Artillery

Artillery

The Face of Fear

release date: November 16th, 2018

label: Metal Blade Records

Artillery (Denmark) began in the early 1980s. In 1985 they hit the ground running with their debut Fear of Tomorrow, a dark thrash album that will make you bang your head from start to finish. They followed in 1987 with Terror Squad, with a clearer sound quality and angrier harsher vocals and political outrage. The devil in the debut becomes the politicians in the second album. Both albums deserve to be heard by die-hard 1980s thrash fanatics. In 1990 they had their most accessible work, less thrashy, more melodic, more memorable; they made some changes, with better production, but it was Artillery metal on By Inheritance. Things should have continued very well for them.

The 1990s were not the best of times for the band, and they were basically missing in action. In 1999 they had B.A.C.K. out, another good album, but somehow things were not well and there was no new music for another 10 years. They figured things out, and in 2009, with a different vocalist, they recorded a new album. They really had figured it out now, and in 2011 there was another new album. In 2013 (their first one with their current vocalist) they pressed on, and then again in 2016.

In 2018 they continue to impress. Hopefully, Metal Blade Records and Artillery are content with each other and the band stays on this course. Working with both thrash and traditional heavy metal, with a thicker guitar tone than the old days, and a singer that does the air raid siren when called for, and the more forceful thrash screaming, too. Still thrashing, but also tasteful, Artillery nowadays is very enjoyable and their songs hit the target efficiently and quickly. Nicely done.

artillerymetal.bandcamp.com