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Album Reviews : Alkira – Juggernaut

By on October 25, 2014

ALKIRA - JUGGERNAUTThe boys from Alkira have been bouncing around the metal scene since 2009, being a force to behold live and having released two EP’s. After years of consistent touring, the South Australian thrashers have just released their first full length, aptly named Juggernaut. The foursome from the outskirts of Adelaide have released a heavy slab of metal, adding to the increasingly strong Australian thrash scene and showing the US thrash revival movement how it’s done.

Right off the bat I will say; what you see is what you get. These guys play thrash, pure and simple, showing that if you write a good song, you don’t need any gimmicks, bells or whistles.

Opening with a soft, bluesy intro track, ‘Chains’ shows the bands soft side before they pull their fingers out and show us what they got with ‘Submission Therapy’. A wall of sound is created immediately, with each member pummelling their respective instrument to an early grave right off the bat. The pace of this album is intense with plenty of highlights, including the final minute of ‘The Fleet’ providing the perfect headbanging outro riff. The chaotic pace is maintained until you reach the title track ‘Juggernaut’, where the title really says it all. Just like a juggernaut this groovy track’s steady pace breaks up the album. ‘Spiritual Abuse (Parallel Prisons)’ is an almost 3 minute instrumental with an epic guitar solo that will melt plenty of faces. The final track, ‘Shattered End’, is the epic finale of the album clocking in at over 8 minutes. It is such a powerful track that moves between groove and thrash seamlessly and showing this bands versatile song writing ability.

The guitar tone and vocals are in the vein of modern Testament, both being top-notch. The guitar work is so tight and intense with the sheer number of riffs and intensity of which they are played being almost unbelievable. Tying this altogether are some almost jazzy beats scattered throughout the furiously fast and consistent drumming. I’m also super happy to report the audibility of the bass, ominously chuggy throughout the album and provides such a solid groove that really helps set these guys apart.

One of the most striking impressions for me was the production of the album. If it was through a label I would be impressed, but the fact that this is an independent really shows that amount of effort Alkira have put in. This album was definitely a labour of love and it shows in the amount of polish in the final product.

If I had to sum up this album in a word it would be solid. Each of the 10 tracks on this album showcases Alkira’s song writing skills and show that even in a well-trodden genre there are still plenty of fresh ideas to be presented. Having shown a strong work ethic with plenty of national and international touring, I am sure Alkira will become a mainstay in the Australian metal scene. If they can continue to produce metal to the calibre presented in Juggernaut they can only go on to bigger and better things and I am very much looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

Band: Alkira
Album: Juggernaut
Year: 2014
Genre: Thrash
Label: Independent
Origin: Adelaide, SA
www.facebook.com/AlkiraMetal

Tracklist:

  1. Chains
  2. Submission Therapy
  3. Land of the Sodomite Damned
  4. #479
  5. The Fleet
  6. Inebriated State
  7. Juggernaut
  8. Spiritual Abuse (Parallel Prisons)
  9. Institution
  10. Shattered End

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