When I first held this promo CD in my hands, I was observing it like a small child observes a new toy. Everything seemed a bit strange, the logo, the name, the band's photo, even the label that released this album. What confused me the most was that the band has two logos, one of which features the S that the SS forces had. I don't know their ideology, neither do I care, so I will just put this fact aside and concentrate on the band's music.
SSS were formed in 2005 (fresh blood in the Metal scene) in Liverpool, United Kingdom. I haven't found any official site, just their Myspace page, so I don't even know if the line up is correct. Anyway, the only things I managed to find out were that this is their debut album, which follows their demo release in 2006. The album was originally released in 2006 through Dead And Gone Records, but it is reissued this year through Earache.
I don't know if there are any basic differences between the two releases. The only thing I know is that the original Dead And Gone release was limited to 1,000 copies. Anyway, regarding the music now, SSS are based on old school Crossover and Thrash Metal as we got to know by bands such as D.R.I. and early METALLICA. Their music also reminded of PRO-PAIN at some moments, as well as SLAYER. For those of you who like digging into this kind of music, I could say that this band is a similar case to ADRENICIDE. Anyway, the band is armored with a pretty good production, something important for this genre. As you can imagine, there is not downtempo stuff or melodic lines in this album. The only thing you can find is a relentless Crossover outbreak, with insane guitars and Foxy's screaming vocals completing the mixture.
Not many things to comment on this release. Even though I am a fan of this sound, Short Sharp Shock didn't manage to make me do something more than just like it, but it didn't let me get bored either. The fact is that old school fans will probably like SSS. If you don't think that Crossover Metal is dead, then check these guys out and you won't be disappointed.