This is a band that I've been following since early 2011 (around the same time I started this zine) back when they released the "A Necessary Evil" demo, which served as a nice punch to the gut with four tracks that hearkened back to the '80s teutonic thrash scene. In 2013, Impalers have now unleashed their debut full-length "Power Behind the Throne" which picks up right where the 2011 demo left off, delivering fast and precise thrash track one after the other. There are simply way too many bands out these days playing a style so akin to the old school German scene that it's almost silly, but these Danes add a nice touch of the old school bay area sound to the constant speed to balance the music out a bit. This album isn't the most original thrash album out, but Impalers are good at what they do, and what they do is play some pretty solid thrash which can't be said for hundreds of today's bands, making their debut a fun listen.
The influence of Metallica is immediately made clear on the opening track "Fear," as it opens with a clean guitar passage reminiscent of the thrash pioneers, but after the distortion comes in the album becomes an all-out blitzkrieg of teutonic riffage. Every song on here (barring the instrumental "When the World Hungers" which is pretty damn awesome itself) reaches a fast tempo, but that can get kind of boring pretty quick. Luckily, Impalers throw in an adequate amount of midpaced riffage and breaks to keep the album flowing smoothly without sounding like a blur or one long, fast song. Soren Crawack's vocals are also straight out of the old school German scene, and they add an extra layer of aggressiveness to the already heavy music, even more so when the gang vocals make their presence felt. The rhythm section of the band isn't extraordinary, but they do their jobs well enough to keep things heavy when they need to be and faster for a longer duration. The lead guitar work, however does deserve some praise. The solos throughout all have a perfect amount of melody and shredding to captivate the listener, especially on the title track where the solos and melodies at the end are the highlight of the song. Overall, there isn't much more to be said about "Power Behind the Throne," other than it's a very solid album with kickass artwork. If you're a fan of fast thrash in the vein of bands like Kreator and Tankard, then do not hesitate to listen to Impalers who thrash better than most of the pretenders.
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Highlights
"Power Behind the Throne"
"Nuclear Nights"
"Death in Fire"
Final Rating
4.1/5 or 82%.