ATTACKER
ATTACKER “The God Particle”
By Theron Moore
Long running power metal / thrash act, ATTACKER, are back for the literal attack with new album “The God Particle” released April 12, 2024. “The God Particle” celebrates the band's 40th anniversary which takes me all the way back to “Battle At Helm's Deep”, 1985. Good lord, has it really been that long?
ATTACKER, led by founding member Mike Sabbatini, is rounded out by vocalist Bobby Lucas, the guitar tandem of Mike Benetatos and Jon Hasselbrink, and bassist Brian Smith. I must give props to Sabbatini and crew for hitting that 40-year mark and even more respect for the fact that ATTACKER has made a damn good record with “God Particle”; ten tons of pure steel, not for posers or FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH fans. Well, they’re pretty much one and the same.
“God Particle” finds ATTACKER NOT dating themselves with a retro sound like a lot of other bands in this genre have done (cashing in on nostalgia for the sake of, well, nostalgia). Rather, the record is a pretty healthy dose of power metal infused thrash with a tight modern edge to it. The music on “God Particle” sounds effortless but more importantly, it’s a bone breaker.
Some bands try too hard to live up to their hype for the sake of label or genre, but for ATTACKER it comes across seamless and natural. The songs are original, Bobby Lucas still has the chops to crack concrete, and the music is heavy as hell. “God Particle” is a great showcase for ATTACKER’s sound and style in 2024. It’s traditional, it’s heavy, and it’s kick ass metal.
Speaking of Lucas, I'll drop a little tidbit about this album. He was instrumental in coming up with the record’s concept, “The God Particle,” which is based on the Large Hadron Collider Particle Accelerator in Cern, Switzerland. If you’re new to the world of super-duper physics, particle accelerators are commonly used to create energetic collisions of particles like protons breaking them into subatomic components which are studied not only for the sake of science but “other” applications as well.
But here’s where the shock and awe come in: There was supposedly a satanic ritual performed at the Collider site to call in evil from another dimension. Yep, I’ll just leave that right there for you to google and obsess over.
Standout songs include “The Mighty Have Fallen,” "Knights Of Terror," "River Of Souls," and "Kingdom Of Iron." I don't have too many complaints about “God Particle”. It checks all the boxes for me in terms of metal and what I look for. Despite being 40 years young, ATTACKER sounds fresh, reinvigorated, and excited to make this music. I highly recommend checking out “God Particle” and patching this bad boy on. A must buy, for sure.
4/5 Stars