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OLD“Dawn of Darkness” (Unsilent Tombs, 2023)

OLD has been around for a few years now. Started off in 2003, decided to stop; came back in 2008… decided to stop again; a 2nd coming in 2018… let us see how long this 3rd life will last. In practical terms, OLD is a superb fusion of Thrash Metal and Black Metal. Not as easy as it may sound, not all specimens of the sub-genre have given us this smooth and savage combo. Germany is very well known for their craftmanship in Thrash Metal. Bloody me, they practically created good Thrash to start with: Sodom and Destruction being a house favorites, but we need to add Kreator, Nocturnal, and Poison to the equation. OLD is an Old School Thrash Metal band with a thing for melody and quality material, and their first LP, “Down with the Nails” was, for this scribe, a pleasant surprise! I am very picky when it comes to Black Thrash Metal. Too much Thrash, too much Black Metal, but hardly ever musicians hit that perfect dose of each and presents us with the Perfect Combo from Hell!

“Dawn of Darkness” is the band’s 2nd LP since their debut back in 2006. Old, right? The thing is, and without taking any credit from bands that have been doing this for years and years, Darkthrone did help in terms of fueling the flame, and Oz’s vocals in “Inquisitor”, for example, are straight up Darkthrone, even if it was not a deliberate move from the band. The good thing about OLD is that they are bold enough to add different layers to their music, giving it a higher level of dynamics, preventing it from falling into that bottomless pit where Thrash Metal bands go to die. The genre, if you decide to keep it Old School, “obeys” certain guidelines, and you do not want it to sound modern, right? Is there anything worse than Modern Thrash Metal? Only when Old School Thrash Metal bands try to stay relevant by “butchering” their sound.


But not OLD, not these German lads. No, no, no. Their music is Old School driven, and it pulls me back to those initial years, learning about old bands and discovering the likes of Sodom and Destruction, and thinking that Dave Mustaine was the best Thrash Metal guitar player in the World. In his defense… some of his albums are still some of the best in the genre. But back to Siegen, where the quintet whose name is OLD, brought forth an amazing Black Thrash album. The atmospheres, the nuances, and layers, those are not limited to Thrash or Black, but to Heavy Metal music in general. The guitar riffs, the drumming, the vocals, the variations, and slower moments, the diversity that you hardly ever hear in a Black Thrash Metal album, it is all here.


This is a 39 minutes and 59 seconds album that holds so much, it is easy listening, creative and never bland! “Sombra del Mal”, in Spanish… what the?! Truth be told, Spanish in one Hell of a language for Heavy Metal in general, and a bit like Portuguese. But the important thing is: this tune is a banger, a true banger, a true Heavy Metal moment! It seems it came out on the Split they did with the Spanish Thrashers of Omission. I missed it, ups. And “Storm of Depressions” was in it as well. It seems, from what I read, that this Split contained tunes that were planned to be featured in a possible LP. We had to wait until 2023 for that LP, but it came ripping, so it was worth the wait.


Unsilent Tombs Records Official



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