Most bands have their “Rust in Peace” moment. An album you dream about making as a teenage metalhead. When you pick up your instrument of choice for the first time with the aspiration to become rock star. A breakout album, above any and all that has come before it. Terrorform by South Australia’s own Hidden Intent not only hits all of those highs, but, in a uniquely Australian way, kicks them square in the “shit c#nts”.
From the album cover, reminiscent of Annihilator’s self-titled album, to the final song, Reaper, Terrorform takes us on a journey Hidden Intent has been destined to seize for years. Moving on from the Addicted to Thrash and Drop Bears are Real era, Terrorform transforms the band to a thrash force to be reckoned with.
The instrumental opener Paradoxx, a song dedicated to Phil Bennett’s late sister, is a layered guitar performance with a synth overtone, in which one feels the sadness of loss and heartache in every note, but, paradoxically, gets you amped up for the rest of the album.
The title song, Terrorform, is one that I would listen to on repeat all day. Sung with a ferocity and anger Chris McEwen dove deep into, matched by chaotically paced drumming and a perfectly layered guitar execution, this song is worth every accolade Hidden Intent set out to achieve. Phil Bennett, you have taken your beautiful green Flying V guitar and turned it into a force for metal! The filthy breakdowns in this ditty and every other song on this album, are without question the epitome of thrash metal. I bow down to you sir! You are without a doubt one of the premier guitarists in Australia and you should absolutely be recognised as such.
Paul Lewis produces a premier performance on the drums, pounding the piss out of his kit like it owed him money. His talent is nothing short of inspirational to wannabe drummers like me, and throughout the entirety of this album he, Phil and Chris show why Hidden Intent are not just emerging from the clubs of Adelaide but bursting out of that scene in search for bigger venues and larger crowds, the illustrious Wacken being the pinnacle of their live performances, so far. Only the best Aussie bands have played that stage, that says a lot about the potential of Hidden Intent and how far they are willing to go in search of the metalheads dream.
Chris McEwen, or Chris McThrashy as he’s more affectionately known, brings a vocal performance comparable to the late great Lemmy Kilmeister and worthy of Australian metal royalty. At the same time, he fingerbangs the bass with the class of the inimitable Steve DiGeorgio himself. His gutteral vocal performance leaves everything in its wake, particularly in the song One More for The Road where the boys take the risk of slowing things down a little before building up and breaking out into layered guitars and an epic, yet heartfelt and sad song dedicated to Chris’s late father. What a proud dad he would have been.
Killfatuation has me thinking Chris is in fact the second coming, not of Jesus, but of Lemmy. I know there are those of you who would say, “Lemmy is God”, but I would have to say Lemmy has come down from “Metal Heaven” with his bottle of Jack Daniels, inhabited Chris’s body and belted out this song. Coupled with changes in tempo and wailing guitars, Killfatuation stands among my faves on Terrorform.
Cum Punch (Toxic Human) is a ferocious punk inspired song, lyrically walking the fine line between hostility and flat-out aggression while musically pushing the limits of bellicosity. One not to be missed.
The Ruins was the first single from the Terrorform album, and for good reason. Sure to be a live crowd favourite now and in the coming years. Hidden Intent find their political voice and punish those who fail us with crushing lyrics and powerful jams.
Behind the Mask and Cursed and Bound bring us back to the heavy after the power ballad One More for the Road. The former, a dystopian glance at the world around us from Behind the Mask, I hear a little Machine Head in there, and get the feel of a predator in a mask, hiding in the shadows waiting for his next kill, Jason Voorhees style. The images in my head play like a movie to this song, but that’s my old school 80s self, coming out from where it hides deep inside.
The latter brings out Chris’s bass chops and more layered guitars than you could poke a stick at. Cursed and Bound must’ve been a Phil special, much like Dyssomnia. I personally love the layered guitar sound, a sonic explosion that speaks a language only metalheads like you and I are fluent in, especially when coupled lyrically with a deep mistrust of the powers that be. An absolute banger in my books.
After the beauty and serenity of The Loss? the album is topped off with 3 of the finest tracks I’ve personally heard from any Australian band in a dogs age. Dyssomnia has a distinct Metallica taste to it. The song builds from a relatively slow start to a massive, layered guitar mid-section sure to please any and every metalhead out there in metal land and ending with a Pantera-esque beatdown.
Fkn Lose It has a defined Bay Area feel to it. This song makes me want to jump into a mosh pit and hope to Christ I don’t get hit with all the karate moves the kids do nowadays. There’s just no etiquette in the pit anymore, but more about that another time.
The same could be said for a lot of the songs on Terrorform. The work put into this album to produce something this close to perfect as they have must have been a rigorous journey for the band.
And finally, the darkest song on the album, Reaper. A haunting bassline with background whispers sets the scene for an epic ending to this formidable album. Fast, poignant and piercing, Reaper would be the perfect ending on any album. Again, I find myself drifting into the spirit of the song, closing my eyes, transcending the heaviness and evocative drill that is the song, Reaper.
The depth of this album is born straight from the fiery depths of Hell. Satan himself would be banging his head and thrusting his fists into the abyss. Even Jebus would be moshing with his disciples in the pit. He grew his hair long for a reason folks! That’s right, I’ll say it, Jebus was a metalhead! There, I said it!
This album kicks all the arse standing in its way. The future for Hidden Intent is unwritten, yet foreseeable, and goddamn it, I’m here for it!
This is Hidden Intent’s magnum opus thus far, and it only leaves the door wide open for more magic to be written further down the Aussie beaten track.
Terrorform is a magnificent entry into the annuls of Australian metal history. If you haven’t heard it yet you’re missing out. Buy the album and support Aussie metal at its finest. You won’t regret it.
In Terrorform we trust!
Brett Parmenter for Metal On Tap and ParMetal Media
