LAAZ ROCKIT
Know Your Enemy LP BLACK

Hammerheart, black vinyl, insert, “Know Your Enemy” is a classic Thrash album in essence and at the same time has a very original sound! This album is just about having fun while Thrashing your place; isn’t that the definition of Thrash Metal? “Know Your Enemy” starts with a little intro before it explodes right in your face with “Last breath”. The catchiness is immediate; the first threatening riff and accompanying notes will increase your adrenaline, and you’ll feel the need to start jumping all over the place. Then Michael Coons will come in and command all your movements; at this point you’ll be doomed to frantically headbang until the album is over! When compared to the rest of their work, the closest one both in terms of quality and musical style is their next album, “Annihilation Principle”. The most notable difference is the darker atmosphere in this one, and the generally thicker sound of the music. This is thanks to the perfectly audible bass, which plays an important role in the music. “Know Your Enemy” is a classic Thrash album in essence, regarding riffs and song structure, and at the same time has a very original sound. Take “Last breath”, for example, the riffs are quite simple and by the book. The glue that binds them, though, makes the resulting sound very unique and original; the combination of the mid-paced and speedy riffs, which are completely mastered by Lääz Rockit, plus the contrast between continuous, fast and broken vocal lines with doubled choruses is wonderful, and trademark of the band. Another good example of innovation is the mid-paced, aggressive, yet dramatic ballad “Means to an end”. Even though Thrash already had very well known ballads, we still find ”Means to an end” to add an extra element to the equation that makes it stand out: solemnity. Overall, this is a very unique album, they completely nailed the concept of what they were going for here!