The tenth album from unstoppable thrash metallers Artillery, X is an album steeped in significance, due to the loss of Morten Stutzer, Michael’s brother and fellow guitarist in the band. Inevitably, the loss of Morten can be felt across the course of these eleven tracks, but in a celebratory sense, with the record paying tribute both to the band’s years together, and to Morten’s contribution. Drawing on their years of collective experience, and with Kraen Meier drafted in on guitars, X sees Artillery continue to pulverise their audience with manic glee, and the album stands as a powerful affirmation of their intent to continue.
Kicking off with The Devil’s Symphony, a track that recalls vintage Anthrax, Artillery make their presence felt with scything riffs, hyper-speed percussion and a typically impressive vocal performance from Michael Bastholm Dahl, who sits somewhere between Joey Belladonna and Mats Leven when it comes to a powerful, yet melodic, delivery. Better still is In Thrash We Trust, which effortlessly conjures the sights and sounds of the late 1980s, reminding the listener that Artillery have never deviated from the genre that brought them together in the first place. With an instrumental mid-section that sees Michael and Kraen trading solos, In Thrash We Trust may well emerge as this year’s metal anthem, and it’s certainly easy to imagine the track igniting the moshpit. Released as a single, Turn Up The Rage is a polished rocker that sits between the unbridled fury of traditional thrash and the prog-infused metal of Queensryche. Intelligent and incandescent in equal measure, it’s easy to see why the band considered it single-worthy, and Michael’s vocal delivery is particularly impressive here. Following hot on its heels, Silver Cross is punishing and catchy in equal measure, whilst In Your Mind is a staccato number filled with drama. Short and sharp, it is dispatched with almost Teutonic efficiency, paving the way for the slower-paced The Ghost Of Me. Another track with progressive undertones (albeit via Crimson Idol), The Ghost Of Me will lodge itself in your brain for days, largely thanks to Michael’s superlative vocal performance.
Kicking off the second half of the album, Force Of Indifference is a full on thrash maelstrom, only to find itself supplanted by the absolutely feral Varg I Veum. With Eastern-tinged progressions Varg I Veum is pretty epic in intent and paves the way for a final third that contains some of the finest songs in Artillery’s storied back catalogue. Take, for example, the acrobatic riffing of Mors Ontologica, a fast-paced track blessed with an almighty chorus destined to be sung back to the band by festival audiences the world over (as and when such things return). Then, there’s the way Peter Thorslund’s bass groove leads the way into the stabbing Eternal Night, a theatrical piece housing some of the album’s most sublime lead work. Storm clouds gather for album finale, Beggars In Black Suits, a frantic riff-fest that leaves you exhausted and yet giddily excited.
Artillery have more than earned their place in the pantheon of metal greats but, if X shows anything, it is that this great beast has lost none of its fire. Part cathartic tribute to a fallen member, part celebration of a remarkable career, X does not have a single weak track in evidence. With both production and performance absolutely superlative, X is a thrash fan’s wet dream of a record – just buy the damn thing! 9/10
