Spider Kickers "The Hill Of The Dead" CD

The Hill of the Dead by Spider Kickers is their 5th full-length release and it treads in more aggressively groovy and dark paths than their earlier releases.
It consists of 8 tracks and from the very beginning of "Only a Fool Rules", it is clearly evident that the intentions of the band, musically, are more than violent, as a way "heavier" sound than the band's previous album is being featured here. The well-written and excellently performed guitar riffs alongside the leveling drumming both connect amazingly with the death metal-like vocals-more death metal-like than they were used to, as a matter of fact-. The great variety of tempo changes is something that I really enjoyed in this album! Some of the times the tracks feature slow and mid-tempo intros and continue with high-tempo passings as in "Seven Billion Dead" and "731 - The Hill of the Dead". While other times, the band's mastery in creating aggressively fast-paced tracks comes out so naturally and easily that you instinctively get pushed into beginning a never-ending moshpit all by yourself. This is beyond evident in the track "Certified in Drinks" from its beginning to its very end. The memorable guitar riff of "Scarecrow" is easily one of the best of the album, as are the tempo changes that are featured in this track. It is like an unrelenting attack that you just can't get enough of! "The Whip and the Cross" is the one that was chosen to close this release and it is, in my opinion, the most suitable track to fulfill this role. The combination of the outstanding song-writing, thrilling, emotional guitar solos, dynamic, organic and sturdy drumming and outraged, soul-ripping vocals makes the feeling of pressing the repeat button again and again come to you naturally.
I chose to leave my opinion about the incredible bass lines of this album for last. This is because I wanted to put extra emphasis on the fact that, as a whole, they are the true "show stealers" of The Hill of the Dead. The bass riffing manages to stand out as a separate entity, while, at the same time, it blends and co-exists so effortlessly with the rest of the instruments. It is, maybe, the brightest highlight in an album full of amazing highlights!
The overall production is, once again, of very high standards. The "warmer"-this time around-mixing bonds masterfully with the music and creates a unique atmosphere in its entirety. The artwork looks and feels like it was taken straight out of a horror movie and I mean that in a good way, as it fits the aesthetic of the album excellently.
These greek death/thrash metal veterans do something since 1986 and they do it extremely well. The Hill of the Dead is, quite possibly, the best full-length release of Spider Kickers. Highly recommended!!!

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