TERROR 2000

Like other underground hopefuls, TERROR 2000—the side project of SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid and DARKANE guitarist Klas Ideberg—is a band designed to take the formula perfected by the likes of AT THE GATES (circa their classic Slaughter Of The Soul CD) and push the envelope even further, with nary a trace of melody to be found on the group's sophomore effort. As was the case with TERROR 2000's acclaimed Slaughterhouse Supremacy debut, Faster Disaster is unwavering in its focus if not exactly abundant with dynamics, in the process conjuring up the kind of unadulterated intensity that makes latter-day SOILWORK sound tame by comparison.

Of course, the problem with an album like this lies simply in the fact that it doesn't take very long for the group's one-dimensional approach to grow tiresome, and in TERROR 2000's case, the lack of truly memorable, original material is apparent from the get-go, with most of the cuts on the offer herein oozing with speed but rarely rising above the generic status. Equally disappointing is the decidedly ineffectual production, featuring a guitar sound that is too clean and virtually powerless, a point that only serves to highlight the group's relatively monotonous delivery.

While Faster Disaster is not a disastrous release by any means, it's hard to imagine anyone but the least discerning of thrash aficionados finding anything worthwhile on TERROR 2000's latest offering. Exactly what possessed Strid and Ideberg to attach their names to something that was clearly thrown together with minimal thought or effort behind it is beyond me, especially when they are capable of so much more.