Ultimatum - The Mechanics of Perilous Times (2000)
Ultimatum is back with their third full-length release of power thrash metal and a fine release it is! Technical speed riffing and biting vocal shrieks are present once more as Ultimatum cranks it up a notch for their most intense release to date. Overall this is the fastest and heaviest cd Ultimatum has put out. On previous releases Ultimatum's gituarist used only a downpicking technique proving he was one of the fastest out there to utilize this style. The new cd showcases a new guitar style featuring "double" (up and down) picking techniques and has shown a major progression in the guitar department. The vocals are still done in the vein of Exodus (as is the music) with a lot of influence from Blitz from Overkill. On some tracks the vocal performance is better than ever before, such as the leadoff track "Temple of the Spirit" which has a vocal style similar to that of Roger Martinez in early Vengeance Rising and there are even some death growls thrown in for good measure! Speaking of Vengeance, they do a great cover of the Vengeance classic "Burn", which they have been performing in their live sets for several years now. The guitars are fast heavy and reek of pure tech-metal. Somehow the songs don't seem to stick in your head like their previous release "Puppet of Destruction", now this could be a good thing because I am finding myself wanting to hear the disc even more! Fans of late 80's early 90's thrash metal like Anthrax, Exodus, Metal Church, Tourniquet and Vengeance Rising will love this disc. -- Review by Norm