Pica Fierce - Pica Fierce
Self-released
Deathy Thrash Metal
12 songs (59:01)
Release year: 2007
Pica Fierce
Reviewed by Goat

Something’s rotten in Norway when a band this good is forced to release its own album due to label indifference. Having put out material as far back as 2001, Pica Fierce clearly has the experience and willpower to stick it out, but for how long? If this, the band’s self-titled debut full-length, doesn’t snare it a label nothing will, and it’ll be a damned shame because there’s a hell of a lot of skill on offer. Sounding like a mixture of mid-period Death and pre-90’s Metallica, fans of either of the two will find much to like here.

Although you’ll have heard most of the riffs before, they’re played with such a high level of passion and technical skill that it’s hard not to fall in love. This isn’t a pure combination of the aforementioned giants, and it’s those other little moments of individuality (such as the epic choruses in Consumers Consumed and the time changes in Spiral Of Violence) that stop this from becoming dull after a few listens.

There’s not a bad song on the album, which at nearly an hour’s length contains enough music to keep you occupied for a while. Songwriting is of a fairly high quality, changes in pace such as the mid-paced Swan Song making the heavier tracks like the excellent Coming Of The Fourth World have even more of an impact. If you’re not familiar with this band’s influences but enjoy Thrash, you’ll love this.

In recent years, we’ve been blessed with an abundance of Metal bands that clearly adore their craft, and the genre as a whole is all the better for it. The downside, is of course, that some bands will be forced to the bottom of the pack due to a lack of publicity funds, and Pica Fierce is one of those. Although easily as good as the bigger names, the band needs a label’s weight behind it if it’s to gain the oxygen of publicity, and until that happens and its true potential is reached, I suspect that Pica Fierce will not be at its best.

This is the situation, ultimately: without label interest, Pica Fierce will wither and fade. The band does not deserve this; it is skilful, loves its genre and is champing at the bit to make its masterpiece, but without label money and publicity, I can’t see it taking that vital step and becoming a force in its own right. So buy this album and love it for what it is: the debut from a future legend, the first shot from a group of musicians who are easily capable of becoming as big as their two main influences.

Of course, the odds are that the rampantly selfish internet tribe will download their favourite tracks and forget all about it in a matter of days. To all of those hypocrites that expect new Metal delivered to them on a plate, this is the reason that you should buy instead of downloading: a band that is Metal through and through, yet doesn’t possess the resources to slather itself everywhere you see. Support the underground, and bands like Pica Fierce will continue to make their presence felt. It’s as simple as that!

MySpace
Killing Songs :
Decadence, The Weight Of Condemnation, Coming Of The Fourth World, Urbania, Into Oblivion
Goat quoted 78 / 100
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There are 3 replies to this review. Last one on Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:59 pm
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