BLACK MOOR — Tundrastruck (review)

BLACK MOOR — Tundrastruck album cover Split · 2011 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
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.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

OPETH`S Epic Headline Show at Bloodstock 2024 | YouTube Premiere | Full Set | August 9th, 2024
OPETH
666sharon666· 2 hours ago
Opeth '§4' Visualizer/Lyrics Video
OPETH
666sharon666· 2 hours ago
Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed