Thrash Metal

King Parrot – Dead Set Review

King Parrot – Dead Set Review

“Despite falling broadly into the category of “death-grind,” Australia’s King Parrot are one of the most strikingly original and twisted bands to emerge lately. 2012 debut Bite Your Head Off was every bit as violent and direct as the title suggests, but set itself apart via songs with actual hooks (“Shit on the liver AGAIN!”), vocalist Matthew Young’s unique squawking style, and a deranged sense of humor furthered by the visual aesthetic of their music videos – establishing them as something like the Die Antwoord of grindcore.” We don’t always review grind, but when we do, it’s grindy.

Deathblow – The Other Side of Darkness Review

Deathblow – The Other Side of Darkness Review

“As noted in our brief thrashnalysis a few months ago, Peak Rethrash occurred in 2006 (defining Peak Rethrash as the year the largest number of new thrash bands formed). This makes Deathblow relative latecomers, forming initially as Deathblo in 2008 before buying a dictionary in 2012.” We examine trends, compile stats, crunch numbers. Then, and only then, do we rethrash!

Byzantine – To Release Is To Resolve Review

Byzantine – To Release Is To Resolve Review

“When the term ‘groove metal’ gets bandied about it usually conjures up negative thoughts about some third-rate Pantera ripoff (anyone remember Pissing Razors?) or something nu-related. I mention it here because it’s a term I’ve seen attached to the music of West Virginia’s Byzantine and such a label is ill-fitting for the versatile music the resilient modern metallers create.” Byzantine have a formula, and you guessed right, they’re gonna use it!

Reign of Fury – Death Be Thy Shepherd Review

Reign of Fury – Death Be Thy Shepherd Review

“I bet you have that friend that swears they can guess a band’s genre solely from the band name? Well, if your friend is anything like mine, a genre can also be identified by the band’s font style, the album artwork, the attire in the band pic, and the track titles. For those ignoring these words and instead staring drop-jawed at the album cover to the left, you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. However, your friend will mighty upset with themself when they make the assumption that Reign of Fury is just another re-hashing, re-thrashing outfit.” Now THAT’S a cover!

Frosthelm – The Endless Winter Review

Frosthelm – The Endless Winter Review

“I fucking love black-thrash, and if you don’t then I’m sorry about your inferior taste. My latest sample of the genre comes from Frosthelm, hailing from Minot, North Dakota of all places (coincidentally the same town as Ghost Bath – in case anyone still thought they were Chinese). Frosthelm are a quartet of self-confessed Dungeons & Dragons nerds who claim influences as broad as Metallica, Naglfar, and Dissection.” Put some Dakota in your dungeon and see how that suits ya!

Evil Invaders – Pulses of Pleasure Review

Evil Invaders – Pulses of Pleasure Review

“There was a time before the Bay Area thrash explosion where bands were playing fairly fast without it actually being what we now consider thrash metal. Acts like Exciter, Agent Steel, Attacker and even Razor were surely speedy and had the rudiments of thrash in place, but are now referred to as speed metal. Belgian upstarts Evil Invaders look to plant their flag right at the junction between speed and thrash, and tip their hand by using Razor’s best known ditty as their moniker.” Have you ever been screamed at by a crazy cat lady? Do you want to be?

Goat Semen – Ego Svm Satana Review

Goat Semen – Ego Svm Satana Review

“What can I say, sometimes you just have to grab promo because it’s obnoxious and crude and sounds like a wacky way to ride out the week. Native to Peru, an area that offers as varied a range of metal as the biodiversity of the country itself, Goat Semen are delivering their debut full-length release.” What can we say, Madam X loves animals.

Bio-Cancer – Tormenting the Innocent Review

Bio-Cancer – Tormenting the Innocent Review

“Frankly, decent thrash metal has been hard to come by in recent years. Sure there’s been some gems along the way and several stalwarts and rising upstarts have dished up quality albums. But overall the genre that sparked my interest in metal in the first place has provided slim pickings. Fortunately Greek thrashers Bio-Cancer are here to breathe some much needed life into the genre with their interesting blend of razor sharp extreme thrash.” Blackened thrash from Greece sounds like just what the doctor ordered to chase away those winter doldrums.

Satan’s Host – Pre-dating God Parts I and II Review

Satan’s Host – Pre-dating God Parts I and II Review

“This is a strange metal saga, so bear with me. Satan’s Host formed way back in 1977 as a classic American metal band not far removed from Priest and Maiden. Though lurking in the shadows for years, they weren’t able to get anything released until 1985 when the band was joined by the ever mighty Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin of Jag Panzer fame. Their Metal From Hell debut attained a sort of cult status for its hijacking of Mercyful Fate’s sound and the mystery of who was and wasn’t in the band (thus making them the original Ghost).” Steel Druhm didn’t see this coming and got sucker punched…twice!