Netherblade - Reborn

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For anyone who has ever been to a Heavy Metal concert, they will remember well the driving rhythm of the music, the chants from the crowd, and the electric excitement of anticipating a favorite band or song. Fans of Milano, Italy's NETHERBLADE get all that experience without having to take off their headphones or leave their house. "From The Abyss," the first full-length release since they started releasing music in 2016 comes with an epic, cathedral-meets-factory industrial gothic introduction on "Overture" and keeps the energy up throughout the entirety of the album.

With what can be described as an unapologetically aggressive approach to their music, NETHERBLADE craft song after song of mosh-inducing riffs. Polyrhythms make appearances too, so the music majors in the crowd will get a nice surprise if they think Thrash Metal basically only ever uses 4/4 time signature. While most of the songs are high-BPM moshy goodness, the occasional slowdown provides a welcome changeup without losing the intensity and theme present everywhere else on "Reborn."

One of the marquee songs is "Killing Spree" and that statement can be justified by noting just how much of a standout track it is. The intro is a dreamy atmospheric layer followed by a pounding tom-tom drum. Softer, almost mandolin- and music box-like guitar tones emanate while building toward a peak when the listener reaches the body of the song. That body drops in with a nice arpeggiatic riff and with Andrea's vocals has a nice blend of heaviness to compliment the quasi-orchestral opening. Fans of the Pirate Metal subgenre should find this one to standout on the album.

Even the casual listener can discern that this is not just another garage band having fun jamming and recording. Citing influences from 80's and 90's Metal titans like EXODUS and SODOM, the talented members of NETHERBLADE prove they a rising force in the Italian Thrash scene and with enough time, this band is certain to leave its mark on the world of Heavy Metal!

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 6
Production: 7