In terms of sheer quantity, few countries
can match Italy’s thrash output over the last few years. For this reason, it is
always impressive when one band stands atop the crowd. Since hearing Game Over’s
first record, “For Humanity”, a few years ago, it became quite clear to me that
this was the band to beat in Italy. While I haven’t had any luck acquiring a
copy of their second album yet, they’ve already followed it up with a new
record entitled “Crimes Against Reality”. This album shows the band taking a
significant step forward in terms of both musical quality and maturity. There
are a few songs that are classic Game Over: opening thrashers “33 Park Street”
and “Neon Maniacs” deliver the band’s classic, straight-ahead thrash style. Both
songs make extensive use of gang vocals, and the latter track also gets a bit
punky at times.
While these first two songs might make you
think it’s business as usual for Game Over, the rest of the record shows the
band exploring new territory. “With All That Is Left” is the prototypical
thrash ballad: it starts out much softer and gradually builds throughout the
song, culminating in some epic leads and shredding at the end. The most
interesting part of this song, however, is that it shows that bassist/lead
vocalist Reno has a really good set of pipes. He offers an impressive range, and
the ability to sustain notes much better than he has ever needed to in the band’s
more typical thrash approach.
Not to be left out amongst the growing
trend of sci-fi themed thrash, a song like “Astral Matter” is Game Over’s
effort at getting a bit more technical and varied in their work. The track
is succeeds in being more atmospheric in its approach by letting notes ring out
on the guitars, creating a fuller sound. It also helps that this song features the
most impressive bass playing, another common trait of more tech-orietned thrash
bands. One would expect the title track to be similarly ambitious given its 7+
minute runtime, but surprisingly, “Crimes Against Reality” is just a really well
written thrasher. It is more catchy than it is epic, but it's effective
nonetheless.
Another song of note is “Fugue In D Minor”.
Clocking in at 47 seconds, this track is really two shorter songs: one wicked crossover
thrash tune where Game Over tells you about the fugue that they wrote, and then
the fugue itself. This is an example of what makes thrash so great: even on a
record where Game Over appears more inspired and serious, they manage to
include a song that keeps things fun and light-hearted. After all, thrashers
are mostly kids at heart, and this song proves it.
“Crimes Against Reality” shows an already
impressive band taking a major leap forward. The songwriting is both adventurous
and unique. Each musician shows off to the best of their capabilities without
letting it ruin the flow of the music, and the production is similarly on
point. There are moments of experimentation and moments of conservatism, with each being equally effective. The second half of the album is perhaps a bit
weaker than the first, but that’s only because things kick off with 5 of Game
Over’s best songs in a row (subsequent to the intro). On the whole, “Crimes
Against Reality” is a defining record in Italian thrash. There is no doubt that
decades from now, this will be considered one of the highlights of the entire
scene!
Be sure to check out and like Game Over on Facebook!
Highlights
"Neon Maniacs"
"With All That Is Left"
"Astral Matter"
"Crimes Against Reality"
Final Rating
4.7/5 or 94%.
I can't wait!
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