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KAYSER
Read Your Enemy

Listenable (2014)
Rating: 6.5/10

Swedish thrashers Kayser are back with their third studio opus, and it’s about time too. It’s been eight years since 2006’s Frame The World… Hang It On The Wall opus. While that particular record was a decent affair, the quintet have been all too inconsistent since 2005’s half-hearted debut Kaiserhof.

Kayser very much deal in melodic thrash and have had a stable line-up from 2006 onwards, which is always a good thing for a band that wishes to reach their ultimate goal of consistency within their music. The outfit is fronted by former Spiritual Beggars man Christian “Spice” Sjöstrand, and he is flanked by axemen Jokke Pettersson and Mattias “Swaney” Svensson, while Emil “Biff” Sandin handles bass and Bob Ruben hits the skins.

The first impression of Read Your Enemy is that Kayser is now an accomplished act who rely on sturdy, tight musicianship based around weighty riffs and thumping drums. Opener ‘Bark And Bow’ is an excellent track, which pretty much sums up the Kayser sound in that it’s well constructed, based around a framework of strong solos and melodies and some truly rattling riffs. While Sjöstrand is more than an adequate vocalist, there are times when the sneer lacks conviction, meaning that Kayser can be found wanting when it comes to conviction on the whole.

‘Bring Out The Clown’ is pure, full-throttle blistering thrash but there is an air of the tepid as the band gallop along, although the fury is something akin to the vehemence churned out regularly in the current thrash scene. I’m also reminded of Slayer, but more so circa the American’s Diabolus In Musica stage (1998) where the music, although heavy, remained a tad cold and bereft of the usual bite. Even so, Kayser are efficient at what they do, combining hard-edged metallic grooves (‘I’ll Deny You’) and chugging persistency (‘He Knows Your Secrets’).

The guitar is most certainly king when it comes to this 12-track affair, but where the band seem more comfortable is out of the thrashier zone in fact. Without a shadow of a doubt the best track on the opus is ‘Dreams Bent Clockwise’, which for all of its aggression in the guitar exists more in the fashion of traditional metal, especially with the ascending chorus and steel attack that has more in common with classic Judas Priest.

The title track is equally stirring with its juddering rhythms and those angst-ridden vocals, while the classic approach of ‘Roll The Dice’ and closer ‘The Fake Rose’ mean that Read Your Enemy is a solid third instalment from these Swedish metallers who have done well to avoid the usual chainsaw death metal leanings.

While this album is a ride worth taking, it nonetheless could be construed that it’s one that can be a touch uneventful at times.

Neil Arnold

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