
Back to the front!
-- At The Front --
19/01/2019
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Thrash Metal |
■ | Groove metal |
Album artists:
■ | Geert | Vocals, guitar |
■ | Mario | Bass |
■ | Jimmy | Drums |
■ | Dimi | Guitar |
Review written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.
[METAL
SHREDDER REPORTING]
I first met
At The Front (from here on shortened to ATF) in late 2016 at the charity
festival Devils Rock For An Angel. The guys did a memorable show and I
interviewed them that day as well (check it out here: http://www.belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/62)
Recently they sent over their new EP “Faith” to me by physical mail so let’s
have a shred at it!
[THE SHREDDING BASICS]
“Faith” is
the second EP from the Belgian groove metal band ATF, a band formed in 1993 but
revitalized in 2014 and it succeeds their 2015 debut EP “Plan B.” Like its
predecessor, this is an independent release. ATF promote themselves as bringing
90s thrash and groove to the forefront and that’s exactly what you’ll be
getting in this 26-minute EP. Starting from the opening track, “Love,” the band
puts a huge emphasis on extensive bass-heavy riffing, technical guitar solos,
vicious drum beats and rash growls, similar in style to bands like Sepultura, Pantera
and Machine Head. The EP maintains a tight, fast-forward pace with only a few
short, more relaxed moments in the EP’s third track, “Never Again.” Other than
that, it’s full-on, uncompromised groove metal that’ll get your blood pumping
and your head banging!
The band,
however, did make a few slipups. Geert’s vocals are effective in their own
right but during the first few tracks he’s hardly audible beneath all the dual guitar
violence from Dimi and Geert himself. Good thing his vocal cords are put more
in the spotlight from the third song onwards (more on that particular track
later). I also felt that ATF rely a bit too much on the same tried and true
groove metal formula, especially during the first couple of songs. The EP’s
latter tracks, on the other hand, clearly show that these groovy guys have a
few more musical tricks up their sleeve than your average groove metal act. But
as the saying goes, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and as I
mentioned earlier, this second EP from ATF features a lot of nice parts.
[THE SHREDDING VISION]
Just a
sleek, black cover art with the band’s emblem and EP’s title written in a nice
golden font. Like ATF’s music, it’s basic but stylish and effective. Nothing
else to say here, moving on…
[THE SHARPEST SHREDS AND THE BLUNTEST BLADES]
The third
track “Never Again,” showed me a nice versatile side of ATF. In addition to the
typical riffs and grunts the band also employs clean vocals and a much more
melodic sound in several parts of this song. It’s a nice change compared to
ATF’s usual modus operandi and I hope they’ll be writing more songs like that
in future releases. I also loved the catchy chorus and tunes of the EP’s fifth
track “Bring Back The Bullet.”
As for the
weaker tracks, a couple of songs, such as the “Faith” title track, don’t have a
lot of things going for them aside from the good-old groove metal barrage.
Enjoyable for sure, but throughout the EP, ATF have shown me that they’re
capable of more than just being another thrash n’ groove metal act. They’ve
also got a sweet melodic side and that’s what I want to see more of in the
future, along with their usual strong groove metal beats. That’s all, time for
the scorecard!
[THE SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
7 Cavaleras
out of 10. Aside from a couple slightly repetitive tracks, ATF’s second EP is an
enjoyable little release worth getting your teeth into if you’re seeking a fun
throwback to the heyday of 90s thrash n’ groove metal. Here’s a video of the
EP’s fourth track, “The Pain."