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GAME OVER “Face The End”
GAME OVER “Face The End”
By Dr. Abner Mality
The last album from Italy’s GAME OVER didn’t impress me at all, but I can report the band has made some significant improvements on their new album “Face The End”. Enough to get them over the hump and into the “great band” category? Let’s find out.
First obvious improvement they’ve made is getting new vocalist Danny on board. Whereas the previous guy had an annoying whine, Danny has a fuller and more professional sound. His voice is in the lower register and the lyrics are well enunciated with no trace of an accent. That helps a lot right there. The production this time around is also markedly improved. Simone Mularoni of DGM and plenty more Italian bands has given them a warm sound that’s more beefy and not so compressed.
GAME OVER have tried to improve their songwriting as well, but the results on that are more mixed. They play a more melodic type of thrash that’s not really face-ripping or wicked. I am reminded of second tier old thrash bands like POWERMAD and FORCED ENTRY. They tread a very well worn path here. The album starts with great energy on “Lust For Blood” and “Neck Breaking Dance” but as the album wends its way, they start to run out of gas a bit. The ballad “Crimson Waves” with its intro “Tempesta” is bland and by the numbers and last track “Weaving Fate” doesn’t have the maniacal oomph the final cut on a thrash album needs. The rest of the tracks are acceptable, especially “Veil of Insanity”, but I still think there is something missing from the GAME OVER attack.
Credit where it’s due, they have made improvements and if the next album advances over this one, we may finally have a breakthrough.
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