Rating: 7.2

Country: USA

Release Date: 2005

Track list:
1. Victim Of Psycho-Toxin
2. Devotion To Violence
3. Heavy Metal Destroyers
4. Possessed By The Mosh
5. Long Live Metal
6. Evil Command
7. Onward To Oblivion
8. Outlet Of Lust
9. Mercy To None
10. Scream Bloody Rock & Roll
11. Hammerwhore
12. Bonus Demo Track 1
13. Bonus Demo Track 2
14. Bonus Demo Track 3
15. Bonus Demo Track 4
16. Bonus Demo Track 5

Band Website: Hammerwhore

Hammerwhore - Self-titled

Carlos Llanas- Guitar
Andy Gonzalez- Bass
Eric Pena- Drums
Joe Gonzalez- Vocals/Guitar

This is pretty good. Imagine the “what the fuck?!??!” aspect of the first Destruction EP coupled with the brazen Gorilla-Biscuits- gone-apeshit explosiveness of Hirax and Wehrmacht, and you would be reasonably close to what's going on here. There is extensive reference to both thrashcore and first Iron Angel/first Running Wild/first Angel Dust Teutonic speed, and while the attempts to bridge such disparate schools can, at times, yield a befuddling and unfocussed listen, when these Texan boys nail it, they REALLY fucking bring it.

Opener “Victim Of Psycho-Toxin” presents a bludgeoning, steamrolling exercise in simplicity, not at all far removed from contemporaries Nocturnal and Witchburner in approach, tying everything together with a strikingly melodic solo that, indeed, suggests the aforementioned Germanic greats. “Devotion To Violence” is, to some degree, more of the same, though exhibiting a more primal, punkier At War bite that is slightly at odds with the rather pedestrian blackened grunts and affected S(c)h(mie)rieks that surface throughout. Come “Possessed By The Mosh”, we are greeted with a different band altogether, the band flaunting a Wehrmacht “Shark Attack” abandon that aligns them with fellow speedcore revivalists like Municipal Waste. A 52 outburst of unrestrained, bombastic energy, replete with all the requisite hoarse-throated gruff singing and over-the-fucking-top double bass that adorns the finest crossover classics…real fucking genius, really. After an ominous, contemplative introductory passage, “Long Live Metal” fucking ERUPTS into a hellish fucking whirr of snot-nosed attitude, single-footed blasts and whirlwind, churning riffage, the stuff that's BUILT for circle pits and fisticuffs. It all bodes well for “Evil Command”, arguably the standout speedcore stomper on the record, opening with insistent, almost NY thrash (Overkill/Nuclear Assault) insistence, before cascading into storming, urgent chords, sporadic, sloppy double bass, crashing, rowdy, spill-all-over-everything cymbal work and a GREAT, effective solo that really captures and exemplifies the wild, careless vitality that gives this album such rambunctious energy.

“Onward To Oblivion”, the record's longest track by far, is somewhat less interesting than the bulk of the briefer compositions on offer, though credit is CERTAINLY due to what is surely the finest solo spot on the recording. If anything, much respect must go to this band for sticking by their guns as far as melodically-inclined, literate solos go, and their insistence on tempering the balls-out barrage with clean, classic metal leads, drawing definite parallels to the likes of first album Whiplash, Angel Dust etcetera. It is this sense of melodic finesse that really asserts Hammerwhore's uniqueness, separating from the single-minded gimmickry of Municipal Waste and the out-and-out Teutonicisms of Nocturnal, though it can at times result in a certain unevenness in quality when one goes from the absolutely AWESOME 'Game Over'-esque break in “Outlet Of Lust” to the somewhat awkward Priest-meets-a-bad-impression-of-self-titled-Maiden surge of “Mercy To None” and the slowed-down Motorhead of “Scream Bloody Rock & Roll”, where some very perplexing and nasal whines dominate as vocals.

Appended are some MUCH rawer demo tracks, the first two of which very much comes off like first album Bathory with very mechanical-sounding percussion, the third and fourth treading lo-fi early Sodom territory, though featuring the same uber-cool solos that were littered so liberally throughout the LP, the last wearing its thrashcore colors on its sleeve, albeit being much more impetuous and forgettable in approach than the full-length. In retrospect, having heard the demo material, I can certainly appreciate the pronounced strides they've achieved in forging their own unique sonic identity. All in all, this is very much the work of a band that unquestionably has much more to offer thrash maniacs in the future. This is not to say that there isn't a LOT of headbanging to be had on this platter, for there CERTAINLY is, but I can't help but feel like the next record will leave this one in the fucking dust. One to really look forward to then!

December 20th, 2005