Band:	Subhuman
Album:	Tributo Di Sangue
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	November 24, 2012
A review by:	D.T. Metal

01. Nutrimi Ancora
02. L'Atroce Scommessa
03. Fassaborto
04. In Memoria di Me
05. Il Tuo Nome è Jack
06. Tutti i Vizi del Presidente
07. Il Vecchio Bastardo MMXII
08. Evoluzione Inversa
09. La Profezia
10. Santo Impostore

With their straight forward death-thrash, delivered flawlessly and without getting boring halfway through the album, those Italians took no prisoners when recording the follow-up to their 2009 debut Profondo Rozzo. And while said debut was, and I am quoting here from our review of it: "a ponderous death metal album with a few thrash influences at best" their newest release, while still somewhat death metal, has way more thrash licks in it.

Subhuman is not as brutal as their fellow countrymen Hour Of Penance but they do prove that they can hang with some of the best in the genre and don't hold back in the riff department. As a matter of fact I would say that Subhuman is more influenced by the Floridian death metal bands and undeniably the American thrash scene.

The guitars are - well by the sheer nature of the music Subhuman is playing, the guitars have to stand out, and they sure as hell do. Galloping through-out, with the occasional "Zakk Wylde" squeals, both guitars are what give the album that little extra. One thing to note is that the bass guitar is not an afterthought but is very notable throughout; nice.

On Tributo Di Sangue the band shows off their ability to not just play fast-as-fuck metal but to also slow things down without sounding cheesy. "La Profezia" would be a prime example; by far the longest song on the album (6:15min) but with its mellow undertone the length is well deserved on this track. Somehow the intro reminds me of another band but I can't put my finger on it, Slayer maybe? But hey, Subhuman is not trying to rip somebody off - well at least not any more or less than other bands in the genre - and I leave it at that.

What does make them stand out is their choice to sing in their native language. Front screamer Fabrizio has that edge to his voice and his vocals come over extremely clean; to bad I have no clue what he is screaming and growling about.

Also, and not to take anything away from the drumming abilities of Francesco who does an outstanding job with the double-bass, blast-beat-up-yours hitting throughout the entire album, but personally, I think they could have eased up on the triggers a bit. But I do understand that not every drummer is a Marco Minnemann behind their kit and the triggered style of drumming is just the norm these days.

Overall I do like the album a lot since it does pay more homage to the thrashier side of their music while not losing that slight death metal edge. Crap, I really hate those genre definitions but if you are a fan of modern thrash than this album will speak to you. Once again, it is very hard to actually choose a favorite track, but I go with my initial thoughts and pick "L'Atroce Scommessa" followed by "In Memoria Di Me".