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Soul Ripper

    
       
       
       
     
             
Metal Cross are a heavy metal band from Denmark, originally forming in 1983, and releasing a couple of demo's - 'Crucifying The Virgins' (1986) and 'M.A.D.H.O.U.S.E.' (1988) - before disbanding in 1989. Reforming in 2014 to appear at that years Metal Magic Festival VII in Denmark, Metal Cross also performed a warm-up gig for countrymen Artillery.    
             
And now, in 2022 - an incredible thirty six years after their first demo was released, Metal Cross release their storming debut album 'Soul Ripper'. Eight songs and forty two minutes of unabashed heavy metal is what's on the menu, as the band serve up a tasty meal of metal guaranteed to get your heads rocking back and forth! First up is the emphatic savagery of 'My Time' - powering on with more in common with thrash metal than heavy metal, the band opening their debut with an aggression laden belter. Such an immediate "look at me" feel, 'My Time' is a head turner, a sitter upper, and a jaw dropper. What a start! The title song 'Soul Ripper' is loaded with more energy, and sizzles with a glorious guitar sound, definitely rooted in the groove metal style. And after just two songs, the thirty six year wait has been totally worth it - Metal Cross launching their debut with guns definitely blazing!    
             
With groove metal remaining at the fore, the album marches on with 'Written In The Sand' - a more mid tempo swagger of melodic heavy metal, the thrashy nature of the opening double taking a back seat. Pace picks up dramatically for 'Fall Of Cimbria', a high velocity barrage of brashness and aggression taking centre stage. The fastest song heard so far, 'Fall Of Cimbria' changes tone across the chorus break, dropping a gear and adding even more melodious intent. Yet the albums overall intensity remains fully intact! What a debut this is turning out to be. Keeping close to the thrash metal genre, Metal Cross rampage on with the thunderous 'Distasteful Party', bludgeoning the senses with no mercy. There really is an unrelenting feel about 'Soul Ripper' (the album), the heaviness and constant pounding definitely testing the hardest and most resilient of metal heads.    
             
At over six and half minutes in length, 'Memento Mori' is the longest song on the album, and features one of the best grooving riffs the album has to offer. Couple that with the highly melodic feel, 'Memento Mori' is a belter, a banger, and a brilliant slice of head bang-able metal. This methinks, will go down an absolute storm live - a concert audience going crazy over 'Memento Mori'. And with no let up in the intensity, 'Soul Ripper' (the album) continues to pound the senses, this time with 'The Drone', savagely swinging the (proverbial) baseball bat with devastating accuracy. Lesser metal heads will be ducking down in an attempt to avoid a beating, but the die hard metal heads will remain tall - "bring it on" is their resounding war cry. And bring it on Metal Cross do, with the pulsating 'Vernal Equinox' moving forward like a steam roller, flattening everything and everyone in its path. The unrelenting heaviness of 'Soul Ripper' (the album) has shown no mercy, spreading devastation and destruction from minute one to minute forty two. A very impressive debut album, for fans of both thrash, and traditional heavy metal.    
             
Overall, an album of unrelenting heaviness and incredible groove blended with a high melodious intent - a very good debut offering.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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