Guilty as O.J Simpson (Guilty as Sin, III, 2010)

Anyone who describes their music as Biker Viking Metal, you know without a doubt your immediate thought is that these are gonna be some big dudes you don't want to mess with, then some time after you will begin to think hang on what the hell is Biker Viking Metal ! Luckily I will take you readers on a journey of describing what it is, done through the median of an analytical critique of  Guilty as Sin's latest release III.
Firstly this is one hell of a mind fuck of an album when you try to assign the standard rules of genre and music to it, and after many a perplexed session I am pretty sure I have untangled the mess and can safely attribute what Biker Viking Metal  entails.
We have moments worthy of true thrash metal homage to the musical perception of dirty knuckle head biker guitar work riding alongside a bashing piston of percussion, greatly showcased in their first track Truth Serum, which intermittently to breaks into a quiet monologue of the inner voice to and fro, giving a creepy factor to their thrashing energetic tempo.

They certainly maintain for the most part an ethos of angry hairy bikers, consistently maintaining a upbeat dynamic of thrash with fluctuations of raw punk and the occasional drop of death metal made all the more harsh by moments of rhythmic riffing, creating a fluid and enjoyable metal experience. They do often break off from the perception of Bad to the Bone Bikers, and enter into a more Zen like whimsical tunes akin to that of metals early greats, although not my cup of tea I certainly did not dislike it, and it was executed in a well constructed manner. As the album progresses midway we get more of these "spiritual" metal moments and less thrash attack although it makes appearances,  we even have an entry of a more oriental kind which certainly gives a fresh and innovative approach, but may leave some dumbfounded or shocked. Towards the latter section we come back to catchy metal wave with the final track embodying all their variances across the album.
Not quite what I perceived the genre to sound like, certainly no Viking by my account but not in a negative light either this seems to be a very diverse and unique, which I am sure will attract the more open minded metal fan, but not so the more secular.
Personally, Guilty as Sin I would recommend to have a bit more brutish and harsh vocals to give that give that extra oomph, and additionally perhaps draw out a bit more the contrast of the heavier and lighter moments, however they do make fantastic use fast and slow paces to give a more superfluous edge to the album, and despite chucking about half a dozen genres in a blender their musicianship is able to maintain a very decent consistency of quality and certainly create an unique album, whose integrity has not been lost at the expense of experimentation.

(Guilty as Sin sent me a copy for reviewing purposes)

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