Maximum Metal Rating Legend

The Scourger - To The Slayground - 2005 - Stay Heavy Records

Track Listing1. Slayground 2. Soul Seducer 3. The Greediness 4. Crossfire Of Lies 5. Malediction Of Heredity 6. Black Worms

Well, my high hopes have turned into faded dreams. Once I read the biography of Finnish band The Scourger I was immediately pumped up. For years I have been searching for the whereabouts of the band Gandalf, a tremendous amount of talent from Finland that managed to release two great albums in "Deadly Fairytales" and "Rock Hell". Gandalf were sort of like a cross between In Flames and Sentenced, the perfect combination of dark fantasy and melodic aggression. After the Wicked World release of the debut, "Deadly Fairytales", the band picked up a small contract with Nuclear Blast to release "Rock Hell". That album was very popular with audiences and the critics alike, but for some reason the band just simply disappeared.

Now The Scourger has appeared, made from the ashes of the mighty Gandalf. This new band features former Gandalf members Timo Nyberg (guitar), Jari Hurskainen (vocals), and Harri Hytonen (guitar). The bassist for this EP also features former Gandalf bass player Kirka Sainio, however Sainio is not a full fledged member of The Scourger. With this much talent and ties to greatness one would think this is simply another great chapter in the Gandalf legacy. Wrong!

"To The Slayground" is The Scourger's first recording to date and one that is very disappointing in my opinion. If this EP had came out two, maybe even three years ago then this would be a completely different review. Unfortunately this type of metal has become commonplace now, a tired formula that just keeps getting winded day in and day out. "To The Slayground" features six cuts of generic thrash that borders on the fringes of melodic death. Really in all honesty this is like modern Kreator/Slayer mixed with older The Haunted or Arch Enemy. Hurskainen's vocals have become harsher and more sadistic than before, and at times this whole EP just moves too fast for it's own good. I'm reminded of soon to be forgotten bands like The Crown and Terror 2000 when I hear this material, really just leaving me with a headache and nothing really to even remember.


--EC 08.24.05