At the corner of Metal-As-Fuck Avenue and Shit-Eating-Grin Boulevard lies the more humorous/tongue-in-cheek side of the thrash/crossover style, which for over 20 years has been giving overly-pompous heavy metal and self-righteous hardcore punk the enema and/or gut check it needs. Recent years have included both renewed popularity for the genre’s forebearers (especially D.R.I.) as well as some seriously wicked contemporary acts. The newest of these, to my ears at least, is Italy’s Children of Technology. Whether or not it took over two decades for the youth of Europe’s Boot to really sink their teeth into crossover doesn’t matter, as debut full-length It’s Time to Face the Doomsday has all of the elements necessary to incite a limb-flailing fury amongst the slam-dancing masses.
Children of Technology obviously went down the essential crossover checklist when drawing up their plans. Riffs that switch between punk fury and heavy thrash? Check. Punk vocals barking about the apocalypse and war? Check. Constantly galloping drumming? Check. Acronym-ready moniker? Check check. From the speedster guitar soloing in “New Enemies to Hunt” to the infectious chorus in “No Man’s Land” straight through to how the occasionally broken English only adds to the fun, Doomsday is a constantly raucous retro romp. With the exception of a touch of clean guitar introducing album-closer “Screams From the Earth” (which sounds eerily like part of Testament’s “Return to Serenity”), the entirety of the album follows the above formula, completed by the occasional gang shout and even more quality soloing and memorable choruses. The band’s honesty and stylistic dedication are palpable: Children of Technology isn’t trying to sound as if they’re from the 80s, they just naturally do. That kind of effortless honesty is a major key to quality retro metal, and it’s a major key to this album’s success.
The only thing detracting from It’s Time to Face the Doomsday is a slight lack of riff variety (which might irk the kids in this post-Municipal Waste scene), but by nature, crossover and punky thrash are single-minded styles, and the 25-minute runtime ensures that this pit never exhausts its participants. Whether you are new or quite old to the scene, Children of Technology deserves the chance to thrash and mosh their way violently into your heart.
