review: Usurper

Usurper

Evilution

No Dust Records

12 June 2020

track list (according to Metal Archives)

1. Evilution 05:33

2. Midlife Christ 04:31

3. On the Edge of a Dream 06:48

4. Cold Lake 09:29

5. Kill em Allah 07:47

6. Century of Entitlement 03:46

7. Master of the Shadows 04:55

8. Religion of Pieces 09:30

total time 52:19

Here in the United States some fans know about the Chicago band, but the Dutch band officially began in 1987, even though they had various other names going back to 1985, according to Metal Archives. Usurper’s demos in the late 1980s culminated in the 1990 debut full-length album, and then they disappeared. Thirty years later the circle is complete again with a new album. In terms of personnel, it looks like two of the members from the old days remain: Boudewijn (guitars) and Patrick, who seems to know drums, bass, guitars and vocals; and now in 2020 with Stijn (guitars/vocals) and Menno (lead guitar).

You might get the wrong impression from the cover of this book: the spelling of “evilution”; the song title “Midlife Christ”; and the politically incorrect song title “Kill M Allah.” This band would probably anger the Dutch leftists, if the band were more famous. Who knows, they might even have a Celtic Frost joke with their song called “Cold Lake.” They call their music simply “thrash,” but there is a lot more going on than thrash like Overkill or Destruction. This is a heavier, more nuanced form of “thrash.” The vocals are not too far from 1980s black metal: twisted, psychotic, and extreme, like a gremlin witch. This band seems to have asked themselves how to move forward without just rehashing the old ideas.

“Cold Lake” explores a creeping atmosphere at a slow pace, with some background undertones for vibes. Traditional thrash bands would almost never think of doing something like this because it breaks the “thrash rules.” On the other hand, today’s fans of doom would find it easy to assimilate this song. A song like “Master in the Shadows” is a fast track, but the guitar solos show thought put into the melodies and shredding. “Midlife Christ” is an example of the guitar work involved. Shred fans might like this track. “Kill M Allah” is a uptempo/midtempo crawler with some Islamic chanting in the background (not just at the beginning but in various parts of the song), and a bit of background keyboards or synths (at least in some spots), and some very nice guitar melodies/shredding in the middle. Of special note is the guitar work on the entire album. It seems like they have dedicated time to the art of shredding, melodies and riffs. To conclude, there is a lot of hard work and creativity involved in this album. It takes a few listens before the picture becomes clearer, but when it does, the work as a whole is entertaining.

Kill M Allah

Cold Lake

On the Edge of a Dream

Evilution

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