Kayser-Read Your Enemy

Listenable Records
2014

Now three albums into a career that began in 2004, Kayser, who hail from Helsingborg, Sweden, find themselves signed to Listenable Records for what must be most certainly their strongest release to date! Having only heard Kayser on a few occasions in the past I can say in all honesty that I don't ever remember the band being this tight and finely tuned into one single goal. Then again, and mind you I'm pulling fragments of musical knowledge out of a memory that has been severely rattled by well over twenty five years of rock, metal and thrash(!), I also don't recall this lot being so "catchy". Headed up by co-founder/lead vocalist Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand (Band of Spice, ex-Aeon, ex-Spice and the RJ Band, ex-Spiritual Beggars, ex-The Mushroom River Band), and with guitarist Mattias "Swanny" Svensson (The Defaced) and drummer Bob Ruben ( Band of Spice, Inferno (XII), ex-Claustrophobia, ex-Spice and the RJ Band, ex-The Defaced (live), ex-The Mushroom River Band) left over from the band's early days, Kayser plays from the heart on "Read Your Enemy". Style-wise it comes across as somewhat traditional heavy metal in nature (Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest) as interpreted by a "supergoup" made up of members of Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica. Heaven help me if there isn't a bit of groove* to be found within these 12-tracks as well and, thanks to the skills of  guitarists Mattias "Swanny" Svensson and Jokke Pettersson (ex-Poseidon), we're also treated to the kind of technical thrash that Metallica used to be well-known for! All told this is one fine as wine release and proof that real, in the flesh, thrash metal is still out there waiting for an audience to embrace it!

*Unlike Metallica, who are so far removed from being relevant they might as well not even exist anymore, Sweden's Kayser actually acknowledges the fact that they have a bassist, in this case it's Emil "Ewil" Sandin (ex-Poseidon, ex-Chaeostribe), and allow him to contribute to the overall picture!