Vindicator-The antique witcheries

Heavy Artillery
2010



The first thing that runs through my mind when I hear a younger retro-thrash style band is of course a comparison of what band or more likely bands that they sound like. That's fine for them to have influences, but what separates decent bands from the few really good ones these days is what the band brings of themselves. I want to hear what they add to the mix because almost anyone can copy the 80's sound, but it takes more effort and talent to build on that style and one's own sound. Vindicator sound like a mix of the debut albums from Metallica, Exodus and Megadeth all rolled up together. The sound is tight with crunchy riffs befitting their early thrash sound. The vocals also sound like a mix of the original singers from the three bands above. The biggest difference between this album and those done 25 or more years ago is that the production is so much better these days. Then again the fuzz of mid-80's independent label production values helped some thrash bands in some ways because to me while something like progressive metal benefits from better production, but thrash doesn't always need a clean, sharp sound. A little roughness around edge can help this sound. Vindicator are true to their heroes and the problem is they are maybe a little too faithful because they don't produce any ideas of their. Their energy level is strong, but even that can't help this album to be anything thing more than good 1985 style thrash. I enjoy that sound, but this band doesn't do enough to make me care about them. It's likable, but all in all a bit to standard to recommend to anyone beyond just die hard 80's thrash fans. Hopefully they keep at it and push some of their own ideas to the surface the next time around.