“Hailing from Rhode Island and boasting a moniker indicative of their mode of destruction, Hell Bent create metal sympathetic for the time poor modern metalhead, unleashing a livewire debut LP which shreds through nine potent songs in a mere 23 minutes. Before you ask, Apocalyptic Lamentations is not a grindcore album but rather a raw, punk-infected slab of death-thrash that aims right for the jugular and does not let up.” Reigning Hell.
“During their halcyon years Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax loomed large over the thrash landscape, basking in success and spawning a fanbase so large it defied a horizon. But there existed a tier below the A and B-listers, bands like Allegiance, Heathen and Xentrix who eked out a modest existence built on solid albums supported by a coterie of eager followers. This is not a vein you’d expect a modern thrash band to mine for inspiration, yet that is exactly where Hellnite have chosen to strike their pickaxe with their debut album, Midnight Terrors.” Mine the medium.
“Recently I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for thrash metal. I never used to dig it, but somewhere in the last few years, something must have clicked. However, the sub-genre of crossover thrash was still foggy to me, which made me hesitant to review it. But the combo of the ridiculously cool nameSiberian Meat Grinder and title Metal Bear Stomp were too much to resist. Topping that with an equally ridiculous album cover, with a 60 foot bear dressed in bullet chains and a cape stomping his soldier boots into a panicking mob, I felt it was my sworn duty to brush up on my crossover and expose the masses to the Russian quintet.” The right to bear arms.
“It’s been a long and bitter journey. Fatigue clings to you like a drowning sailor; a debt accrued from the rancid marches and frigid mountains your troupe of brigands have had to push through. You stumble out from a forest that delighted in stymying your efforts to leave unscathed and come across a time-worn bridge that leads to a welcome sight — home. Before you can muster a cry of exultation a blood-curdling roar splits the silence and a gigantic blur of teeth and scales crashes down before you. A dragon now blocks your path.” Chaotic neutral.
“Take a look at this Donald Trump inspired t-shirt released in early 2016. That was the first time that I had heard of Virginia’s crossover-thrash outfit Municipal Waste since their 2012 solid, but uninspired album The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space). While they released a couple of splits and EPs during the four years in-between, it was that stunt—a year later apparently more relevant than ever—that brought the (metal) public’s spotlight back on them.” Under new waste management.
“Tipper Gore’s worst fears incarnate. A horrifying concoction of apathy and malaise wrapped in a delectable sheet of hatred, drowned in a bath of contempt represented here by club sauce. Great for parties, ask your caterer for details.” Time to rustle the jimmies.
“Short Sharp Shock (SSS) have been around peddling their brand of old school 80s era crossover thrash since the release of their self titled EP and similarly titled full length back in 2006. Their latest hilariously titled foray wasn’t even a blip on my radar, but with a title like Limp.Gasp.Collapse, how could I resist checking it out?” 80s crossover is a grave you best open very cautiously.
