SIEGE OF POWER

The incestuous nature of the metal underground means that, superficially at least, bands like SIEGE OF POWER are par for the course. The difference between this four-man wrecking crew and hundreds like them is that everyone involved has absolutely impeccable credentials. Best known for several stints with ASPHYX, drummer Bob Bagchus currently rides with BEAST OF REVELATION, GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT, INFIDEL REICH and several others. Bassist Theo van Eekelen and guitarist Paul Baayens are both former members of HAIL OF BULLETS, while these days Baayens is an ASPHYX mainstay, alongside his work with death/thrash mob THANATOS. If all that isn't enough to pique your interest, SIEGE OF POWER are fronted by the legendary Chris Reifert from AUTOPSY, who generally has a bewildering number of always excellent side-projects on the boil. Can any self-respecting death metal fan honestly say that they don't want to hear "This Is Tomorrow"?

Each to their own, of course. SIEGE OF POWER's 2018 debut, "Warning Blast", set out their stall in thuggish, monochrome shades. Arguably against the odds, their newly minted blend of old-school death metal, brutish hardcore, primitive thrash and all-out grind crackled with spirit and just enough originality to convince. It was everything it claimed to be, but nothing more. Second time around, SIEGE OF POWER have audibly morphed into much more of a focused unit, and the gruff amalgam of subgenres and styles has evolved too. With hell-for-leather thrash providing the roots and core of the whole thing, the quartet's dives into darker waters have become more effective. These men know what they're doing and it's a joy to witness.

The end result almost defies analysis. This is the kind of metal record that makes people throw their furniture around. Songs like "Force Fed Fear" and the magnificently titled "Sinister Christians" make no attempt to mess around. Instead, this is pure metal filth, fashioned into a big, knobbly club and swung around with psychotic abandon. There are brutal D-beats and imperious, BOLT THROWER-style doom-dozer riffs; there are sustained speed metal attacks and the frosty, guillotine chop of crust-punk. Again, the mere act of looking for weak points seems rather contrary to the spirit of the thing.

Fortunately, SIEGE OF POWER sustain their haughty mastery of all things horrible until the bitter end. A more diverse affair than its predecessor, despite its apparent simplicity, "This Is Tomorrow" meanders menacingly through evil gothic metal ("Ghosts of Humanity"),  a warped and sludgy reimagining of BATHORY-style pomp ("Deeper Wounds") and three minutes of the scabbiest rock 'n' roll this side of GG ALLIN ("The Devil's Grasp"). It concludes with the agonizing dirge of its title track, which is disgustingly heavy and infected with the blank-eyed essence of early SWANS. At this point, we should expect nothing less from these people. They know what they're doing. And what they're doing is vicious, ugly and obnoxious. Heroes, I tell you.