Which brings me to Arakain, a thrash metal band from the Czech Republic. This is the second album I have checked out by the band, the first one being Black Jack, which was a decent melodic heavy metal album with some thrash moments. Unfortunately it was not quite what I was looking for when I picked it up. I had heard great things about their thrash metal releases and I just missed with that one. Well I fixed that minor miscalculation by picking up this, Arakain's debut.
The sound of Arakain is something of a mix between the early works of Teutonic thrash metal bands such as Destruction and Bay Area-thrash of Death Angel. The riffs are melodic but pack a lot of bite, and there are a ton of them, and most of the songs are fairly fast-paced. The songs are also ridiculously catchy, which is somewhat of a surprise given that 99% of the lyrics are not in English and I definitely do not speak Czech. Where Arakain really excels though is in the vocals which are delivered in a siren-like wail that calls to mind Artillery in their prime.
The only real issue I have with this release is the lyrics not being in English. Do not get me wrong, I have no problem with it, but it did likely prevent Arakain from breaking through to a wider audience. Now, there is of course a concern that if the lyrics were in English they would lose their effectiveness. I cannot really say because I have no idea what the singer is going on about anyway.
Thrash metal fans would do well in checking this out, if they can get past the lyrics. There is nothing really mind-blowingly new and original here, but it is a terrific blend of thrash metal styles. And it is one hell of a good time listening to it. Even though I have no idea what they are saying. Seriously, who cares?
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