Suicidal Winds
Winds Of Death
[No Colours]


Another band that defies the No Colours norm, this Swedish outfit peddles a form of melodically-inclined black/thrash metal with a commendable sense of honesty and proficiency. Having purchased their prior demo material, I found myself rather anxious to snap this up, an interest that peaked after all the mounting underground buzz surrounding this outfit.

Heavily reminiscent of Swedish luminaries like Nihilist, Sorcery and especially Merciless (The Awakening era) as well as Deathcrush-era MayheM, this takes a rancid, decadent dump over most retro-thrash wankery manages to get the neck ligaments jerking in no time. Not especially enamoured with the plague we term as technicality, Suicidal Winds craft their songs around Kreator/Merciless riffage and a rather contrived, though seemingly honest lyrical standpoint (“Black Bitchfuck”, “Carnal Lust”, “Rapehammer”…ugh.) all recorded with a gloriously fuzzy, bottom-heavy production. For the most part, Suicidal Winds do succeed in pleasing this reviewer.

Another highlight of this recording is the notorious Full Metal Jacket sample that has been so liberally included with the gloriously monickered “Black Bitch Fuck”. Yes, that very sample that features the immortal line: “Me so horny, Me so horny, me love you long time.”. That sample alone is worth the price of admission, as is the track that ensues after it, a simplistic, straightforward mess of Pleasure To Kill rifferama. There is a strange sense of melody afflicting many of the riffs as well as a groove-ridden, ‘rocking’ feel, but this doesn’t serve to detract from the recording, as Suicidal Winds are adept enough riffwriters to incorporate these quirky moments to enhance their thrash-laden stew.

However, as with most No Colours recordings, we are presented with some rather unsavoury packaging devoid of lyrics or information. We *do* get the nominal thrash metal collage within though, the typical collection of inebriated fools flashing the devil horns. Song quality does wane a little as the recording nears the end, as Suicidal Winds don’t deviate too much from a singular songwriting formula, but for the most part this serves as both a continuation of Merciless’ lost legacy as well as an individual work of considerable quality and ambition. Another band intent on proving that Sweden has not lost its grasp on the old ways, preserving the ancient flame with the likes of Nifelheim and Pagan Rites. Definitely an impressive recording, and really quite recommended.

[ 8 ]


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