It’s possible Birmingham’s Eradikator have misnamed themselves.
The Metallica-worshippers’ name suggests a heads-down thrash mob, which they more or less were on their 2012 debut Dystopia, but they now sound more like the Black Album and what followed than what came before. The name does at least convey how metal they are, but they increasingly make time for melody and actual songwriting along the way.
Bassist Pat Cox’s vocals plough a Hetfieldian furrow, perhaps with a touch of COC’s ex-frontman Karl Agell, while some of the fancier riffs, like the ones driving Astral Body, draw on latter day Megadeth. While we could have done without the six-minute, guitar-solo-oriented instrumental, Kairos Passing, there’s much enjoyment to be had elsewhere, with a few absolutely killer riffs such as the one near the start of The Great Deception.
No doubt Eradikator have more of those attention-grabbing stand-out moments tucked up their denim sleeves, and will continue to develop their own identity. Until then, Edge Of Humanity is an impressive calling card.
