Review for Anti-Social Engineering :: Metal-temple.com
You are a bunch of infidels and the veterans from ANIHILATED are here to kick your lazy heretic ass! They are the vengeance - a full team with a Nemesis mission - sent by the Gods of Thrash to keep you in the real dogmatic Orthodoxy of British Metal. On your knees; the English Pyromancers are back!
This Underground unit is considered by many as a cult band and the countless re-releases of their back catalogue in Japan, China and Brazil and their omnipresence on the internet in the connoisseur sites are some obvious signs for their new status. Forged in the demonic wildfire of the U.K. scene in 1981 as a Crossover Punk/Metal gang and Proto Thrash band, disbanded in the 90’s Grunge stinking hype disgusting wake, and then rising from its ashes as a legendary heavyweight, the return of ANIHILATED was highly acclaimed by the fans and the specialized medias. Indeed their comeback album “Scorched Earth Policy” in 2010 was a terrific thrilling affair; the subsequent work “iDeviant” and now“Anti Social Engineering” is a proof of the lehtality of their weapons, and this mighty Thrash juggernaut is showing no sign of worn or wise philosophy mutation, as their reputation as a shattering squad is still intact. Like in their prime they are still sharp and precise with the same edge as in their legendary 1988's "Created In Hate" or the underrated "The Ultimate Desecration": the same juvenile rebellious blood is pumping, in a relentless manner, lyrically opting to tell the tales of injustice and denunciated the horrors from our every day world!
The mysterious intro for “The Slaughter Continues” is particulary intricate and the progression of the song is also complex and unexpected while the gang vocals (Featuring guest Sy Keeler (ONSLAUGHT), Coke Finlay (VIRUS) and Jason McLoughlin (D.A.M.)…) of “Thrashing Crew” or the “Anti Social Engineering” structure are much more predictable. The old school fans as well as the more demanding musical experts will be pleased by such a well-crafted lesson in violence. The unit is demonstrating a strong focus and a new-found method inherited from the legacy of the 90’s (“A Vile Congregation”/”Vultures”) creativity but also still faithfull to the original core of defiance and primal anger (the earlySLAYER-esque tone of “Torn By The Tooth”) but never falling into the trap of excessive over-the-top harshness or the regular revival nostalgic gimmicks.
All-in-all: A good balanced Headbanging disc with enough variation and surprise, while retaining that good dose of allegiance, to be praised by the whole community! If you want to ear the very best in original early 80’s Thrash Metal, as savage and tempestuous today as it was in 1981, with some progress and a few twists then look no further than “Anti Social Engineering” by ANIHILATED.