POLTERGEIST
“BACK TO HAUNT”
Album Review By Rick Tilley
7.5/10
If you visit the wonderful Encyclopaedia Metallum (http://www.metal-archives.com) there are, currently listed, 926 Metal & Rock bands that have originated from Switzerland but, I suspect a majority of you would only be really familiar with three of them; Celtic Frost, Coroner and Krokus! I recognise several more, but only fleetingly! One of those bands is Poltergeist and it’s a joy, after a break of twenty three years to welcome them back. Originally formed in 1983 as Carrion they released a couple of demos and a full length album before relocating to Germany and changing their name to Poltergeist. They then signed to the fledgling Century Media Label and between 1989-1993 released three albums before splitting to concentrate on other musical ventures.
If you aren’t familiar then Poltergeist are a Thrash band with a connection to Destruction. Schmier cites them as one of his favourite bands from that period and when he left Destruction in 1989 Poltergeist’s vocalist André Grieder joined them and recorded the much underrated ‘Cracked Brain’ album. It was that connection that prompted me back then to listen to a few Poltergeist tracks and I was impressed without being blown away! Fast forward to 2013 when various members got in touch with each other and, fuelled by fans wanting them to reform, decided to give it another go! I’m very pleased they have because ‘Back To Haunt’ is the tightest that Poltergeist, now signed to Pure Steel Records, have sounded and rather than be an out an out Thrash album, they have released a technical beast that incorporates several genres of Metal and they’ve done it very well indeed.
Joining original members Grieder and guitarist V.O. Pulver are second guitarist Chasper Wanner, bassist Ralf Winzer Garcia and, ironically, ex Destruction drummer Sven Vormann, although he was in that band ten years after Grieder. Vormann is also mentioned as the main reason behind the band regrouping. Musically, whilst it’s obvious that the Thrash of Destruction, Testament and Exodus is Poltergeist’s bread and butter, ‘Back To Haunt’, partly due to Grieder’s, not typical thrash and slightly more melodic vocals, is also a thumping mass of Power/Speed Metal and bands such as Metal Church and Sanctuary and that’s a fine mix of influences! This might not be an absolute classic but there isn’t a bad song here and from the opening riff of the title track your neck should be snapping at an appreciative speed! It’s also worth noting that on the first couple of listens, what sounds like the strongest material, is liberally placed at the front of the album. Give the album more spins though and the rest of the songs start to shine pretty brightly! Production is very good, although the vocals are perhaps very slightly higher in the mix than some might like. It’s not obtrusive to me though and the guitar sound, especially during the solos, is killer!
Overall Poltergeist with ‘Back To Haunt’ have released arguably their strongest album to date and, whether you are familiar with them or not and especially if you are a fan of any of the above mentioned bands, should definitely take some time out to investigate them. Pure Steel Records and its subsidiaries have got a great roster of bands on the books and it would be a shame if the plethora of Metal and Rock bands releasing material at the moment meant that this band and album got overlooked!
TRACKLIST
Back To Haunt
Gone And Forgotten
Patterns In The Sky
And So It Has Begun
When The Ships Arrive
The Pillars Of Creation
Faith Is Gone
Flee From Today
Shell Beach
Beyond The Realms Of Time
A Distant Knowledge (Bonus track)
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