Massacre have broken up and reconvened so many times that it’s hard to keep track of when they’re active or inactive. The Kam Lee fronted death/thrash pioneers are back yet again with a brand new lineup, only this time they’re back for good, or so they claim with the title of their latest album, Resurgence. Joining Lee on this release is bassist Mike Borders, who hasn’t played with the band since their mid 80s demo days, as well as guitarists Scott Fairfax (Memoriam), Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath), Rogga Johansson (Putrevore, Johansson & Speckmann), and drummer Brynjar Helgetun, who has worked with Lee in the past.
The lineup is new, but the premise remains the same: unrelenting old school death/thrash centered around the Lovecraft mythos. It was this approach that put the band on the map 30 years ago with their debut full length, From Beyond. Lee must be a firm believer in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” ideology, because Resurgence never panders to modern metal trend. Everything from the production to the riffs is rooted in the old school, and while this collection of songs is no From Beyond, they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
The album opens with “Eldritch Prophecy”, a lethal kickoff to this brutal affair. The riffs are aggressive and Lee’s brand of gutturals, inspired by the pioneering death grunts of Tom G. Warrior, remain potent as ever. This remains the template from beginning to end, ranging from the twisted side of death metal to the evil side of thrash. When Resurgence thrashes, it thrashes hard. I feel the band as at their strongest when leaning more towards the thrash side of the spectrum.
The first of these noteworthy thrashers is “Ruins of R’Lyeh”, which combines the diabolical riffs of Slayer with the gloomy breakdowns of Celtic Frost. “Whisper in Darkness” is a vitriolic necksnapper oozing with late 80s spirit, while “Servants of Discord” taps the Hellhammer/Frost vein yet again (“OUGHs!” and all), but with mosh riffs galore. These songs help buildup to the closing one-two punch of the sinister “Spawn of the Succubus” and the blinding fast rager, “Return of the Corpse Grinder”, the latter being a nod to the closing cut off From Beyond, “Corpse Grinder”.
Aside from occasional redundancy in the arrangement and riffs, there’s nothing really to complain about on Resurgence. The current OSDM trend hoppers may complain that it’s not “dark”, “heavy”, or “atmospheric” enough, but that’s fine. If it weren’t for Lee’s contributions in Mantas and eventually Massacre nearly 40 years ago, there’s a good chance the bands these youngsters attribute these tags to wouldn’t even be around today. And by the sounds of Resurgence, Lee and company are just fine without you.
6 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Death, Obituary, Master