The October Filter Report is here and we have some interesting things to break down for you. Get stuck!
Artillery
Xentrix – Seven Words Review
“Xentrix may not be a household name, but it should be. The band’s magnum opus For Whose Advantage? had the misfortune of coming out in 1990, a banner year for thrash. It wasn’t as impressive as Megadeth’s Rust in Peace, as seething as Forbidden’s Twisted into Form, as aggressive as Morbid Saint’s Spectrum of Death, as memorable as Artillery’s By Inheritance, or as blasphemous as Exhorder’s Slaughter in the Vatican. Still, For Whose Advantage? packed a punch, with berserk riffcraft that went straight for the jugular.” Age and experience advantage.
Flotsam and Jetsam – Blood in the Water Review
“A man’s real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor. Wise words but, what wisdom giveth, it may also taketh away. That first time Steel slides a selfie into your dms holding something unspeakable in one hand and a promo in the other is forever etched into each staffer’s mind. While fortunes fade and that furry memory remains, at least the promo material tends to improve with time. Case in point, Blood in the Water by thrash stalwarts Flotsam and Jetsam.”” Blood and Steel in the water.
Artillery – X Review
“Denmark’s Artillery weren’t the first thrash band to cross my stereo in the 80s, as they were beaten to the punch by most of the “Big Four” and two-thirds of the big names in Germanic thrash. Still, their Fear of Tomorrow debut hit like a thunderbolt from Thor himself when it arrived in 1985. It was heavy and fast, but also had major hooks and choruses that drilled deep into your skull. The band had a very good run with follow ups Terror Squad and By Inheritance and then inexplicably called it a day in 1990. They resurfaced briefly in 1999, then promptly returned to limbo until 2009. Since then they’ve managed to be productive, releasing an album every two or three years, maintaining enough of their classic sound to keep folks like me interested. Sadly, guitarist Morten Stützer, who along with his brother Michael founded the band and created its distinctive riffing style, passed away in 2019 at the young age of 57. Artillery soldiered on in the aftermath, recruiting a new guitarist and returning with their tenth full-length, X.” The cannons will not be silenced.
Hemotoxin – Restructure the Molded Mind Review
“In 2016 I reviewed the sophomore album by California’s Hemotoxin, entitled Biological Enslavement. It was a not-unwelcome slice of death-thrash with an eye for the old-school and a proclivity for the technical, though it suffered from indistinct song-writing. Almost 4 years later in 2020, its successor called Restructure the Molded Mind is set for release. 2020 has thus far proven to be a pretty shitty time to be alive but perhaps some raucous death-thrash was exactly what I needed to reinvigorate myself.” Blood poisoning and mind molding.
Rose Tint: El Cuervo’s Discoveries of 2019
“Following my last couple of year-end lists, it should now not come as a shock that I spent more time fleshing out my historical knowledge of music than my contemporary knowledge. In honor of my abject failure in keeping my eye on the present, I have received approval to document my ever-deeper plundering of previous decades in an article detailing my favorite older records which I first heard in 2019.” Old things, young ears.
Artillery – The Face of Fear Review
“The fact that Artillery is still going always surprises me on some level. Though they were an integral part of the original thrash wave in the 80s, these once great Danes were always overshadowed by their American and German counterparts, never receiving their share of respect and fame despite the strength of albums like Fear of Tomorrow and By Inheritance. After taking off much of the time between 1991 and 2008, they reformed and have been relatively productive over the past 10 years.” Shellshock.
Vorbid – Mind Review
“Thanks to the increasingly virulent strain of spurious medical staff that infect AMG, I don’t often get a chance to review the sadly diminished number of thrash acts that grace the promo bin. As it happens, thrash was my musical first love, and having been fed hale and hearty on golden riffs, I will always hold a collection of bloody knuckle memories close to my heart. However, when I spotted Norway’s Vorbid alone and unmolested in the selection sewer, I knew now was my time to strike.” Are you Vorbid?
Eruption – Cloaks of Oblivion Review
“Two things come to mind when I see the word ‘eruption.’ One is filthy and the other is raunchy. The former isn’t for virgin eyes and the latter? Van Halen. Guess which one the Slovenian outfit Eruption fits in. Neither. Sorry pervs and, well… pervs. Instead, Eruption fit under a third, yet unlisted category: thrash metal. Yep, I said ‘Slovenian’ and ‘thrash’ in the same sentence. That combination alone should pique some interest for these worshipers of the old and true.” Slovenian speed and perversion.
Artillery – Penalty by Perception Review
“You gotta hand it to Artillery. They just keep firing away long after the original thrash wars faded into memory and many a speed détente was put in place. Longevity aside, it seems they’re taking their second (or third) run at metal immortality quite seriously. 2013s Legions was a solid dose of Danish steel with a more melodic bent courtesy of new voice Michael Bastholm Dahl.” And the cannons of wrath did thunder once more….
