Vio-lence

Trastorned – Into the Void Review

By Dr. Wvrm on January 27, 2023 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 36 comments

“Wheat dies fast; chaff lives on forever. What that means for thrash, I don’t know, because that genre will relive the good ole days until the barn burns down. I also don’t know what that means for Trastorned. The Chilean quartet have spent 15 years working out the perfect homage to the genre with their debut, Into the Void. It’s mean. It’s fast. It sounds exactly how you want it to sound. But those three points mean little these days, and it will take so much more for these thrashers to survive the thresher.” Harvest tunes.

Repent – Condemned to Fail Review

By Saunders on August 16, 2019 in 2019, German Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 9 comments

“As I recently noted on my Suicidal Angels review, thrash in 2019 has thrown up some strong albums, without delivering anything particularly unique or earth shattering. Yet there’s been enough quality to renew my faith and enthusiastically plunge into another thrash platter, this time courtesy an unfamiliar but apparently long running German act by the name of Repent. Condemned to Fail marks the band’s fourth LP and first since 2012.” Failing and flailing.

Interview with John Kevill of Warbringer

By Dr. Wvrm on March 18, 2019 in American Metal, Blog Posts, Interviews, 119 comments

“I tested my mettle (and my liver) on the famed 70,000 Tons of Metal this month and somehow convinced real metal PR folks that I was a real metal journalist. This may or may not have something to do with them thinking I was the Angry Metal Guy, despite my insistence otherwise. As fortune would have it, John Kevill, vocalist and founding member of thrash metal savants Warbringer (and a personal favorite since he was cool as hell to me in a venue bathroom in 2009 (wait, that sounds off (or does it?))), was willing to sit down for a bit. In true Warbringer fashion, John went right at it regarding his thoughts on metal journalism, context, and thrash metal writ large and was as thoughtful, forward, and unapologetic as his music.” Starting wars.

Lich King – The Omniclasm Review

By Dr. Wvrm on April 18, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 53 comments

“I love Lich King. If I had any musical talent, I’d beg them for an audition. I’ve dabbled with the idea of thrash-covering Sheer Heart Attack under the name Lich Queen. I would drive two hours to their Massachusetts headquarters to treat foot-out-the-door vocalist Tom Martin to a steak dinner and twenty minutes of hanky-panky if he agreed to stick around.” The Doctor is a whore.

Panikk – Discarded Existence Review

By Dr. Wvrm on March 15, 2017 in 2017, Reviews, Slovenian Metal, Thrash Metal, Xtreem Music, Thrash Metal, 11 comments

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The saying, as American as “You bet yer ass,” sums up the modern “evolution” of thrash. Aside from a few tweaks, bands today shred much the same way they did 30 years ago, and that’s just the way Panikk like it. The Slovenians sport the same retro-thrash sound fans have been subjected to for over a decade, now complete with an Eastern European accent.” Panikk at the disco?

Power Trip – Nightmare Logic Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 17, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Reviews, Southern Lord, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 42 comments

“Remember the good old days when thrash spoke to every unhappy degenerate forced to take a piss as Big Brother stood by watching? It was a time when metalheads rose to the occasion, spoke to people better than even our greatest orators, and made a stand against crooked politicians. It was a time when being a rebel stood for something and tearing each other apart in circle pits and walls-of-death was the greatest form of therapy.” Some gave some, Doc gave more.

Hobbs’ Angel of Death – Heaven Bled Review

By Mark Z. on October 10, 2016 in 2016, Australian Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 47 comments

“The year is 1987. Robocop is in theaters, thrash metal is booming, and my mommy and daddy are just a few short years away from bumpin’ uglies to produce yours truly. On the other side of the world, an Australian Slayer fan named Peter Hobbs decides to transform his thrash band Tyrus into a new project named after Reign in Blood’s infamous opening track. The result is Hobbs’ Angel of Death – ostensibly one of the first bands from Down Under to play what we now know as classic thrash metal.” The social thrash contract must not be broken!

Blynd – Liber Sum Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on November 11, 2015 in 2015, Cypriot Metal, Death Metal, Pitch Black Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, Thrash Metal, 3 comments

“At the end of 2014, I had the pleasure of reviewing the debut album by Stormcast, a band hailing from the island of Cyprus. Frame of Mind was filled with a passion I still can’t fully articulate except that this passion appears to be lacking in many bands of similar style. So when shuffling through this month’s promos, I came across Blynd (another Cypritian band) and I couldn’t help but hope for another stunner.” And the winner for Most Names Dropped in a Review for 2015 is….

NervoChaos – The Art of Vengeance Review

By Al Kikuras on December 11, 2014 in 2014, Brazilian Metal, Death Metal, Greyhaze Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 8 comments

“While the cover art looks more like it belongs on a Municipal Waste album, Brazil’s NervoChaos aren’t a current band playing the music of their elders. They are the real deal.” Al Kikuras has history with these creepers. Ugly history!

Suicidal Angels – Divide and Conquer Review

By Steel Druhm on January 24, 2014 in 2014, Greek Metal, NoiseArt Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 3 comments

“Just weeks into 2014 and I’ve fallen off the rethrash wagon for a second time. That’s because long-suffering Greek thrashers Suicidal Angels are back with a fifth album full of music striving to recreate the second wave of Bay Area thrash. Naturally, that means heaps of Exodus, Slayer, Vio-Lence worship and where you stand on that is a wholly personal issue. While I only became aware of these chaps on their past few albums, I’ve never been totally sold on their brand of rethrash. It’s always reasonably enjoyable, competently performed, meat-and-potatoes speed, but there was always a sense of “been there, done that, got punched by the bouncer” about it that left me on the sidelines.” Did you know thrash was as big a part of Greek culture as gyros and big weddings? Me either.