Master - The Witchhunt (2013) [Gorgatz]

Master - The Witchhunt (2013) [Gorgatz]



- I N F O -

Master, the former Chicago – now Czech band, are alive and well!
These guys rose through the same ranks that acts like Slayer and Metallica did.
With The Witchhunt, they play through some of the most bludgeoning riffs of their career.
A variety of moods and tempos offer something to nearly every listener.
Tunes like “The Parable” bear an eerie resemblance to earlier Death (including some Schuldiner-esque vocal stylings).
The riff factory guitar, bass, and drums blast out an aggressive, hateful metal attack.
This high quality amalgamation of thrash, death, and doom enmeshes the listener with it’s intense, relentless drive.

Have you heard death metal before? Have you ever listened to any of Master’s albums? If yes to any of those questions, then you’d know exactly what you’re in for. As I’ve mentioned, there is absolutely no deviation from their ethos of death metal. Master, are well, masters of their craft. They are comfortable with what they play, and they play it well. The Witch Hunt is as stereotypical of a Master record as any other. The production is gritty, the riffs decimate at a mid to fast paced attack and never relent in their ferocity. The riffs are deeply rooted in the old school with a heavy thrash metal influence which a nice groove to the whole sound. This is as authentically old school American death metal as it gets, in fact, this album – as well as the rest of their discography – should be used as a definition when explaining the sounds of death metal’s yesteryear(s). There really isn’t much to say here other than, yes it sounds like Master, yes it sounds like old school American death, and no, the riffs don’t sound stale or rehashed. These are fresh and vibrant sounding riffs but yet, keeping true to the mission statement. You really can’t ask for more.

Moving on, Paul Speckmann shows no signs of aging and once again delivers his throaty death metal assault. He sounds just like he always has, and it’s simply awesome. Personally, he is my favorite death metal growler and I was happy once again to see his performance remained of the same high quality as it’s always been.

Overall, I really don’t know why they released this album only a year after their previous effort, but I am thankful for it. It’s not unique in any way, shape or form, but it’s still of that same pedigree. Plus, let’s face it; does a cheeseburger ever get old? Or how about a cold beer? Nope, it doesn’t. So, if you want more high quality, no frills death metal you’ve once again come to the right place. Is it possible for this band to make a bad album? I think not, and The Witch Hunt is testament.

Master, deities of the US death metal scene to many, have come up with another ferocious slab of noise here on their twelfth (is that right?) full length release. For those unfamiliar, Master play a very straight ahead version of death metal that is reminiscent of the beginnings of the genre- take Motorhead, Venom, early Slayer and mix them together, inject some dianabol et voila: you have Master.

“The Witchhunt” and “Plans of Hate” whip up a storm of blurring speed riffs and drums.
“Another Suicide” does exactly the same. The guitars, bass and drums sound real- no sound replacements here. The bass drums sound like actual bass drums! The riffs come thick and very fast. Ultimately, that is the strength of this and indeed any Master album: the riffs. They are catchy, myriad and always heavy. The time changes are textbook, the vocals unusual (more Cronos than Corpsegrinder) and the band are so tight that the songs are just a wall of noise.
“Waiting to Die” starts slow with added drama and then gets over the wall and starts running. Politics fuel the themes here. I'll leave you to work out which side of the fence Master are on.
“The Parable” brings back the machine gun approach of earlier tracks and never runs out of bullets.

“God Of Thunder” is pure Motorhead worship and sounds nothing like Kiss, in case you were concerned. “Remove the Clowns” is speedy with a nice change after the intro that takes the band into more punky territory while “Raise Your Sword” brings a slower death metal feel initially before ratcheting up the speed and feel to early Venom metal levels.
“Wipe Out The Aggressor” is finely crafted with discernible hooks and changes.
“Manipulate to Exterminate” and “The American Dream” finish proceedings with a seeming will to demonstrate all the facets of Master's sound. The former is lengthy, complex and features twists and turns aplenty, along with dynamics within the song (it is all still loud- but some bits are louder than others). The latter goes for the jugular and rips it out- a ball of energy and fury that puts an emphatic exclamation mark on this release.

- T R A C K L I S T -

1. The Witchhunt (4:15)
2. Plans of Hate (3:11)
3. Another Suicide (4:34)
4. Waiting to Die (5:40)
5. The Parable (3:37)
6. God of Thunder (4:49)
7. Remove the Clowns (5:42)
8. Raise Your Sword (5:40)
9. Wipe Out the Aggressor (4:41)
10. Manipulated to Exterminate (6:04)
11. The American Dream (3:31)

Format : 71 mb | mp3, CBR 192 kbps
Genre: Death
Size: 71.24 MB

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