Susperia
Unlimited
Candlelight Records
MBFLASH
Susperia is another in the seemingly endless line of Norwegian Black Metal bands. Funny thing is, whether they were black metal on their first two albums, their third album Unlimited is anything but. This album sounds closer to classic thrash than any sort of Black variety. I picked it up after hearing a tune on Music Choice (Satellite TV music station) that I thought warranted a purchase. Usually when this sort of impulse hits, the intrigue lies in whether you heard the one and only decent song or whether the whole album holds up to that quality. I have heard enough to size it up in our rating system.
Sound/Production
Nice and loud, clear cut distinction between all instruments is found on this one. The guitars are heavy as fuck and the double bass has a nice even click going for it. Very good job done with the production and it makes for an enjoyable listen. (9.0)
Vocal Performance
The best comparison I can think of when trying to describe the vocal style of “Athera” is to imagine a sound that is 70% Chuck Billy and 30% Matt Barlow. I have never been that big a fan of the thrash style of Chuck Billy, so the instances where his influence comes through leave me a bit annoyed. While the Barlow comparison may not be as easy to hear after the first few spins, it is there in a limited amount and to me helps to save the vocal performance from being categorized as a disappointment. (7.5)
Rippage
While the album opens with a roar through “Chemistry” the rippage is not as abundant throughout the rest of the disc as the first track would make you believe. I come away feeling like this brand of music needs more guitar solos. There are some good ones to be sure, they just don’t occur with the type of frequency that seems appropriate. As far as riffs go, there are some pretty damn good ones. “Off The Grid” and “Home Sweet Hell” both have really cool themes working for them. Overall, “Cyrus” and “Elvorn” do a solid job outside of the minor solo complaint. (8.0)
Bass/Drum Performance
I really enjoyed the drumming of “Tjodalv” (what is with all these single name monikers? You would think they all played for the fucking Brazilian soccer team) on this disc. It seems like Norway really puts out some killer players when it comes to percussion, and this dude fits that bill nicely. He uses a ton of rolls, nice and even on the double bass patterns, and excellent cymbal work. The bass player for Susperia, “Memnock” doesn’t really stand out too much, but then again there isn’t all that much room to do so with this style of metal. (8.5)
Intangibles
Despite the fact that Susperia is comprised of solid musicians from top to bottom, the sum of Unlimited is not an overwhelming achievement. There are bright spots and some very good songs to be found here, but there are also tunes that I am compelled to skip right over. One in particular, “Situational Awareness” just bugs the hell out of me with its ultra lame chorus. Perhaps the disc will grow on me over time as others have, but for now I qualify it as somewhat average. (7.0)
Cheese Factor
While Unlimited almost made it out of here without a cheese deduction, I am compelled to knock them off a bit for that horrible chorus to “Situational Awareness”. Even if it is just a minor complaint, it is enough for a small slice. Other than that, the rest of the disc is solid metal fare, no cheesy make-up or dumb “Metal Forever” hallucinations. (-0.5)
Bottom line: 39.5 out of a possible 50
If you are a fan of the classic thrash style, I’d be willing to bet there is enough here for you to enjoy Susperia. Don’t look for it to blow you away or make you run out and claim allegiance to Norway, but you won’t be blowing you 17 bucks on garbage.
