As metal continues its expansion into more progressive and radical extremities, bands that celebrate its denim-vested essence offer joyous throwbacks.
Trondheim’s Shotgun Rodeo provide such a reminder with their full-length debut, a Jack Daniels-fuelled, thrash metal free-for-all that will induce repeated rounds of rapturous fist-pumping. The ambitions of these riff-crazy Norwegians extend far beyond a rote Bay Area-by-numbers rehash. Instead, …Genocide delivers a stylistically diverse modern metal showcase, adorning its galloping thrash undercarriage with sweeping melodeath overtures, seismic rounds of blastbeats and Don Shrediablo’s dizzying fretboard strafing.
The risk is that in referencing so many distinct influences, the material might lack cohesion.
But Shotgun Rodeo turn in an electrifying campaign united by taut musicianship, speaker-destroying production and enough gang vocal choruses to draw more than a few Anthrax comparisons. Stock up on the aspirin – your neck’s about to get worked.
