The Hallowed and the Heathen

Send More Paramedics can’t really be lumped in with the contemporary glut of retro-chic thrash outfits that bedevil us in modern times, for various reasons. Firstly, they predate it slightly, releasing their first record in 2002. Secondly, they are distanced from that scene by their aesthetic. Zombies are to this band as trolls are to Finntroll. It defines everything they do, from their lyrics to their stage fancy-dress, to their name itself. The sharpest amongst you will, of course, recognise it as a line from arguably history’s greatest film, Return of the Living Dead.

And thirdly, problematically for those of us that were talking them up as an authentic thrash metal band, they are just a little bit “core”. As they emerged at a time when “metalcore” was rapidly overexposing itself to the metal scene like a 70-year old flasher, this band was unfairly dismissed as a part of that crowd who were trying to stand out by using a cartoonish gimmick. True, referring to themselves as “zombiecore” doesn’t really help them in that regard. But really this isn’t the “metalcore” of chugging riffs and slammin’ breakdowns. It’s crossover in a 1980s sense, reminding me a bit more of someone like Hirax than the omnipresent Three Word Name of recent times. The sound is unpolished and emphasises energy and speed rather than force. The vocals could very easily ruin it for you, or they could make it, if you have weird tastes, as they are yelping and high-pitched beyond all reason.

Anyway this, their second album, is quite dear to me, with a few real thrash gems on it. Desert of Skulls has a monster riff, perfectly complemented by a ragged opening scream reminiscent of the start of Angel of Death. Cranial Blowout is also utterly brilliant; a sub-two minutes homage to Dead Alive/Braindead, it clatters along with boundless energy. Best of all is the almost-epic Burning the Bodies; an extremely clever composition narrating a conversation between a concerned lieutenant and a careless general, whose desire to combust the evidence of a dubiously-intentioned experiment has led to unintended consequences. That’s right. Zombies.

Please don’t dismiss this as gimmicky metalcore. Their albums have plenty of filler on but some real golden moments as well. If you are a thrash fan, you should probably at least check them out. If nothing else, they stand in a fine tradition of bands with good riffs and a vocalist that makes you go “huh?”.