Die Hard     

Conjure The Legions

Agonia Records 2012

Sweden's upstart black thrashers, Die Hard, once again spew forth an album of old school influenced dirty metal.  On their sophomore full-length album Die Hard are really coming into their own.  The album kicks off with the title-track, a rollicking bout of filthy metal riffs that slap your face like a thrashier version of venom.  A blackened blast of speed and total rock n' roll guitar soloing take this song from one end of the metal spectrum to the other.  Simon's vocals are brutally barbaric.  Thrash Them All shreds your skin immediately and possesses a subtle groove that is masked by Simon's gruff vocal rumblings and a deadly gang-chorus sing-along.  A hugely catchy riff grabs your ear drums at the 2:05 mark.  A hidden novelty regarding this song is that the lyrics are a warping of Blitz's Warriors song which only adds to my sheer pleasure.  A warbling, street tough beat and like minded riff bruise your ego on Cold Scythe.  It's an ugly, in-your-face song with all the subtlety of Venom and modern Darkthrone combined.  Of course it is not quite on the same level of those two bands, but the attitude and approach are strikingly similar.  After a Swedish death metal build-up a galloping riff charges in on Sanctify The Morbid.  Melodic leads sweep across the song like death's scythe.  Once again there is a primitive bluntness about the composition which characterizes Die Hard.  But the chugging mosh passage at the 2:29 mark takes me back to thrash's glory days.  Antichrist is a blisteringly paced thrasher that sets your stereo on fire.  The chorus breaks down into an Exodus-ish stomper only to race away again.  Die Hard continue to grow and progress, writing better songs and torching villages along the way.  Conjure The Legions demonstrates that blunt force trauma can be administered in audio form.  Let the bludgeoning begin!