MadMaze
Frames of Alienation
Thrash Metal
Released: Feb 2012
Punishment 18
I’ve always prided myself of not liking one subgenre of metal in specific, but bits from every branch of the genre I can get music from. Frames of Alienation has definitely tipped the balance towards the thrash side.
Unlike most newer thrash bands that rely in stupidly fast drums and senseless “I wanna sound violent” riffs or use lyrics that talk exclusively about booze (We see here the influence of Tankard), MadMaze made an amazing album without abusing the typical thrash characteristics. As soon as the album starts playing I get that Sleyerish / Megadethish feeling. These guys have bay area thrash written all over them.
Walls of Lies starts what promises to be a great album. Fast beats and fun melodies invite you to start a circle pit at a random location. This is an album I’d gladly show to a 40 year old Big Four fanboy and be confident he’d like. There is only one problem with it: At one point you forget you are listening to it. The music is really good and somehow catchy but it becomes sort of flat and fails to keep me 100% interested on whe is coming out of the speakers.
All and all, this is a band thrashers should keep an eye on, and non-thrashers should listen to anyways. MadMaze promises to be huge if they keep going the way they are.
4.5/5
María Mata
Valkyrian Music 