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KARABINER
Unbeaten

Self-released (2023)
Rating: 8/10

Considering the troubles in their native country, it’s only natural that this debut full-length offering from Ukrainian act Karabiner should sound somewhat retaliatory.

Formed in 2019 out of Kyiv, Karabiner – who feature Leo “Skullmiller” Palahniuk (vocals and guitar), George “Todbringer” Reshetov (bass) and Ivan “K1800” Kalytenko (drums) – construct quite an angry racket of no nonsense thrash metal full of spit and speed that’s not a million miles away from classic Kreator. The sneering dry vocals, rattling bass, scathing axe work and rampant production of ‘Thrashooter’ is indicative of the Teutonic fury, as is the lethal ‘Counteroffensive’ which brings classic Slayer into the equation too.

Apart from the instrumental introduction and the track ‘Freedom Is Not Free’ (written in memory of Activated bassist Dmytro Liubak, who was killed on the battlefront in March 2023), the album is extremely hyper and frantic… and it works. The axe work on ‘Centuries Of Genocide’ just rips, the same goes for the furious ‘Dark City’, and yet closer ‘Vintage Metal’ is downright odd; a straight up mid-tempo warbler (musically and vocally) that seems wildly out of place. That aside, Unbeaten remains vicious, angry and dripping with spite and venom, something lacking in a lot of current thrash. Ukraine wasn’t known for its thrash… it is now.

Neil Arnold

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