AFTERMATH
No Time To Waste
(Zoid Entertainment)
40:10min

When I have to review an album by a band I do not know yet, it is always a charming idea to approach the music as impartially as possible. So I did not read any other reviews before “No Time To Waste” came out of my speakers for the first time. However, the result was so devastating that I quickly searched the internet to find out more. AFTERMATH was founded back in 1985 in Chicago, USA, and they released two full-lengths, one in 1994, the other in 2019 plus some demos and compilations. Seen strictly objectively their music is kept in the style of eighties Thrash Metal in the vein of ANTHRAX, early PANTERA and a huge crossover influence in the manner of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. Could be great fun. Could. But the subjunctive is the friend of the loser. Even discounting the John Lennon cover ‘Give Peace A Chance’ as an experiment, there are very few moments on this album that evoke seriousness in trying to play genuine Heavy Metal, no matter what sub-genre. The opening title-track sounds not that bad and is a successful start, the following ‘Original Instructions’ and ‘Transform & Disrupt’ pass as average, compared to the mentioned ANTHRAX and PANTERA. But then, after only three songs, AFTERMATH completely lose the line, at least for me. Boring riffs alternate with guitar work where no riffs can be recognized anymore. From my point of view the guitars should somehow be there to be as melodic or rhythmically concise as possible, but here the guitars are neither one nor the other. Songwriting and musical identity vanish, sampled spoken words appear, the vocalist is performing some kind of parlando or recitative singing. The whole thing is then only topped by the overall lyrical concept, which, as far as I can judge, is a mixture of enraged bourgeoisie and conspiracy theory. The previous album “There Is Something Wrong” got a rating of 0% from one reviewer on Metal Archives and my judgment for “No Time To Waste” moves in similar areas. Band contact: www.facebook.com/aftermathchicago

Mirco Szymyslik

Mirco Szymyslik

Related reviews / interviews:
AFTERMATH - There Is Something Wrong (Randolph Whateley)
AFTERMATH - 25 Years Of Chaos (Laurent Ramadier)

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