Review: Astrarot “We Can’t Win”

Astrarot “We Can’t Win”
Straight from the Heart Records

And here we have band coming from second largest city of Greece and capital of Greek Macedonia – Thessaloniki. City is of course very old one – it was found in 315 before Nazarene. So that’s as easy as pie that there’s really many interesting things to visit. So it’s any surprise that tourism is economically very important for the city. But it has to offer really a lot on fields of broad culture for example, too.

ASTRAROT began its life in 2009 and next year guys released a demo entitled just ‘Demo’. Then there came in 2012 ‘Of Fire and Soul’ which guys call EP, but it takes almost 20 minutes. After three years we could enjoy their debut album ‘Straight from Nowhere’ and now ‘We Can’t Win’ came out. So as on eight years of existence discography is rather modest. But this is like that sometimes that band has not so many luck – especially if takes wrong decisions, makes mistakes and so on what guys write about in bio. Well, maybe since this full-length with pessimistic tittle everything will, paradoxally, turn things around.

‘We Can’t Win’contains twelve compositions of modern Thrash Metal with influences of other also modern several playing. But in my opinion there’s rather no sign of Death as it’s written on their site on EM! There’s quite a lot of new-school HC instead..But there’re also some other well-hearable influences here. However, even if it sounds different from what we use to connect with Thrash Metal it’s still just this sub-genre of Metal! It isn’t classical one, there’re for example riffs which you’ll surely connote with other kinds of music, but… We have a lot of melody here – first of all, thanx to vocal. Nick sings with clean vocal, of course and does it quite variable. But from time to time (rather rarely) presents us growling, too. That’re short moments of that, but gives music something extra. He’s also responsible here for playing guitar. Riffs aren’t maybe as sharp as razor, but we have to do with heavy ones for sure, mostly. There’s also some element of melody in them and let’s be honest. This element is quite big one. I the same time there’s a lot of power in what Nick and Lee play. Well, Lee is here lead guitarist, so maybe I should name him on the first place. But it doesn’t matter, I think. The most important is end result, doesn’t it?!? And end result is very interesting. You’ll ask me probably: So what decides that this is Thrash Metal if riffs aren’t so typical for this music?!? I think it’s way of drumming. Kostas does it very energetically and in characteristic just for Thrash Metal way. It’s also even about these slower parts – not always, but very often. John the most often follows melodic line of drums. Well, this is destiny of bassist. We can hear piano for example in “Enemy” and other instrument, but it’s subtle. Piano (I think keyboard sounds in a little different way) is more active in some other song. Which one?!? Well, check it our by yourselves.

I’m not saying that this is some edge-cutting album, immortal music and stuff like that. But in the same time it’s interesting, quite good and surely played in various way one. People who like only old-school Thrash Metal in German or even American style will not be very satisfied after listening of what Greeks serve us, I guess. But if such old orthodox like me likes this then it says something, don’t you?!? I’ll never be their true-blue fan – that’s for sure. Listening of “‘We Can’t Win’ gives me some dose of pleasure, anyway.