Review: FINAL CURSE – “Way of the Accursed”

Tracklist:
Biltmore
Christiansanity
Consume
Corruptor of Innocence
Dethsemane
Instrumental
Is There no Hope
Rage around your Neck
Reaper of Justice
Replace God

Release Date: 2012 – Dark Harvest Records

Sometimes I get promotional stuff from bands that contains less informations and also the bands presence in the world wide cannot help you with that. So with Final Curse, a band from Charlotte/USA. I couldn’t find a real band website or an info sheet…and so only their facebook site has to be enough for introduction.
Anyway…the only thing that counts is the music and Final Curse is deep rooted in thrash metal.
The well known influences like Anthrax, Slayer and Metallica are named but Final Curse promises to break out of this standards with new and fresh elements.
The album is called „Way of the Accursed“ and it seems to be the bands second full length output. Mixed by Mike Spreitzer (DevilDriver) and Jeff Waters (Annihilator) which are not the worst references in music business.

Final Curse is:
Mike Plowman – Vocals / Guitars Stephen Moore – Bass Madison Stegall – Guitars / Vocals Brendon Blackwelder – Drums

For that I don’t have a tracklist row I start for myself with the first.

„Biltmore“ starts with a slow acoustic guitar seqeuence before the song explode with weird screams. Hard thrash riffing. The vocals are shouted underlined with echoes. Speed and power drums build a perfect sound wall and the guitarists are changing between shredding and melodic solos. In the middle the song is going faster and faster broken by a slower riff part that remembers to old Annihilator. The song fades out with a real high scream in the back. Great song !!

Typical technical thrash parts in „Christiansanity“. Hooked spoken screams with core touch. The tempo of the guitars is changing all the time, from slower hooklines to speed shredding. Alice in Hell ? Sometimes it remembers to that classic. A weird guitar solo ends it. Final Curse name Jeff Waters as one of their heroes. If you hear this song, you know why.

„Consume“ starts with a suffering screaming person before a midtempo guitar riff appears. The arrangements this time are more rooted in old german thrash like Kreator. Slow and dark sequences opposites faster shouted parts. Triggered drums do the rest. Heavy song, but a little suitable.

Great opening riff in „Corruptor of Innocence“. Song structure in best Slayer style. The shouts offer pure hate. Stakkato riffs slow it down and build the sound base then for some fast solos. In the end the song takes speed again and becomes a pure thrash song with modern elements. Street gang credibility contained. Innocence is gone !!

Power drums open „Dethsemane“. A guitar part as we know it from the last Heathen album to follow. In this song the band works with lots of twin vocals, gang shouts or even choirs. A song perfored in very high tempo, the guitars offer a lot of craziness. A big wall of power screws your head down. Not a lot of lyrics in that song….the instruments do the talking in infernal style.

Another song is called „Instrumental“. I really don’t know if that was the working title or if the band left song’s name like that. Anyway….Slow and acoustic guitars together with an elegian guitar line like in Kreator’s intro before „Whe the sun burns red“ from the Coma of Lies album. A huge opposite to the aggressive and powerful music we heard before. In the last minute supported by drums this instrumental is held in a dark and sad mood and so it fits to the bands concept. Happiness is far away.

With „Is there no Hope“ we have now a track that counts to the longer ones with it’s nearly 8 minutes. And this is the band’s reference track. All elements together in one song. Starting highly riffed and drummed the song is getting faster and faster. Shouts to be shouted, powerful drum walls.
Annihilator meets Heathen, meets Metallica in some parts. The vocals are near to metalcore bands. Gang attitude. And yes….Anthrax are greeting from behind. Typical elements like from that band wearing half-leg shorts. A big statement from Final Curse about their knowledge playing their instruments and creating a symbiose of well known elements together with their own. Is there no hope ? Oh yes…Final Curse. Guaranteed there is hope for you growing faster than you ever expected.

„Rage around your Neck“ is a song like the title says. Cool riffing first together with powerful drums. A real thrash metal smasher. Great vocals here. Midtempo reigns, hard played but always melodic. Thunder and lightning in riff style. Straight forward directly into your face.
Incredible how the drummer keeps his speed drumming.

Do you know the „Reaper of Justice“ ? You will know him after listening to this song. Another speed song based on guitar firework. Gang shouts again in the refrain (?). Uncompromising shreds and drums. Without any break….only a guitar solo breaking the straightness of this aggressive fast forward track. Big hit !!

A song for all the christians at last, ha ha….“Replace God“ shines with a Metallica theme in the beginning. Again really fast played. Guitars and drums everywhere. Heavy tunes in the bridge before hectic solo parts. Could be a real cool live smasher with it’s double shouts and cracking tempo. Bang your heads, guys !!

Final Curse points on „Way of the Accursed“ with neverending tons of riffs. The musical artists are on a real high level. The shouts underlined with echoes in the beginning were a cool element, really fresh in this genre. Wished the band kept this on all songs….an idea from me for upcoming works.
Ok…the band contains elements of the thrash metal elite bands in their sound, like Slayer, Metallica, Heathen, Anthrax and not at least…Annihilator. But with this good and heavy production this is a release on upper class and could bring the band out of the masses.
But for that Final Curse also needs the support of spreading their music and infos to the music world. That’s a point where the band has to work more in the future. It would be a shame it no one would take a notice of this product….it is worth listen to!!

Points: 8/10

Review by Kerbinator