Metal Police
Gehenna
•
March 21, 2015

The first time I ran into the term Street Metal, it was a fun fact I read from a Music Choice screen while "Knuckle Eye" by DEMIRICOUS was being played. Since then, I've narrowed the subgenre down to a mix of Thrash and Speed Metal and Hard Rock. Describing themselves in exactly that category are the Swedish legends in GEHENNA. Their new album "Metal Police" is a twelve-track collection of enchanting tunes that are best served with a heavy dose of beer and whiskey and are certainly not for the faint of heart!
From the first sip of alcohol in "Metal Police," the listener can make an educated guess that this is good drinking music. I can personally advance that notion, as I can imagine that any song on this album would fit perfectly well in a Rock N' Roll biker bar fight scene. Mr. Violence's vocals are gruff and un-toned, fitting for the gritty nature of Street Metal. The general formula GEHENNA tap for their music has a very Punk-inspired feel with the repetitive AC/DC riff structure frequently being present throughout the album. I am not basing my album score for "Metal Police" on diversity of sound since it's pretty obvious this band sticks to their guns and does it well!
You can't deny that this is a catchy blend of tunes, of course. Repetitive as the riffs are, the average song length is around two minutes so for the most part, each song is over before the listener has the chance to either, grow fond of, or get tired of it. They use a typical four-four time signature and tempo changes are rare and surprising when they happen on the album. Hellcop's drumming is fairly simple and accomplished, but I get the impression that he wouldn't be in the running if a more technical band like CANNIBAL CORPSE or RINGS OF SATURN were looking for a replacement on the skins. Fortunately, the recording and tracking quality is up to par and the music is crisp. Anything less than that for a Metal Blade artist would be unthinkable and I would not be able to give an album like this very high marks. Not a problem for GEHENNA!
I have to mention that in terms of music that I associate as being from Sweden, this band is a drastic departure and speaks to the variety and life of the Heavy Metal music scene in the Scandinavian geographical region. I can almost be assured that this band stands alone as the only one of its kind from there and seeing as GEHENNA has been around since 1992, it speaks to their success! So twist that throttle and ride with the "Metal Police"!<
7 / 10
Good

"Metal Police" Track-listing:
1. Metal Police
2. Four Knuckle Facelift
3. Crime Career
4. Fuck 'Em All
5. Carve Off Your Face (And Shove it up Your Ass)
6. Black Jack Loser
7. Decibel Rebel
8. 666, Drunks & Rock n' Roll
9. Bitch with a Bulletbelt
10. Hellstorm
11. Six Pack Queen
12. Piss Off, I'm Drinking
Gehenna Lineup:
Mr. Violence - Vocals
Rob Stringburner - Guitar
Hellcop - Drums
Charley Knuckleduster - Bass
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