Black Mass – “Ancient Scriptures”
When I stated to my boss, Mr. Bang, that I was going to write an article on gardening and then follow that up with a review of the band Black Mass, he replied in the affirmative. And after I looked up what that word meant, I knew that he agreed.
“I’m glad you’re doing a review on a metal band,” he bellowed, while downing half a cheese steak sub and guzzling a pint of Ballentine Ale.
“Actually,” I opinioned, “I think they’re a black band that does negro spirituals in an electro-trance groove.”
He took a moment to digest this information along with his nutrients and then he soldiered on.
“This Black Mass,” Mr. Bang queried, “Do you think this is what will get the youngsters to jump up and take notice? Do you think this is the next big craze?”
I responded in the affirmative, having already looked it up previously.
“Black Mass is a thrash metal band from Boston. This is what the Justin Beiber fans are turning to in droves,” I told him. “This is what Adele listens to while attending to her gardening. Why, Katy Perry fans are on this like flies on shit, I mean, like wildfire.”
After this we enjoyed listening to the album, Bang nodded thoughtfully along, and then he nearly poked out my eye with a stapler.
Poem: Let us listen to metal, let us listen to thrash, lettuce toss your salad, repeatedly, while you listen to the majesticall-ity of Black Mass.
Starting with four satanically great notes and four thunderous hits, “Soul Reaper” shortly moves into an energetic gallop with a slashing, riff and chord guitar line. Then the full voiced vocals ride roughshod as the metal thrashes and burns. “How does it feel to pressure the wall/ You scream out but there’s no one there at all.” This song moves along in a rockin’ groove until a breakdown halfway through makes me bang my head repeatedly. But soon the drums pick it up with a snare hit to every beat, the rhythm guitar sparks contagious energy and a guitar lead soars and stabs notes above and below. It all ends with the beginning and the drummer pushing it like he’s running for his life. This song kicks some mighty ass and is my favorite on the album.
A kind of lo-fi sound at hardcore speed starts off “East Coast Thrash.” And after a smashing, bashing intro that lasts almost a minute and a half, the vocals come slammin’ in with a gargled, emphatic growl. “The only thing I need to get my fix of speed/ It is the only way/ It really makes my fuckin’ day/ East Coast Thrash.” Though this song is about thrash it’s their most hardcore sounding song on the album. There is a nimble, effective solo in the heart of this song, but in the true heart of this song is passion, honesty, excitement and guts. And it succeeds on all accounts.
“Prepare For War” starts on warp speed right out of the gates with energy boosted rhythm, distorted fuzzed guitars, bellowing low vocals and enough thrash to put a smile of my sourpuss face. “I watch you bleed/ I watch you die/ There is no hope for you so don’t even try.” After these heart-warming sentiments there’s a breakdown part with a nasty, snarling lick, knocked sideways with punching accents and a swinging beat. Things calm down for a second but towards the end the excitement explodes like a stick of dynamite going off, blasting us to smithereens and to the end of this great song.
After an eerie beginning, “Black Mass” erupts with some stuttering guitar that takes flight as the song kicks in while the rhythm section prepares to kick our thrash-lovin’ asses, if I’m not mistaken. “The chaos has now begun/ Now that the stars are in place.” This fast, demonic tune grooves along until what appears at first to be a breakdown, actually doubles up the speed. Many twists and turns along brings us to some hammer-on guitar work which leads us to a nice, extended solo. But then the rhythm guitar brings us back to the original, ominous groove and the drums and vocals fall in quickly to finish another awesome tune.
Thrash and speed metal are two of my favorite types of metal music. Even half of this website’s name is “Thrash” the other half being “Bang” the sound of a gun going off, alluding to the time in Andy’s early life when he was a stagecoach robber.
But being a punker, myself, I’m naturally drawn to the fast forms of metal. And when I think of bands associated with these types of metal: Motorhead, Slayer, early Mettalica- well, as Andy likes to say, “It just doesn’t get any better than this.”
And I don’t think you will find any better local thrash than Black Mass. You can take that to the bank. Though I was slightly disappointed at the lack of negro spirituals.
(Slimedog)
