SCAREFIELD
A QUIET COUNTRY
INDEPENDENT
Scarefield, the horror themed thrash metal outfit led by guitarist Simone Manuli and vocalist Markus Kristoffersson, has released their debut full-length album. A Quiet Country follows the release of their 2023 EP, Nightmare Tales, and includes four of the EPβs five tracks β all but their cover of βHouse Of The Rising Sunβ. In true β80s fashion, the band has delivered an 11-song record inspired equally by both classic thrash and horror films.
Opening with the explosive shots and dual guitar riff of βAncient Evilβ, Scarefield immediately sets the tone for their debut album with a vibe comparable to early Metallica and Megadeth, further equipped with a level of precision that denotes a sense of modern polish despite the aggressive onslaught of an opening song. βAncient Evilβ is followed by βDead Centerβ, an even more relentless sonic assault, overflowing with squealing guitar lines and vocal hooks that are further supported by rhythmic shifts and breaks in the instrumentation.
Throughout the rest of A Quiet Country, Scarefield remains committed equally to both their musical and thematic influences. Without a weak song on the record, there are numerous highlights which stand above the rest. βSpectreβ is especially noteworthy for its slower pace and spacious soundscape with a larger-than-life chorus. This track may be the only moment in which Scarefield strays for the purity of β80s thrash by embracing a tone reminiscent for 1991βs Metallica. Additionally, βGod Of Terrorβ and βPrimitive Shadowβ are especially punishing β again, demonstrating a high caliber of musicianship and technique β while βAlwaysβ, with its use of acoustic guitars, acts as a tonal ballad which showcases a level of versatility to the songwriting on the album.
A Quiet Country stands as an impressively unique album in that it is a perfectly modern snapshot of a genre at a particular time, specifically thrash metal of the β80s. The resulting album is unlike anything else among modern metal simply because no one else is making records so true to this era of the genre. Through this, Scarefield scratches a nostalgic itch, making A Quiet Country a must hear musical experience for metalheads.
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SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SCAREFIELD – A QUIET COUNTRY
Gerrod Harris