Attacker - The God Particle (2024)

An album from Metalheads to Metalheads. Attacker are a classic US Heavy/Power Metal group that was activated in the distant 1984. Entirely skipping the 90s decade, they are (unintentionally?) following a cadence of releasing two albums in a span of 2-3 years, taking a long break for the next seven or eight, then repeat. The God Particle is their fresh return since 2016’s Sins of the Worlds, with the EP Armor of the Gods being intertwined in 2018.

By the description, if the first thing you imagined are bands like Helstar, Liege Lord, Agent Steel, you are very much on point. The record also follows a concept, specifically it revolves around Cern’s particle collider experiment but with a twist. What twist you ask and what else would it be than a satanic ritual taking place in the area, with the goal of summoning an evil from another dimension?

Musically you will discover eight similarly styled songs of straight to your face Metal. No keyboards, no ballads, no time to rest! When a riff ends the next one has already taken its place on the starting line, while there are solos and leads all over the place. Don’t know about you, but the reason I listen to that kind of releases is the screams and higher pitched vocals, and here there is an abundance of that. Regarding the tempo, there is a constant alternation between slow and fast even between songs.

The good and bad thing about albums like that, is that they stay faithful to the classic Metal of the past. Meaning, originality will not come knocking on your door, you have heard that music before and you know how The God Particle will flow before it ends. This is where its beauty lies though. So many bands have deviated from that sound, that makes Attacker not only one of the remaining representatives of that school, but also one of the best. After all, their logo is always the bearer of guaranteed results. If you have never heard of this band, even better, this is a great start to fall in love with them. Only requirement for enjoyment, is to still thirst for this specific sub-genre.