Sweden’s Turbocharged have been on the periphery of my extreme metal radar for a number of years but I have never really got round to delving into their back catalogue fully so I opted to take this album on for want of a catalyst into their material. The Swedes are difficult to classify as whilst their music has the overarching brutalising facets of death metal they also incorporate a slew of other genres from thrash, speed, punk and d-beat, the latter of which the band seems to identify with the most. Four of the songs on this album have already been released during 2018 on promo, I might add too.
After a brief sample piece the album launches into “The Crawling Path Of Worms”, introduced by the drums and some corrosive bass work that propels through the song and the throughout album. There is a characteristic ugliness about this album, created by the gnarly guitar sound but also that pervading bass playing which is gutturally effective. Added to that the throaty vocals add considerable weight and in some respects this lot are like a fucked up Motörhead or Venom’s spiteful sibling as “Total Doom Arise” seizes the listener with stomping blast beats and a chaotic stance. The demonic vocalisations are enraged as resultant riff breaks and cymbal smashing insertions are very cool with a warp speed lead break that rattles by.
“Doomsday Hammer” is sub-two minutes of bass infestation, where the grisly riffing yields for a fine thrashing riff and links nicely into the pounding “Low-Tech Blasphemy” again complete with riffing inserts that lead into the wrathful speed. The d-beat bass thunder is crushingly effective, producing a destructive seismic aura especially when reinforced by the double bass that piles into the song. “Obscurant” is pulverising, a d-beat explosion laced with deathly drumming; the song is venomous, violent and vitriolic. A punk riff drive is felt with “Harbingers At Dawn”, a song that was on the stop-gap release in 2018. That driving riff is hooked into the bass work, as the Motörhead influence is plainly evident only far more gnarly and gritty.
I love the riff that starts “Black Tornado”, it reminded me of Venom, that unyielding remorseless thuggery one expects of acts like that, where the songs inherent melody is channelled down the pulsing bass line and drilling grisly guitar riffing. Any song called “Unholy Deathpunk” is sure to get my attention as the guitar work is prime Fast Eddie (if you don’t know who this is, then hang your head in shame) worship, as the songs bass riff equals the barbarity of the guitar consummately, making the songs punk laden tendencies that more anarchic and in your face.
Now that I have catalysed my interest into Turbocharged fully, I can seek out their back catalogue and hope for more fuel injected sonic extremity as this fifth release is everything you want from filth driven metal.
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
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