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Blacklisted

      
         
         
         
     
             
Animator are a thrash metal band from the Republic Of Ireland, formed in 2005 under the name Heresy. Not to be confused with another band of the same name they changed their name to Animator in 2011 and released their debut album 'Blacklisted' in 2013.    
             
'The very word secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society...' is the beginning of the infamous speech by former USA president JFK in 1961 in an attack on the press. This speech opens the album with a very good guitar intro playing in the background, after which the first song 'State Of Emergency' flies out of the blocks and stomps at full tilt through an awesome pounding rhythm and some blistering guitar work. The pace continues with 'Death From Above' and Animator are firing on all cylinders. The electrifying pace of the two opening songs are a cross between veteran thrash metal bands Overkill and Annihilator.     
             
'In God We Trust' is a slow, almost brutal foot stomp, 'Ultra '53' is high tempo, high speed and a top notch thrash song that will have the mosh pit jumping up and down in a frenzied fury. 'Dreadweb' rattles by with such a catchy rhythm and chorus it confuses the listener into thinking heavy metal more than thrash. 'Manipulator' is a superb combination of thrash and speed metal with yet again such a catchy rhythm. Animator seem to have mastered the art of combining the brutality of thrash, the pace of speed metal, the catchy rhythms associated with hard rock, added some blistering guitar solos and produced an album of high tempo, high quality songs.    
             
'Taking The Liberty' is a mid tempo stomp with some blistering guitar riffs. 'Electric Armageddon' is high speed thrash with 'Western Shadow' stomping in at mid tempo before changing pace and romping Annihilator-like at full tilt through some superb guitar work to a frenetic finish. The six minutes plus epic 'When Duty Calls' is a superb end to a superb album. It has everything a metal head craves - a pounding rhythm, cracking guitar work, powerful clean vocals and is yet again oh so catchy. Animator have found a formula to produce a combination of thrash and speed metal with power and pace yet make it sound so damn catchy.    
             
Overall, a superb mix of thrash and speed metal delivered at a thunderous pace with blistering guitar work and excellent vocals.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Vlad Promotion    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
The Venom Within E.P.      
           
"Animator are back and energetically thrashing very hard, with addictive rhythms, catchy riffs and a superb vocal performance" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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