Welcome back metalheads to another episode of the great metal debate podcast. It's your man Xander again and today the Swedish thrash metal band Mezzrow has finally released their second album titled Summon Thy Demons.
This long awaited release on Fireflash Records has much better production quality and it is instantly noticeable during the first song "King of the Infinite Void". Gone are the days of the drumming sounding like someone slapping their hands on a countertop and in with the crisp audio of Jon Skare pounding the skins.
It is worth noting that this band has zero original members as they have all come and gone over the years. This fresh line-up seems to truly capture lightning in a bottle. As someone who has never been crazy about the style of thrash metal, I'm glad that this new album seems to be one of the few I personally enjoy.
Summon Thy Demons has a real modern Havok and Warbringer-esq vibe about them. They are fast, loud and aggressive while keeping that classic Sodom bravado especially with front man Uffe Pettersson's vocal delivery. Another thing that I like about his style is that I can hear every single word that he says in every song making the entire album one big sing-along.
The second song "Through The Eyes of the Ancient Gods" is a thrashing good time with great overall musicianship and catchy lyrics. And then we have the album title track coming in softly with a faded out choir before annihilating your eardrums with the menacing words that feels like venom being spat in your face.
The next song on the album "What Is Dead May Never Die" is a real headbanger thanks to guitarists Magnus Soderman and Ronnie Bjornstrum with their amazing riffs. The song is quite an earworm too. I had this song stuck in my head for a while after hearing it for the first time.
The beginning of the song "De Mysteriis Inmortui" has an old school 1980s era Metallica sound to the violent heavy metal riff. Personally I refer to this song as "Summon The Dead" because of the gang vocals towards the end chanting these words.
I love how before this next song fades in, we hear a sonar beeping from a submarine. It's very fitting since the song is titled "Beneath The Sea of Silence" which has yet another kick ass opening guitar riff. I can only imagine what the future mosh pits for this song would look like. Hopefully Mezzrow can do a U.S. tour with another big thrash metal act sometime next year. The guitar solo in this song makes me want to jump straight into a circle pit.
When a song starts up with a nuclear test site siren, you know you're in for a hell of a ride. This is of course, is the song "On Earth As In Hell" which gives off all the negative energy that you'd expect from this song title. I love that bass guitar line in the middle of the track which eventually returns to the main guitar groove.
I can always appreciate an acoustic guitar in heavy music especially when it serves as a calm way to ease listers into a very modern Kreator sound guitar riff. That's what I enjoy most about the song "Blackness Fell Upon The World". It's a killer song that only further compliments the already badass album. For some reason when the vocals and bass sections come up,
"Dark Spirit Rising" and "The End of Everything" both are packed with enough adrenaline to close out this long awaited thrasher.
Despite Mezzrow being a band for over 3 decades, I feel like they have been reborn from the ashes like a fiery Phoenix given their circumstances.
I can't find any real flaws with Summon Thy Demons and it is certainly superior to most thrash metal that gets released these days. If you are a thrasher, there is a great chance you'll love these guys. I'm going to give this album a 7 out of 10.
You can show your support by buying their merch from their website at fireflashrecords.com