SKEPTOR – United We Stand … Together We Fall

~ 2014 (Stormspell Records) – Stil: Tech-Thrash ~

„We’re in a lot of trouble! So, a rich little man with white hair died. What does that got to do with the price of rice, right? And why is that woe to us? Because you people and sixty-two million other Americans are listening to me right now. Because less than three percent of you people read books. Because less than fifteen percent of you read newspapers. Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn’t come out of this tube. This tube is the Gospel. The ultimate revelation! This tube can make or break Presidents, Popes, Prime Ministers. This tube is the most awesome, god-damn force in the whole godless world. And woe is us if it ever falls into the hands of the wrong people. And that’s why woe is us that Edward George Ruddy died. Because this company is now in the hands of CCA, the Communication Corporation of America. There’s a new chairman of the board, a man called Frank Hackett sitting in Mr. Ruddy’s office on the 20th floor. And when the twelfth largest company in the world controls the most awesome, god-damn propaganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what s–t will be peddled for truth on this network. So, you listen to me. Listen to me! Television is not the truth. Television’s a god-damned amusement park. Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business. So if you want the Truth, go to God! Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves! Because that’s the only place you’re ever gonna find any real truth. But, man, you’re never gonna get any truth from us. We’ll tell you anything you wanna hear. We lie like hell. We’ll tell you that, uh, Kojak always gets the killer and that nobody ever gets cancer at Archie Bunker’s house. And no matter how much trouble the hero is in, don’t worry. Just look at your watch. At the end of the hour, he’s gonna win. We’ll tell you any s–t you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true! But you people sit there day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds. We’re all you know. You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here. You’re beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you. You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube. You even think like the tube. This is mass madness. You maniacs. In God’s name, you people are the real thing. We are the illusion. So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now. Turn them off and leave them off. Turn them off right in the middle of this sentence I am speaking to you now. Turn them off!“ – mit diesem Intro, das der US-amerikanischen Filmsatire Network aus dem Jahr 1976 entliehen ist, startet das Debüt der US-Metaller von SKEPTOR.

Erst vor drei Jahren wurde die Band der Kalifornier gegründet, doch nun legen sie endlich ihr selbstproduziertes Album vor und versetzen nach dem langen Intro (`Turn It Off`) den Liebhaber des Tech-Thrashs in pure Ekstase.

Fast immer drücken die Herren aufs volle Tempo und gemahnen dabei an glorreiche WATCHTOWER (`Control And Resistance`) und TOXIK (`Think This´) Zeiten, anbei ist noch ein Hauch von INNER STRENGTH zu spüren. Mit `United We Stand … (Together We Fall)´ machen sie gleich zu Beginn, auch gesangstechnisch, keinerlei Kompromisse. `Key To Power´ und `Sentenced To Death´ gehen hingegen noch direkter und nicht ganz so verschnörkelt vor, während `Tyrant´ auch einen Gesangspart zum mit-shouten anzubieten hat. Das zuweilen etwas im Tempo gedrosselte, aber dafür ausgedehnt ausgearbeitete `Disciples Of The Fourth Branch´ entwickelt sich mit der Zeit ebenso zum Markstein, wie auch das noch zwischendurch eingeschobene Instrumental ´Savage Metal´.

Das Werk erfährt dabei seine Verbreitung durch die ´Trend Killers´-Reihe von Stormspell Records, mit einem ähnlichen Coveraufbau wie selige `Price Killers`-Reihe. Im Gegensatz zur damaligen Roadracer-Reihe ist das Cover-Artwork hier aber nochmals komplett auf der Rückseite des Booklets enthalten, so dass auch dieses als Vorderansicht in die CD-Hülle eingesteckt werden kann.

Neben BLAKES VENGEANCE das große Jahreshighlight aus dem Bereich des Speed- und Thrash-Tech-Metals.

(8,5 Punkte)