Oh, well, well, it’s Thrash Metal time again. Here we’ve got Patchwork with “Scars.” First of all, my dear child of the night knows I never say a word about bands’ names, but patchwork, needlework in which small pieces of cloth in different designs, colors, or textures are sewn together does not sound too Thrash Metal to me. However, thinking about controversies and antagonisms the name is pretty right. Second of all, on second thought, “Scars” sounds pretty well to an album.
As I said before, Thrash Metal is definitely back with very cool bands that are reviving the subgenre that has been great once. “Scars” sounds pretty fresh even though it repeats some well-known and widespread clichès. Interestingly, it is the way Patchwork do it that made me like the album because they interwove melodic parts with harsh ones with some intentional or not intentional – hard to know for sure – mistakes and parts that do not fit at all as in “Bitter Truth.” The thing is that the band sounds so natural and proud that it is impossible not to like them. Truth is, on the contrary of today’s musical dextery all bands showcase, Patchwork have no shreders at all or no great skills regarding their instruments. They are okay, that’s it. Old school metalheads as I am know I am not dimishing the band, on the other way around, Extreme Metal, for instance was built on raw playing and avoiding any kind of shredding.
A cool intro called “You Have Failed” gives the fan the welcome to “Scars.” The first thing my dear fan will notice is that “You Have Failed” and tittle track “Scars” differ a lot. It is like they were recorded in different epochs, different studios, and different musicians. Well, as a matter of fact, this is not so rare. I do not know if it is this case, but it sounds like it. Other thing that will splash ion the face of the face is that Heith Gruner’s tobe of voice do address to Twisted Sisters Dee Snider. To be really truthful, I loved the effect his voice gives to songs. On my twisted mind – no pun intended – it sounds as an eerie and wicked version of Twisted Sisters. On Patchwork’s behalf, this impression soon fades away and disappears. The frantic mood of “Fallout“ changes everything giving the album the desired Thrash Metal intent that goes on with “Relllik.”
“Scars” is a nice album from this new revival of Thrash Metal. The monster is still alive.
Patchwork “Scars” was released on May 16th.
Track Listing:
- You Have Failed (feat. Todd Paluzzi)
- Scars
- Fallout (feat. Bobby Gustafson)
- Relllik (feat. Kragen Lum)
- Ruined
- Methuselah
- Divide (feat. Dallas Toler-Wade, Ronnie Parmer)
- The Vulture
- Skies in Flames (feat. Michael Gilbert)
- The Empty
- Buried Alive (feat. Bobby Gustafson)
- Bitter Truth (feat. Dallas Toler-Wade)
- At The End (feat. Kragen Lum)
Watch “Fallout” official lyric video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!