Scorched-Earth - Mars

Rating: 7.9

Country: USA

Genre: Black/Thrash Metal

Release Date: 2009

Track list:
1. Warlords Of Mars
2. The Gods Themselves
3. Devils In Iron
4. No Blade Of Grass
5. Hell On Mars
6. Spearhead From Space
7. The Knights Of The Black Cross vs. The Reavers Of The Red Death
8. Out Of The Violent Planet
9. The Dead Of Winter

Total playing time 53:43

Band Website: Scorched-Earth

Scorched-Earth - Mars

Terry McCorriston - vocals and guitar
Ted Cohn - guitar
Sanford Johnson - bass
Josh Hanenburg - drums

I recently received, Mars, the fourth full-length album by the Seattle troupe, Scorched Earth. I could name drop with ease here with bands that span Destroyer 666 and Morbid Angel to Celtic Frost and Pentagram, but, quite frankly, I think such descriptions are too difficult to compute and often times sound like a big, jumble-fucked mess. In this instance, I think it is simpler and more effective to describe the band as playing a primitive form of black thrash that also employs old-school death metal and odd, yet effective doom-inspired bits. I have not heard previous output from Scorched Earth, so I cannot speak as to whether they had the "jumble-fucked" sound their lengthy and diverse list of influences might suggest, but the songs here incorporate the influences listed yet have been largely honed to a razor-sharp and deadly point.

Like I said to begin, the backbone of the material here is black thrash with death metal also having a healthy role in the bludgeoning. While Scorched Earth may not contribute new ideas musically to either genre, the thrash here is reminiscent of the early days in the scene. It is chaotic and sloppy, though likely done so intentionally, yet the thing I like most about it is the youthful thrash energy. The superior musicianship and recording capabilities of today usually makes it tough to re-create this type of energy, but Scorched Earth has done it with moments on "Warlords of Mars", "Devils in Iron" and "Hell on Mars" only the slightest nudge away from total self-destruction. I bet this material stirs a hell of a pit.

The counterpoint to the thrash here are smatterings of old-school death metal and occasional doom-inspired dirges. The death metal bits certainly add to the aggressive tone on the album with songs like "Spearhead From Space" being a quick, two minute death metal blast to your gut, but it is the doom that is the most surprising here. The instrumental "No Blade Of Grass" brings about the first doom-y exploit, but it is not in the style you might expect. The bass of Sanford Johnson bounces and plods away underneath big distorted chords, sprawling solos and the occasional textural bit with a 70s doom approach. It is unexpected, but surprisingly effective. Johnson has a rather large presence throughout the album but is most notable during the doom-y moments where he really drives those sections - as a good bassist should. The doom sections, though few and far between, also serve as a nice reprieve from the heavier, up-tempo material. This approach works well on "Out Of the Violent Planet" where its doom-y, reverb slathered intro is slightly altered and used later for a brief interlude with effective results.

The major issue I had with the album is there were a couple times where I felt certain thoughts went on a bit too long. The nearly ten minute "Warlords of Mars" is the best example of this. I realize part of the length is due to the attached intro, but the song also has three different solos, albeit none of them overly lengthy. While textural bits are added, the up-picked addition towards the end is a welcome change, I think the song would have been stronger had a minute or so been absent. A similar argument could be made for the doom-y mid-section on "The Knights of the Black Cross vs. The Reavers of the Red Death". I get the point and it works, but it also lingers too long.

Scorched Earth has thoroughly and relentlessly beat the hell out of my ears since the first day I got my hands on the cassette. I know there are a lot of people that find the notion of cassette releases to be useless and outdated. Those of you with this mindset can pick up a copy on CD through the band's website. I will make a case for the cassette in this instance, however. If you are able to get by with cassettes, the label has also enclosed a 1" logo pin, a 7" vinyl-size copy of the badass, old-school artwork and a 4X4 patch of the artwork. NoVisible Scars also seems like a label that really supports its bands - a rarity these days and a cause I think we all can get behind. But regardless of format, there is one constant: Scorched Earth crushes.

March 8, 2010