Terrorizer
Hordes of Zombies

May 2012
Released: 2012, Season of Mist
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Aaron Yurkiewicz

For those that are unfamiliar with their legacy, in the late 80’s Terrorizer was a Grindcore supergroup before its collective members actually became superstars. Pete Sandoval and David Vincent were just getting Morbid Angel off of the ground and Pintado would go on to join Napalm Death for one of the most successful periods of that bands career. With then vocalist Oscar Garcia, the album WORLD DOWNFALL was released through Earache Records in 198@ , an album that was Grindcore in the purest sense of the genre; like death metal on amphetamines and influenced by the crustiest of crust punk. It was a one off record that achieved a life of its own, and has since grown to be recognized as one of the seminal albums in Grind history. When Pintado left Napalm Death in 2005/6, he opted to resurrect Terrorizer with Sandoval and new vocalist Anthony Rezhawk, and recorded DARKER DAYS AHEAD. Living in the shadow of a legend, the album was met with mixed reviews, and Pintado unfortunately passed away in 2006 from complications with diabetes. It seemed that the final nail in Terrorizer’s coffin had been set.



But you can’t keep a good Grindcore band down. Sandoval and Rezhawk have opted to soldier on with a new lineup and new album. Recruiting the relatively unknown, but supremely capable Katina Culture as the band’s new guitarist and re-enlisting original bassist David Vincent back into the fold, Terrorizer is set to instigate world downfall once again with album #3, HORDES OF ZOMBIES. The 14 tracks on the album are closer in spirit to the Terrorizer’s original sound and acts as a fitting tribute to their fallen comrade with a full on grind assault. The band sticks pretty close to the playbook of fast and dirty, but Culture’s guitar work adds an added level of depth to the formula, particularly with tracks like “Ignorance and Apathy,” “Evolving Era” and “Malevolent Ghosts.” And despite recent health issues, Pete Sandoval sounds like he’s playing at 110% ; the guy never disappoints behind the drum kit and it’s good to hear him back at work. And who would’ve believed that the heaviest project that David Vincent would be involved with this year would not be Morbid Angel?



HORDES OF ZOMBIES blitzes through town like a panzer tank on a raid, but the album never gets stale in its approach. Though it’ll inevitably be compared against WORLD DOWNFALL by fans and critics alike, HORDES OF ZOMBIES succeeds in introducing the band’s legacy to a new generation of fans with an album that deserves to bear the Terrorizer name. HORDES OF ZOMBIES is available now through Season of Mist.