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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Cruel Force has touched my radar a few times over the past couple of years. The German black/thrashers dropped two albums nearly fifteen years ago before splitting up, and while they made a serviceable enough take on the genre, it really never stuck to me. Fast-forward to over a decade later, and they came back with a vengeance, dropping Dawn Of The Axe, changing my mind about everything I just said. What was a nice soil that grew few worthwhile fruits now harvests an entire garden. Stylistically, they wouldn’t veer too far away from this initial idea, but any sharp edges get deburred and the thrashy attitude feels refined into something reminiscent of an ‘80 speed metal foundation. Similarly, vocals with a deeper snarl but a far more concise delivery are tacked on, almost feeling similar to Zetro from Exodus. Echoed production helps everything, giving a reverberated tone to the drum kicks pairing wonderfully with the vocals. Meanwhile, the bass licks are rather bouncy, providing extra kick beside the sharp riffing. Oftentimes, overdoing this can ruin a solid record, but that’s not the case here. The end product is a far more mature outing that almost lifts the “blackened” element away as well, leaving only remnants, but still holding onto their aggressive oomph.
Making this even better is the fact that Cruel Force stepped up their songwriting game a lot. The fine-tuning I just described is like a nice icing on the cake, but really the hooks were what was missing before. “Death Rides The Sky” almost feels anthemic with a blackened overtone while just about boasting some melody. I also love the approach that “Across The Styx” takes, riding on a steady march that wastes no time to hook you, while “Devil’s Dungeon” goes a similar route with splitting the raw aggression with an acoustic bridge into a beefy closer solo. These longer, layered tunes are all part of the greater equation of making this great, but there’s still room for swift ragers like the title track and “Power Surge.”
Dawn Of The Axe is a fine example of how time away for growth and refocus can make a world’s difference. The production here is mastered wonderfully, finding that sweet spot that lets everything stand out with just the right amount of echo. Moreover, every songwriting direction taken fits together nicely without any awkwardness. There’s nothing wrong with the prior chaotic and explosive swing at some black/thrash, but smoothing that out in exchange for more compelling songs is almost always a win. Cruel Force - Dawn Of The Axe was released Sept. 22nd, 2023 via Shadow Kingdom Records. Find it here!
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