| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Stigmata Activator Born To A Dying World Nothing Comes From Nothing Pathway To Oblivion Headhunter Snake In The Grass Gutterfeeder Release Date: March 17, 2023 Label: Independent Website: www.4arm.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/4ARMofficial 4ARM IS: Michael Vafiotis - Drums Markus Johansson - Vocals, guitars, bass |  |
If you live in North America or Europe, the Aussie thrashers in 4Arm most likely came on your radar with the release of their third album Submission For Liberty in 2012, as well as their tours as support for Testament and Slayer in 2013. Playing live for the band came to a screeching halt after the Slayer tour when frontman Danny Tomb departed from the band, but they brought in current vocalist/guitarist Markus Johansson, and released the album Survivalist in 2015. As we sit here in 2023, 8 years since the release of Survivalist, 6 years since their last social media update, and a whole decade since they last played a live show, we thought that the towel was thrown in for them. However, out of nowhere, the band announced their overall fifth album Pathway To Oblivion with a rather short wait time for release. The album was announced on March 1st, and was released 17 days later. I think the album being an inpdenendent release is the reason the wait time was short.
Before the announcement of the album, their last social media post was in 2017 when they announced that they had to take a hiatus due to a life-threatening injury, but they were set to begin tracking soon after that. Now that the album is out, you'll notice that Andy Hinterreiter is not credited for bass, which may seem like he was the one who was injured, and he has either left the band because of it, retired from music entirely, or just not on the album due to his injury. As a result, bass was handled by Markus Johansson, and the album was recorded by him and drummer Michael Vafiotis, who is the only original member left. Those are just some observations I wanted to point out.
Getting into the album, it picks up where Survivalist left off. With tracks like "Gutterfeeder", "Born To A Dying World", "Stigmata" and "Activator", we're treated to some hard-hitting riffs full of groove and ferocity. Markus' vocals seem like a blend of James Hetfield and Chuck Billy, which is a combo I really enjoy, and Vafiotis is an absolute powerhouse of a drummer. One thing that 4Arm take a lot of pride in with their albums is making sure the production delivers a crushing punch to the gut, and that always elevates the songs to greater heights. Submission For Liberty and Survivalist both contained exactly that, and Pathway To Oblivion continues that.
It's annoying that many people still haven't gotten over Danny Tomb's departure and are begging for him to come back and for the band to return with Submission For Liberty (Part 2). Not happening people. Go listen to Meshiaak if you want to hear Danny's voice. Whether 4Arm manages to get a new complete lineup and play live again, or just remain a recording band remains to be seen. However, given that they haven't played a live show in a whole decade, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be the latter. Either way, it means that 4Arm is still alive and we'll still be hearing new music from the Aussie lads.
Before the announcement of the album, their last social media post was in 2017 when they announced that they had to take a hiatus due to a life-threatening injury, but they were set to begin tracking soon after that. Now that the album is out, you'll notice that Andy Hinterreiter is not credited for bass, which may seem like he was the one who was injured, and he has either left the band because of it, retired from music entirely, or just not on the album due to his injury. As a result, bass was handled by Markus Johansson, and the album was recorded by him and drummer Michael Vafiotis, who is the only original member left. Those are just some observations I wanted to point out.
Getting into the album, it picks up where Survivalist left off. With tracks like "Gutterfeeder", "Born To A Dying World", "Stigmata" and "Activator", we're treated to some hard-hitting riffs full of groove and ferocity. Markus' vocals seem like a blend of James Hetfield and Chuck Billy, which is a combo I really enjoy, and Vafiotis is an absolute powerhouse of a drummer. One thing that 4Arm take a lot of pride in with their albums is making sure the production delivers a crushing punch to the gut, and that always elevates the songs to greater heights. Submission For Liberty and Survivalist both contained exactly that, and Pathway To Oblivion continues that.
It's annoying that many people still haven't gotten over Danny Tomb's departure and are begging for him to come back and for the band to return with Submission For Liberty (Part 2). Not happening people. Go listen to Meshiaak if you want to hear Danny's voice. Whether 4Arm manages to get a new complete lineup and play live again, or just remain a recording band remains to be seen. However, given that they haven't played a live show in a whole decade, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be the latter. Either way, it means that 4Arm is still alive and we'll still be hearing new music from the Aussie lads.
FINAL RATING
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