Album Review: Sultans of Snap - All Must Bow

By Denyong(rakista.com/v1)

Album: All Must Bow.
Artist: Sultans of Snap
Released: 2004


Lineup:
Mark "Batas" Rodriguez - Bass/Vocals
Eric "Hustisya" Hotchkiss - Drums
Kaloi "Silya Elektrika" Cambaliza - Guitars

Tracklisting:
1. Outsider
2. Believe in Thee
3. End This
4. Black Mass
5. Reigning Terror... Thou Genuflect
6. Itumba ang Kalaban


Ok! Ok! I know it's late for me to give a review on this album not only because it lacked information about its release but I think Sultans of Snap deserves the recognition and for giving "metal" a real meaning to the noob of the Filipino Metal scene. Somehow switching top spots with their metal cohorts SIN for the prestigious World Battle of the Bands proves that Sultans of Snap is just one tough act to bypass. We can not predict who would light the torch of such prestige but who knows?

Opening the album is "Outsider". Reminds me of a traditional opener trademark on some Overkill songs. Batas screams sounded a bit like Robb Flynn minus the harsh vocals. Also, great solos (3:45-4:22). And indeed they have the elements of classic 80's thrash metal in each and every song. Like more of a Show no Mercy/Haunting the Chapel-era Slayer to, who else? early-Overkill? "Believe in Thee" is a seven-minute fifty nine second brutality. Hear the sledgehammer-to-the-skull drumming courtesy of Hustisya. "End This" has a slow and audible plucking at the start and then go loud all over reminiscing the style of latter-day Black Sabbath songs. The part where both guitar riff and bassline fused together really blew the living daylights out of me (4:40-5:10, 5:40-6:08 ) then goes of with a really gloomy but fast solo (5:11-5:38 ). "End This" becomes my favorite killer cut off this album.

"Black Mass" starts off with drumming then came crunching down in mid-tempo. Then goes fast all along. Their bet for the WBOB competition, this song has a lot of moments from the guitar riffings to the solos to the bassline and drumming. In "Reigning Terror... Thou Genuflect", their 80's thrash metal influence is beginning to take shape and will yet deliver a crushing blow at full volume. Egyptian sounding riffs (5:50-6:31) has added a great combination with the song as Batas himself contributed keyboard parts that's not very much audible unless you know what sound did it make. The only local song sounding like a beginning riff from a Lamb of God song, I find the song "Itumba ang Kalaban" really angst-ridden and exciting. Starts off with tangina mo, probably a song dedicated to the enemies of society transcribed by wicked guitar riffing and soloing and an almost dark ambience at the mid-part. Silya Elektrika became possessed with this solo part (6:57-7:12). Tomas Brillantes collaborated with these guys on vocals to sound like a gang or something. Talk about explosives at the end part, probably decimating the population of their so-called enemies.

Although I cannot cite some of their lyrics to deal closely with the songs, listening to this 51:13 creation with songs no less than 5 minutes of f*cking hatred and brutality shows how Sultans of Snap deals not only with the enemies of society but also those who were believers of false-metal. With nicks like that probably prove that Sultans of Snap were the living tribunal of metal. Law, Order and uuhh... executioner?