Musings: Animalize – Meat We're Made Of

Thanks to the Netflix series Stranger Things’ latest season, there’s been a resurgence of interest for Metallica’s classic Master of Puppets record. If you dig ‘Tallica from back in the days when they used to play thrash metal, then you’ll most likely get a kick out of Animalize, a thrash metal band from Lyon, France.

After a really fun EP in 2020, Animalize are back with their full-length debut, Meat We’re Made Of, and it will kick your ass into next week! Songs influenced by cemeteries, horror and sci-fi movies from the ‘80s, glam and thrash, but also synthwave and new wave, it’s a smorgasbord of retro goodness. Three of the nine tracks are sung in French (which I have a penchant for since French is my first language) and it’s always fun to hear French metal, but they also happen to be the best songs on the album, in my humble opinion. From the get-go, I was hooked. The first track, “Samourai de l’univers” (translates to “Samourai of the Universe”), is a catchy, blistering tune loaded with riffs. The standouts apart from the opener for me are “Eternal Second”, a terrific choice as their second single, with riffs and licks straight out of the ‘80s. If you haven’t played air guitar in a while, this song is sure to get you reacquainted with your air G. Then I’d pick “Escorte funèbre” (“Funeral Escort”), which I believe to be the masterpiece of this record, clocking in at a little over six minutes. And the third French track, “Esprit de l’asile” (“Spirit of the Asylum”), is the perfect closer to cap off this 36-minute metal fest.

Animalize proudly wear their influences on their sleeve and Meat We’re Made Of is an instant favorite. If you love old Metallica, Megadeth, and W.A.S.P. among others, then you’re bound to have a total blast with this high-energy record. From beginning to end, there’s never a dull moment: sometimes dark, often funny lyrics, guitar solos abound, drum and bass are relentless, and the vocals soar like a phoenix. Definitely one of the albums with the most replay value of the summer. So, get ready to bang your head and pick up this bad boy at your earliest convenience, it’s what the doctor ordered for your metal health!

Animalize on Bandcamp: https://animalizeband.bandcamp.com/

Dying Victims Records’ Animalize Bandcamp page: https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/animalize-meat-were-made-of