Final Curse- Way of the Accursed

When one thinks of North Carolina,  metal does not cross someone's mind (except for maybe the likes of Corrosion of Conformity and only a few other bands). Well, hopefully that will start to change soon. The Charlotte-based thrash quartet, Final Curse, a personal local favorite of yours truly,  have finally released their sophomore album Way of the Accursed. Among this metalcore-infested city, there remains a sparkling glimmer of hope.

The album is a no-holds-barred slugfest of thrash metal intensity. The first track sets off to decimate the listener's ears with a slew of Exodus-styled riffage. One can actually feel the energy given from the vocals . It's not stale and by no means sounds like a cat getting mangled in a car door. His gruff bark sounds like a cross between Araya and Chuck Billy, more than good enough for thrash metal. And the guitars. Man, oh, man, the guitars. It's as if a duo of Dimebag and Andy LaRoque were in a thrash band together. Lots of noodley solos that'll make panties wet. To add to the solid musicianship, the drums pound your face in like a rubber jackhammer.

Some of the highlights from this album would be "Reaper of Justice" and "Rage Around Your Neck." There's enough bludgeoning going on between those songs that other thrash bands should look towards to with envy. "Rage" reminds me of something from the South of Heaven-era, with that nice chunky riff it has to beat your body into a pulp. While they may be a thrash band, they are leagues apart from the pizza-and-beer thrashers that flood the airwaves and iPods of the denim-jacketed listeners. They're emplace more thought to their songs and that's something that's missing from a lot of bands. The instrumental "Ghostbones" is something that should please the listeners that like the noodley musicality of a "progressive" band but also keep the attention of those that like meat-and-potatoes styled songs. The harmonies are reminiscent of earlier Maiden tracks.  The album ends with "Is There No Hope?" that has a nice, catchy chant-along chorus. Finish with a band, right?

There's enough going on to satisfy just about everyone here. They uphold the classic thrash influences without sounding like a rehash of an 80s band. It seems they pick up where a lot of bands left off. There's a mash-up of Exodus, Slayer, Megadeth, along with some influences from the likes of Pantera and death metal bands. Their motto is "100% No Bullshit Thrash Metal" and that's what it is: straight to the point and heavy. Maybe now North Carolina can get some good recognition from the metal folk.

4.5/5
Keep up the good work, boys.

Getchoo sum!