“When Demoniac released So It Goes back in 2020/2021, they wowed a lot of metal folks with their unique take on classic thrash. That record attacked the genre in so many interesting ways, using progressive song structures to create a thrash journey that had to be heard to be believed. But the thing that really pushed these Chileans into the spotlight was their use of interesting instrumentation, including some piano and, most notably, the clarinet.” So it went.
“When I saw the beautiful artwork for Seasons Dreaming Death, the debut album from Indianapolis thrashers GraveRipper, I had high hopes that it would inject some spice into my love affair with the riff, and when I discovered that GraveRipper’s members have been involved with projects sporting distinguished names like Partiac Arrest and Car Door Dick Smash, I figured that I was in store for a good time. Let’s see if these guys managed to leave me satisfied and smiling.” Grave developments.
“With harsh, deathy vocals and neoclassical character, they began harnessing their style into records of swirling, whirling, technical thrash. While many would argue the ranking of their discography, it’s hard to deny that 2014’s Slave to the Sword was peak Exmortus. This neatly-packaged album showcased the very best Exmortus can be. With two follow-up albums since Slave to the Sword, the band continued to wow and amaze with their impressive noodling. But, as suggested earlier, they’ve yet to create a concise, flowing album like Slave to the Sword.” Unfinished swords.
“Sweden’s Orbit Culture became a poster child for extreme metal with their 2020 full-length, the formidable Nija. While undeniably heavy in neck-snapping thrash grooves, ferocious roars, and an unforgiving edge of industrial atmospherics, the band showed its roots in the lush forests of melodic death metal. Soaring clean choruses and earworm melodies assemble in the darkness with an often unmatched colossal quality, creating a sound both catchy and devastating. Orbit Culture became the “it” band, not forsaking any of their uniqueness. After 2021’s solid EP Shaman, we are met with 2023’s Descent.” Culture rot.
“Emerging from the primordial sludge of Los Angeles, Arch Blade brandishes a sound that harks back to the salad days of classic metal, blending the spirit of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with streaks of thrash metal’s intensity. Kill the Witch is their debut release, featuring an ensemble cast of father/son co-founders, a Ukrainian vocalist, and the powerful beats of an ex-Dark Angel drummer.” Dadcore.
“In 2021, Brazil’s Crypta unexpectedly tripped my radar with rancid debut platter Echoes of the Soul, a ripping slab of thrashy death metal. It ripped so hard, in fact, that shortly after I covered the beast for June 2021’s Filter, AMG The Man, The Myth, The Legend saw fit to award it a Runner Up spot for the Record(s) o’ the Month and later his #9 spot on his Top 10(ish). Two years and two months later, Crypta return with their follow-up, Shades of Sorrow, a record which several of the staff, myself included, highly anticipated.” Rocket from the Crypta!
“But since the departure of Summer and Kiilerich, each new album finds the band with a wholly rebuilt lineup around bassist/keyboardist Michael Enevoldsen. And, as one can predict, the outcome is not always the best. Especially because fans have to get used to a new death metal vocal approach and the inevitable debates if this new drummer is as good as Kiilerich. And, for Panzerchrist’s eighth record, Last of a Kind, everyone is out, and a new group of players is here to deliver.” Panzer attacks change people.
“At first listen, Bloodletter sound pretty much the same in 2023 as they did in 2021 (or 2020, depending on when you believe the album was actually released). Combine the nasty thrash of a Slayer or a Dark Angel with the melodeath of The Black Dahlia Murder or At the Gates, sprinkle in some icy blackened tremolos, and you’re left with a 35-minute package of highly melodic brutality.” Hate mail!
“Brazil’s Blackning have been producing concise neo-thrash records for nearly a decade. After a six-year hiatus, this quartet is back with their third album, Awakening Rage. As with so many thrash greats, will this third offering be the band’s epic masterpiece? Or will it be forgotten like so many others before it?” Third time’s the harm.
“As a die-hard Metallica fan in my teens, I worshipped their first 4 albums mightily, and since Evile’s entire existence seemed to be based on mining the best of Metallica’s early days for inspiration, it seemed they would be easy to love.” Well knowns and Unknowns.
