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SUICIDAL ANGELS
Divide And Conquer

NoiseArt (2014)
Rating: 7/10

This Greek quartet has been thrashing hard since 2001 with Divide And Conquer being the fifth full-length opus from these guys. The band is fronted by vocalist / guitarist Nick Melissourgos who is joined by fellow guitarist Chris Tsitsis who was recruited in 2010. These axemen are backed by even more recent addition, bassist Aggelos Lelikakis, and drummer Orpheas Tzortzopoulos, who has been with the combo since 2003.

I was first turned onto Suicidal Angels with their 2006 EP Armies Of Hell which impressed me mostly with its technical guitar sound and its no thrills attitude in thrashing hard.

That EP was followed by the more than decent 2007 offering Eternal Domination which for me seemed to comfortably fit into the late 80s thrash metal mould, with those crunching riffs and crystal clear drums. 2009’s Sanctify The Darkness seemed a tad rushed if you ask me, despite boasting some very good numbers which brought to mind parts of Slayer, with a European thrash feel.

I was surprised however that 2010’s Dead Again and less so, 2012’s Bloodbath, emerged in such quick succession so it’s pretty clear that these guys don’t like to hang about and enjoy getting their albums out one after another. Of course, this can often lead to acts being sloppy but I have to give it to them and say that although Suicidal Angels are not the most thrilling of thrash metal bands, they are extremely consistent.

Divide And Conquer boasts ten tracks, with the album opening with the chugging aptitude of ‘Marching Over Blood’. This song has everything you’d expect from a solid thrash number in that it soon speeds up allowing Nick Melissourgos to aggressively spit out his lyrics over a myriad of flailing solos, which come across as Slayer in style against a backdrop of robust bass and vigorous drumming. Its classic by-numbers thrash but rarely does it bore.

‘Seed Of Evil’ is one of the album’s best tracks, a seven-minute chug-fest of bruising riffs and hammering drums, developing at a slow, brooding pace laced with a flailing solo which writhes like a pit of snakes. But with Orpheas Tzortzopoulos’ clean-cut stabbing drum we’re lead into a classic moshing pose, bringing to mind the likes of Exodus. Diehard thrash fans will be quick to pick up the influences here; everyone from Kreator to Overkill can be found within those efficient riffs and purposeful vocals.

Admittedly, the record does soon become a tad stale as one begins to yearn for those original thrash classics from the 80s, but I’m of the opinion that Suicidal Angels are fully aware of their no frills brand of energy and for the most part it does succeed, especially with the groove-based monstrosity that is ‘White Wizard’ and the frenzied buzz of ‘Pit Of Snakes’. And while the album can at times appear limited in its variety and a touch formulaic, Divide And Conquer is a much better effort than Bloodbath and it’s certainly less irritating than a lot of the current bands doing the big thrash revival.

Neil Arnold

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