(c) Panagiotis Bakogiannis
Who says that Thrash Metal can’t evolve? Bio-Cancer love the extreme side of the genre, mix in powerful death metal and have already toured with bands as diverse as Marduk, Origin, Immolation and Voivod. Although their last album was released in 2015, the Greeks were by no means idle. They played on all available stages and used the lockdown downtime to work on new material again. This now ends up in the form of “Revengeance”.
The opening five minutes show that they haven’t lost any of their class. “Citizen… Down!” takes everything you’d expect from Bio-Cancer, just a touch more precise. Lefteris growls and shrieks in captivating form, surrounded by rapid, relentless attacks, with everything seeming to explode on the drums. A washed-out groove in the middle section and an epic guitar solo round off the song perfectly. After that, “44 Days In Hell” incorporates more melodic ideas – very subdued, but still clearly audible. In the depths of the arrangement it seethes, classic metal patterns collide with raw brute force, which even cultivates a little Blackened Death chic in the final act.
“Dream Merchants” is another gripping epic that Bio-Cancer use as a stage for their significantly refined songwriting. The raw, frontal energy is reminiscent of Krisiun in the best sense of the word, while all around they flirt with the new school epics while the frontman pukes. The melodic solo in particular impressively demonstrates how far the quintet has come. How “Underdog (Against All Odds)” deals with changing tempos, prefers to move in midfield and converts any clumsiness into real hussar rides almost from a standing start is impressive.
A furious three quarters of an hour later everything is vain again. To speak of more sensitivity with this sound may sound like a contradiction in terms, but Bio-Cancer actually manages this anything but easy balancing act more than confidently. The bold “Revengeance” is immediately harder and more precise. The Greeks stay true to thrash and continue to expand any extreme acts of madness around it. Significantly more compact songwriting, even in epic moments, and highly digestible madness form a magical symbiosis. Here you should definitely risk one or the other strained ear.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 08.09.2023
Available through: Hammerheart Records (SPV)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/biocancer
Category: Magazin, Reviews