SubType Zero – The Astral Awakening

Band: SubType Zero
Title: The Astral Awakening
Label: Seeing Red Records
Release Date: 24 August 2018
Country: United States
Format Reviewed: CD SRR021

Ohio thrash band Subtype Zero has launched a blistering debut album “The Astral Awakening” via Seeing Red Records! It combines the brutality of old school thrash with the bombastic energy of hardcore and crossover metal acts, creating short and immediate tracks that are both memorable and relentless! Without question one listen will quickly leave you impressed with their modern production values combined with the sounds of early Slayer and Exodus, mixed with the likes of D. R. I. sprinkled throughout “The Astral Awakening”. Make no mistake this meant to be a serious thrash record, and it does not disappoint.

Powerful, raw aggression combined with a truly menacing ethos throughout gives “The Astral Awakening” an evil existence and a no bullshit approach you are assuredly bound to appreciate.

The album kicks off with a killer intro on Blinded By Light which gives the listener an immediate sense to what they may experience next. Just a strong thrash track full of anger, and one quickly gets the sense of what type of musicianship to expect on “The Astral Awakening” with the clinic the band showcases here. The Shrouded Mestasis showing off even more guitar mastery, heightened anger, and just an excellent track! Kinetic energy drives the near perfect Become Insane with its crossover-incited delivery from start to finish. One of the heaviest tracks on the album is Unprecedented Salvation. Falling someplace between the “South of Heaven” and “Seasons In the Abyss” albums with its weight and violent delivery, Unprecedented Salvation really highlights the Slayeresque influences which are obvious and well executed throughout “The Astral Awakening”. The momentum ticks up another notch on Twisted Obsession with its torrid pace and savagery, just a fantastic track! With Flesh Famine and Sin Of The Innocent we just get more crushing riffs insanely delivered, all of these songs are white hot with a freshness about them that will send you racing for tickets to see Subtype Zero in the live setting. The title track gives the listener only a slight break in the action but the menacing vocals and timely acoustic bits are again delivered impeccably. Want more old school trash as if you haven’t heard enough? You got it…Relentless Cleansing, Inhumane and Cerebral Cage continue to showcase the aggressive style and the persistent Slayer worship, which is not a knock on Subtype Zero as they not only deliver a thrash anthem with old school values, but an album that captures the essence of that period while grabbing your attention for the duration of “The Astral Awakening”.

Do yourself a favor and don’t over think this one. This is an absolute monster of a recording, that yes harkens back to the days of old school thrash, but has magic in its intense and passionately delivered musicality, and truly in its ability to hold the listener throughout “The Astral Awakening”! This isn’t the band that changed its name and had a few solid moments from its past, but a band with purpose and energy that should remain perched high upon your playlists for the foreseeable future. This is a significant debut that should not be overlooked by anyone! Highly recommended if you haven’t figured that out by now…9/10 Mö

Subtype Zero:
Lance Buckley – Bass
Steve Buhl – Guitars
Hector Rivera – Vocals
Dalton Edwards – Drums
Alex Podmore – Guitars

Cover Art / Inside Art – R. Yudha Saputra aka Vrugarthdoom (Gatecreeper, Homewrecker)