The Berzerker
Animosity
Band: The Berzerker
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Australia's The Berzerker is back and for
the second straight album unmasked. Although the group has taken on more of an ordinary appearance, there is
nothing ordinary about the music they create. The Berzerker is one of the fastest bands on the planet if not the
fastest. With "Animosity" the group shows no sign of slowing down.
The Berzerker's previous album "World of Lies" seemed nearly unmatched in pure speed, but "Animosity" appears to step up the speed factor even further into the realm of impossible fancy. "False Hope" shows the guitarists trying a new technique; at least I've never heard them try this before. He does an ultra fast slide into the high end of his fret. The speed picking is so fast it sounds like an outboard motor being pushed to its utmost limit before blowing up. They make use of this technique again in a short burst on "Weapons of War", creating a rhythm so fast it could split molecules and obliterate everything for miles. Drummer Dave Grey was rumored to be the fastest drummer in the world due to his breaking of the Guinness Book of World Records with an amazing speed of 19 beats per second. This turned out to be pure fabrication invented by internet users. With the incredulous speed displayed on "Animosity" is it easy to see how this rumor started. Grey does blast at an unrivaled velocity, and his drum rolls are at an otherworldly speed. Even though the rest of the best all play at dangerous speeds, Grey impressive drumming serves as the foundation. "Animosity" is without a doubt a true Berzerker album. All the traits that make this group so unique and great are present. As said before, the speed is unequalled. The kick drum still maintains its characteristic distortion, sounding like an attacking swarm of killer bees. In the tradition of grind legends Carcass, the vocals still trade off between screechy grind and growling death vocals, sometimes at a rate that would make the ordinary person puke up his larynx. Even though speed rules the day, they have no problem breaking it down to harder-than-granite grooves. I can truly say "Animosity" is the first great death/grind album of 2007! Darren Cowan
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