Final Cut - "Jackhammer" (Art Gates Records, 2019)

Band: Final Cut
Title: Jackhammer
Genre: Thrash Metal with Blues influences
Time: 42.09 min
Release Date: 15th March 2019
Rating: 89/100













Service communication:

before reading this new review, you must know that my ebook about the so-called "first wave of black metal" titled "Nel Segno del Marchio Nero" ("in the sign of the black mark") was finally released on 24th March 2019. Okay, it's completely in Italian but, if you want to buy it, you can do it through the best digital stores like Amazon, Google Books, Scribd and others. Thanks in advance, men!

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Art Gates Records is recently used to release many albums from Swiss bands, like Gonoreas, Kess'khtak, Nihilo, and now you must count also Final Cut and Frijgard. Ivan, the co-founder of the label, told me that their "A&R has been signing several bands from Switzerland...mainly because of the bands but not for the territory". In fact, I must say that their A&R has a very good taste since these Swiss bands into their roster show often really talented skills, and the act reviewed today, Final Cut, confirm again my words. And just out of curiosity, Final Cut has into their line-up a singer with clear Italian origins named Giulio Serratore, while their bassist Christoph Krippel is an Austrian guy that played many years ago in Freund Hein, whose some members, if you remember well, are now into the fantastic thrash/groove metal band Hellavista. Yes, everything is connected in the Art Gates Records' home! But now let's start to talk about "Jackhammer", the second album by Final Cut with which they show a very personal sound with some experimental ideas.

First of all, there is need to say that this quintet dubs their music with a bizarre definition: "Violent Blues Thrash". In other words, you can find in "Jackhammer" a funny and effective combination between thrash metal and blues rock, as already exemplified into the first song "Full Stream Ahead".

Speaking about the thrash metal side, it's very violent, also because of the occasional use of blast-beats and even of a raging singer that's able to spew forth intense screams and some growls. In some cases, this thrash metal is so refined to turn into techno thrash metal. This happens, for example, in the strange "Grin" that, besides being titled as a Coroner's album, see in certain points a nervous and complex drumming. Or in the cerebral final song "Picasso's Thoughts" (what a Mekong Delta's title!), an instrumental composed of a single riff played through different ways and with different drum patterns. But, despite these techno thrash metal influences, expect only few guitar solos throughout the album.

Instead, speaking about the blues rock side, it's very surprising because it includes even the use, by the guitarist and band co-founder Lukas Bühler, of a...harmonica! Yes, I'm not joking, I said just "harmonica"! Precisely, you can find it in 3 songs: "Creature", "Generation Y" and "Die or Die, Guaranteed". In each of these numbers, the harmonica is fantastic and is used both in the mid/slow parts and in the faster ones. And believe me, it never results out of place, giving a totally special mood for an album anyway well rooted in the old-school thrash metal like this one

An old band pic with the previous singer Patrick Härdi 



So, as I said before, we are in presence of a band with a personal sound that, in simple words, can be considered as a combination between Slayer and Black Label Society. This formula is reinforced and made more surprising with the addition of techno thrash metal influences and great harmonica parts. If I have one criticism to make about the album, it's about the song "Prejudices" that, at the end, repeat the same riff without a real imagination. And I have to unveil a technical detail of the physical promo CD in my possession because it's curious that I must turn up more than the usual the volume of my stereo to decently listen to "Jackhammer". But who cares of all this if "Jackhammer" is now a strong candidate to be into my 2019 TOP TEN releases?

Tracklist:

1 - Full Stream Ahead
2 - Creature
3 - Break the Barriers
4 - Momentum
5 - Generation Y
6 - Prejudices
7 - Regrets
8 - Grin
9 - Die or Die, Guaranteed
10 - Picasso's Thoughts

Line-up:

Giulio Serratore - vocals
Lukas Bühler - guitars/harmonica/vocals (backing)
Christian Abt - guitars (lead)
Christoph Krippel - bass
Florian Brändle - drums

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Final-Cut-Thrash-Metal/153282014733830