GUILLOTINE

Blood Money

Pulverised Records/ CD 2008

This band was founded in the mid 90's by NOCTURNAL RITES' vocalist & guitarist Fredrik "Spider" Mannberg and bassist Nils "Snake" Eriksson. For the first time GUILLOTINE' blade fell down back in 1997. The debut album entitled "Under The Guillotine" was unleashed via Necropolis Records. Unfortunately, after that GUILLOTINE … was put on hiatus for nearly 10 years. Somewhere in 2007 Fredrik and Nils decided to revive their decapitating machine and write another chapter of the story. With addition of PERSUADER's musicians (guitarist Daniel Sundbom and drummer Efraim Juntunen) GUILLOTINE entered the studio in order to record their second attack „Blood Money”. It turned out to be one of the greatest thrash metal albums that saw the light of day in recent years. No, that's not a joke. Tvelve songs featured on „Blood Money” are the purest essence of thrash metal music. No less, no more.

Fredrik's scream at the begining of „Insane Oppression” portends the birth of metal madness. Six seconds later two streams of blood gush from your ears, smashed by plenty of powerful riffs, bursting solos, lots of double-kick drumming and neck-breaking middle tempo songs. This massive attack is really hard to survive in one piece. Almost every single track featured on this album (with one small exception, I mean „Madness”- very cool fourty four seconds long instrumental track) is able to knock your teeth out. Listen to the second track called „Rebellion” (for which the band shot a video recently)- at least as fast as its predecessor, but even more intense and aggressive, or the fourth one called „Liar” that sounds like a missing track from „Extreme Aggression” or „Eternal Devastation”. By the way, vocal arrangements in that song reminds Mille's screaming in "Betrayer". Much like KREATOR or DESTRUCTION the riffing on „Blood Money” album is thick, precise and very catchy. Listening to the second effort of these Swedish oppressors I have a feeling the music featured on this CD has been written to cut through the air with the minimum of resistance, like a fucking bullet. Nevertheless such a large dose of offensive, ass-whipping thrash metal featured on "Blood Money" isn't certainly something that most people could consume. There's no compromise, nothing like „let's try to satisfy everyone”. Enormous burst of metal adrenaline featured in each of these songs will drive you crazy and won't let you sleep for next ten days... Holy shit, I almost forgot about a brilliant artwork of „Blood Money” created by Edward J. Repka, the same guy who made the artworks of such metal classics as "Scream Bloody Gore", "Leprosy", "Spiritual Healing", "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", "Rust in Peace", "Beyond the Gates" and many more. I must admit the picture he made for „Blood Money” is definitely one of his best works.

I'm aware that GUILLOTINE don't create anything new. I don't care. The whole beauty of the album is that consistent, unstoppable attack deeply inspired by German-style thrash metal and its greatest representatives, such as KREATOR and DESTRUCTION. "Blood Money" is vicious, extreme and powerful, perfect for diehard thrash metal freaks. Buy it, play it loud and bang your head. With such strong followers thrash will never die!

11/12