The Jasser Arafats – The Aftermath (2013)

With a very engaging modern sounding Death/Thrash sound, Finland’s The Jasser Arafats deliver their latest EP titled “The Aftermath”. Featuring four tracks of catchy and heavy Death/Thrash Metal, the band showcases their solid songwriting skills and knack for aggressive guitar work fused with Thrash Metal roots. With a very well defined sound, this relatively young band shows that they are here to stay and make a mark for themselves.

“Koma” opens the release with an in-your-face guitar onslaught. The melodic elements in the music make it very accessible, and the diverse riffs and tempos make it more enjoyable than your average release. The Death Metal roots are quite evident, but since the band’s sound is more dynamic, you will not find the repetitive groove sections that many bands rely on; a perfect example of this is “Traitors”.

On “Doomsday Declaration” we really start headbanging with the catchiness of the song. Mixing growls with screams, the band puts variety into their sound allowing it to fully develop in a very efficient manner. This track has the most Thrash elements of the release, with some very cool retro-sounding parts; however, they do switch back and forth from some crushing Death Metal passages. Saving the best for last, “The Aftermath” has a very entertaining opening that gives you that oldschool Kreator/Dark Angel Thrash vibe but with a completely different distortion.

Label: Violent Journey Records

Release: September 20th, 2013

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

Country: Finland