2023-09-05 07:00:35
(c) Panagiotis Bakogiannis
Who says thrash metal can’t evolve? Bio-Cancer love the extreme side of the genre, mix in a lot of death metal, among other things, and have already toured with such different bands as Marduk, Origin, Immolation and Voivod. Their last album was released in 2015, but the Greeks were by no means idle. They played on all available stages and used the lockdown downtimes to work on new material once more. This now ends up in the form of “Revengeance”.
The opening five minutes show that they haven’t lost any of their class. “Citizen… Down!” takes everything you would expect from Bio-Cancer, just a little more precisely. Lefteris hums and screams in a captivating manner, all around him there are rapid, unrelenting attacks, with everything seeming to explode, especially on the drums. A washed-out groove in the middle section and an epic guitar solo round it off perfectly. After that, “44 Days In Hell” incorporates further melodic ideas – very restrained, but still clearly audible. There’s a simmer in the depths of the arrangement, classic metal patterns collide with raw brute force, which even cultivates a bit of blackened death chic in the final act.
“Dream Merchants” is another gripping epic that Bio-Cancer use as a stage for their significantly refined songwriting. The raw, frontal energy is reminiscent of Krisiun in the best sense, but all around they flirt with the epics of the new school, while the frontman throws up. The melodic solo in particular impressively demonstrates how far the quintet has come. How “Underdog (Against All Odds)” deals with changing tempos, prefers to move with midfield and transforms any clumsiness into real hussar rides almost from a standing start is impressive.
A furious three quarters of an hour later everything is in vain once more. To speak of more sensitivity with this sound may sound like a contradiction in terms, but Bio-Cancer actually manages this anything but easy balancing act more than confidently. The brash “Revengeance” is harder and more precise at once. The Greeks remain loyal to thrash and continue to expand any extreme acts of madness around it. Significantly more compact songwriting, even in epic moments, and highly digestible madness form a magical symbiosis. Here you should definitely risk one or two curious ears.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: September 8th, 2023
Available via: Hammerheart Records (SPV)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/biocancer
Category: Magazin, Reviews
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