Redeemer

Toronto, ON's Redeemer have always been onto something special. Building upon the legendary history of various members (who have put some hard time in revered acts such as Monster Voodoo Machine, Sudden Impact, Soulstorm and more), there's no questioning the band's prowess, hunger or viciousness. Still, it did take them some time to refine the various aspects of such boldly unique extreme bands into a Molotov cocktail all its own. That poignant blend is displayed perfectly on Global Exorcism. A pristine balance of lumbering doom metal, thrash metal's rampant gallop/wail and the brash attitude of hardcore, the majority of Global Exorcism is patient and methodical, a blast of intimidating menace and steely brutality hardened by years of influence by the likes of such greats as Sacrifice, Entombed, Clutch and Carcass. Still, while we feel the band's innate ability to combine tenacity and malevolence, tracks such as "Slave Name" offer eye-opening bouts of crisp vocals, pushing Redeemer's boundaries and ensuring nothing about this affair becomes stagnant. Instead, like the title of its closing track, Global Exorcism is destined to become the "Scourge of Humanity."