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Thunderblast: Invaders from Another ...

Heavy/Power/Thrash Metal

3.5/5.0

Pure Steel Records
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by Craig Hartranft,  07.25.2011

Hailing from Colombia South America, Thunderblast, now on Pure Steel Records, delivers their second long player Invaders from Another Planet. Their sound, though not entirely unique, is both interesting and devastating: a raging hybrid of traditional heavy metal with power and thrash metal. However, the weight is more on the latter two elements, with the former allowing for the melodic component.

From the start, Thunderblast bursts forth with a brisk pace and intense power in their metal. Both Core Domain and Horror at Outpost are charging pieces made edgier by those thrash elements. Later, Thunderblast can offer some differentiation. The Human Torch has a more varied arrangements thanks to some crafty tempo changes. Lab From Hell finds the band ratcheting down the intensity a bit in favor melodic atmosphere.

But, essentially, Invaders from Another Planet is largely power and intensity, almost to a relentless and redundant state. It's not that there isn't more to be heard in every song, as there is intrigue in every one, but this can easily go unnoticed or become a blur due the aforementioned tendency. And the raw ruthless vocals. Felipe "Phill" Machado neither sings or screams; if there's melody in his voice, it's hard to find. He's just raw and gravel-throated, and too much. Only when he stopped 'singing' in a song did I really listen to the music. It makes wonder two things. First, would this album have been better with a different singer? Likely so. Second, is there a device made that eliminates the vocal track when listening to any recording? If not, all those soon to be laid off scientists at the NASA shuttle program have some work to do.

Thunderblast's latest Invaders from Another Planet is certainly intense and heavy metal, thanks to power metal being dosed with thrash metal. But they could have toned down both the intensity and the vocals to lift up the sound musicianship and the easily overlooked melodic metal side.

Thunderblast's latest Invaders from Another Planet is certainly intense and heavy metal, thanks to power metal being dosed with thrash metal. But they could have toned down both the intensity and the vocals to lift up the sound musicianship and the easily overlooked melodic metal side.

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