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We Only Die Once

    
       
       
       
     
             
Septagon are a thrash/power metal band from Germany formed in 2013 by guitarist Markus "Ulle" Ullrich (Lanfear, Them) and vocalist Markus Becker (Atlantean Kodex), with a vision to blend the iconic Bay Area thrash sound with power metal. The bands debut album 'Deadhead Syndicate'. was released in 2016 with Septagon admitting "they could do better". And with their blistering second album 'Apocalyptic Rhymes', released in 2018, the band fulfilled their admission - 'Apocalyptic Rhymes' an infectious thrash/power metal mix. The bands third album 'We Only Die Once' was released in 2021...    
             
...and continues the evolution the band started with 'Apocalyptic Rhymes'. The new album is heavy, aggression fuelled, and melds together the best qualities of both the thrash and power metal genres. The album roars into life with the blistering 'Demon Divine' - and Septagon are back! Performing at an energetically intense level, 'Demon Divine' is all out, full on heavy metal with traits of the thrash and power metal genres. Without pausing for breath, the album powers on with 'The Rant', a much faster barrage of power come thrash come heavy metal. Head bangingly addictive, 'The Rant' has an infectious and sing a long style chorus that an in concert audience is gonna go crazy over. With its eerie intro, 'How To Kill The Boogeyman' is a song that the enemies of John Wick should have listened to before entering into a war the Baba Yaga - the nickname given to John Wick...who, if you don't know, is a fictional character portrayed by American actor Keanu Reeves. John Wick is a retired hitman that wreaks brutal vengeance on his enemies over the course of three films - 'John Wick' (2014), 'John Wick Chapter 2' (2017), 'John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum' (2019) - with a fourth film in the pipeline. Anyway, back to Septagon, and their song 'How To Kill The Boogeyman' - a high velocity gallop of thunderous proportions. And with just three songs gone, Septagon are scorching hot, blazing a fiery trail across the land, devastating towns and villages along the way.    
             
The albums title song, 'We Only Die Once', bustles its way into view, thrashing hard as it powers on. Much heavier and much more intense than anything that has gone before, 'We Only Die Once' has yet another gloriously infectious sing a long chorus. Septagon just get better and better - and so does this album, with 'Vendetta' marching on at lightning speed, rampaging through the speed and power metal genres with a vengeance. The most aggressive song heard so far, 'Vendetta' is gonna please the fans of thrash metal. With a pulsating jack hammer style riffage, 'Head Held High' storms into sight and gallops furiously on. The intensity oozing from the album is incredible, not letting up for a second, and not letting you pause for a breather. Septagon are fuelled to the brim, unleashing a tsunami of metal so forceful it's not just gonna knock you into next week, it's gonna knock into next month, maybe even next year! At six minutes and forty six seconds, 'Gardens Of Madness' is the longest song on offer, and is an epic in every sense of the word. A blistering guitar sound featuring traits from the iconic NWOBHM, 'Gardens Of Madness' is aggressively fast and would not be out of place on (just) a thrash metal album. The bands prowess to meld the power metal/thrash metal sound is phenomenal, the result glorious, and the listening experience wonderful.    
             
The most heavy metal sounding song on the album is the incredible 'Decision Day', opening with a sound effects laden intro before taking on the mantle of a NWOBHM guitar sounding march. The chorus is a fabulously sing a long affair, with 'Decision Day' an appealing song to fans of traditional heavy metal, as well as thrash and power metal. The way Septagon manage to effortlessly cross genre boundaries is incredible, their music enticing to a very wide array of fans. Aggression returns to the album in full force in the shape of the mighty 'Strange Times' - thundering by like a steam roller, flattening anything and anyone foolish enough to stand in its way. And without a single break in the intensity or energy levels, the album reaches its final hurrah, the final song 'Ekke Nekkepenn', which tells the story of Christian Peter Hansen's depiction of a 19th century merman from Northern Germany - Hansen's depiction appearing in his 1858 book 'Frisian Tales And Legends'. Lyrically, 'Ekke Nekkepenn' follows Hansen's story perfectly, with the music suitably aggressive and menacing. Septagon's third album has been an absolute joy to listen to, building strongly on what the band started with 'Apocalyptic Rhymes'.    
             
Overall, a glorious rampage of full on intensity, melding the styles of power, thrash, and traditional heavy metal.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Apocalyptic Rhymes      
           
"an infectious blend of two great heavy metal genres - thrash and power, Septagon deliver an addictive and head noddingly attractive album" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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