ALBUM REVIEW: Above Lords, Below Earth – Turbocharged

TURBOCHARGED have spent the last decade, through the continuous pedalling of straight-forward, no-holds-barred death metal, garnering a feverish, if modest, fan-base. The superbly titled Arrogantus Metallus came in 2009, and since then the band have only improved, consistently honing their craft. With album titles such as Christ Zero and Area 666, it’s abundantly clear what sort of band they are – openly blasphemous, and unapologetically metal.

Having formed in Sweden, the band have roots in a land of immensely impressive pedigree. Swedish death metal, like most Scandinavian music, has a definitive sonic identity. Unlike their American cousins, the front-runners of Swedish death metal take more from hardcore punk and focus more on bludgeoning riffs rather than technical, dizzying pace. Imagine OBITUARY‘s Cause Of Death, but if the band listened to MOTÖRHEAD rather than SLAYER, and you essentially have the Stockholm sound nailed. TURBOCHARGED are the bastard children of their heritage. Openly taking influence from revolutionary heavyweights such as ENTOMBED, UNLEASHED and AT THE GATES, TURBOCHARGED make no bones about where their artistic tropes come from. It’s all rolling drums, churning vocals, rumbling bass and ever-menacing guitar-work; by no means an original formula, but one which has grown only stronger with age, as shown on Above Lords, Below Earth.

The performances throughout are all endlessly charming. Freddie Fister puts in a double-duty as drummer and backing vocals, and while not a maestro in either, the conviction present is totally endearing. Ultimately, this is what matters most. Ronnie Ripper, who provides guitar-work and lead vocals, shows an equal enthusiasm for the craft. With fret-work that blisters and bludgeons, it’s abundantly clear Ripper knows his way around a riff (many of which on the album are worthy of note) – when partnered with the almighty bass work of Old Nick, the band sound like a force to be reckoned with.

The songs are macabre throughout, in the most joyous of ways. Titles such as Black Tornado and The Burning Of A Redeemer do very little disguise the extent to which these death metal fiends are willing to go. There’s an unmistakably playful nature to their work, and it lifts these songs to a level they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. It’s an absolute pleasure to hear a death metal album which not only doesn’t take itself too seriously, but openly revels in the absurdity of its morbid, objectionable interests.

One of the few glaring faults with the album, however, is the production. Put bluntly, it simply doesn’t pack the necessary punch to make these songs sound as lean and focused as they demand. Admittedly, especially, within this art-form, quality production is by no means a necessity – countless albums deemed ‘classics’ often boast shoddy, unbalanced production. However, at the very least, the music ought to move the listener. On Above Lords, Below Earth, TURBOCHARGED simply don’t sound like the have the bite the songs clearly display. It’s a troubling thing for any writer to explain, but it’s clear that a reconsidered mixing job would do this album wonders.

This gurning musical lovechild of DISCHARGE, DARKTHRONE and ENTOMBED have released a deeply respectable and highly enjoyable addition to their discography, and hopefully, this will be the album to cement TURBOCHARGED as heavyweights within their scene. It’s by no means perfect, and when compared to recent masterpieces within this realm it does cower by comparison. However, this may be a harsh comparison, and it does present a lot of promise for greatness to come.

Rating: 7/10

Above Lords, Below Earth is out now via GFY Productions.

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