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Holy Moses
Agony Of Death
(Wacken/SPV Steamhammer Records)
For as long as I can remember, I have often, with good reason, been an impassioned ‘…supporter…’ of Aachen, Germany-based Thrash Metal veterans Holy Moses. You’re surprised? Please, allow me to elaborate. Despite devoting the vast majority of my already woefully misspent youth wholeheartedly embracing the finest--and in some cases, the worst--sonic offerings from the now-legendary Tampa, Florida and San Francisco Bay scenes, I frequently found myself amid a ceaseless quest for diversity and originality. Thus, I began joyfully supplementing the coveted and inescapable contributions of ‘The Big Four’ with a haphazardly-chosen selection of offerings by groups such as Exodus, Kreator, and Sepultura. Now, twenty two genuinely colorful years later, I continue to find myself fascinated with the group’s once groundbreaking compositional approach.
On the brilliant Agony Of Death (2008), an expertly assembled twelve song collection of mind-bogglingly ferocious, adrenaline-laden Thrash Metal, each track, beginning with the Janos Murri (Darkside, Demolition)-fueled “Imagination”, and the delightfully scalding “World In Darkness”, immediately command the rapt and undivided attention of even the most jaded and unimaginative of all parties involved, myself most definitely included. Inarguably the most underrated act of the famed Teutonic Thrash Metal sub-genre, the group wastes little--if any--time brazenly engulfing the ‘…proverbial average listener…’ amid a blindingly thunderous array of soaring vocals, razor-sharp riffs and a veritable avalanche of unusually abusive rhythms. Driving home each key focal point with a bowel-churning authenticity, the group effortlessly distances themselves from the shameless, payola and chart position-driven tactics so often employed by their few would-be contemporaries.
Continuing with the curiously-titled “Bloodbound Of The Damned”, and the maddeningly infectious “Angels In War”, the newly rejuvenated combination of vocalist Sabina ‘…Princess Of Hell…’ Classen, lead/rhythm guitarist Michael Hankel, rhythm guitarist Oliver Jaath, ex-Courageous/Desilence bassist Thomas Neitsch and returning drummer Guido ‘Atomic Steiff’ Richter (replacing inexplicably absent former Herbert Dreger/Thoms Berker skinsman Julien Schmidt) steamroll ahead at what can only be described as a carefully calculated pace. The sonic equivalent of a runaway truck (or, more appropriately, an errant Panzer IV tank), Classen and Hankel--who now serves as the group’s primary songwriter following the departure of Sabina’s oft-prolific ex-husband Andy--lead their already disturbingly bloodthirsty minions through a series of seething, bile-spewing tirades that are, without a doubt, most definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of constitution.
Wisely returning to their quasi-prototypical roots (i.e. 1987’s Finished With The Dogs and 1989’s The New Machine Of Liechtenstein) without abandoning the refreshingly introspective lyrical depth that has personified the majority--if not all--of the group’s ‘…later day…’ recordings, other standouts, including the mosh-inducing (albeit thought-provoking) diatribe “The Cave (Paramnesia)”, and the impossibly exhaustive closer “Through Shattered Minds / Agony Of Death”, are seemingly guaranteed to appeal to both clueless newcomers and die-hard completists alike. As a result, even if you somehow find yourself less than enthralled with the improbably long-running quintet’s undeniably insatiable penchant for all things complex, German, and Thrash, one must, at the very least sincerely admire the frequently ferocious fivesome’s influential impact on the genre as a whole, a much-welcomed characteristic that continues to set the group apart from their few legitimate contemporaries.
You’restill not sure you’ll like it? C’mon, dude…give me a freakin’ break! Seriously, do yourself--and thus those in your immediate vicinity--an indescribably huge favor and pick this little ‘monster’ up. Easily surpassing both 2005’s misguided (yet undoubtedly well-intended) Strength, Power, Will, Passion and 2002’s full-length reunion opus Disorder Of The Order, the end result(s) of the group’s obviously contrived efforts are ultimately as overwhelmingly punishing as they are painstakingly executed, thus making the rumbling sonic behemoth that is the mighty Agony Of Death one of year’s best-kept musical secrets. Not surprisingly, if you’ve once again found yourself in search of a slightly less than obvious (and, not surprisingly, genuinely over-the-top) alternative to the ‘…painfully mindless din and clatter that is so often force fed en mass…’, then this, my friends, might just be the razor-sharp cure the doctor ordered. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Select Discography
Agony Of Death (2008)
Strength, Power, Will, Passion (2005)
Disorder Of The Order (2002)
Master Of Disaster (EP) (2001)
No Matter What’s The Cause (1994)
To Drunk Too Fuck (1993)
Reborn Dogs (1992)
Terminal Terror (1991)
World Chaos (1990)
The New Machine Of Liechtenstein (1989)
Finished With The Dogs (1987)
Queen Of Siam (1986)