To misquote that great film ‘Conan The Barbarian’, ‘what is good in metal?’ And the short answer is MUTANK! Why? Because they get it. Metal is supposed to be fun, uplifting and life-affirming. It’s supposed to bring us together, which is a good thing in a world tearing itself apart. In short, Mutank get it; they build on classic 80s thrash and metal and give it their own (often nutty!) twist. Case in point, this mad EP, which is either one very long thrash song, or five very short ones. Reality is being warped by Mutank.
W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T. stands for “We Have Alotta Thrash Songs That Have Abbreviated Titles”… and indeed they do!
We begin with a short intro called “L.I.F.E.” (Lament Infinity, Forlorn Eternity), then we have the brilliant “I.D.I.O.T.” (I’ll Do It Over Tomorrow) – we all know a lot of people like the one this song is about and we should beware becoming them. “P.O.P.U.L.O.U.S.” (Price of Progress: Ugly Little Organisms Undermining Society) is a stand out. “F.O.G.” (Frailty of Genius) has a killer Jason Newsted-like bass line. The EP finishes with the splendid “D.E.A.T.H.” (Divine Evaluation Awaits Thee, Human), which shows the strong original sound Mutank now have.
The band – Stephen Reynold on bass and vocals, Ahmed Daas on drums, Costa Skoulika on guitar and the excellently named Lee Whiskey on guitar also (presumably occasionally he might have a Jack Daniels!) – are all as tight as you’d expect from a band of brothers.
Mutank are the “R.E.A.L.” (Reactive. Exciting. Absolutely. Lashing live on stage) “T.H.I.N.G.” (Thrashing. Headbanging. Insightful. Nuclear. Group)!
(Boonsdale Records)
