Cripper - Hyëna (2014)

Cripper has always been a decent modern German thrash band that just hasn't taken it to that next level of songwriting prowess, and I believe their fourth full-length sums up exactly why: despite the wide arsenal of weaponry at their disposal, they just cannot write songs at the level of their 80s forebears, and all too quickly when I hear one of their albums, it just fades away from memory. One might bill them as the 'new Holy Moses', since both bands feature an aggressive female vocalist, but alas these guys don't have a bonafide classic behind them like a Finished With the Dogs, something that came to mind after reading the canine title and seeing the cover artwork for this. But while Britta's a competent barker and growler, she just doesn't possess that same viciousness that felt so carnal and in your face back when Sabine Classen was in her prime. And as for the rest of the music here...rather a step down from the last, 2012 effort Antagonist, which was and remains their best, though the first two albums are also solid.

Let me try and sum this up: the reason Cripper just can't hit the mark of bands like Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and Tankard is because there is an ever-pervasive stench of 90s groove metal influence which infects what is an otherwise tightly-knit, true thrashing experience. They write punchy and well produced rhythm guitars, but too often devolve into some bland chugging progression which owes itself to a whole lot of bad American and German post-thrash which was never even in the same league as the Teutonic masters. That hasn't really stopped the band from doing a decent job on the prior releases, because there was just that much momentum and pent up aggression, and they were kind of filling an empty niche in a scene that relied, and still relies far too heavily on its older bands, with so few treading appropriately in their footsteps. I hadn't really minded the more contemporary flourishes to the music, like the super clean mix of the guitars and drums, and Britta's controlled savagery, because I feel like those things are to be expected in the 21st century, and as long as the guitars, leads, and general level of hostility remain consistent, I just won't write off a record. But perhaps it's gone on a little long now without a real success of a record, because Hyëna went straight in one ear and out the other...

The band has always been sort of sociopolitical with their lyrics because, hey, relevance, but hearing some of the 'narrative' vocal lines used here seems a little too goofy to take seriously. The vocals in general just seem too clean, like they punch in and out and even though she's got a decent natural growl to her voice, it feels bland and ineffective here more than on prior outings. Guitars are quite mathematical in execution, and occasionally even waltz out a succession of decent charging notes akin to Artillery's style or post-reunion Destruction; or an explosion of almost melodic death metal as in "A Dime for the Establishment". But so many of the guitars seem to be formed or half-formed from a lot of Pantera-like passages (Cowboys From Hell, A Vulgar Display of Power-era) yet without the ability to 'pop' like Abbott's compositions used to. It's got some groove to it, some forward sprinting attack, but so little of the music develops its own personality since there already a million other bands with the same setup and most of them aren't worth hearing to begin with. The drums and bass sound fine, they are not really the focus in Cripper...it's the riffs and vocals that just didn't sink in for me.

To be fair, Cripper has sounded like this almost from the beginning...but it left more of an impact on me with Devil Reveals or Antagonist, the albums I'd most recommend to new listeners who want to hear where they've taken thrash metal. Those just have better choruses and better riffs, and that is what it all comes down to. But that said, people into the more modern, sterile recordings by bands like Onslaught, Exodus and Holy Moses might find this adequate. There's nothing obscenely negative or offensive about Hyëna, it simply feels more formulaic than inspired, everything here has been done better, and I really want them to just shed that comfort zone and go into a more raw and ape-shit direction where the imagination and aggression gel into something I'll remember. There is a reason I am still thinking about "Current of Death" after a quarter-century but can't recall a single chorus on this disc 25 minutes later.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.cripper.de/index.php/en/

Cripper - Antagonist (2012)

Cripper might not write the level of brass knuckle hooks and memory searing choruses that would earn them instant access to thrash royalty, but one thing I must say for the Germans is that they're incredibly consistent implementing their tool set; and Antagonist, while not exactly raising the bar set forth by Devil Reveals (2009) and Freak Inside (2007) before it, shows a slightly stronger sense for variation and nuance than I remember from either of those. It also benefits from a downright muscular production, and the brutal frontwoman Britta Görtz shoots for an even more over the top arsenal of grunts, growls and barks that glue together her local 80s influences and the more aggressive inflection one experienced in the 90s with bands like Pantera or Pissing Razors.

Musically, too, the band channels a lot of those tough thrash/groove forebears into a pummeling matrix redolent of fellow Germans like Destruction, Holy Moses and Tankard in their modern modes, so the album ends up somewhere between A Vulgar Display of Power and The Antichrist in execution. This is not achieved through any lax aping of riff patterns and song titles; it's merely the pretext to Cripper's ability to freshen the genre into a jerking, barbaric, street brawling sensibility which has just as much of a Bay Area spark to its conception. That said, there is something far more vital about this band's songwriting, than, say the latest Exodus and Onslaught records, two higher visibility groups that have tried to update themselves from the same post-80s sources and produced little more than unmemorable tedium. Tracks like the gut busting opener "New Shadow", rifling "General Routine" or the crawling and accelerating "Totmann" are loaded with some genuine mid to fast paced thrashing patterns and precision breakdowns that will loosen most any neck in its spinal socket, or fuel the primitive mosh dreams of a restless audience.

I most enjoy how they graft the meatier rhythmic riff circa The Haunted or Carnal Forge with the more clinical Teutonic thrash textures, like in the tune "Dogbite". These guitarists are always up to something, so whether or not the actual riffs stick, one need not wait long for infinite change ups to clobber you back into submission. There is a marginal level of experimentation, like the tremolo step that heralds "Another Lesson in Pain" (an Exodus reference?) or the baleful tones that cycle into the unique grooves of "God Spoken Prayer", and I haven't heard a lot of thrash records in recent months that are so well balanced in dynamic delivery. You may hate this band's music, or you may wallow in its punishment, but you will never be bored by it! Britta's vocals might seem overly blunt and forceful at times, rooted very much in death/thrash tropes with a bit of that Anselmo wildness, and it would seem restraint is not a word in her vocabulary. Yet she too reflects the kinetic, harried growth of the band's rhythm section...

Now, this isn't instantly infectious like a Zombie Attack or Sentence of Death or Persecution Mania, but it does have some legs to stand on, and I'd say it surpasses the prior efforts, which were both pretty good in of themselves. Other than the occasional gem from one of the German veteran bands, I can't say I've heard a lot of impressive bands coming out of that particular underground, so don't be surprised if Cripper rises to the fore. Tight, hostile, and not artistically bankrupt when it comes to their choice in titles and lyrics, they have all the weaponry to go further, and they very easily deserve the level of attention being foisted upon other modern thrash acts like Warbringer, Evile, etc.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.cripper.de/index.php/en/

Cripper - Freak Inside (2007)

Freak Inside not only sees a forward stride in production values for the young, female-fronted German thrash act Cripper, but also in its general songwriting capacity. Where their debut EP Killer Escort Service had some raw energy to it, pulverizing guitars and Britta's brute, blunt vocal stylings, the mix sounded a bit off and most of the songs were really not all that special. Here they've improved in that department, with a good deal of variation from track to track, and not afraid to draw some inspiration from outside genres like melodic death and hardcore where it suits a composition. Now, I wouldn't go as to label this a must have, but it's ripe with the promise that we might have a new Holy Moses on our hands.

The content ranges from straight thrashers with pure Bay Area appeal reminiscent of Master of Puppets or late 80s Exodus ("Fire Walk With Me", "Trapped", "Slowly Beaten Hate Machine") to slower, groove tracks like "60bpm" which have more in common with Gorefest's Erase. Once in a while the band will thread in a dour melody ("Shortcut" and "60bpm" again) which honestly reminded me of the mighty Bolt Thrower, so there's a fair amount happening here to keep the attention span from the mere, plugging thrash rhythms of the guitars, which while well written, are rarely breathtaking in of themselves. Through it all, Britta weaves her pissed off, gruff vocals like a hybrid of Sabina Classen and Jan-Chris de Koeijer's late 90s attitude, with some backing in the gang shout sections that gives the material an urban aspect. Outside of Holy Moses, this material doesn't sound a whole lot like the German veterans most have come to recognize from the region, but that's really a strength, because Cripper stands out, if only slightly.

About the only real issue with Freak Inside is that the writing, while improved, still doesn't distinguish itself through the choruses. It's as if the band concentrated hard on making the mix sound better, making the individual leads and verse/bridge riffs superior to their demo/EP material, and forgetting that the chorus sections should be climactic and exciting. This is thrash metal! I can't comprehend why so many bands neglect such an important element that made it popular to begin with. A few of them here are just breakdowns with Görtz hammering some lines with little charisma to them, and they sometimes feel like a letdown. The album is 52 minutes long, with 12 tracks, and I'm not sure I can remember a single chorus. Otherwise, it's solid for a self-released full-length debut. The lyrics are decent, the cover sculpture interesting, and the music marginally better conceived than the usual mindlessness of fresh 21st century thrash acts.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.cripper.de/

Cripper - Killer Escort Service EP (2006)

Cripper can be legitimately viewed as a successor to Holy Moses. They've got the brutal but beautiful singer (Britta Görtz) and a down and dirty slew of riffing hostility that channels more of a street fueled anger akin to US thrash than most of the riotous speed and charisma of their German forebears. However, the guitar patterns and tempos are not always shared between the two, and it's not difficult to form a distinction, though Britta's vocals on this debut EP, Killer Escort Service certainly feel like 90s Sabina Classen more than, say, Arch Enemy's Angela. The mix here is really the only thing holding this back, with the vocals sounding a bit too cluttered, but otherwise there is a solid level of promise here that the band will further execute on their full-length, future efforts.

When you open a release with a clever song title like "Cut Me Into Pieces, 'Til I Fit Your Point of View", you are making a viable attention grab, but the song itself is a somewhat average slugfest of brute vocals, half-decent faster paced riffs that fall between the climes of pure thrash and melodic death, akin to Holy Moses or Exodus. "Dreams Your Master" is less aggressive, but features a lot more interesting guitar work, sorrow-filled lines that form a nice contrast to the thrash rhythms at its core, which are not so great. The next few songs, "Rage & Hate My Destiny" and "Wake Up Dead" are once again only half-formed: taut and pissed off, but with very little to distinguish them against a backdrop of far more well written European thrash. No, not even the weak, cleaner wailing vocals in "Wake Up Dead". "Wicked" suffers the same fate, but I'll admit that the closer, "Black Terra (Killer Escort Service)" has a more head banging thrust to it, even if the guitars aren't all that great.

Ultimately, there's not a hell of a lot to stand out about this release, but it's more like a demo than anything else, self-produced by the band and then independently distributed. Considering the lack of genuinely talented thrash bands with female singers, there is a particular novelty about Cripper, but only because of the gender ratio. There's nothing effeminate about Görtz's style, and while it might not be so impressive here, it's sufficiently angry enough to inhabit this realm of no-nonsense, workmanlike brutality. The points that are really in need of tuning here would be the songwriting. It's just too easy to forget everything here outside of the melodies from "Dream Your Master", and the choppy production does the material little justice. The Germans have something somewhat unique about them, sure, now it's time to assemble this advantage into quality thrash.

Verdict: Indifference [5.75/10]

http://www.cripper.de/

Cripper - Devil Reveals (2009)

Cripper's debut album Freak Inside was a welcome surprise, female fronted German thrash metal with a crisp and bludgeoning aesthetic, channeled right from the street and perfect for your fist fighting needs. Devil Reveals picks up where the debut left off, though the tracks feel denser and the guitars slightly more complex.

Britta Görtz can create some memorable hooks just through the blunt brutality of her vocals, in particular when the band creates a melodic weave of guitars behind them. This is obvious in the first vocal track "I", which has numerous great tech thrash riffings which could remind one of the masters Destruction, Tankard or perhaps a few of the mid-career offerings from Germany's best known female fronted thrash outfit Holy Moses. While I expected the lyrics to be horrible (a sad fact for much thrash metal, especially the modern variety), I am once again surprised by the rather snide but intelligent output here:

From a decent crowded journey
Into a private desert land
Up-to-the-minute reviewed autonomy
Proof of independent anonymity
When the highest point of individuality
Culminates in loneliness
We reject our identity
And declare all reflections to be wrong

You could do a lot worse than this. No reveling in retro garbage to make fun of the very form of music they are performing. As for the tunes, they consistently rock. Although most lack super memorable hooks, it's enjoyable throughout its playtime. "Life is Deadly" often manifests a winding feel to the guitars not unlike Artillery. "Caged With a Gun" is dense and brutal thrash with some old school metal rocking out and catchy chorus. "In the Pit" reminded me slightly of Testament (not just the title, but a few of the riffs), and it certainly has the big hammering breakdowns to honor its namesake. The title track is another great song with its pumping bass guitars and flowing mid-paced thrash.

My hate is my comfort
My hate is my shell,
my justification
to send you to hell

Devil Reveals has a superb, clean production to it, with the guitars loud and Britta's vocals sitting central and brutal. She's proven again that she can throw down with the tough guys, you will find no fairy sissy tripe on this record . The album is a clear step up from Freak Inside, and one of the better pure German thrash efforts I've heard lately, even if it does have a song called "FAQU".

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (This seeking is concealing)

http://www.cripper.de/