Germ Bomb Monochrome Nightmare LP
Collection of old school, NWOBHM-leaning metal/hard rock from this Swedish duo. Their Bandcamp mentions D-beat, crossover, and black metal influences, but I barely hear any of that other than on “Narcissist,” which has a D-beat backbone but is not raw in the least. These are head-bobbing, mid-tempo rockers with doomy leads, heavy flanged riffs, and sung vocals. “Germ Bomb” has a catchy anthemic chorus, and soulful standout “Turn the Cross” sounds like Nick Cave fronting PENTAGRAM for its runtime. Gothic organ rounds out a few tracks and gives a classic creepy vibe. Definitely not punk (several of these tracks clock in near the five-minute mark and test my need for speed and brevity), but if you’re an old school metalhead, this is worth checking out.