Attacker - The Unknown - Reviews - Diabolical Conquest Webzine

Bob Mitchell- Vocals
Mike Benetatos- Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Pat Marinelli- Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Lou Ciarlo- Bass Guitar
Mike Sabatini- Drums

Holy crap. It boggles the mind to think that the Gods have rebounded from the thoroughly underwhelming 'Soul Taker' to issue this, what is unquestionably the boldest, most streamlined recording of their career. Sure, there will always be whiny brats like myself who bemoan the demise of the angular, progressive, spacey 'Battle Of Helm's Deep' Attacker (and their shift into leaner, meaner, speedier terrain with the post-Bob 'Second Coming'), but I do believe it is time for me to surrender my reservations, stop grappling with my misguided gripes and embrace what is unquestionably one of the most focused power metal recordings of the past 10 years.

Of course, this is not the first time a troupe of old codgers have shown us impudent upstarts how this heavy metal thing is done- Brocas Helm's magnificent 'Defender Of The Crown' (in my opinion, their finest work and one of the best traditional metal recordings of all time) effectively proved that they were not about to be usurped by (justifiably-hyped) disciples like Slough Feg and Twisted Tower Dire, Jag Panzer have yet to release a bad album (save for that ONE album that is best forgotten) while Manilla Road's 'Gates Of Fire' is certainly their finest endeavor since the irreproachable 'Mystification'. Yet, while 'Soul Taker' (at least in my mind) cast considerable doubt on Attacker's place amongst the power metal elite and paled considerably next to Bob's post- Attacker output with Sleepy Hollow (doom LEGENDS) and Vyndykator, 'The Unknown' fills up all the gaping chinks in its predecessor's armor, mining a similar stylistic ore but to considerably greater success. Bob's vocal melodies are more thoughtful and less experimental this time around, the choruses reach resonant, anthemic heights that 'Soul Taker' failed to climb, the arrangements are tighter, the songs are better. It also helps that the band has never SOUNDED this heavy- one can only wish that Sleepy Hollow songs could receive a similar treatment! Everything sounds positively MASSIVE here- the kick drum sounds elephantine, guitars are hefty and honed to a dangerous sharpness, the bass is given ample space to assert its place in the mix, and Bob's vocals sound PERFECT atop the churning, hectic maelstrom that composes the entirety of the record. “This Is Power” positively ANNOUNCES itself from the outset- pounding, deliberate double-bass provides the throbbing pulse for carnivorous, molten walls of twin guitar and insistent surges of bass, while Bob's unmistakable shrill wails careen between the spaces, everything coalescing into an unstoppable torrent of red-hot magma that engulfs and suffocates the listener. First impression: this is FAST!

“Anger Aggression” elegantly summates the album's modus operandi- this is unquestionably the fullest realization of the sinewy, ripped sound that Attacker first developed on the 'Second Coming', rapid-fire shards of thrashy riffing, howling banshee vocals and fusillade-like bursts of percussion that, indeed, “assault the mind”. Though the album is certainly their most single-minded statement to date, Attacker have not neglected their penchant for inventive, forward-thinking songwriting- the bass-led break that surfaces 3 minutes through “Anger Aggression” is one of the more awe-inspiring passages in recent metallic memory! “Blessed With This Curse” references 'Piece Of Mind' in a fashion that suggests this is what Omen would sound like now if they didn't start to suck, and reinforces the sheer virtuosity that is flaunted throughout this recording- these guys have always been able to play (as evidenced by their breathtakingly ambitious debut opus), but the effortlessness and sheer TIGHTNESS of the performances here speak volumes about the band's confidence and experience. “The Unknown” sounds like Deceased's 'Supernatural Addiction' if Bob Mitchell assumed mic duties (yes, it is THAT heavy), the malicious, macabre lyrical content adding another layer of menace to the vicious musical fare. “Nail It Down” is fuelled by a kick drum that pulsates with all the propulsive thrust of a bazooka, “Your Own World” features a coarse, distinctive effort from Bob Mitchell, exploring a breadth of dimensions with his voice, while “Devil's War” falls closest to the 'Battle At Helm's Deep' tree. Admittedly, the bonus tracks fare somewhat worse compared to the outstanding LP material- “Brainshake” is somewhat drab and uniform, while “Fear Of Disgrace”'s cerebral ideas are marred slightly by a rather eccentric performance by Bob, though it is absolutely redeemed by the MASTERFUL passage and lead that surfaces three minutes through.

Yes, this album is immense, intense, inspired, an assertive backlash against folks who were similarly disillusioned with their previous effort. It does baffle me that the likes of Brocas Helm, Jag Panzer, Manilla Road, Agent Steel, Distant Thunder, Overlorde, Deadly Blessing, Heathen and the like still have this much steam left in their engines….this is a textbook example of how US power metal SHOULD be done, and further affirms that energetic, spirited heavy metal will never be extinguished.