Audiopain “The Switch to Turn Off Mankind” CD

I've basically been on the fence about Norwegian thrashers Audiopain prior to this point, but "The Switch to Turn Off Mankind" EP (Vendlus Records) is finally starting to fully win me over with improved songwriting that's both a hint more streamlined and energetic, while also just diverse enough to keep things interesting for six tracks and 27 minutes. For the most part things fall on the moderate side of fast and employ lots of galloping alternate picking patterns with a little bit of that rocked out type of groove. There's not a great deal of technicality or overly excessive extremity happening, so it's that brand of thrash that's definitely hanging onto the tried and true old school heavy metal influence and throwing in little bits and pieces of contemporary flare here and there. For instance, there are some twistedly dissonant out-of-nowhere riffs that flirt with black metal towards the end of "Holy Toxic", and the latter portion of closer "Cobra Dance" similarly busts out an unexpected (and awesome) distorted bass break. The recording's driven by a nice and crispy guitar tone that's actually a very even match against the upper-ranged sneer of the vocals, whereas the basslines just barely start to peak through in the background over the rugged warmth of the percussion. That's not to insinuate that anything sounds flat, though, as the overall aesthetic is actually pretty damn balanced and effective for what they're offering musically. They're still not the catchiest or most memorable band on the planet, but they're certainly stepping up their delivery, and it's cool that they're not really trying to capitalize on any kind of "resurgence" or anything like that. Their style feels very natural, as does the fact that they have their own visual aesthetic, etc. It's a solid listen, and I think it'll grow on me even more with time, so I'd like to see what's next for Audiopain for sure.

Audiopain "The Switch to Turn Off Mankind"

Get It

Vendlus Records
The End Records