Murder Van – Murder Van

Band: Murder Van
Title: Murder Van
Label: Independent
Release date: 06 December 2019
Country: USA
Format reviewed: Digital Promo

I got my first introduction to Atlanta Georgia’s death thrashers MURDER VAN when our zine hosted an exclusive stream of the bands first single “Dead Hookers” back at the end of August last year. Debuting with a song like that takes guts, but they pulled it off with their thrash heavy death metal merging a soundscape that will appeal to fans of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Sodom, Obituary, and Destruction. This is MURDER VAN’s official debut and the killer trio dish out 8 tracks of devastation with an array of razor sharp riffing and unrelenting aggression.

“At Dusk” and “Web of Discontent” start off our trek as we launch off quickly with wicked lead guitars and heavy rhythms of pronounced thrash riffs and galloping drums.“Death Rider” turns the reigns a bit heavier and focuses on a more modern death and groove metal aesthetic. The track has a few breakout moments and really shows the diverese madness MURDER VAN can deliver when they veer off the beaten path.

“Lurid Dream” and “Dead Hookers” continue the barrage. They unleash a fantastic slew of riffs that pull from a range of influences. They can shift gears from Kreator to Carcass on a dime, but the raw thrash vocals always match the instrumentals and keeps things focused. “Murderous Desire” even gives things a Florida flair slowing down the damage for a few seconds with a sinister opening riff before serving up another deadly concoction of refined death metal riffs from their vat of thrashy chaos.

“Vengeance” is pure thrash but features an abrupt tempo change which grinds you down to a pulp in all the right ways. Just another examle of MURDER VAN’s ability to shift gears and expand their sound on a whim. “Creeping Nuclear Death” finishes the murderous assault with a prophecy of destruction delivered through an onslaught of speed and fury. It would have been great to hear another weird tangent on the final track but either way they end with an enjoyable thrashy exclamation point!

This is an impressive debut for MURDER VAN. Considering they’ve released everything independently, the band has generated some serious buzz in the metal underground. Legend goes they even gave Slipknot a run for their money in some year end polls… No doubt it’s a product of stripping the best parts of thrash and death metal and welding them back together into one sadistic motorized force of metal. I think “Death Rider” was my favourite tune from the bunch with its modern style deviation really showing what MURDER VAN are made of. Overall this is a wicked album that deserves a listen from any self respecting metalhead. Get on your boots, head down to the river, and GET IN THE VAN! 7.5 /10 Metal Yeti

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