THE BERZERKER: The Reawakening

Produced by The Berzerker

Released: 2008

I have a love/hate relationship with The Berzerker. On one level I think it's great that they have managed to achieve so much and helped further the cause of Aussie metal on a global scale, but at the same time their music hasn't done much for me. Originally I just wrote them off as little more than a gimmick act, but over the course of time they have developed into something more of a legitimate band with a more focused approach to songwriting. With their fifth album, The Berzerker has chosen to cut ties with their label and go down the fully independent path, a brave and risky venture but one which this band is well capable of travelling.

Luke Kenny puts everything into all this band does, so it's no surprise that even without label backing, The Reawakening comes in a digipak with a massive colour poster and six bonus remixes. Packaging and marketing has always been The Berzerker's strongpoint, but on The Reawakening this has been backed up by perhaps the best material they have yet created.

Now free of any constraints that a record label may have placed upon him, Kenny is once again able to explore the darker industrial aspects of The Berzerker's music and combine them far more effectively with the grinding, repetitive death metal side of the band. This has led to a return of that crazy and annoying high-speed popping noise that served as beats on Dissimulate and sounds more like a triggered lunchbox lid than any kind of real drumkit, but at least it only appears in short bursts and doesn't overwhelm everything. It's clear that The Berzerker has striven for a perfect balance, and the meshing of technology and mechanical sometimes works to create a cold, clinical atmosphere. The Reawakening isn't that far removed from The Amenta's n0n at times, but whereas that is endless droning soundscapes, this is hyperspeed blast and grind surrounding Kenny's monster-like vocals. "Spare Parts" is just about as fast as song can get and "Internal Examination" isn't much slower.

As usual, speed is at the very essence of everything The Berzerker does and so, also as usual, there isn't a great deal of variety between the tracks, but with a heavier emphasis on gabba beats and industrial noises that doesn't simply fall back on endless samples (one of the problems that hamstrung the first two albums) The Reawakening is the most cohesive and consistent album from this band yet.

1. Wisdom and Corruption
2. An Unforgotten Force
3. Caught in the Crossfire
4. The Deception
5. Disassembly Line
6. The Evolution of Aggression
7. Your Final Seconds
8. Harvesting a Loved One
9. Internal Examination
10. Spare Parts

Rating: 72%