Back in the early ’10s, when I was diving head first into the abyss that is underground metal, one name I heard constantly mentioned was Cruel Force. Mind you, it wasn’t from my fellow American teen metallists, who were entrenched in drunken pizza thrash and Summer Slaughter-core, that I discovered these Germaniacs, but rather via the outer reaches of various euro metal forums whose names I can’t recall (Where else could a 12 year old espouse the glory of Cirith Ungol?). Upon first listen of their debut album, The Rise of Satanic Might (2010), I totally understood the hype. This was black/thrash mania at its finest, and…what’s this? A cover of my beloved Bathory’s “Necromansy” to boot? Yeah, I was sold.
Such was my junior high luck, Cruel Force broke up not long after I discovered them. As the ’10s marched forward and there were no shortage of bands who scratched my ’80s black metal itch (specifically Bewitcher and Hellripper), I continued to return back to The Rise, finding something new with each listen and thrashing along as if I were a kid again. So you could only imagine my shock last year when seemingly out of nowhere, Cruel Force returned! Admittedly, the introduction of a new logo and a wardrobe along the lines of Heavy Load got me questioning the direction this reboot was headed in. “Is this the same Cruel Force I knew and loved back in the day?” The answer to that question is a resounding, “No.”
On their comeback album, Dawn of the Axe, Cruel Force have all but abandoned their blackened and unholy ways in exchange for an equally invigorating blend of NWOBHM inspired speed and primitive thrash that sounds straight out of 1985. Most bands would struggle accomplishing such a dramatic 180, but Cruel Force do so with class and finesse, taking the finest qualities of such classics as Overkill’s Feel the Fire and Exodus’s Bonded by Blood, bastardizing them with a nasty Teutonic twist to create something unique and fresh. In other words, a generic copy/paste 21st century thrash album this is not (Modern is false!).
The majority of Dawn follows the pedal to the metal ethos. Rapid fire riffing pushes the listener’s neck muscles to their limit, while the rotten production and pre-guttural screams and howls reminiscent of early Voivod give this outing an extra retro flair. Whether it be the violent title cut, no frills “Power Surge”, or any number of songs in between, Cruel Force are always firing on all cylinders. The ambitious arrangements and traditional metal leanings of “Death Rides the Sky” and “Across the Styx” give a sort of Mercyful Fate or Gates to Purgatory era Running Wild feel. Meanwhile, “Devil’s Dungeon” is the only song that recalls the blackened heyday of The Rise, thanks to its Venom-esque riffage and hellish lyrical content.
Cruel Force took a massive gamble with Dawn and it paid off bigtime. I’d love to know the reason for this shift. Perhaps in an age of two zillion Bathory clones, Cruel Force strived for more than just “another” black/thrash album? Whatever the motive, I’m certainly not complaining, and I doubt you will either. A musical wimp-out, this is not. Cruel Force’s axe remains as sharp and lethal today as it did 13 years ago. Beware its unholy wrath!
8 out of 10
Label: Shadow Kingdom Records
Genre: Speed/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Overkill, Exodus, Razor