Crisix – Full HD
8/10
How many times during an album can you use the word mosh? Quite a lot if you ask Spanish thrashers Crisix. Using the charm of early Anthrax, the crossover feelings of Suicidal Tendencies and throw in a whole lot of classic bay area thrash you get what makes up Crisix on this 5th release.
Imaging themselves as a happy go lucky more towards the fun side of music the risk is always that it gets a bit juvenile and pretty uninteresting after a short while. I do not get that with this album. 41-ish minutes of high paced music, razor-sharp riffs, intensity and all the quick shifts in tempo or breaks that you could wish for.
Sure, the humor has its place here. “Macarena Mosh” has a signature dance to it, the band has released a pizza, a cookbook, and a videogame to name but a few tasks these rascals have set out to do. But, in the forefront is still the music.
Crisix have never made any secrets of where or by who they are influenced by. Which is more then ok. This is not a pastiche of days gone by. This is more paying homage to what they have with them and love to listen to.
Song-wise, I like what I am hearing from the group. The songs are varied in the genre, even borrowing from a bit of hardcore, melodic death metal here and there. The Ending number “Escape the Electric Fate” has everything from Van Halen to Raised Fist for reference which is a mean feat on its own.
Although the music can be a bit diverse, it is at the same time straightforward and direct keeping with their chosen style of music. The main thing that stands out for me is the guitars with a nice balance between the riffs and solos. Riffs are hard and brutal, solos are short, sweet, and well placed.
It makes sense when you don´t leave your songs that long. We are more towards Municipal Waste and less Exodus or early Metallica regarding length of songs here. The 42 minutes feel a lot shorter. There is not much time to be bored or let your thoughts fly away at all.
Mainly an album that is engaging for music more than topic and entertaining more than thought provoking. But it is a good, fun & entertaining 40 odd minutes of listening.
Band: Crisix
Title: Full HD
Label: Listenable
Date of release: 2022-04-15
Rate: 8/10
Stand Out Track: Extreme Fire Hazard
Country of Origin: Spain
Playing Time: 41:43 minutes
