Freakings – Rise of Violence

Label: Self-released
Release Date: 27/09/2019

I am not Gordon Ramsay (well, obviously, you fucking donkey,) but I am going to take a few pages out of his playbook over the course of this review mainly because thrash always strikes me as something you expect from a certain kind of bistro: comfort food for the most part.

Make no mistake: this is what you’ll find in Rise of Violence.

Freakings play thrash metal. There really isn’t anything more to say than that, but for those of you just joining us, it means razor-sharp riffs, relentless and fast d-beats (in fact, there is hardly any other type of beat on here,) shouted vocals (and gang shouts, don’t forget those) about the injustices of the world; thick, rumbling bass and polished production. Sounds too simple? Because it is. Because it all is.

See, Freakings are not here to reinvent the wheel, nor are they here to offer you something you haven’t heard a million times before. That would be fine and dandy if Rise of Violence didn’t make the mistake of repeating itself. See, here’s how it goes: riff opens song. D-beat follows. Vocals. Reach a hook of some sort. Repeat “verse.” Solo or bridge. Sometimes slow it down a bit. Sometimes don’t. Rinse. Repeat. This whole thing is the same song repeated 11 times rather than 11 distinctive songs.

Now, if it was actual Gordon Ramsay reviewing this album instead of me, here would be a bit about how the chicken (the album) is fucking dry. Firstly, there is the lack of anything other than what comes to your mind as a “thrash riff.” Then there is the unwavering song structure repeating ad fucking nauseam. Then there are the oversimplified, basic bitch lyrics (Rise of Violence and Brainwash are serious offenders.) A distinctive lack of variety makes you ask quite early on and with increasing urgency: where’s the lamb sauce?

To add to that, the production does the album no favors. The best way to describe how Rise of Violence sounds would be dry as a goddamn bone in the middle of a desert… at noon, on the day the planet burns. The cleanliness of the production is easily at odds with the music that the band is trying to put forward and the complete lack of rawness negatively affects the overall result; especially since it is just way too sterile to sound anywhere close to rough and tumble.

So overall, Freakings, unfortunately, deliver a very stale album that wears out its welcome way sooner than any album should with its strangely dogged insistence in extremely formulaic songwriting and general lack of imagination. Not recommended. There are better thrash albums out there.

Line-Up:
Toby Straumann – bass
Simon Straumann – drums (if they are brothers, that explains a lot)
Jonathan Brutschin – guitars, vocals

01. False Prophets
02. Rise of Violence
03. Enemy Attack
04. Timebomb
05. Dictator of Hate
06. Wash Me With Blood
07. Brainwash
08. Nuclear Attack
09. Psychedelic Warfare
10. Time to Thrash
11. King Reigns

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