HOLY MOSES „Agony of Death”

Music: Thrash Metal
Country: Germany
Website:www.holymoses.net
Duration: 69:31


Cool Songs: “Imagination,” “World In Darkness,” “Scnizophrenia,” “Through Shattered Minds”

Despite their age, Holy Moses are a band who never earned the kind of cult following that celebrates their more well-known peers in German Thrash Metal. But whether blessed by fame or obscurity, the quintet has persevered, a quality that defines their twelfth album, “Agony of Death,” which is hands down the meanest collection of meat and bones Thrash to assault the world’s ears this 2008. Devoid of any complexity except for the occasional shredding guitar solo, “Agony of Death” is brutality on a loop. Which explains why songs like “Alienation,” “Delusional Denial,” “Bloodhounds of the Damned,” “Angels in War,” and “The Retreat,” all bear a frightful sameness that requires a measure of the listener’s own perseverance in order to be endured.

“Imagination” gets the adrenaline running once the sound effects laden intro gives way to the song’s opening riff. On it, a siren blares, followed by a series of explosions, then the machinegun tempo barges in. Fronted by Sabina Classen, the world’s preeminent female extreme metal vocalist before Angela Gossow became a household name, Holy Moses execute Thrash Metal whose foundation is firmly rooted in Slayer and Kreator—you know this formula. But their approach doesn’t get old even if the band recruits a small army of guest musicians from Destruction, Axel Rudi Pell, and Metalium to polish their songs a bit. On its less repetitive moments, Holy Moses prove they can spellbind the listener. “Pseudohalluzination” is a perfect example, a song that marries shimmering melodic guitars to Sabina’s scorching vocals. Sounding harsher than 99% of her male counterparts, Ms. Classen is the X-factor behind this effort.

Album closer “Through Shattered Minds” has the band relaxing a bit (playing as fast as they do must be exhausting) and taking the epic route. It isn’t a grandiose finish, but it maintains “Agony of Death’s” consistency. This is the kind of album reserved for a bad day in school or the office. When you arrive home bursting with suppressed feelings, “Agony of Death” is the aural release you crave. Consider it a textbook that defines sonic aggression.

note: 7.5/10

Tracklist

1.Imagination
2.Alienation
3.World In Darkness
4.Bloodbound of the Damned
5.Pseudohalluzination
6.Angels In War
7.Schizophrenia
8.Dissociative Disorder
9.The Cave (Paramnesia)
10.Delusional Denial
11.The Retreat
12.Through Shattered Minds/ Agony of Death

Line-up

Sabina Classen- Vocals
Michael Hankel- Guitar
Oliver Jaath- Guitar
Thomas Neitsch- Bass
Guido Richter- Drums