Terminalist

TERMINALIST - Photo by Theis Wilmer Poulsen

The crises surround us—from the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine to inflation, inequality and deepening political polarization to the overarching climate and biodiversity crisis. Wherever we look, the world around us is engulfed in a state of crisis.

It is this weighty and complex theme that the Danish-American hyperthrashers in Terminalist take up on their sophomore album, 'The Crisis as Condition.' Rooted in 1980s technical thrash metal, they update the socio-political criticism known from the genre's heyday in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s—a time that was also characterized by political upheaval, yet marked by a belief in better times ahead.

On 'The Crisis as Condition,' this worldview is turned inside out. The optimism of earlier times and faith in progress have been replaced by a bleak and pessimistic realism. Transformation turns to turmoil; the state of emergency is the new normal. Crisis has become a condition.

Where the debut album, 'The Great Acceleration,' was a commentary on the (future) space race and the inherently destructive side of technology, 'The Crisis as Condition' is a simultaneously detached and impassioned look at the present. Science fiction fantasies have been shelved in favor of a fierce analysis and castigation of contemporary crisis-ridden society. The future is not what it used to be.

This is expressed through hard-hitting and dynamic music rich in detail that has its basis in thrash metal, but which draws parallels to progressive metal and black metal with its intricate rhythms and ambitious songwriting. The lyrical references span far and wide—from Kreator to Margaret Thatcher—and draw on the works and thoughts of philosophers, sociologists, cultural critics, and political scientists such as Francis Fukuyama, Adam Tooze, Mark Fisher, Hartmut Rosa, Paul Virilio, and Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen.

Just as on their debut album, Terminalist has teamed up with producer Lasse Ballade. 'The Crisis as Condition' was recorded and mixed at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen and mastered by V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) at Woodshed Studios in Germany, while the British painter Ryan T. Hancock is once again responsible for the unique artwork. 

'The Crisis as Condition' will be released on September 8, 2023, on vinyl, CD, tape, and digital formats via Indisciplinarian.

Members
Emil Hansen - Vocals, guitars
Morten R. Bruun - Guitars
Kalle Tiihonen - Bass
Frederik Amris - Drums

Discography
The Crisis as Condition (Album 2023)
The Great Acceleration (Album 2021)
Voyagers (Single 2020)
Abandon All Liberties (EP 2019)

Online
www.facebook.com/terminalist
www.instagram.com/terminalistcph
www.terminalist.bandcamp.com