Review Summary: More than thirty years of service, yet this German thrash hit squad still carry a couple of surprises under their belt.
You have to give it to them, for a band that never reached the popularity heights of the Kreator-Sodom-Destruction trinity, Holy Moses still managed to crave a name for themselves in the Teutonic thrash metal scene. Their sheer determination and willpower to continue their journey of musical aggression under the continuous leadership of Sabina Classen have gave them an impressive longevity which is something I don’t think even they expected. But that brings up the question: After nearly three decades is possible to create new music, that doesn’t just simply feels an empty retread of previous efforts for simply the fans to chew on? But alas, there are many ways to approach even a very specific genre like thrash metal, and if anything Holy Moses’s career is a proof of that.
In the early years they were known as a band that excelled in the rather simple, but very effectively delivered punkish thrash metal, due to their reliance of fast paced, very aggressive yet catchy riffing, tight musicianship and the one-of-the-kind banshee like vocals of Sabina. However as the years rolled on their music this simple premise got mixed up with the incorporation of more mid-tempo approaches, atmosphere and technicality. 2008’s “Agony of Death” marked the highlight of that with its cyberpunk thematic, usages of synth-driven passages and taking many musical notes from the Bay Area thrash bands in terms of songwriting. The heavy riffs multiplied and became more complex, the songs became longer and more structured, and the leads became more balanced. After a six year long gap, the band returned with “Redefined Mayhem” which would seem like a logical continuation of this trend, but actually marks a more radical change in the band’s musical delivery.
Despite getting more varied, Holy Moses always retrained a rather trademark style of riffing, with a heavy focus of chugging rhythms and grooves that have a strong dynamic with the more fast paced riffs, thus making the songs more accessible. “Redefined Mayhem” doesn’t fully exclude this approach but the focus has changed. Rather than the usually tight but streamlined way, the riff arrangements are faster and frantic with sometimes melodic, other times chaotic bridges that connects the main parts with the choruses. And these riffs are often defy the rather angular nature of thrash, as they sprawl, turn and twist in every possible direction and these riff patterns connect to each other rather fluidly…the way technical death metal does.
This creates quite an imposing dynamic here with this containing the variety of different elements and styles to create that wide swath of musical fury to never allow the songs to appear one-dimension at all. And with the kind of charging tempos consistently on offer here that’s quite an impressive feat which allows this a far-greater mindset than normally apparent in the genre. The guitar tone and the heavy presence of blast beats add even more to this approach. Make no mistake, we are still in the territory of thrash metal and the spirit of the old Holy Moses can be felt in places (especially by Sabina), but like some of the more contemporary metal bands like Vektor or Revocation they definitely threw away the usual playbook.
The opening songs pretty much exemplify everything I’ve talked about as they represent themselves as quite possibly the most ferocious and intense tracks in the modern Holy Moses catalog. “Hellhound” and “Undead Dogs” are easier to latch on to due to their more traditional structure and melodic choruses, but “Triggered” is an absolute madhouse with its head-spinning tempo and arrangement changes making it the exact opposite one would expect from this band. “Into The Dark” and “Sacred Sorrows” mark themselves short breathers by being mid-paced, more atmospheric headbangers before we return to the speedy blisters on which this album mainly builds upon. From these tracks “Process Of Projection” and “Fading Realities” are the tracks which feel like a combination of modernized German thrash and more technical metal genres particularly the latter where a tapping lead guitar section accompanies the chorus. Where on the other hand “Liars” and “Redemption Of The Shattered” defy expectations with their frantic and completely unorthodox buzzing of swirling riffs which are just as impressive as the guitar solos. “Delusion” is pretty much the one song that harkens back to the earlier days of the band with its steady grooving rhythm and infectious and singable sections.
In terms of musicianship Sabina and her bandmates pretty much outdo every previous Holy Moses record to date. Peter Geltat marks his debut here with absolutely next level guitar work, as he spins out seriously wicked yet charming riffs, equally technical but grabbing and hummable solos, powerful harmonies as well as maintaining a strong connection to the band’s earlier style while also paving the way for the new. Same praise can be said about former Rebellion drummer Gerd Lücking as he never fails to keep up the frenzied guitars. His speed, precision and capability is without question, the blasts, the grooves, the fills are all pitch perfect. Sabina Classen maintains her dominance with screaming, ripped-throat vocals and demonic growls. Considering how long she’s been in the metal business it is a great performance and a clear sign that she’s one of the best and most charismatic vocals in the genre, regardless of gender.
On the negative side, the album pretty much carries the same flaws that “Agony of Death” has, which means that the album starts off very strong, maintains a consistent level of quality through most of it, but eventually runs out of steam by the last tracks. In length its way shorter but given more it’s intense and hyperkinetic nature the overall experience would be less dense and grueling if the album contained 10 songs instead of 13. But despite these issues “Redefined Mayhem” maintains itself as a solid and explosive piece of work that shows a new and exciting side of the veteran thrashers. I don’t how many years and albums can we expect from Sabina and the boys, but given what they unleashed in the last 35 years I’m looking forward to it.
