Axis Powers - Marching Towards Destruction Review
by Matt Hensch
.
They call mahi-mahi a poor man's lobster. In that regard, one can assume Marching Towards Destruction is a poor man's Left Hand Path. Lobster and Left Hand Path are impossible to match; mahi-mahi and Marching Towards Destruction are conscious of this pronounced fact. Chances are, if one likes lobster, one will probably dig mahi-mahi, and likewise with Left Hand Path and Axis Powers' second full-length slaughter.
Axis Powers' sophomore effort, like the mahi-mahi, remains a tasty treat for those that do not mind paying less for a well-valued product, even though mahi-mahi is incapable of saving classic death metal across two decades of madness and looting. Aside from the fish comparisons, I really enjoy how stellar Axis Powers appears underneath their old-school approach towards death metal, and the record sounds just like it should: ballsy, but with war-laden overtones, plus a neat side of torture for the kids. Fun for the whole family! It is perhaps a tribute to Entombed's finest offering, yet Marching Towards Destruction nonetheless provides a staggering count of enthusiastic virtues for those considering it.
When one hears this album, one will quickly see it entirely resembles Swedish death metal in its primitive stages: there is broiling tremolo picking with a dash of melody, a symmetrical focus on rhythm guitars, charred soloing and hypersonic percussion that rarely utilizes blasting. There is also no traction in banality from Axis Powers' perspective as the group's vehement arrangements and riffs are frantic and cognitively embraced for mass neck-snapping. Still, the vocalized growls/shrieks storm through the steel hail while matching the gritty upheaval of Lars Petrov's pipes if the year was 1990 per se; obviously a great vocal delivery on Axis Powers' front as well. In an unexpected turn, Fredrik Andersson's bass plucking removes the record's sound onto a higher plateau of fun through a neat selection of syncopation, and doing so, he is capable of avoiding a number of enchiladas (mainly the title track) from bottoming up. It sounds like a tank - balanced in speed, furiousness and evasive techniques - rolling through a mud-hut used for activated warheads in the metaphorical sense; killer death metal for those looking for a blunt description.
Above all, I would welcome the individual whom mixed and mastered this sucker with a firm handshake. The production is the ace in the hole in terms of digitalizing death metal to cooked perfection from the atmosphere provided by Axis Powers' sturdy bombardment, however, amplifying Andersson's bass grumble to the record's forefront and leaving the tremolo madness and rapid-fire percussion to take pop-shots from the trenches is really an outstanding resonance overall.
There are a few flaws in the group's writing style though, which occasionally divulge into choruses - usually wonderfully catchy when used - with overlapping tremolo leads that sound dangerously similar to one another as things progress. Despite that minor inconsistency, Axis Powers' presentation still comes with unique decorum in some retrospective areas that are utterly fantastic for any metalhead's liking.
Even for someone like me that bitches and moans at every sighting of conventional metal, these guys do not need an isolated formula globe-trotting into the Phantom-Zone in order to grace the world. Although Axis Powers travels down a road much traveled beforehand, it is certainly a robust offering in its exclusive selfdom. I would recommend beholding Axis Powers' boisterous production without a second guess.
Tracklisting
War of Attrition
Brutal War
Outbreak of the Blitz
Mankind Dead and Raped
Slowly to Decay
Another Onslaught
Forward March
Artillery Pointing West
CD Info and Links
Axis Powers - Marching Towards Destruction Rating:8.5
Preview and Purchase This CD Online
Visit the official homepage
More articles for this artist
tell a friend about this review
.
...end |