Lazarus A.D. Black Rivers Flow
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
The dreaded sophomore jinx is not an urban legend, it’s a fact of life within the music world. A fumbled sophomore album can kill a band deader than the biblical figure after which this band is named, crush their career so badly that only divine intervention can resurrect it. Change too drastically and the fans abandon you like fleas jumping off a dead dog. Don’t change enough and the fans accuse you of stagnation. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. The only way to survive the sophomore release is to maintain what worked on the debut while incorporating some fresh ingredients to give things a spicy little kick while simultaneously showing evolution and maturity. So how does Lazarus A.D. fare on their highly-anticipated second album? They pretty much take sophomore jinx by the neck, strangle the living shit out of it, then toss it aside like a used condom while sneering, “Don’t even think about f**king with us.”
The band has retained the raw thrash intensity of their debut (The Onslaught) while splicing in a healthy dose of groove-metal, meaning now you don’t just hear the Testament, Exodus, and Metallica influences, you also can pick up on the Pantera and Lamb of God worship. In other words, it’s part old school, part New Wave, a metal concoction about as original as slapping cheese on a burger, but it works well when done right, and Lazarus A.D. mostly do it right. In fact, they do it better than a large portion of their neo-thrash/metalcore contemporaries.
The guitars on this album are heavy enough to sink an aircraft carrier. This is most definitely not one of those albums where you grumble to yourself, This album would so be so cool if the guitars weren’t as weak as watered down whiskey. No, these guitars slam and rage and groove and snarl and do everything you hope to hear when you pick up an album bearing the modern thrash label. The riffs are nothing short of outstanding, packed with power and locking in perfectly with the thunderous rhythm section. The debut lacked a little beef and muscle, but that flaw has been remedied here, big time. High marks to the producer, because when it comes to modern heavy metal production jobs, size definitely does matter, and this one is a beast.
Vocalist Jeff Paulick does his damndest to lacerate his larynx with tonsil-shredding screams, but a new dynamic has been introduced in the form of clean singing from guitarist Dan Gapen, who works in well-crafted synergy with Paulick to create an invigorating vocal landscape. While the clean vocals pop up in the verses from time to time, they are primarily reserved for the choruses, and they are rarely allowed to stand on their own, almost always harmonized with or answered by the harsh screams. Determined not to be labeled commercial sellouts, the band refuses to let the melodic singing overtake the album; instead, the melodies are used where needed, as a counterpoint to the shrill, barking screams. What it proves is that you can still be a modern thrash metal band with some cleanly-sung vocals without sacrificing any intensity.
The band’s debut put them on the heavy music map. Expectations are high for this follow up. The band has nimbly sidestepped the sophomore slump, kicking it in the ass on the way by. This is a band coming into their own. “Thrash or die” is their motto. Lazarus A.D. does the former so well that they have no fear of the latter.
Genre: Thrash/Metalcore
Band:
Dan Gapen (guitar/vocals)
Jeff Paulick (bass/vocals)
Alex Lackner (guitar)
Ryan Shutler (drums)
Track Listing
1. American Dreams
2. The Ultimate Sacrifice
3. The Strong Prevail
4. Black Rivers Flow
5. Casting Forward
6. Light a City (Up in Smoke)
7. Through Your Eyes
8. Beneath the Waves of Hatred
9. Eternal Vengeance
Web: www.lazarusad.com
Label: Metal Blade Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.6/10