Time Signature
At the mountains of metalness...
Genre: thrash metal
The Swedish madmen of F.K.Ü. - or Freddy Krueger's Ünderwear – are back. Their fourth album “4: Rise of the Mosh Mongers” celebrates thrash metal in all its metal moshing mad glory. The name of the band, and pseudomyms like Pat Splat, Dr. Ted Killer Miller, Pete Stooaahl and Larry Lethal, taken into account, the listener will not be surprised at the amount of humor that F.K.Ü. Have in their aproach to metal music (this is also reflected in the microsong saga 'The Überslasher').
This does not mean that the songs on this album are ridiculous. On the contrary, we are actually dealing with quality thrash metal which captures pretty much everything that made old school thrash metal so enjoyable. The listener is treated to addressive riffage and uptempo drum beats as well as midtempo mosh-friendly passages, just like in classic Bay Area thrash, 'Rise of the Mosh Monders', '112 Ocean Avenue', 'Marz Attacks' and 'They Feed At Night' are good examples of this. 'Cannibal Detox' has a slight Nuclear Assault-like feel to its crossover-inspired riffage, and both this track and 'They Feed At Night' feature another element of the style on this album – namely, speed metal, which ubiquituously lurks beneath the surface of virtually every track on the album.
In terms of musicianship, the maniacal Swedes cannot be criticized, as the performance is precise and super splid. Of course, we are not dealing with the most original kind of music in the world, but it is obvious that these guys are master songsmiths who know how to draw efficiently on the conventions and aesthetics of thrash metal. I do think that the album severly lacks guitar solos though, which is a bit of a shame. Some simple Kirk Hammet-inspired wah-wah solos or chaotic Slayer-like whammy bar madness would complement the music very well.
At the end of the day, “4: Rise of the Mosh Mongers” is a true thrashfest and, if you like classic thrash metal, then buy this album and get ready to mosh with the Swedish madmen of F.K.Ü.