"The Next Offensive" is the 3rd album from Germany’s WEAK ASIDE and their statement is clear from the get go – solid, no frills Death Metal in the old school Swedish way (??? – Frank). The band was started in 2006 and their debut album "Fire At Will" was a heavy and honest tribute to BOLT THROWER, which isn’t a bad start if you ask me. The second opus "Ghostleader" released in 2010 displayed a few forays into Thrash Metal territory and got the high scores from critics and fans alike. Since then the band went through another line-up change and on this opus the original guitarist / vocalist Tom Zorn is joined by guys who’ve been honing their craft in such bands as DEW-SCENTED, OBSCENITY and DAWN OF DISEASE. So as you can see, the guys are seasoned veterans of the scene and it definitely shows in the performace and songwriting on "The Next Offensive". As I said in the beginning, WEAK ASIDE draws quite heavily from the ammunitions stored by UNLEASHED, GRAVE and DISMEMBER (??? – Frank), adding their own sense of urgency and war themed lyrics. Angry, bile spitting vocals occasionaly also remind me of Paul Speckmann. The mix is punchy, clear and heavy – all factors necessary for a solid sounding, balls-kicking album. The tempos are varied from mid-paced to fast to super-fast like on ‘Broken Frontline’, but never go into blast-beat madness, insead opting to keep the heavy groove and dynamics intact. Some of the other standout tracks are ‘Gods Of Pain’, ‘Storm Of Violence’, ‘Spawn Of Hate’ and the closing ‘Bloodstorm’. So far I’ve been listening to this slab of Death for about a week and it still has a strong grasp on me that isn’t about to let go for some time, I’m sure of that. WEAK ASIDE made a perfect soundtrack for a grim, cold winter season and I highly recommend to check it out! More info here: www.facebook.com/pages/weak-aside-death-metal/199817140062837, www.fda-records.com