Band:	Drone
Album:	Head-On Collision
Style:	Nu thrash metal
Release date:	2007
A review by:	Jeff

01. Theopractical
02. Welcome To The Pit
03. Stampmark
04. Chainsaw Symphony
05. Jericho
06. In The End
07. High Octane
08. Intimidation
09. Life Of Riley
10. Carnophile
11. One In A Million

Every year, Wacken Open Air and their partners organize The Metal Battle Contest, a really cool competition where young bands compete to win a place in the line up of the Wacken, plus a deal with Armageddon Music (if you don't know it yet, the team of the festival and the label is the same). Last year, this is the German thrashers of Drone who won the contest and evidently, they release now their first album through the label from Germany. If you like "Nu" Thrash a bit in the vein of Machine Head or really groovy stuff a la Pantera, I will recommend you this CD because even if it's not so new and original, it's catchy and definitely not bad at all.

With Drone, we can talk about Thrash but you have to know that we're not in front of a classic German Thrash band a la Sodom or even in front of a Bay Area one. Drone plays something which is more in the "Nu" spirit of this Metal style. A bit like Machine Head, their music is a mix between American Power, Thrash and Nu Metal. I will not say that it's Metalcore even if some of you will believe that it can be the same thing, because for sure the leading music in the compositions of the album is classic Thrash with fast riffs and hyper catchy rhythms, which are, that's not wrong, however really melodic and certainly a bit mainstream and commercial?

Even if we cannot say anything against the performance of the musicians, I cannot say that the songs are magisterial too. They're well done and super catchy ok but also not so original and a bit repetitive. The problem of "Head-On Collision" is that we heard similar things before and it lacks a bit of personality. On the other hand I think that Drone has the capacity to do great things but it will come with time and experience, they're not perfect yet but it should come yes.

"Head-On Collision" is a pleasant release nonetheless. With a lot of nice riffs and cool melodies, the German combo proposes an album that I clearly recommend to the fans of "Nu" form of Metal. Don't misunderstand me, it's not Nu Metal a la Korn too, it's Thrash but just in a new form. Good first album, must be confirmed, with some more personality on the next one.