Thrashing all the way from Finland, Lost Society must have
done something right in recent years, as they managed to get a deal with
Nuclear Blast. Their debut record, “Fast Loud Death” is another album that
shows that thrash is not dead yet. On first glance, this definitely seems like
a run-of-the-mill thrash album. Between the colourful album cover and the
hilarious song titles, you might expect more of the same from Lost Society, but
there are a few things that separate this band from all the others.
For one thing, this is somewhat of a crossover record. While
the band doesn’t take this aspect to the extreme, “Fast Loud Death” definitely
features short, to the point tracks, with no room for unnecessary riffs. With
the exception of the opening, chunky riff, nearly every memorable part of this
record is played at lightning speed. Aside from the crossover feel, the
absolute best part of “Fast Loud Death” is the guitar work. This record is the
true meaning of “Thrashin’ Blues”. Some songs feature bluesy riffs (the title
track being one of them), but it is the guitar solos on “Bitch, Out’ My Way”
that are truly magnificent. It’s as if the guitarists improvised a blues solo at a
reasonable tempo for that genre, and then sped it up to 200 beats per minute to
keep up with the thrashing. Even when the solos aren’t rooted in the blues,
they have interesting phrasing that adds value. Surprisingly, the rest of the
songwriting is at its best when it is most ridiculous. Tracks like “Trash All
Over You”, “KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)”, and “Braindead Metalhead” are as silly
as they are great. With that said, many of the tracks on the second half of the
record fall a bit short. The songwriting tends to become a little bit stale. It
is still enjoyable thrashing, but lacks the interesting bluesy riffs of some
songs, and the irrefutable catchiness of others.
“Fast Loud Death” is a hard record not to like. The
production is great, the performances are spot on, and the songwriting isn’t
too adventurous to be a turnoff. This is my first experience with thrash from Finland, and it was a good one. While it isn’t my favourite album of the year,
“Fast Loud Death” is a worthwhile 35 minutes of thrash.
Be sure to check out and like Lost Society on Facebook!
Highlights
"Trash All Over You"
"KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)"
"Bitch, Out' My Way"
Final Rating
3.8/5 or 76%.