The one man thrash brigade is back! That’s right, Joel Grind has crawled back from beyond (Oregon) to hammer us with yet another splatter platter of ugly, primitive but oh-so-good 80′s retro thrash. Mr. Grind has been mucking about as a one-man-band in the retro world since 99′, which makes him one of the originators of the ongoing thrash revival. Whether you love him or hate him depends on your tolerance for thrash and reliving the past. Regardless, here on album four, Conjure and Command, he makes it clear he’s not going away anytime soon. Conjure is yet another huge slab of golden age thrash, written by a true fan of the style for fans of the style. As the album unspools, the listener will hear references to all the great 80′s thrash icons and it plays like a thick, meaty stew loaded with Bay Area and Germanic ingredients. Its almost as if Mr. Grind stumbled across a creepy, Ed Gein style yard sale, the kind with plenty of scary old dolls and strange stuffed animals. Tucked away in the back was a bloody box loaded with the missing riffs of Kreator, Slayer and Destruction. Needless to say, that box was plundered mightily during the making of this album. If thrash gives you a rash, here is your chance to flee. If you feel the need for speed, read on.

To get a flavor for the base sound of Conjure and Command, imagine Bathory opting for a thrash approach on the early albums like The Return. Its a raw, nasty and caustic sound that mixes thrash with crusty punk and it’s      glorious! The riffing veers closest to old Slayer but Sodom, Kreator, Exodus and even old Metallica can be heard at various point. Opener “Judgment Awaits You” is all frantic, neck breaking speed with evil riffs and vicious vocals by Grind. “Agony of the Damned” features slow, filthy grinding counterpointed by a melodic lead right off Ride the Lightning and it works damn well. “Bitch” has a classic Sodom vibe (including the theft of the drum lead from “Ausgebombt”) and “Nowhere to Run” has irresistibly catchy but heavy-as-fuck riffing from start to finish. The highlight is either the truly vile sounding “I Am Disease” or the more rocking ”The Liars are Burning” but make no mistake, all the songs are old school thrash brilliance. Like all great albums, the devil is in the little details, like ”I Am Disease” at 2:16 where it sounds like Grind spontaneously injects a ”Hail Satan” right before a break. It makes me smile every time. Adding to the fun, Grind lugs out every possible lyrical cliche from serial killers to devil worship and lovingly pays homage to all.

The guitar tone is eviscerating and sounds like it has a loathsome disease clinging to the strings. You see, Mr. Grind understands that thrash doesn’t work when the guitars are overly clean and sterile. Whether going for quick thrash picking or slow, sludgy riffing, his guitar work is the big attraction here and there are so many skin lacerating riffs, it will shock and awe you (every song is a riff wonderland). Grind’s vocals are also a big part of the charm. He has a rough, raspy shout that falls somewhere between Paul Baloff (Exodus) and Millie Petrozza (Kreator) and he even pulls out a black metal croak sometimes. This is the first album where Grind has some help and the drums by Nikki Rage and bass by Philthy Gnaast play a big part in the album’s success. Everything sounds great and the flavor of the 80′s is nailed to the wall time and again. Likewise, the raw production is exactly what is needed to let the songs moulder, ferment and foment. It sounds as it should: toxic.

Look, I know many are tired of the retro thrash trend and I’m aware you can’t spell retro thrash without rehash. In all honestly, I’m growing weary of it too but when a real barn-burner of an album comes along and you find yourself replaying every song after the first listen, there’s no point in whining about trends or originality. The fact is, this is the most pure and also the most fun thrash album of the year and its every bit as good as the stellar An Overdose of Death opus from 2008. Paul Grind is an absolute thrash monster and from one fan of the genre to the other, thanks brother, keep grinding!

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3. Assassin – Breaking the Silence Review

An extreme metal super-group from down under? Intriguing eh mates? Assaulter is a slightly blackened thrash band featuring S. Berserker, formerly of Deströyer 666 on guitar, bass and vocals and Peter Hunt, formerly of Razor of Occam on drums. For the Australian extreme metal scene that’s pretty super indeed. Boundless is their second album under this moniker and it’s a hefty slice of good old fashioned thrashing lunacy with enough black metal and Middle Eastern influences to make them stand out from the likes of Legion of the Damned and their modern thrash brethren. After never hearing of these guys before, this impressed me enough that I felt compelled to track down the debut as well and I feel on solid ground saying they’re onto something here sound wise. It’s not reinventing the blackened thrash wheel or doing anything truly revolutionary but this is still some solidly ugly, brutal stuff and well executed at that.

As soon as opener “Entrance” makes its appearance, you’re met with a nasty sounding guitar tone and the caustic vox of S. Berseker who sounds a lot like Kreator’s Mille circa Pleasure to Kill (and that my friends, is a compliment). The style is fast and very heavy with a really evil, buzzing  rawness to it. From there, they deliver track after track of hostile thrash with above average songwriting chops and also show off some technically proficient playing, especially the lead work and solos by T. Hellfinder (check out the guitar work on “Outshine,” ”Slave to King” and “Perpetual War” in particular). The highlights include “Into Submission” which is one of the best thrash songs I’ve heard in awhile, “Slave to King” with a distinctly Middle Eastern flavor reminiscent of Melechesh and ”Outshine” which reminded me of Evil Invaders era Razor material.  Also of note is the extra long closing track “The Great Subterfuge.” At over eight minutes it pushes the limits of what is normally tolerable length for a thrash song but things are kept interesting, it has a increasingly epic sound to it and Berserker sounds particularly menacing and acid tongued throughout.

While their overall style has elements of the 80′s thrash sound, the odd blackened elements keep it from sounding dated. I honestly wouldn’t call it a retro album despite the fact that thrash has come to be regarded as a retro style. While the production here is plenty raw, I miss the much more raw sound heard on their debut (which sounded like old Hellhammer). However, what they lose in rawness, they make up for in superior songwriting and no track feels like filler and all have cool and memorable moments.

Boundless is an impressively nasty little surprise by some veterans of extreme music. Raw, ugly, hateful thrash with enough modern elements (black, not fucking metalcore) to make it interesting and satisfying in the year 2011. If you’re looking for a band to get into before your friends do so you can lord it over them, this is a good one. Boundless is superior to the new Legion of the Damned and on par with the new Destruction. Both this and their debut are very worthy of examination and should please most fans of extreme metal. Down under done good!

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It’s old folks week at the Angry Metal Guy offices. That’s because I, Steel Druhm, am officially old and I’ve been tossed assignments for Tankard, Jag Panzer and now, Assassin, the long running, though unproductive German thrash troupe. Along with the aforementioned Tankard, Assassin was part of the German wave of thrash that hit in the mid 80s. Also like Tankard, these guys were in the back of the pack, far behind luminaries like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. Their 86′ debut The Upcoming Terror was solid, reminded me of a poor man’s version of Artillery (who were amazing on their first two albums by the way) and some even considered it a cult classic. Their 88′ follow up Interstellar Experience was actually less than stellar and passed without much fanfare. After that there was a long period of inactivity due to equipment theft and they didn’t resurface until 2005′s The Club which was uninspiring to say the least (flaming coyote poo to say the most). Now they’re back with album four, Breaking the Silence and a nifty looking cover featuring the return of those bad ass tanks from their debut. So, did these gents fare better than those booze-hounds in Tankard whose album I only just defiled via review? Has the worm turned for these stoic thrashers or was their reformation as unfortunate an idea as wasabi flavored gummy bears? All these questions and more shall be answered so read on intrepid metal fans.

Probably feeling the need to shake of any lingering effects from their last album, the title track comes out guns blazing and is a slamming old school 80′s thrash antique. Riff heavy, double barrelled thrash with an almost out of control frenzied feel which is indeed great to hear. To me, thrash should feel as if its about to spin out into chaos at any moment and this has that feel. From the title track on through the rest of Breaking the Silence, they never let the foot off the gas and its breakneck, ramming speed til the cows come home (to thrash). Vocalist Rob Gonnella stradles the line between typically hoarse thrash rasp and old school crossover punk shouting (think D.R.I.). Guitarists Micha and Scholli acquit themselves well with their traditional thrash riffing and frenetic soloing. Standouts include “Destroy the State,” “Kill or Be Killed” and “Strike Back.” All have that classic Germanic thrash vibe, aggression aplenty and at times even sound a little like At War (remember them? No?? Fuck, I’m old). All the songs are solid save for “novelty” closer “I Like Cola” which should have been left in whatever godforsaken urine soaked basement it was conceived in.

The production was helmed by old pro Harris Johns who handled their second album and also worked with Kreator, Sodom and Voivod. Needless to say, he understands the genre and it shows in the sound and tone which is close to the 80′s but incorporates modern touches without overdoing it. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, you ruin thrash by overproducing it. Raw is the only way to go and Mr. Johns apparently agrees. Necessary rawness aside, the drums are a tad too clicky sometimes.

Time and age are tricky mistresses. If this was the follow up to their debut and released in 87′, we might have remembered Assassin as true rivals to the big three of Germanic thrash. Sadly, by coming out in 2011, all it can be is a curious time capsule to a bygone era, producing some happy flashbacks in those of us who lived through it. At the end of the day, Assassin remains a second tier thrash act and while this is enjoyable and way better than Tankard’s new platter, it’s not quite a must hear. File this under nostalgia and I’ll see you at the next old folks day, if I’m not dead by then.

Related posts:

1. Tankard – Vol(l)ume 14 Review
2. Destruction – Day of Reckoning Review
3. Sodom – In War and Pieces Review

Wow, back in the day when the first few Tankard albums stumbled into the light like a wino from a dark alley, I never imagined these guys would be around very long. While amusing, they were the essence of a third tier act and didn’t stand out all that much even in the heyday of thrash. Well, since I now find myself reviewing album fourteen by these alcohol fueled Germanic thrashers, I would say I was pretty wrong about my initial impressions.  While these guys were never in the same league as Sodom, Kreator or Destruction they still managed to become an enduring and productive minor league team. Unlike their bigger peers in the German thrash scene, Tankard was always silly, tongue-in-cheek and largely wrote on the few topics they knew best: drinking, partying and alcohol. Since I myself was a hard partying youth, I casually enjoyed their Chemical Invasion and The Morning After releases for their good humor and frantic pace. After that they dropped off my radar and only in the past week did I start getting to know the Tankard again. Although the goofy, “anything goes” feel is still there, the music and writing doesn’t hold up like I remember it. Once the nostalgia factor wore off, things started tasting a little skunky.

Vol(l)ume 14 starts off pretty decently with “Time Warp” which is energetic, lightweight speed metal with an amusing concept (traveling through time to assassinate evil future and past versions of yourself) and a fun, happy chorus. Although it made me chuckle at times, the song is pretty corny and goes on two minutes too long. Also I was struck by how tame their thrash sound had become. This isn’t all that dissimilar from Euro-power metal like Helloween with a tougher edge and bad vocals. Not quite the same frantic, insane band I recall. Elsewhere they tackle such rye concepts as weight loss via coma (“Fat Snatchers (the Hippo Effect)”), speed metal dating “Becks in the City” and designer piercings for the brain “Brain Piercing of Death.” While these tracks have a certain entertainment factor going for them and enough energy to be called thrash, things started getting old by the fourth or fifth track. Nothing they’re doing musically is compelling enough to hold interest or make me want replays. The second half of the album is weaker and less amusing which doesn’t help matters either.

The problem for Tankard is their poor song writing. There are a few catchy songs in the beginning of the album (“Time Warp” and “Fat Chasers” are by far the best) but even these are only decent tracks, not exceptional. The rest are either dull or just bad. The thrash riffs are standard 1980′s style but too few jump out and stick in your head. There are a few nifty solos and some interesting leads at times (5:00 of “Time Warp,”  1:21 and 3:03 of  ”Brain Piercing of Death” ), but not enough to keep anyone coming back for repeated spins. The song structures are clumsy and awkward at times and while the lyrics can be funny, they’re often pretty dumb too. Another problem for me was the overall heaviness of this album. No matter how jokey and satirical, I like my thrash HEAVY and this stuff is too light and happy sounding for my tastes.

I feel like a real party pooper for bashing a band that’s been at it for so long and they obviously have a following but for me this just didn’t work and failed to leave much of an impression. It did make me go back and listen to their way earlier albums which are better, so that’s something I guess.  If you’re a die hard fan of all things thrash, beer themed and German, you may get something out if this but for me, the beer has all been drank, the buzz wore off and now I’m cranky.

Related posts:

1. Assassin – Breaking the Silence Review
2. Destruction – Day of Reckoning Review
3. Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command Review

Some bands age like fine wine, some like sushi. It’s a fact of life and we see it demonstrated time and time again. Today we examine the shelf life of Destruction. These gents have been around forever and started life as one of the big three of the Germanic thrash invasion of the early 80′s along with Sodom and Kreator. Their early releases were classics and seminal reference points within the genre. After being dead for the better part of the 90′s, they reformed in 2000 and started life anew as part of the reawakened thrash scene. Since then, Destruction proved themselves to be firmly on the wine side of the aging formula and the reunion albums ranged from good to great with none better than 2008′s D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. Here on Day of Reckoning, their eleventh platter, Destruction once again prove they’re seasoned elder statesmen of thrash with no sushi in sight. This is yet another slab of righteous, riotous thrash with tons of hooks and it demands the horns be raised high in homage.

As soon as opener “The Price” starts out, it’s clear Destruction went back to their old school thrash roots and decided to up the aggression a few notches. This is classic, angry, frantic Destruct-thrash like the good old days and it sounds rock solid and mighty pissed off. All the trademark elements of the Destruction sound are here and battle ready. The unique, odd but always uber cool riffing of Mike Sifringer and one of a kind vocals of Schmier sound great and now they’re joined by new drummer Vaarve who acquits himself amazingly well here. From go its furious, thrash-tastic sonic abuse with some excellent song structures and a lot of memorable hooks and interesting musical moments. The first three tracks hit on all cylinders and show Destruction at their rabid best. Later on, “Devil’s Advocate” will draw big smiles from long time fans due to the sudden inclusion of the riff from “Bestial Invasion” (pronounced Bass-tial) off their debut album Infernal Overkill.

The big selling point for Destruction is of course the riffs and Day of Reckoning has a cornucopia of big, infectious, headbanging thrash riffage in every track. Check out “Hate Is My Fuel,” “Armageddonizer,” “Day of Reckoning” or “The Demon is God” for ample evidence, though every track has its moments and hooks. New drum hand Vaarve plays a big role here with a furious but technical performance. He does a lot of little fills and rolls that add to the fun and its clear the guy is a beast behind the kit. What really pushes this over the top is the clever dynamics and tempo changes that litter all the songs. While it’s plenty thrashy, there are little change ups and interesting twists and turns that keep the listener from getting too burned out by the fast pace. It’s rare that a thrash album can manage to keep things 100% interesting from start to finish but the sheer intensity and inventive musicality does just that and things never bog down or become repetitive and every song works.

The production is big, very clear but effective, with a biting, thick guitar sound and very crisp, solid drum sound. Obviously this is light years ahead of the squawky, tinny sound they had on their early albums and while that old production suited their classic sound, this is modern day and their traditional thrash attack sounds just fine with a modern production.

This marauding German horde has unleashed a uniquely Teutonic beat down on the metal masses and this is one of the better pure thrash albums to come along in awhile (joyfully devoid of any core elements whatsoever). These guys are old pros at this style and really seem to be enjoying a renaissance of creativity and thrashing energy. If you like thrash this is essential listening and the best thrash so far this year. Even if you don’t like thrash this may still win you over with it’s style, energy and overall catchiness.  Chalk up another big win for those crafty Germans.

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2. Tankard – Vol(l)ume 14 Review
3. Trident – World Destruction Review

Stand UP for EXCITER!! Sorry, had to be done. Anywho, Exciter is a band with some serious metal history under their bullet belts. These Canadian metal troopers were there at the birth of thrash metal in the early 80s. In fact, their debut, Heavy Metal Maniacs could be considered the vanguard of said movement since it came out months before Metallica‘s and Slayer‘s debuts and Germany’s Destruction always cited that album as their inspiration for thrashing like maniacs. Subsequent albums like Violence and Force and Long Live the Loud were also hailed as Angry Metal Masterpieces™ of the 80s and I was a big fanboy. Sadly, good things never last and Exciter hit some rocky times on later platters and eventually disbanded, rebanded and disbanded yet again, releasing uneven material throughout. However, in 2008 they returned with a new line up (guitarist John Ricci being the only original member) and released the impressive Thrash Speed Burn and now the same line up returns to kick even more ass with Death Machine.

Like the previous album, Death Machine doesn’t fuck around as the berserk title track explodes with Ricci’s classic fuzzed, distorted and static-ridden guitar sound and the manic, hysterical vocal rants of Kenny “Metal Mouth” Winter. This guy sounds like he stepped on a nail AND got kicked in the Jimmy simultaneously and needless to say, his  delivery ain’t subtle. This track has everything that made Exciter great once. A frenzied pace, chaotic and ugly guitar and screaming til Tuesday. This is a simple, addictive thrash song that will make you want to lift cars and throw beer bottles. Knowing what side their metal bread is buttered on, Exciter wisely keeps the foot on the throat and songs like “Dungeon Descendants,” “Hellfire,” ”Slaughtered in Vain” and especially “Pray for Pain” really recapture the classic Exciter style and fury. Even when they opt to slow down for “Power and Domination” the rawness and heaviness of the delivery keeps the energy and momentum going fullbore (especially aided by the unhinged, testicle rupturing vocals at 2:36 onward).

All the songs here are very simple, direct and as far from progressive as it gets. This is lowbrow, neanderthal thrash metal and it’s mean, messy and battle ready. You may notice I haven’t compared the sound to any other bands as of yet. Well, that’s because Exciter always had a  unique style and sound and this really doesn’t remind me of anyone except Exciter. I suppose the more manic tracks could be compared to 3 Inches of Blood due to Kenny’s lunatic screaming, but that would be a stretch and these guys are far better and way cooler. The production is raw and perfect for the music with the guitar tone being particularly spot on and biting. And let’s hear it for the most metal cover of 2010. So wrong, yet so metal.

The only potential stumbling block here may be the previously mentioned wacko vocals. Those that loved the classic Exciter albums will be used to odd vocals (original throat Dan Beehler frequently sounded like a pig being slaughtered) and will likely take it in stride as I did and enjoy the insanity. Others may feel Kenny is WAY over-the-top and too frantic. One thing is for shit sure, the guy can wail and shriek with the best of them.

There will always be a soft spot in my metal heart for these guys and it’s great to see them churn out a metal monster reminiscent of the good old days. If you like thrash or even pure heavy metal with plenty of aggression, this will really hit the mark. Stand UP for, ah fuck it, just check this out.

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3. Sodom – In War and Pieces Review

Sodom, sweet Sodom, ever so reliable and happily predictable. They’re the thrash equivalent of your favorite concert t-shirt. It’s always there for you, it’s comfortable, beer soaked and you go way way back together. Since 1982 these German metal-meisters have given us thrash and more thrash with very little stylistic variation or experimentation and for most long time fans, that’s just how we want it. After all, Sodom always specialized in simple, brutal and dirty thrash metal with punk influences and they were proud to be a thrash band even when thrash wasn’t “cool” anymore. I never had to waste time worrying if they would start exploring jazz fusion, ambient soundscapes or become self important about the message in their music. No sir, Sodom was just Sodom. Thankfully, the comforting non-progression continues on In War and Pieces, their thirteenth platter and they continue to deliver their battle tested (and themed) thrash lunacy.

Staying close to the sound and formula from their eponymous 2007 release, In War and Pieces finds Sodom crafting short and ugly thrash tunes that remain faithful to the NWOGTM they helped create along with Kreator and Destruction, while also modernizing the sound to acknowledge that it’s not 1986 anymore. Before you Angry Metal Legions bust out the pitchforks and torches to ravage the countryside, I don’t mean they sound like Killswitch Engage or Hatebreed! I simply mean they aren’t trying to rewrite In the Sign of Evil and this doesn’t sound like a garbage can being thrown down the stairs production-wise. Worry not, all the usual Sodom staples are here, including ”Onkel” Tom Angelripper’s hoarse snarl and some outstanding thrash riffing from Bernd Kost. In fact, this album may have more guitar wizardry than any previous Sodom album and Kost is given lots of room to flex the fretboard to create plenty of impressive solos and leads. All eleven tracks are between three and five minutes and all hit quick and hard, none overstay their welcome or get tedious and all benefit from a solid production job that brings out the instruments but still sounds plenty raw and rough.

Songs like the title track and “Hellfire” with their straight ahead, traditional thrash bulldozing are sure to make long time Sodomites smile. On “Storm Raging On” there is some infectious and interesting solo and riff work from Kost that stands out amid the thrash chaos. Things get slower and sludgy on “Feigned Death Throws” and Angelripper’s snarl sounds particularly sharp and evil here. The real standouts are “God Bless You” with it’s cool vocal pattern and solo work and “The Art of Killing Poetry” where Sodom shows even they can learn new tricks as the track alternates between face ripping thrash and melodic guitar showcasing (seriously, there’s alot of wild guitar here for a Sodom song). All the songs work and nothing really feels like thrash filler. This is a Sodom album through and through. Is it as good as classics like Agent Orange or M-16? No, but it’s light years ahead of most of the thrash out there today and worthwhile just for the guitar work alone.

There are some brand names in metal that stand for consistent quality and reliability and Sodom is near the top of that list. They continue to do what they enjoy and perfect their Germanic thrash attack. While Slayer has stumbled and become boring and fellow countrymen Destruction sound increasingly tired and dated, Sodom continues to remain relevant and vital. If thrash is your thing and you want some angry aggression, look no further than In War and Pieces. It’s not reinventing the wheel, it’s just using it to run you over.

Related posts:

1. Assassin – Breaking the Silence Review
2. Legion of the Damned – Descent Into Chaos Review
3. Destruction – Day of Reckoning Review

Legal Disclaimer: Long time readers of the mighty AMG may have noticed that Mr. AMG is a shameless Amorphis fanboy.  While his epic fanboyism runs to their newer material, I myself am an unapologetic fanboy for their older material, especially their first three albums, which I hold in extremely high regard. Therefore, my review of Magic & Mayhem, an album of re-recordings from those very albums, is subject to some serious fanboy bias and perhaps AMG should have handled this himself to insure a more objective (yet still fanboyish) viewpoint. Now that I satisfied those eggheads in the AMG legal department by disclosing said bias, we can proceed with the freaking review! [Whatevs, we're good with fanboyism so long as I agree with it. - AMG]

Magic & Mayhem, sees Amorphis throwing their collective hat into the current trend of re-recording older material with modern line-ups and modern production tools and tricks. For the most part this trend has left me cold and I didn’t like the results at all when Exodus and Destruction tried it. Therefore, I was less than thrilled upon learning that Amorphis was going to perform an update to the sacred material off The Karelian Isthmus, Tales from the Thousand Lakes and Elegy. However, because it’s Amorphis, this turned out to be cool, interesting and enjoyable even though nothing here can hold a candle to the original versions.

For those not in the know, Amorphis recruited new singer Tomi Joutsen for 2005’s Eclipse album and thereafter experienced a creative rebirth of sorts, churning out three top-notch albums in a row and proving themselves one of the most original and enjoyable metal bands out there (Warning: obvious fanboyism). Although modern Amorphis is a very fluid, progressive metal band, the early material was much more doom/death oriented with the first three albums being much heavier in nature.  Hearing the current line-up tackle the earlier, more brutal material with today’s sound is definitely a trip and I suppose it gives a good idea what they sound like covering this stuff live.

Thankfully, Amorphis manages to avoid the temptation to totally rework the older songs and they laregely remain faithful to the originals, although the vastly different production and modern style alters the mood of the songs anyway. For example, the upfront use of Hammond organs on tracks like “Into Hiding” really alters the overall vibe of that song. Likewise, subtle tweaks on “Black Winter Day” really makes it feel like a different song, not bad, just different. With the two tracks from The Karelian Isthmus, the originals undergo more extensive updating and overhaul, as does “Vulgar Necrolatry,” a very old demo track.

So what is the value of this re-recording of old tunes and is it worth your cash? Well, for newer Amorphis fans, this is a great primer on where the band came from and what their early influences were. For long time fans, it’s surely interesting to hear Tomi perform all these old death/doom classics and he does a pretty respectable job handling the death metal vocals on most of the tracks. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is essential for every Amorphis fan since these versions are not as powerful as the originals (Warning: blatant fanboyism) and overall this seems more a novelty/curiosity album (especially the regrettable choice of including a cover of “Light My Fire”).  I enjoyed this because I love everything Amorphis does and I think its well worth a listen, but I’ll never choose this over those classic originals.

Related posts:

1. Amorphis – Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes Review
2. Amorphis Release New Album Info!
3. Amorphis – The Beginning of Times Review

Here comes another entry into the retro-thrash movement, for better or worse. Exiled to Earth is the second album by California thrashers Bonded by Blood and much like their debut, it’s firmly rooted in the 80’s thrash movement. Back in the days of the original thrash invasion, for every top-notch band like Slayer or Exodus, there were ten sub-par, generic clones like Atrophy, Devastation and Gothic Slam. Sadly, this release falls closer to the latter category.

Across all eleven tracks on Exiled to Earth you get straight-forward, simplistic 80’s thrash with few frills. The delivery at times reminds of Faith or Fear (if anyone remembers them), Vio-lence, and at times, Nasty Savage but not nearly as good. Thinking man’s metal this ain’t but that’s fine. It’s thrash and supposed to be ugly and fast, both of which are achieved here. However, where Exiled to Earth goes wrong immediately is the vocals of Aladdin. While his vocals didn’t bother me on their debut Feed the Beast, he seems to have changed his style here and while his heart is in the right place and he’s doing his best to capture the style and sound of great thrash vocalists of the past, this was a mistake. His new sound is an odd mixture of Sean Killian from Vio-lence and Schmier from Destruction. While that may sound good on paper, it really ends up being annoying across the length of Exiled to Earth. Many times, he comes across like the crazy cartoon mascot for Coco Puffs™ cereal and his chirping and shrieking ends up being distracting and bothersome rather quickly. Making matters worse, he is way up front in the mix and overpowers the guitars which should be the driving force of any thrash album.

The guitar work itself, though taking a backseat to Aladdin’s screaming, is solid enough and effective if somewhat generic. The thrash riffs are basic but they do the job of driving the material. On “Prototype: Death Machine” and “Genetic Encryption” the riffs are energetic and dynamic, while on “Prison Planet” and “Cross-Insemination” the soloing is interesting. However, none of this raises the level of the material much past average and at best this is just passable thrash metal. Even the standout tracks have a feeling of “eh, so what?” to them that I couldn’t overcome through repeated listens. That is saying something given my track record of defending retro thrash bands in the past.

As much as I loved the original thrash invasion and have enjoyed the current retro thrash movement, Exiled to Earth doesn’t do much for me at all. While it may illicit a smile from thrash old timers like myself or awaken some vague sense of 80s nostalgia, it doesn’t have much going for it beyond that and nostalgia alone won’t get the job done. Without better material, Bonded by Blood will quickly be relegated to the ranks of an also ran in the retro movement and too many of  such acts bring a movement to a quick end. Track down their far superior debut instead of this.

On a personal note, I would like to add that this promo was heavily beeped to protect against copyright infringement and illegal downloading. While I fully appreciate the need to protect the artist’s work from theft, having high pitched, ear drum bursting beeps placed throughout a thrash album that must be listened to loudly to be appreciated is not good policy. There, I got that off my chest. Now off the ear doctor.

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Thrash revival has been a big deal of late.  I mean, thrash is the biggest thing since.. well, thrash, in the metal scene right now.  Bands from all over the world, particularly in the underground, are donning tight jeans, jean jackets, Kreator and Exodus patches and looking for the next big thrash prodigy.  Earache is not the only label releasing thrash revival stuff, it’s coming from everywhere (Candlelight has been particularly prolific with the thrash revival).  Evile is on that bandwagon, whether they like it or not, but they have a different take on it.  That is: they sound a lot more like the mature Bay Area.

Infected Nations is a pretty solid album, with excellent riffing in the classic thrash style that so many of us grew up.  With riffs that bring to mind …and Justice for All and The American Way (by the ever-overlooked Sacred Reich), UK metallers Evile have really brought back a sound of thrash metal that has been missing in the revival.  While bands like have been ripping it up in the old school style of Slayer, Kreator, Destruction and bands of this sort, Evile sounds a lot more like late-80s/early 90s thrash than that.   The introduction to the title track should be a dead give-away for most listeners: beautifully harmonized clean guitars that fade in and lead to a kick ass thrash triplets.

And the whole record is chock-full of kick ass riffs and headbanging monstrosities that bring a guy back to being 9 and discovering Metallica.   There is definitely a certain charm in this and many have lauded praises on the band for “carrying the revival” on their shoulders and stuff like that.   And yeah, Evile is good at what they do!  They really are.. but where’s the progress that we’re supposed to be finding in new metal bands?  Why are we always looking back instead of forward.  Bands like Evile and Havok are almost evidence for a metal scene that doesn’t have anywhere new to go and a generation of metalheads that are disappointed with the state of modern metal: so they’re imitating what’s already been done.

Of course, why stop them?  Metallica quit making good music years ago and even Megadeth has only just regained its glory with a good album: but Evile has put out its second critically acclaimed record in a row and somehow manages to keep a 20 year old sound fresh, for the most part.

Of course, there are some things I’d change about this album.  I like the faster, heavier and techy-er parts, but I find a lot of the mid-paced riffs to be a little bit mind-numbing and I tend to lose myself in them.  Another issue that I have is the vocals, which are classic thrash and also very, very monotonous.  Matt Drake (rhythm guitar / vocals) does his best classic James Hetfield/Chuck Billy impression over every track and after a while it just feels like droning.  There are way better thrash vocalists out there, and I strongly suggest that Drake work on varying his vocals a little.

Honestly, Infected Nations is a good album, but it’s not a whole lot better than that considering everything.  The production is fantastic, the song-writing is pretty good, but it’s missing out on the originality that I’m always hoping for.  Maybe it’s just me, but I like to see bands that use their thrash metal roots for new things.  Even looking at a band like Dragonforce or Luna Mortis that obviously have thrash metal influences, but are able to blend them into other styles to make them new and interesting gives a road-map to thrash influenced bands, because I have trouble imagining how a lot of these bands are going to survive the trend.

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