### Essence: Lost in violence

#### 20/10/11 || revenant

A couple of months back it occurred to me that I had yet to become aware of any really great thrash records released in 2011. Oh sure, Hellbringer certainly touched my special place, but was that it for thrash in 2011? The bigger names like Destruction failed to deliver, critically acclaimed Havok were ok, but where were the good thrash albums? I refused to believe there were none, so I set myself the task of searching the Internet: wading through the opinions of idiots who shouldn’t be allowed to breath let alone have an opinion published for all to see. Oh man, did I listen to some fucken awful music, but the rewards were there. Already in recent weeks I’ve covered The Force and Armor Column, two of the standouts. Now I present the holy grail: Essence’s debut album “Lost in Violence”.

Now I want to make something perfectly clear upfront: This is the fucken thrash album of 2011. I’m not debating it either, it is fucken fact, and yes I am calling this early but fuck it, nothing will top this in the next few months.

I also want make another thing clear: this isn’t just another copycat thrash album following the same old tired mold that every other douche in denim jacket, jeans and white sneakers is emulating. Yes, they fucking draw from what others have done, they just don’t rip it off. Essence serve up a nice dose or originality, and one which puts them ahead of the pack easily.

So let’s get into it then. Sound wise these guys sit in between the Bay Area style and the Teutonic scene, mixing both the catchy side of the first and the bludgeoning of the second. Music is generally mid paced, with songs crammed with catchy as hell riffs throughout. Vocals in part remind me of an early Hetfield who’s had his vocal chords taken to with sandpaper. Gang vocals are placed consistently across the albums, giving choruses that well needed kick of catchiness.

Bla bla bla, could be anyone right? What makes these guys so special is the aforementioned streak of originality. The album opens with a distinctive Eastern flavour but, before you can turn to your speaker and utter the words “what the fuck?”, you release how fucking well it fits and by then you’re already nodding your head furiously. Not far into the first song it’ll strike you at how fucking audible the bass is, and then you really fucken listen. This slap happy dude can really play. A few tracks in you hit “Blood Culture”, with its awesome 80 second bass intro that had me restarting the song three times before I let the rest of the track run through. And, as if the full intro alone wasn’t enough attention for the bass player, there are two more bass solos in the same song.

I won’t go into a track by track analysis of this album but I will say this: every single track here is a winner. Somehow Essence avoided the pitfalls of filler songs to deliver a completely solid 48 minutes of thrash. I’m not going to go as far as to call this utter fucken perfection though. If I were to pick a weakness, I’d single out the vocals. Let’s face it, this guy’s voice isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of vagina. There are times when he does come across a little weak in his delivery. Gang vocals are present throughout to give the added punch needed in places, so this gripe is only small.

I said it above and I’ll say it again: this is the fucken thrash album of 2011. Of this I am not in doubt. This has dominated my listening since I got it and shows no sign of wearing out soon. It’s a catchy and crushing debut that has enough tricks up it’s sleeve to make it stand well above any other recent thrash release. Now that’s enough from me, go and fucken check them out already.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Ultimhate Records
- Website: www.essencemetal.com
- Band
- Lasse Skov: vocals, guitars
- Mark Drastrup: guitars
- Benjamin Atlas: bass
- Martin Haumann: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Allegiance
- 02. Unlimited Chaos
- 03. Pestilence
- 04. Blood Culture
- 05. Night’s Destruction
- 06. Oblivion
- 07. Shades of Black
- 08. Trace of Terror
- 09. Lost in Violence
- 10. Aggressive Attack