Countdown To Oblivion - Brain Surgery For Beginners - 7

Labels: Deranged
Review by: Andy Malcolm

Now, I certainly don’t claim to be much of a fan of the ole genre of metal when it comes to mixing it up with hardcore. But there is no doubt about it, this 7″ is simply punishing. So punishing that I can barely write this damn review without moshing, GO!

So, where to start? Well, if you liked that 10″ that the Swarm put out the other year, then raise your expectations. This 7″ is primed for destruction, and even better than that slab o’ No Idea wax was. In fact, CTO are ex-members of Left For Dead and the Swarm, so perhaps that goes some to explaining why this is so fucking amazing! It takes a minute or so for opening track “œThe Way It Is” to really get going, but once it does, you aren’t going to forget it in a hurry. The blitzkrieg metal riffs scorch away, whilst the harsh dual vocal assault sets in. And there you have it. The recipe they use for 4 fantastic songs.

Add into the mix decent lyrics (with song explanations – hurrah!), Combatwoundedveteran style artwork, and you have everything you could ever wish for in a heavy hardcore 7″. If records were weapons of mass destruction, this ones a nuke.