Though much may not be widely know about this young Italian wrecking crew, their new album, Obsidian, should turn the tide in their favor. SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE’s sound can largely characterized as contemporary Swedish thrash (i.e. THE HAUNTED), melodic Swedish death metal, and old school thrash, with a U.S. metalcore influence. While a good number of bands, either established or new, already play in a similar style, SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE simply do it well enough to easily compete with and surpass many within the pack (i.e. DARKEST HOUR, CARNAL FORGE, CALIBAN, ALL THAT REMAINS). It’s this ease of execution that really gives the band a “natural” and very competent feel, especially when compared to many other bands attempting to nail down a similar style. For the most part, Obsidian is an exercise in straight out aggression. The band do explore some more sublime and depressive tones albeit within a purely heavy context. SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE also manage to mix up the riffing and song variation between heavy bruisers with breakdowns, straight thrashers, and more melody driven songs to further add to the solid and compelling feel of the album. Even if many parts may sound rehashed, it’s just done well and the quality is compelling enough to warrant one’s time. The album also features a cover of MAIDEN’s “Be Quick or Be Dead,” which is given a brutal overhaul. The cover, arguably, lacks the agility and bass presence of the original. Overall, Obsidian has a strong amount of energy, enthusiasm, and quality to take SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE to new levels. (Scarlet Records)