"Eighteenth anniversary" are two words that, back in 1988, probably never entered the minds of either the Swedish moshers who comprised
Dismember
's original lineup or their early fans in Stockholm. Back then,
death metal
was a new kid on the headbanger block -- and it was a bad, unruly, nasty, disturbing kid who was loud and obnoxious even by
metal
standards. The kind of kid who seems destined to live fast, self-destruct, die young, and leave a not-so-pretty corpse behind -- not someone who will still be going strong 18 years down the line. But
endured, and
celebrated their 18th anniversary with the release of
The God That Never Was
in 2006 (although technically, it's a 17th anniversary celebration because the album was recorded during the summer/early autumn of 2005). This is not a band that has become more congenial with time or a band that "had to grow up eventually"; providing
that is very mindful of
thrash
,
is still blistering after 18 years -- and they aren't apologetic about it. If there is anything "grown up" about
, it is the musicianship; the moshers in this
lineup definitely have chops, which is an important point because -- face it -- there are plenty of young rockers these days who can't play their instruments and haven't spent enough time in what
jazz
musicians call "the shed."
reminds you that being loud, fast, and abrasive doesn't have to mean being sloppy -- and while this 35-minute CD doesn't take
into any new or uncharted territory, it is a decent, if predictable, effort that is played with conviction and underscores the longevity of these Nordic
veterans. ~ Alex Henderson