Album Review: Quasarborn – A Pill Hard to Swallow (Self Released)

Quasarborn was formed in 2016 by Luka Matković (guitars, vocals), Marko Danilović Tihi (drums), Miloš Tomasović (bass) and Đorđe Luković (guitars) after leaving the Serbian thrash metal band Space Eater. The quartet has played numerous shows and tours together under the Space Eater flag, but decided to quit and form a band of their own due to artistic differences.

Partially still influenced by old school thrash metal, Quasarborn tries to incorporate many different styles of metal (and music in general) into their songs.

The Odyssey to Room 101, the band’s debut album, came out in May 2018 and was well received among fans of technical thrash metal worldwide. The band announced their second album A Pill Hard to Swallow is set for release on January 24th 2020.

True to their word, Quasarborn play thrash. However, this is not your parent’s thrash metal. Instead more of a combination of the old-school thrash speed with a cleaner modern metal sound. It’s very much rooted in the heavy and still delivering blazing hot riffing but with more singing then growling and a certain level of high-quality groove.

Not sure if this is for you? Give the first track Mamula a spin and chances are you’ll be completely sold.

If you fancy a blend of wilder and less structured metal with a hefty dose of angry vocals, cleansing rhythm passages and plenty of riffs then the title track will deliver. Or maybe something with an un-usual melodic intro that leads into friendlier metal groove? Bastion has you covered.

What is pretty clear, three songs in, is that Quasarborn have thrown the rule book out the window for this album. Each track seemingly has something new to offer and it’s not until Identity Catharsis that a fuller picture begins to form. An apt title as Quasarborn‘s identity finally starts to become clear.

It’s a frantic and frenzied Atlas that re-focuses the band on delivering head-banging noise that will please the masses. Followed by the chunkiest of riffs and grooviest of rhythms for Nothing before the ever-surprising band drop a 9+ minute track with Stalement of Suicide.

Seeming well out of place, the dour melody and clean singing is a little flat. However, it picks up with a blasting eruption of metal leading to a hotter tempo and even some saxophone! It’s certainly the most progressive track on the album.

Smartly, it’s a very short piece of rocking melody to follow that (The Ascent) before Quasarborn get back into it with Clouds before The Humbling wraps things up in impressive riff style. A strong closer, it caps off what should be a very successful album for Quasarborn.

Quasarborn – A Pill Hard to Swallow Full Track Listing:

1. Mamula
2. A Pill Hard to Swallow
3. Bastion
4. Identity Catharsis
5. Atlas
6. Nothing
7. Stalement of Suicide
8. The Ascent
9. Clouds
10. The Humbling

Links

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