NO LIFE TIL METAL . COM REVIEW Boarders, The World Hates Me (Retroactive) 2009 1. 'True Rebellion (3:57) 2. 'Baptized With Fire (3:53) 3. 'Schmertzgarten (4:25) 4. 'Never Alone (4:22) 5. 'In My Darkest Hour ( 6:16) 6. 'Jump For Joy ( 4:12) 7. 'For What It's Worth (3:07) 8. 'Deliver You Back To Hell (4:13) 9. 'W.P.D. ( 3:25) 10. 'Till Life Do Us One ( 3:57) 11. 'The World Hates Me (5:24) Boarders are an Italian heavy metal band that are a hybrid of styles. 'The World Hates Me' features a blending of melodic sensibilities and aggressive thrash influences. Songs like 'Schmertzgarten' and 'Deliver You Back To Hell' showcase the bands thrash and speed metal influences. The band wears their influences on their sleeve at times, and even play tribute to one of their biggest influences with a cover of Megadeth's 'In My Darkest Hour'. However, a more melodic aspect to the band is showcased on the straightforward metal direction taken on songs like 'True Rebellion' and 'Jump For Joy'. With these songs, Boarders has more in common with AC/DC than they do with Megadeth and Metallica. On other songs like 'Baptized With Fire' the band successfully mixes both styles together. Vocalist Egi has a good range and does well on both the thrash and traditional metal numbers. Album opener 'True Rebellion' has Egi signing in a high range, with a slight bit of grit in his voice. On my first listen I was reminded of an Australian band that was quite popular last year called Airbourne. 'Never Alone' is the one ballad on the album. This melancholy song features female vocalist Mariangelo Scafati sharing lead vocals duties. Eli gives an incredible vocal performance on this song, belting out a high pitched scream towards the end of the song that would rival Geoff Tate in his prime. For the heavier numbers such as 'For What It's Worth' Egi adds more harshness to his voice, almost sounding like a different singer. On 'Baptized with Fire', where Boarders melds together their thrash and classic metal influences, Egi's vocals give the band a sound not unlike some of the great speed metal bands of the past like Agent Steel, Realm and Toxik. Guitarist Gigi lays down some choice chops and catchy riffs that makes the melding of styles work well together. 'The World Hates Me' was originally released in 2007 on independent German label Quam Libet. The CD was finally made available in the US in January of 2009 by Retroactive Records. PHANTOM TOLLBOTH REVIEW The World Hates Me Artist: Boarders Label: Retroactive Records Time: 11 tracks/47:06 minutes It's rare that a metal band surprises me. Having been a tried and true Metal Head for over half my life I've heard every genre, sub genre, and sub sub genre in the Metal World. That being said, Italy's Boarders surprised me. It's not that they're innovative; frankly they're not. Nor are they unique. They wear their influences on their sleeves, even covering the Megadeth classic 'In My Darkest Hour.' What sets Boarders apart for me is the way that they combine different styles into a record that is instantly catchy, familiar but not derivative, and undeniably enjoyable throughout. Musically Boarders owe a lot to the Bay Area Thrash scene of the late eighties, specifically Megadeth. But some tracks, such as the opener 'True Rebellion' and the insanely addictive 'Jump For Joy' have more in common with AC/DC than thrash. There are also a couple of true metal ballads not that Pop Metal crap, but emotive and gritty stuff along the lines of Aerosmith's 'Dream On.' The guitar work is great, guitarist Gigi throws down some killer leads. However, the vocals steal the show here. Egi's vocals are phenomenal. He has a fantastic range, pulling off James Hetfield like growls and soaring Jimmy Brown style shrieks without a hitch, often in the same song! The best example is the chorus of W.P.D. in which he growls 'Work! Pay! Die!' and then yells 'Die!' at the top of his lungs. Some of the lyrics are a bit hard to follow though. English is obviously the band's second language and I think a lot of the meaning is lost in transl
