Solanum – Judge-Mental

After releasing a full-length a couple years ago, Winnipeg’s Solanum has returned with an EP follow-up. “Judge-Mental” is a short offering that sums up exactly what Solanum is about in 4 tracks. The band plays a loose brand of crossover thrash, focused on punky rhythms and catchy songs. Though their tracks might run a tad longer than what most other crossover bands are doing, Solanum has no problems sustaining 4-minute songs. Each of the songs moves along at a speedy pace, offering a feast of riffs and hooks.

The clear highlight is the opener, “High Class”. The chorus of this song is an interesting instance where the riff is as catchy as the vocals that accompany it. It is built around a repeating pattern of notes (almost like a slow trill) that is absurdly memorable. It helps that the singer's shouts of “High! Class!” are perfect to yell along to. Both this riff and many of the later ones on this song (and EP) show significant influence from punk, with some wonky note choices. Relative to what many other thrash bands play, Solanum’s riffs are very unique. They’re a little more complex than punk, so they’ll be satisfying to the average crossover fan.

Another element of this release that stands out is the exceptional bass playing. Tracks like “It’s Getting Darker” and “High Class” instantly introduce you to the band’s bassist, who adds a touch of fuzz to his sound to create a distorted low end. This helps add to the punk feel, and the fuzz also contributes to the imperfect production the band has. Anything cleaner would sound too sterile for this type of band, and avoid the sound that Solanum was trying to achieve. 

Relative to the band’s previous work, I foresee “Judge-Mental” as being the release I’ll be returning to the most. Whether you’re new to the band or have heard their previous album (and split in my case), “Judge-Mental” stands tall as being the best point of entry, and a promising indication of the band’s future direction.

Be sure to check out and like Solanum on Facebook!

Highlights

"High Class"

"It's Getting Darker"

Final Rating

4.2/5 or 84%. 

Written by Scott

Mutank – W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T.

One of the more forgotten styles of thrash in the resurgence of the last decade or so has been crossover thrash. Modern bands seem to be a little more obsessed with adding death or black metal influences, but fortunately, there are still groups like Mutank to deliver the silly lyrics and gang vocals of crossover thrash. Case in point is their new EP, a 5-track effort that delivers a whopping 10-minutes of material. This release is fairly true to the Suicidal Tendencies or Nuclear Assault brands of crossover. Mutank doesn’t hit the extreme speeds of bands like Cryptic Slaughter or Wehrmacht, and instead opt for a mix of upbeat punky rhythms, and more mid-paced rocking songs. 

Unsurprisingly, the vocals consist almost entirely of shouting, with minimal variation in tone. Nothing else could be appropriate though, and it’s majorly appreciated that the singer never resorts to growling, or a more extreme vocal style. The production also feels as though it came straight out of the 1980s, and the loud thumping bass once again draws comparisons to Nuclear Assault. Of course, referencing these bands is only in relation to Mutank’s general sound, as their songwriting isn’t quite up to par with these more legendary groups. There are cool moments, particulary the galloping and bass-heavy, Iron Maiden-influenced intro track. Likewise, the closer manages to be pretty memorable, as do a few other moments on the EP. Simply put though, there isn’t a lot of material here. Everything the band does generally works, but it is a fairly safe release that could benefit with at least a couple of hyperspeed tracks.  

Be sure to check out and like Mutank on Facebook!

Highlights

"L.I.F.E."

"D.E.A.T.H."

Final Rating

3.75/5 or 75%. 

Written by Scott