Review: “Drinks All Round” by Halberd

Know for playing brand of Thrash, Death and Groove Metal so infectious that it has it’s own STI clinic, South East London natives Halberd were formed in the Summer of 2013 by vocalist Casey Marsh and haven’t looked back since. 2022 was a colossal year for the band as they released not only a debut album in “Parasitic Humanity” in May but also an EP in “Thrashbestos” in December before lead guitarist Steven Scott exited stage left and Deejay Shore joined the ranks. Two years on the band were set to return with a sophomore album, however the laptop holding the masters had a meltdown and everything was lost. Not to disappoint friends and fans the gentleman have hastily put together a four track EP titled “Drinks All Round” to fill the gap whilst they sort out their technical issues. Tales of war, politics and religion, uprisings and savage beatings await…

Whether these tracks are re-recordings of ones that would have appeared on the album or whether they’re fresh remains unknown but there is nothing within these four tracks that suggest they have been rushed or recorded live on the floor in a basement dwelling of some kind. Instead, Marsh sounds like a drunk Gollum-esq figure cloaked in black as he tears through the Death Metal vocals of the records title track “Drinks All Round“, accompanied by a riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Power Metal record about tales of Piracy on the high seas. After that intriguing opening the five piece return to type with the Cockney Thrash attack that is “Cyanide“, a cut laced with 80’s old school riffs and snot nosed punk humour that will get the heads banging and the mosh pit started. A guitar solo, a bass solo and a clean crisp drum sound make this one top drawer the vocals having that evil grin of charm to them that make it an infectious banger from start to finish. It almost sounds like they’re going to burst into “Toxic Waltz” by Exodus before the end.

A scalding lyrical narrative fuels the Thrash fire in the classy “Thy Future Be None“, a cut that has yet more old school familiarity about it, making it easy to get involved with. Punchy and aggressive with a satisfying crunch in the guitar tone, if Metallica rolled this one out as a new song then fans would be hailing the return of the Kings, which is a testament to the craftsmanship of these musicians. Ranting and raving like a lunatic, Marsh gives his finest vocal performance on “Shadows In The Night“, a cut with sumptuous leads throughout from Shore that elevate the bands work to a new realm of existence. Underneath that the rumbling bass and powerhouse percussive battery are accompanied by staccato riff breaks as Marsh shows off his storytelling capabilities. A little rough around the edges perhaps but these tracks pave the way for a bright future and we can but hope that the album can be rescued [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Drinks All Round
2. Cyanide
3. Thy Future Be None
4. Shadows In The Night

“Drinks All Round” by Halberd is out 19th April 2024 and is available over at bandcamp.