| CD REVIEW Ultimatum |
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Band : Ultimatum Featuring members from across the US, Albuquerque (New Mexico) based Christian Thrashers Ultimatum have been around since early 1992 (albeit with different line-ups – in the current line-up only guitarist Robert Gutierrez was there from the very beginning, although singer Scott Walters already joined in January 1993; bassist Rob Witlock joined in, and drummer Alan Tuma is the most recent addition to the line-up…oh wait, one Justin Frear is added on second guitar – not featured on this album) and have released 4 previous studio albums (starting with 1995’s Symphonic Extremities released by Juke Box Media – which was preceded by two demos; 1998’s Puppet Of Destruction on Rowe Productions; 2000’s The Mechanics Of Perilious Times – originally intended as a second release on Rowe, the band decided to release it themselves…it was then issued by Massacre Records’ subsidiary Gutter Records in 2001 and re-issued after re-mastering in 2001, with bonus tracks, in 2007 by Retroactive Records; followed a 2005 self-titled demo and the limited edition, hand signed 2006 EP …Til The End, issued by Roxx Productions; and eventually 2007’s Into The Pit, the band’s debut with Retroactive). For their 5th studio album, the guys decided to make a tribute album to the bands that were influencial to them. Having always been partial to tribute albums themselves, and having recorded covers for their regular releases ( Iron Maiden’s “Wratchild” for the 2007 album, and Testament’s “Sins Of Omision” for their 2006 EP), they found themselvesbefore a difficult task once the idea for a tribute album had germinated, as (at the time of the recordings) there’s 4 guys in the band from different parts of the US, hence with different local influences. Help on the choice was also asked and gotten of the fans, and eventually the band had some 50 titles to choose from. So then the heavy and tedious job of decision-making began. Obviously the band simply hàd to cover some songs of their mutual influences Iron Maiden (of which you’ll find the aforementioned “Wratchild”), Judas Priest (“Steeler”), Metallica (“Creeping Death”), Motörhead (“Iron Fist”), and Saxon (“Denim And Leather”), and the band decided to do some songs that hadn’t been done for the umptieth time rather than fall into that repetition pit (whether they succeeded in that is a matter of individual taste and interpretation, I guess)! Whether the band succeeded in doin’ their heroes justice…that too! Other covers that eventually made the album are : “Ton Of Bricks” (of Metal Church, it is also the album opener), “Locked In Chains” (from local band The Moshketeers, former band of their current drummer), “Sin After Sin” (Twisted Sister), “Gut Wrench” (of Christian Thrash/Death act Mortification), “Moto Psycho” (Megadeth), “Metal Health” (Quiet Riot), “Can’t Get Out” (of Walters’ band Vengeance Rising), and “Powersurge” (Overkill). Reasons for inclusion of each of the songs in the album can be read in the booklet. Now, I ain’t gonna tell you which covers I hate, and which I think are either well, or daringly interpreted…because that is a matter of individual taste, but personally I feel tributes by lesser bands should be done song by song, one an album at a time! As things stand with this very covers album…I know the intent was to bring tribute to their heroes, but in the end Ultimatum hasn’t done (most of) these bands justice, and the major downfall in all of this is Waters’ weird vocal renditions! Because instrumentally everything is right-on-the-spot, okili-dokili, thumbs up!!! Check out a couple of the songs (4 if you include the “Wrathchild” cover as rendered for the Into The Pit album) and older material of the band at myspace.com/ultimatummetal. Tony. |