ALBUM REVIEW: Obnoxious Youth – Burning Savage

One of the most underrated obscurities in the underground are Speed Metal mob Obnoxious Youth. With a formidable couple albums and equally worthy EP releases under their belts. This Swedish-Finnish powerhouse is now back for more carnage. Set for release via Svart Records on October 18th.

Arcane synths begin our hellish inferno, a simplistic but tasteful introduction. Speeding riffs fire on all cylinders from the off with the extreme and rabid nature of a band who hasn’t got too bogged down into subgenre debates and plays simple Heavy Metal loud ‘n’ fast. Their evil, ripping malevolence storms with vicious vocals and tempestuous drumming wrapped around Voivodian guitars to achieve maximum destruction. Instantly the more live feel enchants you and the warm classiness to the production retains the grit of a band dragged offstage for being too savage, this feels authentic to the bone. Frenzied, chaotic and hostile; Obnoxious Youth definitely make their intentions clear. Although hectic, there is plenty of dynamics and their more furious raging is contrasted by more rocking moments from across the metallic spectrum. Each idea sets a morbid fire in the mind while together they pain a huge picture of unique musical torment. From the grooves to the grinds, the opening moments of “Burning Savage” reassure me that this gem of a band dwelling in obscurity still has the same fire in their bellies from when I saw their insane performance at The Abyss bar in Sweden a couple of years ago. Reminiscing done, let’s keep banging our skulls…

Sometimes records can feel like a mess of ideas haphazardly stuck together. Graciously these maniacs create something that has you strapped in for the long haul, gripping us with an iron fist and never letting go for a second. While chaotic, there is a path straight to hades that we embark upon joyfully and each twist is a welcome surprise. This within such a volatile execution is a remarkable feat that makes the album truly exciting to listen to. The mind bending solos interrupt wild riffing only for the entire band to batter you into oblivion. Considering the enormous arsenal of sounds and moods here, it is simply bewildering how well each ravenous section flows into the next. Some truly expert songwriting and equally indomitable musicianship from the entire band. Equally noteworthy is the sublime production which sounds like tape reels must have caught fire to capture this. Everything just feels so damned animalistic with a lust for violence that will never be tamed. No surrender, you must submit to the force of Heavy Metal power or be crushed by its might. Show all no mercy this night.

Across a full dozen songs these guys rage with lawless and unbound triumphs. Every track is an example of that classic attitude and underground spirit. All of them come together to give us a truly magnificent third album from a band I find to be criminally underrated (but at least untainted by a crowd of feckless idiots). If a record can make me want to snap my neck and pound my fist into a stage then it is definitely doing something right. This unique album has so much character and yet sticks strictly to those traditional measures I hold all quality Heavy Metal to. A band with so much personality and passion deserves to be commended in a world where so few have the guts to proudly walk their own path. The feverish and unforgettable delivery is superb both on wax and in a live setting (seriously these guys are nuts live). Like being force-fed a fistful of barbed wire, the rusted taste of violence and blood will linger long after you finish playing the LP, but that very taste will be what pulls you back to listen again…

Disco beats, blasting majesty, deathly atmospherics… Obnoxious Youth harness all of the Heavy Metal powers and infuse a punk touch too, conjuring a maelstrom of pure carnage. Their mystifying and sadistic new record is unmissable for the real underground warriors who adore annihilation and lust for lacerating music. Either you can hack it, or you can’t. But if you’re one of those merciless maniacs who can, then this record will likely stand out to you as something special and worth returning to. If you can’t, sorry poser but these gates are kept… ‘Til next time, Obnoxious Youth still rules!