Band:	Kaptain Sun
Album:	Blood, Rock'n'Roll & Black Angels
Style:	Death 'N' Roll
Release date:	2005

01. Starmaster
02. Thriller
03. Self Destruction
04. Crystallized
05. Blood, Rock'n'Roll & Black Angels
06. Evil Demon
07. Electric Angels
08. Orange Sun
09. Psychotwins

What would it sound like if Mr. Lordi was in Pantera? Well, Kaptain Sun from Germany gives us a little demo. You see, they're another one of those ___'n'roll bands who take a style, rockify and rename it - in this case the result would be thrash'n'roll. I must say such hybrids are always of high status amongst my other favorable groups and that is largely due to their fun-factor.

When I'm pissed I turn to Slayer, when I'm feeling down Guns'n'Roses usually cheers me up. And when I'm out for trouble, anything goes - as long as it's fun. Classic rock, punk, glam, you name it. Now when I put this piece by Kaptain Sun on I immediately thought they'd be joining the ranks of Party Battalion, 1st Diddly Division. The opening track "Starmaster" is catchy as hell, an entertaining mix of heavy and hard rock in the "oohh-yeah-whaa!" fashion. The second song "Thriller" started with a rebellious wah-guitar but soon begun foreshadowing the main theme of the album - which leans rather strongly towards thrash. However it maintains a strong presence of the aforementioned styles even though accompanied by frequent blastbeat attacks.

Thrash is good, but if it wasn't for Kaptain Sun's rock'n'roll take on the style this album would be stopped in it's tracks. It's not hard to fall short and become generic in today's world. Luckily Kaptain Sun has managed to come up with relatively compelling material. The production is a bit sketchy but its rawness isn't really a big problem unless you're completely spoiled with crystal clear records. And after all, the music is really fun. I can't imagine someone going to a Kaptain Sun gig and not pouring beer on themselves. Mixing old school heavy/thrash with some punk and rock creates a highly combustible mix. The album would score even higher if it wasn't for the occasional thrash overkills which, while lovely on their own, disrupt the overall album image a bit.

So if you're looking for some good shredding but want something more than just plain old thrash and you're open to some oscillations between styles, Kaptain Sun will probably make a nice contribution to your collection. By the way, "Blood, Rock'n'Roll & Black Angels" is the band's third album and I must admit having heard very little of their previous stuff but it all seemed to fit the rebel thrash profile. So I'll surely get aquinted with the previous Kaptain Sun releases and I suggest you follow my lead.