The Kandidate – Facing the Imminent Prospect of Death (Napalm Records)
Sunday, 24th March 2013
The first album by the new band of ex-Hatesphere vocalist Jakob Bredhal, 2010’s Until We Are Outnumbered was a direct and impactful chunk of European thrash. They have returned for a second album, and they’re as on as they were the first time.
There are no bells and whistles here, folks, and thank goodness for that. This is in your face, hectic thrashy goodness. The biggest difference from album number one is that this has a bit more of a crossover thrash vibe to it, with some rawness and chugginess of hardcore. To be clear, there’s nothing detrimental here – to those who hear the word hardcore and start whining like a brat. Actually, it is quite the contrary. This is some very heavy and well-performed stuff, and it’s so damn infectious. Music to be pissed off to, no doubt, and it is good.
Once past the intro track, album starter “Beyond the Mind, Sleep You’ll Fine” sets the pace – very high and wrecking into your face. “Total War” stands out with a nice lead to begin the song, and some well-placed groove, while “Standing on the Cliffs of Madness” is a brutal ditty from start to finish. There isn’t a ton of songwriting variety, and no real melody to be found here at all – and it works perfectly fine for these guys.
The production for this disc is on the dirty side, with just the right dose of rawness, resulting in a huge wall of sound that suits what The Kandidate is trying to do nicely. And a clean sound would ruin a band like this, so wise choice, fellas.
Again, The Kandidate is doing nothing that has never been heard before, but that isn’t a problem. Heavy, thrashy, and concise – no song breaks the four minute mark – are just what the doctor ordered. If you dig crossover thrash with a ton of bite, or just something fast and vibrant, The Kandidate is definitely for you. Truth be told, Facing the Imminent Prospect of Death will be in this guy’s musical rotation for some time.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
