HATCHERY – Birth Of A Bomb

The German band Hatchery fights for the survival of Thrash Metal and Metal itself, indeed a war worth fighting for and a genre worth preserving. Hatchery also shows that the comeback of Old School Thrash Metal is not solemnly a US assault effort. German Thrash Metal was always strong, aggressive and always competed with the American Thrash Metal movements of the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York. Hatchery’s roots come from pretty much a blend of these two countries. They possess the aggression and attitude of their ancestors of German Thrash… the holy triplet that includes Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. Although, American veins such as Testament, Exodus and Heathen also embrace their music. You can label many bands from both countries that can easily familiarize you with the basics with which Hatchery relies on and conducts its musical outcomes.

Birth Of A Bomb spits aggression all around with no mercy and drives the listener into a hologram of moshpits, war zones and bloody alley streets. You can name other environments when it comes under the banners of violence and war. Hatchery, like many Thrash bands of its time and earlier, knows how to horrify whom ever listens given these kinds of topics. That is why Thrash Metal has that knack of creating these kinds of images, to portray that particular shocking effect.

This blend of Thrash Metal roots between countries is not something unheard of and it has been going on through the history of Thrash Metal. However, the combination of German and American Thrash has always been something to be amazed of. Both countries show what furious is all about, yet the German scene, that was developed almost in the same time as the American one, got even more aggressive while elevating their extreme level. Most of the American scene did not follow this line and chose to remain under traditional elements.  In Hatchery, you can identify that the music is equally American / German, the blasting riffs of guitars and bass and killer drumming skills are a joint assault team of Exodus meets Destruction and minor efforts of melodies that comes from both sides of the globe. The vocals are more similar to the German scene like early Kreator and mid-era Sodom. Overall, the band’s music, under a perfect production suitable for the band’s needs, is no surprise to any Thrasher or Metalhead out there – everything here is expected, yet nothing else was to be expected from a band that’s purpose is to preserve and that is why this album is great.

Nevertheless, a factor, which is more than occasional, rapes the songs, is the vocal line. The band’s lead vocalist, Zottel, is a guy full of Old School attitude and he spreads his fury and anger with low end to high end roars and whines. However, his voice is too thin to contain the music’s strength and it seems that in various songs, he tries to over capitalize them and it sounds like a hellish fight for domination (it could also be the fault of the mastering). Moreover, Zottel is saved more than once by his “Gang” of band shouts on the choruses. When the band joins Zottel, the lyrics are more powerful because the vocal line is being added with depth, an element that lacks badly. The only positive thing to comment about Zottel’s voice is the fact that his low-end roars are powerful and attacking. He should really try to stick to these because his high-end attempts are not that impressive and sometimes even a bit annoying.

Highlights from Birth Of A Bomb: “Crushing Bones” – A moshpit thriller full of violence , “Brotherhood” – Brotherhood of Death , “Weekend Warrior”, “War” , “Wake The Dead” – Let’s wake them up!!