DEMO REVIEW: Äxe – Autogeddon

Having enjoyed several local shows from Äxe, naturally I had to show some support for their second demo tape. The band mix heavy and speed metal with elements of black and death in quite a unique way, so it’s definitely going to be up the street of some of you underground dwellers. Set for release on 17th July via Caligari Records.

Opening with some pretty mean mid-tempo riffs and eerie vocals, the piercing guitar tones and driven bass give a bulldozing instrumental mix with some snappy drums and demented vocals; this being the classic Äxe blend for the uninitiated. Their blend of black/speed/thrash/death is firmly rooted in the later half of the 80s and feels maniacal and authentic while having some originality too. Combining the more wild and thrashing onslaughts with groovier moments works to concoct something memorable and yet full of aggression and fury. Frantic soloing continues to accentuate the unshackled approach of total metal devastation while the riffing is always reliably killer. England historically had some very street-toughened sounding bands, something that has been rarer in the modern day with few exceptions. Äxe definitely fit that gritty London stereotype with their in-your-face belligerence.

There is undeniably a healthy dose of black metal, especially in the possessed vocals. But the important thing is Äxe remember the metal in black metal. I can also hear a lot of Razor, Iron Angel, Vulcano and other bands from the 80s. This gives the songs a profoundly gripping attack that fires off artillery and rains shrapnel on all wimps and posers. The more death metal moments call Morbid Angel, Necrovore, Hellhammer and Sadistic Intent to mind, which is a very welcome dynamic in the black speeding hellfire. There are these dissonant flourishes that bring Voivod to mind. They really do manage to pack a lot of ideas into little over half an hour and yet keep everything coherent and direct. Sometimes a release just feels unpretentious and gives you everything you wanted from it. This is one such example.

If you like tame and derivative metal, don’t bother. If you miss the wilder days when black, speed, thrash, heavy, and death metal all collided in some maniacal constellation of morbid furore, then this is for you! Äxe takes only the archaic and forges it into something new, which is exactly what I seek in a newer band. A force to be reckoned with both on tape and in the live arena, bring on the autogeddon!