| CD REVIEW Trenchfoot |
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Band : Trenchfoot When Kingpin (formed from the ashes of the H8000 scene in '98 by members of Congress and former members of Spirit Of Youth with the intent to play fast NY Hardcore, they left us a 5-track demo in 2001 and one mini-album titled Bad Habits Die Hard, released as CD by Pyro Records and as 10-inch by Reality Records...hey, that sounds familiar...hahah!) decided to call it quits in the Summer of 2004 (they were originally planning to record a full-length around that time, but things turned out differently), bassist Vez (formerly of Congress), lead guitarist Pedro (ex-Rise And Fall, ex-Congress; these first two were with the band from the beginning), rhythm guitarist Sim (ex-Spirit Of Youth, Blood Redemption) and drummer Tim (ex-Congress, ex-Liar, and more, and only newly added to the line-up) decided to no longer put their admiration for '80s Bay Area Thrash Metal under the tables, and start up a new act by the name of Trenchfoot with that type of music in mind. They started out with Stef from Bloodshot as singer, but decided to part ways with him and Sim in Spring 2006. In the meantime however, they had recorded 6 songs (recorded in a record time of no more than 2 hours) with Xavier Carion of Cyclone and Channel Zero repute. As replacements for the former members, the remaining trio eventually enrolled the services of rhythm guitarist Vosse (formerly with Alternative Rock act Mindstab and Metallers Disturbed) and completed the line-up when they found Cloon singer Tom Claus (whom was also part of the somewhat Family Of Dog during the '90s, then went on with Daisy Temple) willing to join 'em during 2007. The line-up complete, rehearsals were done immediately to record a new 3-track demo, which was sent around to concert promotors and organizers. In a very short time the band gained a very positive reputaion of high level, playing in support of the likes of Municipal Waste, Integrity (Tim, Vez and Perdo actually joining that band's Japan tour as guset musicians), Toxic Holocaust, 25 Ta Life, Legion Of The Damned, and playing tons of more low-key gigs. The quintet nestled themselves into a studio with Carion again at the beginning of this year, and then had the 14 recorded songs mastered by Attie Bauw [who remains the only Dutch producer to ever have won a Grammy Award, and has worked with such diverse artists as Latoya Jackson, Menace featuring Bootsy Collins and Maceo Parker, The Nits, The Scorpions, Hans Dulfer, Rob Halford (Fight album), Judas Priest (Painkiller), the Gathering, and Electric Eel Shock to name but a few]. The end result is a very fat album, guitar sound wize. Stylistically, Trenchfoot sets back the clock some 20-23 years, treating the listener to a relentlessly hacking Thrash Metal which is however not without melodic feel! Still, you won't get any rest, as the songs are all of hyper-nervously high pace, the vocals (which are a cross-blend of scream and rough singing) sóó typical for the genre! When looking at their MySpace page, you'll find the band names such Trash Metal legends as SOD, Suicidal Tendencies, Kreator, Slayer, Exodus, Vio-lence, Anthrax, and Testament alongside more Hardcore-geared acts like Cro-Mags, Liar, Congress, Merauder, and Crumbsuckers as their influences...and those come out just perfectly from the music they now make! Check out myspace.com/trenchfoot for a threesome of tracks off the album, and get hooked to the high-energy antics of this Ieper based Belgian band! I was pleasantly surprised to find a soundtrack bit from the 1979 Walter Hill cult movie The Warriors (dealing with the phenomenon of New York youth gangs in those days) open procedings (listen to "Streetwise"), as I just recently happened to view it!With Thrash Metal back into popularity these days, these boys have it in them to become at least as popular on an international level as Carion's old band Channel Zero (still Belgium's only Metal act that réally made it big enough on that level). If you're looking to catch a copy of the album, you'll have to be quick, as the CD version is (according to the band) almost sold out (at least, that counts for the first edition of the album)! Vinyl adicts are luckier, as this version of the album was released more recently (early August), and should therefore still be well available! The band have some gigs planned all over Belgium between now and the end of year, so dó go check 'em out if the live thing is your stuff! 86/100 Tony. |