Cruel Force – Dawn of the Axe Review

You’re gazing across the tarmac when two blurred blobs begin to materialize through the rising waves of heat. As they approach, your vision begins to focus upon these two large figures. They’re both wearing flight suits and aviation helmets. One reaches up to remove his helmet, revealing Earth’s most glorious mustache, a beautiful bald head, and a pair of sweet prescription aviator sunglasses. The other soon removes his, and you’re surprised to learn that underneath is…another helmet. It’s a historically inaccurate Viking helmet complete with horns—you’re not quite sure how these horns fit beneath the other helmet, but this is fiction and plot holes don’t matter—and this second helmet sits upon the head of a mighty silverback gorilla. You watch in wonder as the mustachioed hulk turns to the ape and says, “I feel the need…” and then they both finish together, “the need, for speed…metal!” One tosses a silenced Walther PPK to the ground, and the other, an open can of PBR, freeing their hands to perform the most epic high five of all time. As if on cue, someone presses play on Dawn of the Axe, the third album from Germany’s Cruel Force. This is the last thing you remember.

Cruel Force released two back-to-back albums in 2010 and 2011, both showcasing a blackened thrash style—and both pretty awesome—but after a decade’s hiatus, the band apparently felt the need for speed, morphing into more of a traditional US-style speed-infused heavy metal project a la Jag Panzer or Omen. Vocalist Carnivore has forsaken the blackened shrieks and growls used on the band’s early recordings, opting instead for punky shouts that fit the blistering speed metal perfectly. First proper track “At the Dawn of the Axe” displays just about every awesome trope that speed metal has to offer, and it’s had me wantonly destroying my home with the inflatable battle axe I recently won at the state fair.

Throughout Dawn of the Axe’s runtime, Cruel Force prove that their speed machine is geared more toward Formula 1 racing as opposed to NASCAR; these guys know when to apply the brakes through twists and turns, giving their performance optimum contrast. The album begins with an epic, driving Western film-style instrumental to warm up our engines before the pedal hits the floor. Another short instrumental introduces one of the album’s mid-paced heavy metal tunes, “Across the Styx.” These slower moments of respite give the faster tracks, like “Devil’s Dungeon” and “Power Surge,” maximum impact.

The songwriting on Dawn of the Axe is stellar, but wouldn’t be nearly as effective without the matching production. This record just sounds olde, like it’s straight outta the 80s. The rhythm guitar sound gives me a little bit of a Morbid Tales-era Celtic Frost vibe, and the overall musical package reminds me of the early era of Cruel Force’s seasoned countrymates Accept. If you like this style, you’ll enjoy the whole album, but the highlights would be “At the Dawn of the Axe,” “Night of Thunder,” “Devil’s Dungeon,” “Across the Styx,” “Realm of Sands,” and “Power Surge”—and that last track is simply world-class.

A wise man once said, “I wanna go fast.” Dawn of the Axe is an extremely satisfying shake ‘n’ bake meal of speed metal goodness, and with it, Cruel Force have proven that not even a long hiatus or a shift in style can slow them down.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Shadow Kingdom Records
Websites: cruelforceofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cruelforce
Releases Worldwide: September 22nd, 2023