“Nothing gets me going like blackened thrash metal. The mere sight of a promising promo that places the words “black” and “thrash” together is enough to manifest a throbbing pillar of flesh in my britches, the magnitude of which is rivaled only by the tower of Isengard. Belarus quartet Verwüstung take things a step further by describing their second album Gospel ov Fury as “a fucking firestorm of blackthrashing metal.” Jesus. Suddenly I need a cold shower.” Rage-gasms.
“Amon Amarth has had an impressive journey. In the early ’00s, they were but a footnote to the Swedish scene. But for my group of friends, few bands inspired the devotion we had to these Swedish Viking metallers. We would drive throughout the Midwest to see them playing to sparse crowds in tiny clubs. These days, Amon Amarth is one of the biggest bands in metal. They sells gigs out and have a huge production. And while they’re still on Metal Blade in the USA, they’re distributed by Columbia Records in Europe. I suspect they’re pushing the boundaries of what is possible for a death metal band.”
“Where exactly does speed metal stop and thrash begin? It’s a question that pops into my head nearly every time I listen to a speed metal album, but I’ve never come up with an answer that satisfies me. I’ve searched online and found different explanations: “thrash has punk in it, speed doesn’t” or “thrash has harsh vocals, speed doesn’t” or “speed metal is essentially sped-up traditional metal while thrash is extreme metal” or “thrash uses the low E-string to build riffs” or “blah, blah, blah.” There’s some truth to all of these, but I still have no idea how to describe the difference in a definitive way.” Fine and fast lines.
“After a brief foray into familiar waters courtesy Shotgun Sawyer’s Led Zeppelin riffing, I’m taking a turn in murkier environs once again by visiting Australian industrial mavens Kollaps. If Kollaps are interested in imitating any band, it’s Author & Punisher. Many of their instruments -er, implements- are primitive handmade devices: scrap metal, springs, and other industrial waste.” Waste management.
“As the undisputed Lord of Bench Press Stats at AMG’s Skull Pit Ironworks[1. Ferrous’ feeble disputes are hereby disallowed.], I simply could not pass up reviewing a band called Pectora. Any act brave enough to name themselves thusly deserved to come under the piercing gaze of Steel, and I admittedly grabbed it with an eye toward the endless weight lifting jokes it would afford me. But something happened on the way to the Power Rack and lo and behold, this Danish act’s debut is a righteous dose of traditional dumbbell metal highly suitable for serious gym time.” No Pectora, no gain.
