ÄXE – Autogeddon (Bestial Speed Punk)
Ironic usage of an umlaut equals unironic mastery of a genre. Now, of course, the umlaut phenomenon is primarily within the realm of metal, and a theme so reused one wonders if any letters are left to dot. Has the A been blessed with the sacred bits? Certainly, but here the redundancy is avoided because the band brazenly doesn’t give a shit about perceptions. With only two demos to their name, which are rather more like full-lengths when you look at the total length of each, the United Kingdom’s ÄXE proudly dot their vowels with bestial, blackened punk attitude.
To be honest, at first, I wasn’t a fan of Autogeddon. The reason being that the recording quality is quite low in the volume, but hey, just turn that shit up! Problem solved! Plus, for this type of demo-level sound, you kind of anticipate uncertainty, or outright instability, in levels, and probably quality; it’s part of the aesthetic. But ÄXE are clear masters of this type of approach. Autogeddon doesn’t simply rev its engine for show, it pulls the clutch and twists the throttle clean off. You don’t even have a moment to duck out of the way, it’s too late by the time you’re a few moments into the opener, and all that’s left is to enjoy the feeling of rubber tearing the flesh off your back down to the spine as they speed away into the distance, bringing a hellstorm to underground freaks foolish enough to challenge their power. A true slam that is demo in name only.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
ÄXE – Autogeddon
Caligari Records
Cover Art: Band
4.6 / 5
