Barcelonan outfit Redimoni are clearly passionate about what they do. From the sleeve notes and frankly ludicrous adopted names of the band members, to the fact that this album retails at 6.66 from the band’s bandcamp page, this short record harks back to a simpler time; a time when an abundance of denim, a litre of vodka and the latest Overkill record were pretty much everything you needed to have a good time. Such passion is admirable and, leaving aside the rather ugly album art, On The Brink Of Existence lives up to its creator’s ambitions, dispatching five tracks in just seventeen minutes.
Exodus, Overkill, Slayer and Kreator – these are the banners to which Redimoni flock and with remarkable skill. From opening number As The Soul Leaves The Body, it’s clear that the band both know their chops and had the foresight to invest in a decent production (courtesy of Moontower Studios) Rumbling bass, eerie synth sounds and a Bobby Blitz yelp can all be found floating through the mix, but it’s the razor sharp guitars that carry the day. While the band are hardly reinventing the wheel, their absolute love of thrash is carried through in every bruising beat and every scorching lead. As such, it’d take a hard hearted metal fan indeed to balk at the charms on offer, and I’m pretty much hooked by the time we hit the second minute at a pace of some 120bpm. Upping the tempo, Death Shall Come To Us All is a nervy mix of blast beats and ragged screams. It takes a moment to slide into focus but, when the band does coalesce around a churning groove, you’ll feel the muscles in your neck tighten in anticipation once more. Undeterred, the band plough straight into the scything riffs and heavily distorted vocals of Der Tag Der Rache (The Day Of Vengeance). Ferocious and relentless, Der Tag Der Reich is all the better for eschewing modern tricks to deliver a grimy, old school blast of pure thrash. The churning introduction to Ancient Buried Secrets maintains the breathless pace, and the track flies past. However, the band kept a surprise up their sleeve for the finale, and Axes opens on a briefly cinematic trip before the guitars are unleashed and battle can commence one final time. A subtly different proposition, while Axes remains predominantly in the thrash camp, the vocals take on a blackened aspect that works perfectly with the eerie intro and icy riffing.
Between the cover art and the song-titles it should be immediately clear to most listeners whether On The Brink Of Existence will be their thing or not. There are no shiny new tricks here and nor, to be honest, should there be. Redimoni are clearly in thrall to the eighties’ thrash metal scene and the only real surprise is the quality of the recording, which renders this brutal album in impressive clarity. Musically, this most closely resembles a swinging match between Overkill and Kreator and, if that sounds like your particular brand of poison, this all-too-short EP will be right up your street. 7.5/10
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