Headhunter - Parasite Of Society
Candlelight Records
Heavy Metal
12 songs (49:10)
Release year: 2008
Candlelight Records
Reviewed by Pete

Destruction's Schmier has returned to the project he started during his hiatus from the band in 1990. The band released three albums during the 90s, Parody Of Life, A Bizarre Gardening Accident, and Rebirth. AFM records bought the rights to these albums and gave them a new lease of life and probably the reason why we have a new Headhunter album. For the purists, the band in 2008 is the same line up back in the 90s, Schmier on vocals and bass, Schmuddel on guitar and Jorg Michael (Stratoavarius) on Drums.

Headhunter is quite a departure from Schmier's work in Destruction. It is more power metal cum classic heavy metal than Teutonic thrash. This is none more evident on the opening title track Parasite Of Society. Double bass drum driven pace is coupled with buckets of hooks and melody. Silverskull is a heavier version of the likes of Gamma Ray or Brainstorm, but that's the ground Headhunter cover. They're not true power metal in the sense of Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica or Helloween. The band is more Symphorce, Judas Priest and Primal Fear influenced. They occasionally have the sound of a power metal band, but their sound is grittier and a little more metal. This is largely down to the almost thrash vocals of Schmier himself. His gravely voice adds more teeth to the proceedings avoiding the high pitched screams and layered harmonies.

It doesn't always work. Remission is their slow trudging epic, and, although a decent tune underneath, is spoiled by Schmier's vocals, which aren't suited to this type of song. He sounds out of tune and unconvincing and unfortunately, on occasions, sends this album in to the level of WWIII, and not many bands want to sound like that. Thankfully these moments are few and far between, but as soon as they pick themselves up, Doomsday For The Prayer, they let themselves down. Their cover of Skid Row's 18 And Life sits in the middle of this album like a boil on a perfectly formed bum. The dour nature of this cover deflates the energy and excitement built up by the previous tune quicker than balloon in a room full of needles. Cover songs in the middle of album is usually an oddity, especially as there is another cover at the end of album (Judas Priest's Rapid Fire). In this case it's even more of an oddity because the track after it, Read My Lips, is an absolute cracker, and a great example of what this band is capable of.

Parasite Of Society is at its best when it's going hell for leather. Egomaniac, Doomsday For The Prayer and the title track are all quality tunes let down by the shoddy covers and lapses into the substandard (The Calling). This album is very much a mixed bag of quality. Imagine the best of W.A.S.P and the worst of W.A.S.P all squashed onto one album, Parasite Of Society wouldn't be far away from the result. It's an enjoyable metal romp as long as the finger is ready to skip the odd track, which is usually the case with most albums.

Killing Songs :
Doomsday For The Prayer, Parasite Of Society, Read My Lips, Egomaniac
Pete quoted 71 / 100
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