Rammer
Suffer

July 2004
Released: 2003, Funeral Gig Productions
Rating: 3.3/5
Reviewer: Night of the Realm

With 4 songs and just over 13 minutes of music on SUFFER, the band leaves the listener wondering “what the hell just hit me,” as well as wanting more of the same. “Intense” would be a fitting adjective as Rammer does not waste any second on this disc with crap, instead packing every song on the album full of riffs, twists and turns, and plenty of head-bangable material. The end result here is not unlike the deathier moments of old Kreator, or perhaps a thrashier Possessed. In any case, the root of Rammer’s sound lies squarely in the mid-80s to early 90s death metal, with some of the late 80s thrash, a recipe which guarantees quality. My favorite track on this EP is “Waste Lair,” a barrage of insane drumming and killer riffage reminding me somewhat of a deathy Motorhead, oddly enough. “WTC Inferno” is another great song, inspired by the 9/11 attack, but manages to kick ass and avoid any needless flag-waving. Towards the end of the track we get some NWOBHM-inspired leads, which is hardly unexpected given the band’s old-school leanings.



Although the album hits hard with four solid tracks, I think that some small production issues could improve its overall quality. In some places, the drums sound slightly “hollow”-ish, but this only occurs in a few isolated areas of the EP. The vocals, too, could be slightly better; the growls used (especially on track 4), have that rawer edge with almost a metallic/mechanical tone, almost like a feedback, that I personally find very annoying in any band that uses them. Those small faults aside (and really they are minor, though still worth mentioning), Rammer throws their full energy into the small space of this EP with excellent results. This band plays with energy and dedication, and such commitment is evident in the quality of these songs.