Album Review: VanQuish – SLEDGE
By JITESH RAJAN .
Listening to the new SLEDGE record is like a journey back to the Kill em all & Schizophrenia days.
The veteran Hyderabad metallers latest effort VanQuish epitomizes the thrash era of the 80’s and early 90’s. Being an old school fanboi myself, the record is a treat for fans of some vintage thrash riffs and guitar solos which are aggressive & in your face. The album doesn’t let down an inch during its 40 minutes of play time.
Nitin Rajan,the man behind the vocals is the latest addition to the line up. He has a very distinct voice for a metal act to boast of. Very similar to the vocal styles of Chris Barnes & John Tardy. Nitin used to be with Morticide,the now defunct metal act from Bombay. Though Mortcide was around only for a few years in the circuit they did leave a mark on the scene with some insane live shows. I remember catching Sledge live a few years back when they were invited to play at Razz & also at Castrol Garage Rock which they eventually won. The band was extremely tight and talented with some seasoned musicians cranking it up on stage.
Sledge’s first album “Desert Of Souls“ was heavily influenced by Sepultura and that reflected in their live sets and the music they composed. But with “Vanquish” they have moved on with a more mature, distinct and polished sound. The 10 tracks on the album clock to almost 40 minutes with each song not more than 4 minutes, the album is a concise package of old school thrash metal which keeps the listener hooked because of its short but engrossing playtime. The title track “Vanquish” is my personal favorite of the album with its tight rhythm and Nitin’s gut wrenching vocals. Sledge has one of the best rhythm sections amongst metal acts in our country today .This was pretty evident in their first record, but with Vanquish Anjani on bass & Avinash on rhythm have taken the album to new musical heights. Anjani is a veteran of the scene & is one of the most respected bass players in the country.
Another favorite track Of mine form the album is the pile driver called “A Law to Kill”. The two axe players just slay on this one with Prabhu on lead guitars stamping a memorable solo. Suman behind the skins is a war machine behind the kit with some insane double bass pounding on the album. Songs like “Controlled” ,“Theater of war” & “Fate Of innocence” takes you back to the golden era of thrash metal when twin guitar attacks & guitar intros were the order of the day.
The album artwork is an impressive
effort with new Sledge logo
in the form of an ambigram.
The production on this record is the way I would want this album to sound like. Nothing too polished and refined as is the case with most records nowadays. Brings back the old school vibes which may not have been the case if the band wanted it to sound like a modern rock/metal record.
I remember Kryptos latest effort “The Ark Of Gemini“ sounding the same and achieving what they set out to accomplish. With VanQuish sledge opens a new chapter in its musical journey.
For Indian metal fans its back to some serious head banging.
