GODSNAKE – Poison Thorn

New Wave of German Heavy Metal

Godsnake’s first full-length release Poison Thorn is not only cold-blooded, but it’s also deadly. The German quintet labels their own music “Modern Metal”, with influences of Metallica, Trivium, and Hellyeah.

As odd as it would seem for a German band to produce a New Wave of American Heavy Metal album, here it is folks. Godsnake mixes Metallica’s Thrash Metal with Pantera’s Groove Metal adding in a healthy and moderate dose of Nu Metal influences, in a blend that sounds not unlike Shadows Fall, Lamb of God or Killswitch Engage.

The Perfect Bait

Poison Thorn presents the band’s work over 10 tracks full of heavy riffs and grooves, political and crime-ridden lyrics that are the hallmarks of most modern Thrash Metal, with competent production co-signed by the band and Lasse Lammert at LSD-Studios. The guitars are razor-sharp, the bass is, in the long-standing tradition of Thrash Metal, not very audible, but the drums pound hard and the vocals are the icing on the cake. Vocalist Torger dwells with competence between ’90s Hetfield-like gritty howling, aggro Melodeath singing, and more melodic singing that is comparable to Iced Earth’s OG Matt Barlow at times, while at times coming closer to Trivium’s Matt Heafy.

Poison Thorn – Album Breakdown

The album opener and main single, “Urge To Kill” is a very representative track of what’s to come. A blasting double-bass groove accompanied by a great, heavy opening riff is followed by a more melodic verse; making way to a hard hitting bridge, only to land in the most melodic point of the song in the chorus, with a good sing-along melody and dueling harmonized guitars following the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal tradition.

Album eponymous “Poison Thorn” shows a heavier side of the band, flirting between Slayer and Trivium while infusing some NWOBHM in the mix. This comes pretty close to being purely a Thrash Metal track if it wasn’t for the Trivium inspired chorus.

The remainder of the record showcases more of what has presented until here, creating a solid foundation for the band to build on. Other highlights of the album are the vocal harmonies in “We Disagree,” the killer opening riff in “Stone Crow,” the clean sections, and dueling guitars in the not-quite-a-ballad “Darkness,”  and the breakdown and solo section in “Blood Brotherhood”.

“Hellbound Ride” is one of the best songs in Poision Thorn, a straight-up rocker, showcasing some more variety in the band’s compositions. Fans of Metallica’s most recent albums, as well as fans of straight-up classic Heavy Metal in the school of Motorhead and Accept will enjoy this track.

Bookending Posion Thorn, “This Is The End” sees the band going slightly more epic than usual, with an inspired opening riff followed by Pantera-esque chugs, and growling vocals in the verses. The chorus brings the now-familiar melodies gelling it all back together to the signature sound Godsnake has built throughout the record. The breakdown and solo send the album with a bang, leaving the listener satisfied with the body of work presented, but curious as to what’s to come.

Verdict

Godsnake manages to build its identity throughout this full-length debut album. While their sound is comparable to other NWOAHM bands from the late 00s, it is quite unusual to see a European band diving into this genre. The end result is very satisfying, with the European factor definitely playing as a strength rather than weakness in the execution.

The Gothenburg and NWOBHM inspired passages spread around Poison Thorn benefit from the European heritage, and it’s curious to realize that while Trivium is an American act heavily influenced by European acts, Godsnake is a German band heavily influenced by American Metal. Fans of Metallica and Thrash Metal in general, Melodic Death Metal and NWOAHM bands will find here an enjoyable listen and a fresh take on familiar themes.

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Lineup

• Torger (Vocals)
• Stevo (Guitar)
• Malt (Guitar)
• Walt (Bass)
• Sidney (Drums)

Tracklist

1. Urge To Kill
2. Poison Thorn
3. Sound Of The Broken
4. We Disagree
5. Stone The Crow
6. Darkness
7. You Gotta Pay
8. Blood Brotherhood
9. Hellbound Ride
10. This Is The End