Finnish band Survivors Zero consists of members who all have long praxis in metal music: Death metal, black metal, folk metal, heavy metal, thrash metal... SZ's music does not embody all of these aforementioned styles, as the band's music can be called modern, thrashy death metal.

While this full-length debut album had a different line-up than the band today have, it was no less experienced. However, the man who's responsible for all the songwriting, guitar player Sami Jämsén, only had demo-level bands in his resume. Well, I guess he had loads of time to give for these songs, then. And it can be heard. The songs aren't unique, no, but an ability to give each of them a fingerprint of their own is a big achievement. Mr. Jämsén is joined by growler Tommi Virranta (ex-Deathchain), guitarist Jani Luttinen (ex-The Scourger), bass player Tapio Wilska (Soulgrind, ex-Finntroll) and drummer Reima Kellokoski (Impaled Nazarene, ex-Belial). Let's put it this way: There was no chance for lacklustre performances.

So, the term "modern" was mentioned. It was quite a surprise, that this was not going to follow praised old Finnish death metal, but... well, Finland's beloved neighbour's, Sweden's, (melodic) death metal acts! Didn't hear that coming, to tell the truth. Heaviness and chops of Hypocrisy, memorable and rocking riffing plus the lead guitar flashiness of Arch Enemy and groove of The Haunted. Then the brutality of post-goregrind Carcass. This sums up nicely how Survivors Zero sound here.

The riffs... This album has so much of them! Palm-muted stuff sounds like the band maimed some hands in the studio during the recordings. Very meaty. The rhythm guitar work is hefty throughout the album, while magnificent lead guitar playing might steal the show every now and then. It is heavily reminiscent of Amott brothers' styles (especially 'Stigmata' era [1998]). The ability to create unforgettable lead guitar stuff that does not drift into realms of cheesiness is not an easy task, here it has been achieved. However, this is still more riff-based than melody-based. There is such an amount of small details in all guitar playing, that for this alone the album is worthy of praise. And how it all can be seen while listening to it... The bass guitar is rumbling in the lower frequencies, with the snell and busy bass drums. While the bass guitar is a bit on the shadowy side, the drumming certainly isn't. The variety of beats from driving double kick drumming, fine use of extensive cymbals and pounding tom drum attacks make their best to make a listener move. The vocals are torrential growling, sometimes more high-pitched and at times guttural. The energy load is absolutely massive, and the album has a live vibe to it. The vocals, for example, include inhaling, as they weren't edited out. The production of the album is sturdy.

Majority of the album is vicious. 'Embrace the Inferno' subjugates a listener to the band's commanding demeanor. Irresistible groove of 'Armageddon Cult' really grabs. 'Thorns of Rapture' has 'Heartwork' era (1993) Carcass stamped all over it, except its guitar solos can remind of Testament's Alex Skolnick. Dramatic 'I Bury Them Deeper' is simply sinister. Uplifting 'Reclaim My Heritage' is the most melodious piece on offer, and it is where Amott bros. style guitar work comes into fruition. As for unmentioned songs, there are no failing moments on the album. The album can be attacking and devastating, but also highly empowering. The title is 999, which can mean things coming to an end, but also about embracing who you really are. The lyrics speak of the Antichrists coming and oppression. The artwork looks cool.

This came out in 2009 and still remains as the sole full-lengther from SZ. This did hit the official music charts in Finland, which is quite a feat for a debuting band. Latest single 'Penitent One' is from 2016... Ever heard about momentum, guys? A new album is on the works, and I sincerely hope it will success again. It's more about that artist thing, I presume.

'CMXCIX' is a must-have for the fans of them bands mentioned on this review, and I can throw a couple of names more: Skirmish, Hateform and Konkhra. Fuck it, everybody into piledriving and energy-filled metal should check this fucker out!

Rating: 8½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
04/21/2018 19:20