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The Force: Nations under attack

29/09/11 || revenant

I just want to state up front there will be no fucking Star Wars jokes in this review. None. Yeah, I know a band name like The Force lends itself to Star Wars jokes, but I don’t go in for that nerdy crap. This is fucking Global Domination you penis, we don’t do nerd jokes here, we only do dick jokes and similar such smut. On that area you will be covered, but nerd jokes? No way, more chance of a ewok flying a starship than that happening (ok one, but that’s it I swear).

So a bit of background on The Force then: these fucks are a retro thrash outfit from Paraguay. There’s such a rich metal history in Paraguay, with bands like… uh…. ummm… uh… OK so I can’t name a single band from there, but Metal Archives lists 78 on them. None of them really made an impact on the metal world at large but who knows, maybe The Force will be their break through band? Paraguay also recently lost the Copa America to Uruguay in case you missed it. Worth chasing up a copy of the game if you like a bit of ‘guay on ‘guay action (and what devout GD reader isn’t into that?)

Now when I say retro thrash, I mean retro fucking thrash. It’s almost as though The Force just stepped out of a time capsule and into a recording studio with this one. When and where was this time capsule buried? 1986, San Francisco Bay area. It is incredible how faithfully The Force have recreated the sound of that era, not just their songwriting but also the production, which is spot fucking on the money. Their sound is great, speedy thrash riffs that are amazingly catchy, shouted vocals backed up in all the right places with gang vocals, and then there’s the solos. Man these are good. Dual melodic leads that bring back memories of classic Maiden. Think of this album as “Bonded by Blood” with Murray and Smith filling the breaks.

In terms of songs, there’s not a single bit of filler here. Every song is well constructed and catchy, be they the short thrashy blasts or the epic instrumental closer “Stamped of a Thousand Stallions” (sic) which is simply a stunning piece of work bristling with fantastic musicianship. There are more great tracks here than there are inches on your dick, just so you know.

There is one problem with this album though: it’s just too faithful to the sound it’s trying to replicate. I swear, and I would have put money on it if someone had bet me, that I’ve heard “Neckbreaking Metal” before. It must be a cover song. God fucking damn that song just sounds too familiar to be an originally composed piece of music, and it’s really pissing me off that I can’t remember what song it sounds like. Other riffs here and there sound familiar too, and listening to this album can feel more like a nostalgia trip than a fresh piece of music. It’s like fucking an ex-girlfriend. It’s nice to go back there again, but aren’t you passed all that?

I don’t want to take too much away from The Force though. These guys are very good at what they do, and this is a damn fine album. Had it been released in 1986, this review would be filed in the Class666 section and “Nations Under Attack” would be held in the same esteem as the aforementioned “Bonded by Blood”. If you want an excellent thrash album and are still into the sound of that time, then this may well be your album of the year. For the rest of us, this is just too much tribute and not enough originality to really get the recognition it probably deserves.

7,5

Information
Released: 2011
Label: Kill Again Records
Website: The Force MySpace
Band
Metal Mike: vocals, guitars
Carlos Carvallo: guitars
Juan Barrios: bass
Luis Almada: drums

Tracklist
01. The Barracks
02. Nations Under Attack
03. Doomsday
04. The Longest Day
05. Neckbreaking Metal
06. Nightlords
07. Fight Till the End
08. Stamped of a Thousand Stallions

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