My initial expectation when this review copy slipped into the inbox was that it had to be a Candlemass influenced doom outfit. But oh no, Under the Oak play a combination of thrash and old school traditional heavy metal which is rooted deep in the 1980s. For someone who was cutting my metal teeth from about 1980 onwards, this is a welcome and warming sound, for although Under the Oak are certainly dipped in that decade, they are a lot better than simply a tribute to the decade that spawned thrash and a whole host of other metal genres.
I’m not familiar with their debut release Ripped Up By the Roots, released in 2020 but the feedback I’ve read suggests that it certainly got attention. Rattus Norvegicus is certainly a solid release, opening with the speed metal of ‘Total Trash Metal’ before spending the next 52 minutes delivering solid heavy metal that would have got dandruff flying back in the day.
As you listen to Rattus Norvegicus (that’s the brown or Norwegian rat, muroid fans) you’ll hear many influences. There’s a definite cross between David Wayne and Udo Dirkschneider in vocalist Jostein Sandaker’s delivery, and it’s the Metal Church connection that emerges on several of the songs, for the Washington outfit also had a sound that saw them stray across the boundaries of thrash country on many occasions.
It’s a lengthy album, close to 55 minutes in total, so it’s a good thing that the bulk of the album is solid. There are some creaking parts, with some of the lyrics a little cliched but overall, the robustness of the songs is enough to maintain the interest.
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Topics are varied and with titles as far out as “Bangkok Haircut” (apparently when a lover cuts off their partner’s penis!) and “Pandemic,” as well as the title track all adding to the riff fest it’s all rather fun and enjoyable. Sure, it isn’t the technical flourishing that we see in many of the bands, but there is something honest and earthy about the Norwegians endeavours.
To top it all, Under the Oak finish with two anthems of our time. First up we get the Tank classic “Echoes of a Distant Battle” which is done in fine style and still sends the hairs standing on end. The album concludes with a return to the thrash and a version of Destruction’s seminal “Mad Butcher.” Under the Oak give both the ultimate respect and subsequently both covers are superb.
There’s nothing fancy here. It’s traditional, honest heavy metal. At times, with so many genres and subgenres weaving in an out of our listening equipment, something as comforting as this album is sometimes all you want.
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Rattus Norvegicus is out on September 2nd
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