FORBIDDEN
Omega Wave
Nuclear Blast Records CD
We are all witnesses to the current resurgence of Thrash Metal with hordes clad in denim and leather (both bands and fans) trying to recapture the days of glory but in my opinion it is a rare case that some new group even approaches succesfully the old vibe, probably the reason is they are trying to recreate the period they weren't really part of, so as a result the best Thrash albums of today are done by those old scene dogs who carry the torch for decades. Case in point: in 2010 the laurels are taken by Overkill, Sodom and I feel that I can freely add Forbidden's new outing to that company. By now everybody knows the story behind this cult troop and anyway you can read an interview with Russ on our pages to get acquainted with facts from Forbidden’s world so let’s go riding the „Omega wave“, shall we? It should be said that „Omega wave“ is first band’s work after a long break and 1997’s „Green“ (which was largely rejected by fans) so as always when old band returns from dormancy I was afraid that they will shit all over their proud legacy (Assassin immediately comes to mind here...) or continue in vein of their finest work but that spark is simply gone over the years (Pestilence, anyone?) but Forbidden seems to be returning for all the right reasons. They arent regurgitating „Forbidden evil“ ad nauseam with ten new takes on „Chalice of blood“ on their new material but instead they have mixed all the tendencies (some of them were sometimes suicidal, but they have pulled it off largely here) of their four albums, spiced it with modern production and figures in arrangements here and there, bolstered it with various songwriting and there you got „Omega wave“! I know, I know – one can get the impression from these words that this is one boring mish-mash that only the band members could love, it does seem like it on the paper but reality is different. Truth be told, Forbidden is still Thrash Metal band primarily and they make that statement loud and clear right after classical intro „Alpha century“ with raging beast of an opener entitled „Forsaken at the gates“ which encapsulates everything that is good about Forbidden – virtuous guitar playing, hot rhythms, soaring Russ’ vocals – and it already can stand among Forbidden’s finest hours but right after with „Overthrow“ the album starts to show its variety. Mentioned track is mostly in mid tempo with chugging guitar riffs and modern feel but it is pulled off by overall catchiness. „Hopenosis“ and „Adapt or die“ are varied Thrashers, neckbreakers such as closing title track will keep the bangers satisfied and on the other side of the spectrum you will find „Swine“ with almost doom driven vibes throughout most of the song. So you see that „Omega wave“ is very varied and it is easy to fall through the cracks of "too much of nothing“ syndrome but I feel that intricate songwriting saves the day so even if I am not so fond of slower parts / 90's tendencies of Thrash must admit that those sections are tastefully crafted and actually are bringing something cool to the songs instead of choking every excitement out of them. One more thing that elevates the impression is spirited performance of all the members; I must single out new guitar player Steve Smyth (ex-Nevermore) who was probably in charge of modern touches (wild guess..) and Russ Anderson who is truly the shining star of "Omega wave". Initially I was dissapointed with his delivery but as I delved deeper into the music I was excited more and more. Russ strays away from his classic output for more brutal approach; don’t get me wrong, the man still pulls out those high notes like it is piece of cake but he opted for deeper parts frequently and even uses some growls, screams, clear notes... Russ still got pipes, it is clear as crystal, and he delivers in spades as it is true joy to listen to the man who actually has balls to go for something different and succeeds at it. Unfortunately, not everything is shiny and bright; the album lasts for about an hour and I guess that it was hard to keep up the high level of quality all along. Take „Chatter“ which is just throwaway intrumental and „Inhuman race“ and „Immortal wounds“ which are simply sub par in comparing to the rest of the material. But the final verdict is that lion’s share of „Omega wave“ is worthy of pure gold, those mentioned weak moments drag down the final score but overall impression is more than cool: Forbidden is here, seems like it is for good, and they have success where bunch of others failed miserably – they have done something that is in connection with today’s standards but still unmistakably linked to their core principles.
