Album Review: Foreseen - Grave Danger

I’ve probably mentioned this at some point before, but I’ve never really been the biggest thrash fan. There are a couple of modern thrashers like Black Fast and Vektor that I really dig, but most of the so-called re-thrash bands leave me with a feeling of been there, done that. This recent crop of crossover acts, however, is really hitting the spot. Iron Reagan is killing it right now, Power Trip’s Nightmare Logic is one of the best albums to come out this year in any genre, and now Finland’s Foreseen are blowing the doors off with their sophomore album Grave Danger.

The first thing that struck me upon listening to Grave Danger is how loose the band sounds, particularly compared to the surgical precision of Power Trip’s most recent. That’s not to say, however, that the performances are in any way sloppy; in fact, it’s quite the contrary. The fact that the whole record sounds like it could go careening off the rails at any moment is a big part of it’s appeal, and it works particularly well with angry, overtly political content of the lyrics. A lot of that looseness can probably be attributed to the fact that they’re from Finland – there’s more than a trace of Archgoat’s war metal in the band’s sound, which gives their music a bite that most of US bands don’t have.

As for the record’s highlights – just pick a track and hit play. At eight tracks and a run time just short of half an hour, there’s no room for any filler on the Grave Danger. Opening track “Violent Discipline” sets the tone for the rest of what’s to come, alternating frantic riffing with more hardcore-influenced mosh sections and a killer guitar solo. The album’s lead single “Chemical Heritage” adds a couple of slower, more sinister sounding riffs into the mix, which has the effect of making the faster sections almost feel like powerviolence. If I had to pick a favorite track, it would be “Fearmonger,” with its gnarly outro guitar solo and some of the most Bay Area-influenced riffing on the record.

So if you’re into thrash or crossover at all, or if you got into Power Trip’s most recent record, I highly recommend checking out Foreseen. Hopefully they make it over to the States at some point this year, because I’d be willing to bet that they totally rip live.

Grave Danger will be available on April 21 via 20 Buck Spin.