It is the roll of thunder against an open sky. Booming into the distance with a machine gun-like progression of beats and noise. This is the sound of the future. Dark clouds are gathering above. It is as if the lone figure thrashing about below them has ordered this congregation of clouds and electricity. And what he plays on his guitar-synth is metal for the ageless.
Technical purists (and parents looking for something to blame for Johnny's problems) will wet themselves. Reign in Blood indeed, Slayer.
There’s no stopping or topping this metallic cruise into the future as one man, with the head armor of a samurai, offers us a full view of the carnage as a horde of the immortal undead descends upon the damned metropolis that is our home. But, if one looks just past him on the horizon, that person will see something cresting; a big rig. The old Pork-Chop Express is arriving and you should listen to its shifting gears.
Because the fallout sirens are real. This is not a test. The end of the world is upon us or maybe it is just a Wednesday afternoon in Trump’s America…
Either way, the French American Metal and Darksynth musician known as Shredder 1984 is back to rock the future with a rising and falling synthetic wave of audio destruction! His latest release, Undead Thrasher, is an aggressive assault of five tracks that will leave your ears bleeding and your soul chained to the Walkman that these songs play out upon. Death is your only release from the spells collectively cast out by the audio Armageddon present here; easy to digest but worthy of so much more.
Welcome to the “Doomed Necropolis” that is this life; the survivors eat people here, too. Don’t let the number of tracks on this EP put you off. Merely five, you scoff. But really, yes, this IS five against one; there is no mercy once you start the odyssey that is Undead Thrasher. These tracks already own your soul. There is no escape. You honestly couldn’t take any more soul-crushing electronic beauty with all the blood on Shredder 1984’s dancefloor. This EP’s brevity is a blessing as these are killer tracks. Every single one of them rages against the norms out society subconsciously protects.
With cover art by La Belette Bleue, these passionate tracks are brutal; there is no denying their sheer command and effect. They create a mood that doesn’t dissipate easily. One listen to the head crushing brutality of “Unleash Chaos” is the only proof you need. With synths hitting the highs, Shredder 1984 masterfully rings his listeners’ own necks with a thundering assault of electronic licks. I might have hinted at Slayer in the opening, but the real reign of blood begins here.
In case you were worried that his previous release, Dystopian Future, might have been the apex of this brilliant metal-minded composer, you have nothing to worry about. Undead Thrasher is proof positive that Shredder 1984’s musical prowess and his mass of electric guitar brandishing ninjas aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The second track, “Undead Thrasher” is equally as unforgiving and relentless. Take the time to study its shifting nature. Old School meet the New School. Take a seat, son. The full-throttled beat that maps out its own territory is met with raging synthesizers as soft electronic washes and major chords shake the foundations of the earth’s core before themes are uncovered. And that electronic break might just snap your own neck.
Unsatisfied to stop there, Shredder 1984 boldly goes forward as the third song kicks in. The whole Darksynth scene gets served with the thundering progression of “Zombie Revenge” as its own melodies fold into itself before becoming the bone-crunching rhythm that outlines the whole almost 4-minute plot of this enormous song. The drums pulverize ears into dust and the highs establish an unbelievable mischievousness behind the intricate melodies that never fails to being a smile to my lips.
Following this is “Doomed Necropolis”, in which a soft introduction becomes suddenly fierce and unforgiving, before giving a keyboard drift that invites a layered theme that even John Carpenter would be jealous of. The atmosphere created is fog-drenched and shadowy and, as the final track is right around the corner, we suddenly get a bit of hope.
Released by JST Records, Shredder 1984’s latest release is the audio equivalent of Big Trouble in Little China. The statement is sealed with “Immortal Nemesis”, a synth-driven invitation to a world full of street gangs, evil sorcerers, truck drivers, zombies, and more! The notes that end this trek into the future will haunt you for days on end. And that’s part of the majesty of Shredder 1984’s continued reign over all things dripping dark.
Undead Thrasher is master slice of electronic eruptions and synthesized sleaze.
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Website: http://www.jstrecords.com
