While there are a slew of bands that have the name Curse and are associated with metal, the focus of this review is from Sweden and originally went by the name Torment Division for two years in the late 2000s before switching over to their current name in 2010. Since that time, these guys put out two demos of fast paced black/thrash metal before disappearing again for close to seven years. 2020 finds them re-emerging with a new EP titled The Awakening... and the Old, which continues in the vein of their earlier releases but ups the polish and riffs considerably. It’s a familiar sound, but Swedish black/thrash of this type still hits the spot when it’s delivered with this much fury.
The Awakening... and the Old wastes little time in setting everything ablaze, as opener “The Curse” starts off with a haunting melody before launching right into a scorching flurry of black metal and black/thrash riffs that pull equally from both genres. Though the EP is compact twenty minutes, you’ll find a good deal of variety between the songs as Curse tends to lean more on second wave black metal during certain passages and thrash/heavy metal on others. It’s reminiscent of classic Swedish bands like Gehennah and Nifelheim as well as Norway’s Aura Noir, and while those are lofty acts to live up to these guys manage to do them justice. The recording reflects a slightly more polished and modern sheen but still has a good deal of bite and grit to it, and when the group goes full speed they reach that same unhinged and over the top sound as those first two Nifelheim albums which few have been able to match. For this brief of a release the writing remains varied and is able to offer specific guitar leads that stand out, and while it remains to be seen how Curse will keep up this level of variation and depth on a longer album they’ve set themselves a nice base to work off of.
One of the key areas where black/thrash is often able to stand out is with its vocal work, as bands tend to either deliver ear piecing screams that sound downright possessed or sleazier screams/growls that bring in a bit of Motörhead’s grit. Curse opts for the former, with lead singer PJ adopting a raspier scream where each word pierces through your speakers like a well-sharpened knife. This is also where some of the Nifelheim comparisons come into play, as when he screams at the top of his lungs on songs like “I Am Death” he sounds quite close to Hellbutcher. What I also like about The Awakening... and the Old is just how prominent the vocals are in the overall mix, as they stand above the already intense instrumentation and help to really push the energy level as high as it can possible go.
Curse is pulling from a very familiar template of black/thrash but they do it extremely well, and given that the aforementioned bands don’t release material that frequently it’s always good to see newer blood doing the genre justice. If you want fast, manic riffs with just the right amounts of melody and heavy metal edge, this EP will give you what you’re looking for in a compact package. Now here’s hoping that this reunion lasts for at least a few more years as this is a band worth keeping an eye on. The Awakening... and the Old is available from Redefining Darkness Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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