality of old school metal, Terrorizer punches you right in the face with "Hordes of Zombies".

With the combination of grindcore blastbeats and old school death metal one-string-at-the-time palm-muted tremolo picking, "Hordes of Zombies" captures a lot of the sheer brutality that was essential in early extreme metal. But this is not unvaried grinding all the way through, as strong riffs of various characters - but always aggressive - pop up side by wide with the grind passages.

The musicianship is characterized by determination and experience, and Katina Culture delivers some of the most clockwork precise rhythm guitars ever heard in the history of extreme metal, and her solos come across chaotic, but it is obvious that they are actually based on great skill.

I have read some reviews describing this album as bland, or even boring, but what I actually like about this album is the consistency and determination that emanates from it - and I also love how old school it is.

The gods of grind are back.