Right off the bat, Major Label Debut comes out swingin’ fast and furious. I don’t think SW has ever been this venomous and quick-tempoed. That’s saying a lot.
Like Neubauten, like Crash Worship, like ¡Tchkung!, Savage Aural Hotbed loves drums. Lots of ’em. But unlike said bands, SAH are not political, nor even savage.
Like late ’80s power/thrash metal never died. Wandering instrumental intros, riff-by-numbers guitarwork, and clear-yer-throat-snarlboy vocals. Dated as hell.
As the title implies, it is a dichotomy – between hope and despair, anger and exhilaration, acknowledging the past while leading the charge into the future.
They rank up there with Emperor and Satyricon, only a tad less inflated in their epic songwriting, with most songs clocking in at less than four minutes long.
Guest vocals by MM BossTone Dicky Barett, Dance Hall Crasher Karina Denike, and Me First’s Spike, Making Friends is a non-stop feel-good punk party platter.