The first time I heard of Voetsek was a couple of years back. This band was supposed to be the new best thing out of the US concerning crossover thrash/fast-core. I was quite anxious to hear what the fuzz was about. This band has been active for 5 years now and in that time they released numerous vinyl singles on underground hardcore labels like 625 Records, Six Weeks and Sound Pollution. This is their first full length album.

The album opens with a very familiar intro, namely a bastard version of the Raining Blood and Hell Awaits intros of Slayer. After that they really push the pedal to the metal and go full speed! Musically it's fast, fucked up crossover thrash/fast-core. A style of music that is quite hip these days, considering the popularity of bands like Municipal Waste and the likes. It’s a mix of the old D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter with some influences of the crustier fast-core bands like Infest and Drop Dead. Unfortunately they have one disadvantage and that’s the vocals.

The vocals are handled by one huge woman called Ami Lawless. Her shouting and sometimes baboon like grunting gets on your nerves at a certain point. Sometimes it really fits the music and gives the whole band an authentic Cryptic Slaughter touch (their singer wasn’t that good at times either), but sometimes it stands in the way for the music.

Despite the sometimes crappy vocals, there are tons of memorable songs on this album. The song ‘Terror On the Dance Floor’ could easily be on one of the Municipal Waste albums and is catchy as hell. Another highlight is the ultra heavy ‘Bully With a Badge’ with a massive sounding thrash-riff in it! And the D.R.I. sounding song ‘Blueprint For A Circle Pit’ is a top song as well. Makes me want to dust off the old D.R.I. records again!

Thrashers of good old fashion crossover hardcore/thrash-metal might want to check out this record. If you take the time to listen through the sometimes annoying vocals, you will find some raw diamonds on this album.