2/5 stars
There’s a big divide in the metal world between Europe and America. To my Australian ears, European metal is just outwardly silly – there’s the black metal face paint, the songs about Norse mythology and Lord Of The Rings, et cetera. But turn to American metal, and here we have grown men wailing about how everyone’s unfair to them (maybe don’t dress in masks and jumpsuits then?).
I’m quite aware that doesn’t cover all metal bands – The Dillinger Escape Plan and Gojira are but two doing something interesting within the genre – but it’s a thumb-rule guide. Terror Universalunfortunately fall into offending classes. This American supergroup, comprising former members of Machine Head, Ill NiЦo and Soulfly (information is thin on who, as they go by stage names) trots out a well-worn combination of thrash, groove, death metal and metalcore.
Throughout this six-track EP there’s a lot of 2000s-era metalness. That means there’s a lot of chugging, lyrical content that’s spooky, demonic or otherwise violent, and the standard change-up of screaming and melodic but coarse vocals.
Maybe I’m wrong about Terror Universal; they’re playing at Soundwave this year, if you think of yourself as a metalhead, then you’ll most likely enjoy them. But it’s not for everyone.
