Zud : " A Wilderness Left Untamed"

I was under the impression I had covered these guys before , but after a search that proved not to be the case, so here we go. This is the Portland band's second album. The first song is called "Thundercats Don't Play Dead" which lets you know they are just here to have fun and are not taking the black metal part of what they do very seriously. The vocals and the low key blast beats are really the only thing that is black metal in this bitch. Black metal is more about mood than any one thing and this is more like snarling punk. Like Grumpy Cat black metal is not about having fun. Fun is too mundane for black metal. The song that follows sounds more like old Slayer, and as a general rule thrash is another fitting label for this band. Lyrically it seems like a mish mash of metal silliness.

They are good at what they do. What they do begins to blur for me by the third song as everything begins to sound the same. Even the clever name of "For A Few Fucks Left to Give" is not enough from keeping the song mired down in riffs that have become uniform. The guitar solos are ego strokers with nothing to generally contribute. There are a few that add some flair , but considering the vast number of them they are outweighed. The ten minute "Off the Map" find the band slowing down and stopping the party enough to care about songwriting and is a welcome change of pace. They pick the pace back up yet not as manically after this. Though I find myself kind of tuning it out. They are back with the kind of snarling thrash that embodies this album, and have enough energy in the riffs to sell it better and reengage me. The fact the the mood a marginally more grim helps.

Thing have a more dynamic moodiness to them going into "Chasing the Dragon's Tail". They expand upon this with the interlude that follows. It's a mixed bag on the last song which loses my attention more often than it pulls me in. It is well played and has more though put into that some of their more frantic punk paced party thrash. I'll give this album a 7, a little too upbeat and beer drinking for my personal taste. But I think for those specifications they would do well in Atlanta. Will update this with a link to the current album is availible until then if you just want to get an idea what they sound like try the link below.