If you love old-school Euro-thrash, Bring Out The Clown is going get you moshing. It’s one of the best, thrashingly mad tracks of recent years, yet it’s also just one strand of what makes these Swedes so stunning.
Led by one-time Spiritual Beggars vocalist Spice, Kayser are capable of complementing a powerful metal presence with the richness of guitar harmonies and the sort of tunefulness that would make even Boston gasp with admiration. This is obvious on the stoner-fuelled gallop of Bark And Bow, or the anthemic crack of I’ll Deny You.
On their fourth album, Kayser have a magical poise that maintains a manic thrust while allowing space for guitarists Swaney and Jokke to lock in with a lush groove. It happens on Dream Bend Clockwise, again on the title track and on Roll The Dice, while Almost Home offers complexity without ever sacrificing its basic instincts.
There are connections to the Beggars, but the chemistry here is very much about the five guys involved, and not about past musical paths. Read Your Enemy barnstorms, but it’s accessible too.