Suicidal Angels – Division of Blood

As far as newer thrash bands go, Greece’s Suicidal Angels is quickly becoming one of the most prolific groups. “Division of Blood” is the band’s 6^th album in the span of a decade, and shows the group continuing their thrash onslaught with absolutely no compromise. If you enjoyed their last record (or any of the others, for that matter), this one will keep you satisfied as well. Put simply, Suicidal Angels know exactly what they’re good at, and they beat you over the head with it until it sinks in. This means “Division of Blood” is an album overflowing with riffs, each somehow more potent than the last. Even though there is little variation in the band’s general sound, nothing on this album sounds uninspired. In fact, the band has an uncanny ability to write absolutely crushing and memorable mid-paced sections (see the breakdown in the brutal opener “Capital of War”, where frontman Nick Melissourgos shouts out “fire” over and over again). Often times these riffs feature numerous gallops, which only serve to increase the rhythmic complexity of the band’s sound. These sorts of riffs are flying all over the title track, which is upbeat in nature, but not overly quick.

As great as the band is at making grooving mid-paced sections, thrash is about speed, and Suicidal Angels delivers that. In fact, this is when they’re at their best. “Image of the Serpent” is the fastest song on the record, and that naturally makes it the most enjoyable. The speeds the band reaches on this track are almost unfathomable, and the tightness of their playing (aided by the sharp production) truly adds to the experience. It isn’t just the rhythm guitars that make this album great; the band’s drummer is similarly well equipped for high tempos. He has an impressive amount of virtuosity in his ability to get around the kit and create interesting fills. There are a lot of straightforward thrash beats on this record, but more than enough variety for the drums to remain compelling. He often sounds completely out of control, yet he remains perfectly in time on every track. 

One strange decision about this record is the last track, “Of Thy Shall Bring the Light”. After completing yet another competent thrash effort in a few minutes, there are several minutes of silence, followed by a short one minute outro. As with every time this has been done in the history of metal, it feels pointless. If you cut the fat on this track, you’re left with a 35-minute record that thrashes just as hard as anything else. It certainly doesn’t ruin the album, nor will it prevent me from putting it on, but it’s one of those head-scratching moments where you wonder if the label requested 40 minutes of music. Ignoring this bump in the road, “Division of Blood” is another impressive addition to the band’s legacy. If you are a fan of thrash, this record needs to be in your collection because it a pantheon of great riffs!

Be sure to check out and like Suicidal Angels on Facebook!

Highlights

"Capital of War"

"Eternally to Suffer"

"Image of the Serpent"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott

Suicidal Angels – Divide and Conquer

Suicidal Angels is yet another thrash band that it has taken me far too long to get into. For some unknown reason, I always thought they were from the UK. It turns out that they’re actually from Greece, but the association with the UK is perhaps not as inaccurate as it seems, because the leading UK band of the revivalist movement (Evile) is the strongest point of comparison to Suicidal Angels on “Divide and Conquer”. Both bands have mastered the art of adding mid-paced riffs to furious thrashing, as they take cues from Metallica in this art. This is well demonstrated on “Kneel to the Gun”, which masterfully mixes both heavy chugging riffs with lightning fast thrashier riffs. The other song that best shows this sound is “Seed of Evil”, which will take you back to classics like “Harvester of Sorrow”, just because of the sheer heaviness of the sound. The production is so crisp and the guitars are so crunchy that this style of riff really works well for Suicidal Angels.

Of course, “Divide and Conquer” would not be all that interesting if the entire album were mid-paced. The good news is that the vast majority of it is a whiplash-inducing experience. The two songs that bookend “Seed of Evil” both thrash along at high speeds. Again, it is quality of the guitar tone that really improves the experience. The main riff to “Marching Over Blood”, for example, is pretty standard for thrash (as are many riffs on this record), but hearing it played by Suicidal Angels really strengthens the experience compared to other bands that may have written similar riffs. One other area of note on “Divide and Conquer” is the vocal performance. For those unfamiliar with the band, the singer definitely has that Hetfield/Araya/Drake yell words with only hints of melody, but he does a great job with it. Although he may not be the most distinctive voice in thrash, it could not be more fitting. 

My lone complaint about this album is the length. There aren’t any bad songs, but at almost 50 minutes, it’s definitely a bit excessive for the style. It does tend to go by pretty quickly, but with the last track being nearly 9 minutes, things have pretty much run their course by the end. Luckily, the last song manages to stand out by having some of the best guitar solos on the record. Regardless of its length, “Divide and Conquer” is a really impressive record. Sonically, it’s just on another level, and that emphasizes the riffs above all else.  

Be sure to check out and like Suicidal Angels on Facebook!

Highlights

"Marching Over Blood"

"Seed of Evil"

"Divide and Conquer"

"In The Grave"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott