Scarecrow N.W.A. (and ‘N.W.A.’, for your information, stands for new world annihilation) hail from the Austrian city of Graz, and they formed more than fifteen years ago. There were a couple of releases throughout the years (mainly self-released), with 2009’s Ishmael (released via Rebeat Music) as ‘popularity-winner’, and the band performed live on stage with the likes of Agathodaimon, Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Graveworm, Within Temptation, Debauchery etc.
Transgression, the fifth full length, was recorded, produced, mastered and mixed by Georg Walt at Pantheon Recording Studio, and the nine tracks have duration of just over an hour (!). It’s a collection of Pure Metal songs, combining technical Death Metal with elements from a couple of related genres (like Black and Thrash Metal) and a couple of specific approaches (modern versus traditional, speed-up versus atmospheric, rhythmic versus melodic, and so on). The songs have a pretty lengthy average duration (but if you’re a smart one, you might have guessed so: compare the number of tracks with the total running time) but do not bother. They are varying in tempo and melody, but come with a comparable atmosphere. The latter is, just like the production, dense and dry, little darkened and organic.
Transgression certainly isn’t the most renewing album I’ve heard lately, but despite the long duration, it is a nice record to listen at. Being a ‘popular’ reviewer (hehe), I sort of have to listen to hundreds of releases each year, and this album isn’t the most surprising or enthralling one at all; but I did enjoy it and that’s what counts.