TME – Worlds Collide

TME is a Swedish Metal act that released their debut album Worlds Collide through a brand new label called Aphotic Records, and hails from Washington (the state) – USA. Actually, the TME album is the first release from this freshly born label that hopes to draw much attention with this fine blend of Black meets Thrash Metal. TME’s lineup features most experienced musicians that are already active with bands, like the Folk post-Black Metal Project Vintersorg, and Fission.

Despite the avant-garde and rich musical background, TME come to surprise the listener with the fast Thrash Metal tracks that also include some Black Metal additions. This compact musical ensemble has some melodic breaks, especially in the guitar leads that bear the classic Heavy Metal sound and performing pattern.

The album opens with the homonymous track that kicks in with fast drums and reveals its Black Metal profile as soon as Andreas Stenlund’s evil and beast-like vocals enter aside the prime Dimmu Borgir-esque twin guitar work. “Flesh And Blood” continues on tracking the fast and aggressive path, filled with blast beats and shredding guitar riffs, while “Black Infinity” adds a Thrash Metal touch with the neck-snapping and ton-heavy rhythm section. Benny Hagglund torments his drum kit with tempo changes and fast pedaling in “Mankind’s Last Cleansing,” where the guitar leads add some melody. The bass guitar sound in “Away From Decay” brings to mind the German Thrash scene with classic acts like Destruction or early Sodom, serving some more headbanging quality time.

The drums and the guitars form a solid sound with tempo alterations that make “TME” and “Piece By Piece” ideal for a live performance. The production really deserves additional credit due to the flawless sound where the melodic touches coexist with Black Metal profiles in tracks like “Fact The Fist,” where the lead guitars shine, or the groovy Slayer-esque “Hell Incarnated.” The album closes as aggressively as it started with the 2-minute sonic storm entitled “Superior.”

Worlds Collide is an excellent choice for a new label to begin with; the band comprises highly skilled musicians who have put together 10 blast songs creating a solid album. Hopefully, TME will not stand as a project, but as a regular full-time band that will produce more albums and bring their music live upon stage where it belongs.