J-Man
Tundrastruck is a three-way split EP featuring some of Canada's most promising young metal acts. Metalian, Sanktuary, and Black Moor each deliver one track of high-quality heavy metal music on this rather short CD, and fans of classic heavy metal and thrash metal should be sure to check out this split. This is one of those rare cases where all three acts manage to impress (no single band steals the show here), and the styles of the bands are consistent enough to allow Tundrastruck to sound like a very coherent release. While not flawless, this EP is a very good preview of what thrash metal is like up in Canada these days.
All three of the bands here ride the border between traditional heavy metal, speed metal, and thrash metal. Metalian is the most traditional-sounding metal band, whereas Sanktuary delivers a retro speed/thrash style, and Black Moor is easily the thrashiest of the three bands. "Airborne Assassins" is a very catchy tune from Metalian (probably my favorite of the three songs featured here), "Raise the Flag" by Sanktuary is a catchy and upbeat speed metal track, and "Awaken the Dead" is a very thrashy and complex offering from Black Moor. All three songs sound like they're from the eighties, so don't expect much in the way of originality on this split EP. Tundrastruck is really just about delivering old school heavy metal done right - and, in that sense, this release is an accurate representation of kick-ass Canadian thrash metal. The EP is over in under fourteen minutes, but after all quality should be put before quantity. Even though a few additional tunes may have helped make this a more complete package, all of the songs here are good enough to justify a purchase anyway.
Tundrastruck's biggest setback is the demo-quality production that plagues all three sections of the split, but it's not problematic enough to keep me from having one hell of a time with this EP. After getting a taste of this excellent sampler, I'll definitely be sure to check out all of these bands and their previous works; this release really spiked my interest. If you like classic thrash/heavy metal and are wondering what's going on in Canada at the moment, this release is a very good purchase. I'd say 3.5 stars are well-deserved for this solid split EP.