Prank

War Has Changed

Self released 2010

I am a big fan of German thrash and have been so for many years.  And so it was with great anticipation that I received the latest 5 song demo/promo from Prank.  First thing one notices though, is that Prank do not borrow from their more famous countrymates (Kreator, Sodom, Destruction) when laying the foundation for their sound.  Their roots lay more with the American style.  And so begins the first track, Nano Mechanix.  Fat riffs and a quick, clean guitar accent leap out of the speaker.  Robert's vocal pacing reminds me of a middle area between Forbidden and Annihilator.  But the hammering drums and meatier riffs lend a Bay area flavor to the song.  Up next is the chunky M.A.D. with its galloping rhythm and demonic vocals that even hit a falsetto high early on.  I hear hints of Show No Mercy era Slayer in the near melody that lurks within the main riff.  The melodic hook that appears around the 3 minute mark immediately grabs my attention before being buried beneath a focused lead.  My favorite track though is Seriously Leprosy with its bouncy Anthrax-esque riffing.  The vocals add to the light feeling of the track and the mosh-inducing guitars crunch like the neck bones of a thousand headbangers.  Heretic finishes this short shred-fest.  The band amps up the aggression slightly while smashing through a frenzied, but controlled, chorus.  The track constantly drops back into a mid-tempo slam-fest before speeding towards the next chorus bought.  This track also contains some finger fireworks on the fretboard during the dueling solos.  Prank embody pure love of the thrash genre.  They break no new ground but their sincerity wins you over as you can't help but banging your head and have to fight the urge to mosh in your chair.  So if you want to see what some Germans can do when they get ahold of some Bay Area crunch, then look no further.   

For more info check out the band's myspace page www.myspace.com/prankmukke