We check in with all things heavy on RTRFM’s Critical Mass show.
The new wave of thrash continues to churn out bands reminiscing about that eighties sound, the latest of which is Tantara. Hailing from Norway, which usually conjures up images of fjords, forests and facepaint, Tantara’s brand of old school thrash will take you back to the golden age of bands such as Testament, Heathen and Metallica (before they cut their hair).
For Tantara’s debut album Based on Evil, they enlisted legendary Metallica producer Flemming Rasmussen, whose admirable credits include …Lightning, …Puppets, And Justice… as well as sharing the studio with Morbid Angel, Blind Guardian and Ensiferum.
Based On Evil excites with lengthy songs constructed using super-fast riffing, mixed tempos, face-melting solos and impressive drumming. It has a slight garage-y sound to it, with the drumming dulled down just enough to let the guitars do the talking. Bjerko’s gravelly, shouted vocals suit the style well, and the bass player is audible but doesn’t really get to show off his skills.
In summary, well worth your time if you prefer the good ol’ days, and prefer your thrash less polished than Tantara’s British and American new wave brethren.
