Usurper was a relatively primitive black/thrash metal band from Chicago. They split up in 2007 and left us a respectable discography of killer old-school metal. “Threshold of the Usurper” is their first EP, which was released in 1997 following their debut album “Diabolosis”.
The first thing that you may notice upon listening to Usurper is an obvious Hellhammer influence; the bass is really thick and heavy whilst the guitars have an ugly punk-ish feel to them, thus leading to this comparison. Not to mention the vocals are very reminiscent of Tom G. Warrior at times. However, there is more to Usurper than just another Hellhammer clone!
There is plenty of variety within the 5 songs present here (4 originals and a fantastic rendition of Mercyful Fate’s “Black Funeral”). “Necrocult, Part 1 (The Metal War)” is a pretty straightforward and relentless thrashing beast of a song, “Slavehammer” sounds like a beefed up Hellhammer tune and makes me think of what could have happened if Warrior and co. showed up after the death and black metal movement had already began its momentum, “The Dead of Winter” is a slow and atmospheric song laden with acoustic guitars and a deep level of denseness and the epic 14 minute title track ranges from crushing doom to manic black metal and everything in between.
Running at over 34 minutes, they could have easily gotten away with labeling this as a full length, but; they didn’t, which proves Usurper are not the type of band to do things half arsed. If you’re looking for a good starting point to get into this band, “Threshold…” is the place to look.
Highlights:
Slavehammer
The Dead of Winter
Final Rating: Awesome [8.3/10]
