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February 4, 2012 |
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01. Five Star Prison
02. Metal Mosh Massacre
03. Cheap Thrills
04. King Kong Song
05. Wrath Of The Cookie Monster
06. Satans Barbecue
07. Flesh Fever Fiesta
08. Liquor Saved Me From Sports
09. Fed Up Anthem
10. Mummy Metal For The Masses
11. Stattena T(h)rash
12. Bloody Blues Blaster
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Who said Extreme Metal was not supposed to be fun? TERROR 2000, with their brand new opus, entitled “Terror For Sale”, prove this theory wrong without any difficulty whatsoever, especially with a lineup that still includes, among others, Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) and Klaus "Trofobic" Ideberg (DARKANE). The album cover artwork featuring a blood-covered cartoon character (who could have easily been a villain in one of the Marvel Comic Books series) and song titles such as "King Kong Song" or "Mummy Metal For The Masses", those Swedes want to make a point that they definitely have a wicked sense of humor.
Three years after the release of the band's spectacular studio album "Faster Disaster" and two years after their somehow disappointing live album, "Slaughter In Japan", everybody was entitled to be anxious for what TERROR 2000 had in store for us this time. Let me tell you right the way that it has been worth the wait!
Straight off the bat, the opening track, "Five Star Prison", starts in an unusual vibe. Despite having riffs and speed of the new Thrash generation hailing from Sweden, there seems to be a different melodic approach in the chorus with the addition of clear vocals. By its title and lyrics, "Metal Mosh Massacre" appears to be a tribute to old timers such as M.O.D and S.O.D with Speed who sounds a lot like Billy Milano in my opinion. However, the musicianship is extremely tight. "Cheap Thrills" on the other hand sounds like homage to the Marquis de Sade with contents, which should earn TERROR 2000 a quick reaction from parental groups all over the planet. Contrary to the first impression, especially with Peter Jackson's version of King Kong out around the same time as this album, "King Kong Song" looks more like a tribute to SLAYER (ie: "I need some licks and some Kerry King kicks").
"Wrath Of The Cookie Monster" is a typical TERROR 2000 track - fast and furious; it could have easily fit in on any of the previous releases. "Satans Barbecue" is next and the food selection described in this song seems like a cannibal version from hell of the Atkins Diet ("...and everybody is screaming food, food, food, food!!!!..."). The sound on this song is absolutely huge.
As "Flesh Fever Fiesta" kicks in, the album seems to take an even more insane turn. However, one can notice the quick wink to DEEP PURPLE's world-famous "Smoke On The Water" riff. Speed is totally out of control on this one - just screaming his lungs off. "Liquor Saved Me From Sports" reminds me a lot of fellow Swedes CARNAL FORGE and "Fed Up Anthem" keeps the spirit high in madness. "Mummy Metal For The Masses" gives a very sarcastic picture of Metal going commercial. "Stattena T(h)rash" brings the atmosphere back to classic TERROR 2000; no surprises here, except for the fact that the song is all in Swedish. The album concludes with the full instrumental (except for the tribal screams!) and very groovy "Bloody Blues Blaster", where the high level of technicality of the musicians remains unbelievable.
The best way to describe this album would be to quote Seinfeld's famous line, "Serenity now, insanity later!", as all signs of normalcy seem to have been cast out of this disc. Nevertheless, it is by far one of the most interesting releases in Thrash Metal. It's like Thrash Metal high on steroids and listening to it will have the same effect on you as swallowing a gallon of Red Bull concentrate!
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