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MEGASONIC
Intense

Mausoleum (2014)
Rating: 8.5/10

It’s great to see Mausoleum Records still pumping out high quality heavy metal and the debut slab from Belgian melodic metallers Megasonic is no exception.

I have to admit that when I first saw the album cover for this 13-track affair I wondered if this was some sort of belated late 90s / early 00s groove metal, but I’m glad I was wrong. This is one power trio that people are not going to be able to ignore; Megasonic is a full-on metal experience boasting commanding vocals, hints of symphonic melody, fiery guitars and percussion which will shatter your bones.

All this is down to a trio of titans – namely Dimitri Verhoeven (vocals / keyboards / drums / orchestration), Jeroen De Bock (guitar / bass / keyboards drums / orchestration) and Lieven De Wolf (guitar / bass / backing vocals) – and as one can see on their CV, these guys are extremely talented multi-instrumentalists who have joined forces to bring out the best in one another.

And so, after a pounding instrumental introduction in ‘Sonic Tension’ the band drives headlong into the infectious, anthemic ‘Bombs Away’, which comes rattling in with a fast-paced almost thrashing menace that wouldn’t seem out of place on a classic Accept album. Then it’s a case of being battered by that clinical percussion and Dimitri Verhoeven’s authoritative vocal as he warns you to lock your windows and bolt your doors in preparation for their metallic onslaught. It is gargantuan power metal that pounds its fist from beginning to end and gets us ready for the coming monsters… and boy are they monsters!

‘Demon’s Lust’ begins with astounding vocal gothics and slamming drums; as a track, it showcases the progressive versatility of the band; mostly with Verhoeven’s impressive vocal range. ‘Witches Brew’ is an altogether different beast – groove-laden and almost sleazy in its riff – while ‘Future Shock’ is a cutting slab of cold, clinical progressive metal, again hinting at some of the best German metal invasions while also touching upon Judas Priest at its most dynamic and belligerent.

Indeed, as modern metal goes Megasonic takes advantage of contemporary dynamics and yet doesn’t once sacrifice the elements of power, and so the overall result is something akin to hearing a lethal mix of, say, Savatage and more traditional metal; but never once does the grip become loose. If only all modern metal bands were this good and displayed such diversity, but it’s unlikely you’ll hear much to equal a raging storm such as ‘Raging Heart’ or the deftness of the brilliant ‘Man In The Moon’. Dimitri Verhoeven is some vocalist. In fact, one of the best I’ve heard over the last few years, and while he has Jeroen De Bock and Lieven De Wolf by his side then Megasonic is going to be a greatly feared beast and a band I can see flying up the metal divisions and perching on the top majestically.

Neil Arnold

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