Thrash Metal

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    Testament – Dark Roots of Earth (2012)

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    After the half-assed “The Formation of Damnation”, Chuck Billy and company return with what is probably the best Testament album since “The Legacy” (well… maybe “Low” for us). With “Dark Roots of Earth”, the band gets the excellent drummer Gene Hoglan back and together with the mastermind behind the production of some of the best albums in the past few years, Andy Sneap, they deliver nine amazing Thrash Metal anthems with a splash of modern elements, but nothing too flashy or fancy to divert from the main genre.

    Blowing the listener away with the high-octane “Rise Up”, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick deliver a powerful riffing onslaught that we haven’t heard in quite a while from Testament. Chuck Billy’s vocals are as always very traditional and James Hetfield sounding. Stepping things up with “Native Blood”, the drumming finally resonates with some excellent sections in the songs chorus part. The weird mood changes in “Dark Roots of Earth” make this song sound like something that Megadeath would have released back in the “Youthanasia” era, but with better guitar solos.

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    Septic Christ – Guilty As We Were Born (2012)

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    Keeping the Thrash Metal flame alive, today we have Germany’s Septic Christ and their latest full-length release titled “Guilty As We Were Born”. Released under Malevolence Records, this album features twelve tracks of very well crafted old-school Thrash Metal, that is a bit slower paced than what we are used to listening to, but it has that great old vibe that brings all the nostalgic memories from the genre’s hay day.

    Opening with a very deceiving melodic track that caries the album title, things really get started with  “Starstruck” and it’s intense riffing. There are a few moments in this track that we had some Metallica “And Justice For All” flash backs from a bit, but the music caries on with a more traditional Thrash edge. The band does a good job in crafting catchy melodies, and the drums are very intricate, but we feel that there is some speed missing to make this track (and most of the rest) more intense.

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    Fanthrash – Duality of Things (2011)

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    The Thrash Metal revival up to date has been mostly from USA bands, but today we have one of Poland’s ‘first’ Thrash Metal bands, Fanthrash, returning from a 10 year hiatus and delivering a pretty solid ‘debut’ full-length titled “Duality of Things”. Featuring twelve tracks of high-intensity Thrashtastic music, this band has a hearty old-school vibe that perfectly blends with a few more modern and experimental elements.

    After the instrumental opener, “Allocation of The Soul” brings solid riffing and very firm singing, none of that high-pitched bullshit that many Thrash bands call singing. With a few unconventional tempo changes, this is not your typical Thrash Metal song, but neither is Fanthrash your typical run of the mill band. With some serious Death-like opening vibe, “Forced” delivers a pretty good dosage of riffs and intricate drumming sections, making this a very diverse and highly entertaining song.

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    Mortillery – Murder Death Kill (2012)

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    Delivering high-intensity old-school Thrash Metal, today we have Canada’s latest export Mortillery and their debut album “Murder Death Kill”. As a full package that includes the typical Thrash Metal outfit, Mortillery is one of those bands that try to keep the past alive with some kickass songs featuring excellent musical abilities.

    Reminding us of Kreator with the excellent opener “Murder Death Kill”, this Canadians start their release with a huge bang. It is ridiculous to think that this band formed in 2009 and they are this good already. The track delivers awesome guitar skills paired with very crunchy drums. The girl on bass guitar also does a great job in keeping things bounded together with the pulsating bass line. Filled with catchy riffs and even better solos, “Sacrifice”, “Evil Remains”, and “Fritzls Cellar” further cement the band’s old-school roots and provide great headbanging passages.

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    Alter self – Promo (2012)

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    Delivering three excellent Death/Thrash Metal tracks, today we have Alter self and their 2012 promo. In this short but sweet release, we are treated to nearly 12 minutes of very well composed music that will have you headbanging since the first minute. With a well-balanced mixture of old-school Thrash and aggressive Death Metal elements, this band has a very clear and direct sound that many others can only dream about.

    Opening with a bang, “My Sober Reflection” delivers very powerful riffs and a very nice bass guitar line that is pulsating in the background. With a very aggressive sound, this track delivers a hefty balance between Melodic Thrash Metal and hard-hitting Death Metal. The band’s musical abilities are pretty solid and all elements of this song work very well together.

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    Disaffected – Rebirth (2012)

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    Hailing from Portugal, today we have a band that ‘waited’ for 17 years to release their second full-length release. Disaffected’s last album was back in 1995 and with “Rebirth” they deliver a very interesting and unique sounding release that is quite hard to categorize, but it’s very enjoyable to listen to. Mixing powerful guitar lines with hectic bass guitar sections, pummeling drums, crazy keyboards and harsh vocals, Disaffected has managed to catch us off-guard and produce something totally unique and different.

    After a very weird and trippy intro, “C.ult O.f M.y A.shes” and “Getting Into the Labyrinth” feature a wave of powerful guitars laid on top of intricate drumming. The vocals are very aggressive and they nicely add more brutality to the overall mix of thing. The structure of these songs is quite weird and unpredictable, and while there are some melodic portions, they keyboards and the bass guitar line seem to be on a completely different plane of existence. “Dreaming III (A Nightmare)” moves into more Avant-garde areas with a very chaotic nature and a crazy feeling of a terrible nightmare, as the name states.

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    Witchtrap – Vengeance Is My Name (2012)

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    Arriving all the way from Colombia, today we have Witchtrap and their impressive old-school Thrash Metal release titled “Vengeance Is My Name”. Featuring 40 minutes of intense balls-to-the-wall Thrash Metal, this release is an early candidate for Thrash album of the year 2012. The band delivers the old-school vibe brilliantly and their compositions are both entertaining and technically proficient.

    After the misleading acoustic intro track, “Winds of War” delivers the first of many pummeling assaults of catchy riffing, high-octane drumming, and traditional Thrash Metal slur unlike anything we have hear this year. The band’s ability to sound like Kreator, Death Angel, Forbiden, used to do in the 80’s its impressive, but what is more impressive is how they complement the sound with even more technical abilities and keep the vibe intact.

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    Davidian – Our Fear Is Their Force (2012)

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    Delivering a pummeling aural assault, today we have Davidian and their extreme “Our Fear Is Their Force” release. Featuring brutal guitars, hellish vocals and a very intense drumming, this is probably one of the best Thrashcore/Groove Metal releases we have reviewed in a while.

    After the momentum building intro track “F.S.O”, the band quickly explodes into an all-out riffing war with “Behind An Angelic Smile”. The production behind this release is massive and makes speakers shake due to the sheer power behind the guitar work and harsh singing. The band’s sound borders between groovy and melodic, making it very effective and punishing. Some keyboards hints in tracks like “Manmade Hell” nicely give unexpected twists to the band’s pummeling songs.

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    Kaos – Validated in Blood (2012)

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    Kaos, the Bay Area’s most underrated Thrash Metal band is finally back with five high-octane tracks that deliver the powerful message that the band needs a shot at the big leagues: ASAP. In “Validated in Blood” the band maintains their top notch form from their previous release “The Pits of Existence”, and delivers a very intense and powerful release.

    Opening with the pummeling “United We Kill”, the riff machine immediately starts and keeps things soaring high for the remainder of this release. Besides the killer riffing, Jason Darnell’s vocals are top notch, perfectly blending with the band’s aggressive music. The percussions in this song are excellent and the individual guitar work in the solos is top notch, something that many bands fail to put attention to, showcasing the abilities of Stacey Murray and Steve Brumbaugh.

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    Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast (2012)

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    Returning to their old ways after the so-so “Massive Aggressive”, Municipal Waste delivers “The Fatal Feast”. As a huuuuuge improvement over their previous album, this release features 16 solid tracks that cover everything between crossover, thrash, d-beat, and punk. For a span of 40 minutes the band will dominate the listener with a combination of their timeless sound and their ‘balls to the wall’ intensity.

    Now signed to Nuclear Blast, Municipal Waste quickly jumps into action with the Punk/Thrash track “Repossession”. On one side of this release you have a hefty dosage of Thrash elements on tracks like “New Dead Masters”, “Crushing Chest Wound”, and “Death Tax”, there are also plenty of Punkier songs like “Unholy Abductor”, “You’re Cut Off” and “12 Step Program”, and completing the release you have the remaining tracks featuring the Municipal Waste Crossover sound that we all love from the band’s latest releases.

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