ALBUM REVIEW: Summon The Hordes – Protector
There is no question that the German thrash scene in the 1980s was something special. Giving birth to legends like KREATOR, SODOM and DESTRUCTION that rightfully stand shoulder to shoulder with the genre’s biggest names, the Teutonic Thrash movement also saw legions of cult classic bands dominate the underground. PROTECTOR, arguably one of the finest bands from that scene, were a victim of timing – just a few years late with their incredible debut, Golem, the band failed to garner the fan base and wide appeal many of their countrymen secured earlier in the decade. The band released a series of strong albums, including the 1991 classic A Shedding Of Skin, before falling into obscurity just after the turn of the millennium. However, in 2011, original vocalist Martin Missy resurrected PROTECTOR from his new home in Stockholm. The newest offering from PROTECTOR, Summon The Hordes, follows two strong albums since the band’s reformation – Reanimated Homunculus and Cursed & Coronated in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
As is PROTECTOR‘s modus operandi, Summon The Hordes is from start to finish a blistering assault, more death metal oriented than your average thrash album, thrashier than your average death metal album. Missy‘s vocals rarely deviate from his trademarked throaty, blackened snarl, while the guitar work from Michael Carlsson swings seamlessly between the various styles in PROTECTOR‘s arsenal, moving from the classic death-thrash of Realm Of Crime and Two Ton Behemoth to the speed metal ferocity of Steel Caravan and crushing death metal heaviness and groove of The Celtic Hammer and Meaningless Eradication with ease.
Unfortunately, Summon The Hordes both opens and closes with it’s weakest moments. Opening gambit Stillwell Avenue feels a little disjointed, showcasing all aspects of PROTECTOR‘s sound with little cohesion, and closing number Glove Of Love just doesn’t fit right in the record. Where most of Summon The Hordes is dark, monstrous and ferocious, fully immersed in the extremities of thrash, the closing song is PROTECTOR at their most punk, and it just feels a bit daft.
Fortunately, however, this is where the weaknesses of Summon The Hordes end. From the blistering ferocity of Steel Caravan right through the closing moments of penultimate track Unity, Anthems And Pandemonium, PROTECTOR are on fine form. However, it’s the four track mid-section where the band really show exactly what they’re capable of. The Celtic Hammer comes lumbering in, dropping crushing groove and hooks left, right and centre, while TwoTon Behemoth hits harder than, well, a two-ton behemoth. Blinding thrash riffs mixed have a heavy dose of death metal brutality, and the oddly catchy shrieks of Missy screaming “Two ton! Behemoth!” in the chorus make this a clear highlight. The title track is dripping with viscera, shredding through it’s all-too-brief run time before lead Three Legions roles in to decimate anyone still standing.
PROTECTOR are simply the best Teutonic Thrash band you’ve never heard of. They’re discography is nothing short of stellar, with early albums Golem, Urm The Mad and A Shedding Of Skin proving to be cult classics, while the first two reunion albums Reanimated Homunculus and Cursed & Coronated wonderfully maintain the essence of PROTECTOR and honour the legacy. Even The Heritage, the closest album in their discography to the experimentation of the ’90s in thrash, puts the vast majority of the genre’s output in that decade to shame. Up against such fantastic albums, Summon The Hordes does fall a bit short – it doesn’t unseat A Shedding Of Skin‘s place at the head of the pack, nor does it capture the same excitement of Cursed & Coronated. However, make no mistake, this is a blistering offering of death-thrash that slays from start to finish and is a worthy addition to the band’s back catalogue. Unquestionably, this is one of the strongest thrash albums of 2019 thus far.
Rating: 8/10
Summon The Hordes is set for release April 26th via High Roller Records.
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