MOBILE DEATHCAMP

Black Swamp Rising

self-released

8 / 10

Track listing:

01. One Brain
02. Feed the Machine
03. L.S.D. (Lead Singer's Disease)
04. Negative Minds
05. Offensive Release
06. The Buffalo Song
07. It Is So
08. Death Revealed
09. Order Thru Kaos
10. Vicious Smile

Since amicably splitting from the GWAR camp, former Beefcake the MightyTodd Evans has scarcely paused for breath, heading back to his native Midwest and forming retro-minded MOBILE DEATHCAMP with several Toledo, Ohio-based thrash metal compatriots from the old days. When another old soldier proved unwilling to keep up (as chronicled in track three, one of the rawest and funniest musical disses since "Sweet Home Alabama"),Evans took over the mic duties in addition to his six-string shredding, and a truly massive power trio was born.

Is anything on this self-released debut remotely original? Not on your life 'till leather. Did the band jump onto the '80s retro-thrash bandwagon because it's hot stuff this year? It could be, although to be fair, these guys were playing like this the first time anyone cared, when many of their would-be competitors were being fed peanut butter sandwiches by babysitters who looked like Lita Ford sans makeup. Two things make MOBILE DEATHCAMP worth sifting from the thrash revival glut — one, they're grizzled professionals who can and do play their asses off, and two, they believe in this shit with all their guts. They tear into these fast, simple barn-burners like bears into carcasses, and they don't stop for breakdowns, singalongs or other ingredients that might derail the ass-kicking train.

They do take a minor detour on "The Buffalo Song", a surprising mid-album interlude that's an actual Native American powwow song, rendered faithfully and sans guitars or metal vocals (as the unconventional artwork also indicates, Evans is a student of Native American customs and lore). But besides that, MOBILE DEATHCAMP is a laser-guided thrashing machine, coughing up razorwire riffs and barking out apocalyptic calls to arms with sardonic attitude, lethal focus, power trio economy and no frills whatsoever. Brutal, punishing thrash metal rendered down to its most elemental form and delivered by savvy old bastards who, if they haven't slowed down by now, probably don't ever intend to. (Famous guy alert: look for guitar solos during instrumental "Offensive Release" from Devin Townsend and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD's Shane Clark.)

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