Review by Carl on July 13, 2023.

I discovered this one on Discogs, in the store of some guy who was asking an idiotic amount of shipping cost for his stuff. Because he had some items I was interested in, but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, I started scanning his other listed items to spread the cost, and this one's artwork caught my eye. After checking them on YouTube, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I ended up deleting the dude's stuff, because fuck that guy, and simply ordered this one for cheap from someone else. Funny how that sometimes goes, eh?

The thing that grabbed me about Slaughterer and this release, is that they play a style I hadn't heard in a while. These guys take you back to the days when bands like Devastation (TX), Silent Scream, Morbid Saint and Insanity were straddling the divide between death and thrash metal, and dammit, do I love this! The fact that Slaughterer further spice things up with elements from early Death and Massacre and a sprinkling of blast beats only adds to the fun.

After a cobbled together gunfire intro, the band comes charging out of the gates with a punishing dose of primitive blast beats and beefed up Slayer/Dark Angel riffing, immediately setting the stage for the death/thrash mayhem to come. The songs are high octane fueled bursts of energy, switching from fast sections to slower stomp and back, with emphasis on the thrash metal riffing and raucous leads. The basis of their sound is definitely rooted in the late 80's and early 90's, and to the names I already dropped, you could also add bands like Exhorder, Viking, Demolition Hammer and a bit of Whiplash, but some nods to the early works of Cannibal Corpse and Deicide are there as well. Not quite on the same par when it comes to song writing, of course, but Slaughterer still know how to construct a more than decent old school death/thrash track, and they have the chops and the energy to pull it off in a more than convincing manner. The vocals are the weaker point in this concoction, being a not very imaginative and kinda monotonous throathy growl. This does not diminish the music all that much, but I can't shake the feeling there was more in the can there. Still, this is some primo stuff right here.

The production is something special, though. All the instrumentation is audible, and that is no given in this genre, I guess we all know that. It's awesome to hear that bass plow through the tracks, adding quite some extra power and bottom to the music, but at the same time the triggered kicks and iffy drum sound are just that bit too much up front. It makes the production sound like it doesn't know what it wants to be. It sounds kinda old school, but at the same time oddly contemporary, making the whole land in the middle. Good thing the material and the power are there to pull it all over to the right side.

This is a cool album for all into the bands named above, but I think any thrash metal afficionado without his head up his rectum should be able to appreciate this. A tad rough around the edges here and there, but this album is certainly convincing enough to scratch that primitive death/thrash itch for sure.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Lynxie on July 10, 2023.

Terra Atlantica's third studio release Beyond The Borders shows how trusty the German side of power metal can be. This is every bit as excellent as their prior works with an even stronger dosage of triumph injected. This thing makes me want to leap to the sky, or run around carrying that flag of saying 'Power Metal Never Die!'. It's glorious and epic almost to a fault. So of course I love it. I tear up merely listening to that opening of 'The Scarlet Banners'.

Really, it's good to know that there are still some power metal bands keeping the tradition alive by having such grandiose opening as 'Overture'. It reminds me of Rhapsody on so many levels with those epic pipe organs and serene keyboards. Then it transitioned smoothly to the mind-blowing 'The Scarlet Banners' with Egduy riffism and monolithic orchestras. The folkish 'Far From Alive' followed with acoustic strummings and grandiose choirs before we ride into the Twilight Force-esque anthem that is the title track. I'm gonna stop before this review turns into a track-by-track review of how upbeat, how majestic Terra Atlantica is. Just let it be known that there are still crispy, heavy riffs around, like those on 'Hellfire' or 'Take Us Home', else I would've been very pissed.

Then there is also the 'Rondo Alla Turca' on the 8-min epic 'The Great Escape' serving as some sort of a solo. Much better than Dragonland's depiction if I may say so myself. The folkish tendency of Terra Atlantica seems to pop up more than once too. I've already mentioned 'Far From Alive', and then there is also the polka-ish 'Pirate Bay' with some Spanish thrown into the mix. The interlude 'Guns And Drums' was also a fun jaunty ride, the flutes streaming along the guitar. But at the end of the day the game is all about furious speed, maddeningly brainwashing choruses and slick melody hooks.
It's also the first time I've seen fantasy and history combined for a concept album. But of course, at core, Beyond The Border is still about some epic adventure. Just that Terra Atlantica has added piracy and the March Revolution on the plate. While it doesn't really create any depth, it does add some points of interest to their voyage for Atlantica.

Beyond The Borders is nothing the quartet hasn't done before to be sure, the old-school reminiscence is an ever strong point with Terra Atlantica. As a result the serene piano ballad 'Just One Look' falls nothing short of 'Land Of The Miracle'. The whole vigor of the album is pure Rhapsody and early Edguy. It's fun, without doubt, just one listen and I'm already on their ships heading for Atlantica. This is prime old-school Europower, with the fine production of modern age. Highly recommended.

Highlights: 'The Scarlet Banners', 'Hellfire', 'Pirate Bay', 'The Great Escape'

Rating: 9.1 out of 10