PRAETOR – Praetor
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Praetor is a thrash metal band that was formed in 2019 and consists of three French people and one guy from Luxembourg. The latter is Hugo Nogueira, who all local metalheads should know from his time with Lost In Pain, who were undoubtedly a thrash metal band, but Praetor are edgier and more fun. Hugo Nogueira has always been strongly inspired by Metallica’s James Hetfield and he makes no secret of this on the first Praetor album. You’ll notice this right away on the rather short opener No Return, which was released as an advance single. This gritty song sticks to the essentials and unabashedly spreads the expected Bay Area charisma. I am pleased that Praetor have managed to convey their incredible live dynamic to the album as well. The following Move On doesn’t really work for me. Although I have listened to it several times, I still don't know what they are trying to achieve here. Fortunately things improve, with the remaining tracks being on a very high level, which will have thrash metal hearts beat faster. Pitch Black is a brisker track with a lot of groove: this is how thrash metal must sound! Throughout the album, you’ll discover wonderfully arranged guitar solos, something you should expect from an authentic thrash metal band. The rhythm section is also impressive, especially the precise and powerful drumming of Alex Raising impressed me a lot. Apart from Metallica, Slayer are another influence, as you can hear on the fast Mass Extinction. The following Dormant Brain, which you can watch on YouTube, pays tribute to another Bay Area great, namely Testament. Praetor sound fresh and perform with an undeniable joy of playing. If you like the early classic Metallica, you won’t come past Praetor’s debut album which revives the spirit of that era. |
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10 songs |
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36:33 minutes |
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***** **** |
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Genre: thrash metal Label: Metal East / Barhill |
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