Veterans - Fake Quiet and Peace

Veterans

Fake Quiet And Peace

by Chris Hicklin at 20 September 2021, 2:59 PM

Blasting out of the Singapore underground, VETERANS have whipped up an exciting whirlwind of Thrash Metal, Post-Hardcore and Groove Metal, with countless other influences thrown in and offer it up to us in the form of their debut release “Fake Quiet and Peace”.

Beginning with a fun intro, helicopters hover and sirens wail as we are introduced to the band with some thunderously massive, detuned Sludge riffing in “Buried,” which builds into a crescendo before breaking into classic Thrash with roaring powerful vocals retaining just enough melody to not feel you are just being screamed at.

Second up in “Agenda” we have something with more of a Post-Hardcore sound to it, fast Punk riffs blast from the guitars, drums clatter in perfect unison, Valderrama’s vocals have a bruised quality to them, they sound seriously pissed. Along with the next track “End of Times,” this song also has lots of groove especially in the choruses, although the latter has a slower tempo. Both have a bit of a PANTERA feel in places.

“Old Sour” harks back to classic Bay Area Speed Metal at least musically, it is rhythm section heavy, and sure to be a sweaty one at the gigs.  “Bitter Pill” slows things down a bit, with a riff that has a very Southern Rock/Stoner feel to it, while the choruses manage to be just as brutal and in your face as anything on the album, despite the slightly slower tempo. The guitar solo in this is especially good, it is quite different to other solos being quite discordant and experimental, whereas other solos across the album whilst technically impressive are much more conventional.

“Right For the Throat” is a song that truly lives up to its name, it is an unrelenting blast of pure aggression and anger lasting just under three minutes, super-efficient with an almost perfect 10 second guitar solo helpfully introduced by the singer declaring “Guitar!”, so you know to pay attention.

“Opportuniac” sees the band once again showing off their wide range of influences with Valderrama seemingly inhabiting the body of DAVID DRAIMAN and flexing the melodic capabilities of his voice more than on previous tracks, the song has a very Nu-Metal feel about it with Gothic undertones, it veers from oppressive to mellow, to angry and back again. It is the longest song on the album as a matter of necessity, you simply couldn’t pack this many ideas into anything less than 5 minutes, and yet the song never feels like it is meandering.

Finishing the album is “Manufacturing Consent” which kicks off with an undulating bass line that could be straight out of a MUSE track, although this deception doesn’t last long as it breaks out into a thumping Thrash track, beyond the excellent opening which should have been more a part of the song I feel, it’s not the most distinguished track on the album, but it is a solid end to a powerful eight songs.

Considering this is only their first album, this sounds like a band who have firmly found their feet and their direction. Clocking in at less than thirty-three minutes the album is just not enough though, and I say that only because the material is so strong it is over too soon. The production captures a very energetic live sound that lends a frenetic edge to the album, and the song writing is exceptionally good with much attention paid to detail, and to crafting memorable grooves and tunes. In Neil Halliday and Badr Fadil they have a powerful rhythm section that provides a rock-solid foundation for the superb guitar skills of Matt Hughes and Martin Vlaskovsky. I look forward to more material.

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 8
Production: 8