![]() ![]() I’ve seen him (and the rest of Chthonic) on stage performing “Megitsune” with Babymetal where he provides backing vocals, so he’s probably quite familiar with Japanese Idol Pop. How Friedman got Freddie Lim ( Chthonic singer) to do the vocals on this is beyond me, but I hear that Freddie is something of a Japanophile himself. It’s a bit on the absurd side so it has the “Dude, you have to check this shit out, it’s fucking terrible” factor going for it. As much as I want to hate on this release for being fairly un-Metal, I have to admit that it was somewhat entertaining. The difference is that Babymetal is pretty awesome and Metal Clone X isn’t. Instead of a bunch of underage girls from an Idol Pop group playing a Metalized version of Idol Pop, it’s a bunch of Metal dudes playing a Metalized version of Idol Pop. ![]() Though Louder Than Your Mother isn’t composed entirely of Momoiro Clover Z cover songs, it looks (and sounds) like the bulk of this is Metalized Idol Pop music. Anime nerds will know Momoiro Clover Z from their performance of “Moon Pride,” the opening theme to the new Sailor Moon series. Former Megadeth/ Cacophony/ Hawaii guitarist (and guitar wanker extraordinaire) Marty Friedman formed this group as a Metal tribute to an Idol Pop unit called Momoiro Clover Z. Now, you may be asking yourself why this brief education on Japanese Idol Groups is necessary, right? The answer to that is because Metal Clone X came about because of this phenomenon. The Oricon charts (the equivalent to the Billboard Top 100) are dominated by groups like the previously mentioned AKB48 and Morning Musume as well as newer groups like E-Girls, Tokyo Girls Style, Sakura Gakuin (which, oddly enough, spawned Babymetal as a sub-group), and dozens of sub-units, splinter groups and “extended family members” of existing groups. Older Japanophiles (such as myself) will surely remember Morning Musume, but there are many, many more. Fueled by the success of AKB48, the number of Idol Groups has proliferated. The phenomenon isn’t new, but of late there are a lot more of them than there used to be. In Japan, the most popular form of music is currently a form of Idol Pop that involves a large number of girls in a chorus troop. Still, I’d rather have a short album with six good songs than a 60 minute LP with four or five songs that are clearly filler. At only 28 minutes, it’s over far too soon. If there’s one weakness, it’s in the length. ![]() It hits hard and offers plenty of excellent songs. I’m kind of late to the party when it comes to this band, but I’m glad I didn’t miss out on Svik. It’s easily the heaviest song on this entire LP and though the somewhat lightweight production hinders this by not having enough bass in the guitars, it’s still some dark and twisted music. A case in point, the title track, “Svik,” is darker and more atmospheric, channeling Tom Warrior and Celtic Frost/ Triptykon in its style. I thought that the faster parts on this record were a bit on the generic side, but when the tempo slows down and gets heavy, their music definitely sounds better. ![]() While Thyruz really isn’t bringing a whole lot of originality to the table, they’re competent at what they do and they execute it with precision. If you removed Hellhammer from Blasphemer-era Mayhem, the music would sound a lot like what’s on Svik. I’ve always thought that Hellhammer’s style contrasted too much with the more simplistic riffing of Blasphemer and that he distracted too much with his hyper-technical drum fills. The riffing on this album is very reminiscent of post-Euronymous Mayhem, though it takes a while to recognize it because Mjolner isn’t a drum wanker like Hellhammer. After five demo recordings and two previous full-length LPs, Thyruz is back with their latest release, Svik. This band has been active in the Norwegian Black Metal underground for fifteen years, having formed in 1999. ![]()
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