Category: Black Thrash

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TYRANNUS/Magicide – Tory Punching Music – REVIEW

Tyrannus and Magicide’s newest release may be short but it leaves a mark. The mash up idea of blast beating black metal and hard hitting EDM may sound weird on paper but totally works here

In this under 10 minute EP Tyrannus’s contribution track takes up the majority of the length with it’s 5 minute “Bricks & Flesh”. It’s a brutal assault that is sure to leave you senseless. There is plenty of finesse in their attack however. Between the buzzsaw driven guitars are some killer solos and savage vocals. The drums on this song are simply amazing.

Magicide starts off their contribution with “Madness” that starts off with some odd sounding EDM music mixed with some crushing Death Metal beats. Odd but it works. “Tory Punching Music,” is more of the same. While the track runs only 1:39 feel free to spend more time punching and beating down fascists.

Tory Punching Music is a short and savage EP. The contrast between blast driven metal and EDM beats are enough to keep this release interesting despite its short length.

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BLOODLETTER – A Different Kind of Hell – REVIEW

 

Halloween is officially over for most people, which means it’s time for the general public to start making their Xmas shopping lists and descend into yuletide madness. Thankfully, that’s not the case with Trve Kvlt Coffee. Here we are working on a different kind of list.

The list of the best Metal releases of 2023.

Bloodletter’s newest ripper, A Different Kind of Hell is a definite contender for the coveted number 1 slot. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve spun this banger. It just keeps getting better each and every time I listen to it.  The album is 30+ minutes of some of the new best melodic/thrash I’ve heard in some time. Each and every track is explosive and goes right in for the kill.

One of the things I enjoy most about this recording are the killer harmonized guitars lead and riffs that are plentiful throughout the album. Never have I had such a good time getting my teeth kicked in! Bloodletter’s execution is spot on and perfectly walks the line between traditional thrash and blackened thrash. While the vocals aren’t guttural, they still come across savage and are a perfect match for the sonic blur of sound that is going on here.

From the opening track, “The Howling Dead,” to album closer, “Flesh Turned to Ash,” Bloodletter hardly pause the chaos for a moment. This is an album that grows with each listen. After you survive the initial beating you’ll begin to discover incredible riffs, harmonies and arrangements outside the blast zone.

When Wise Blood Records called this a “Thrasterpiece,” they weren’t kidding!

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VHS – Quest for the Mighty Riff – REVIEW

 

You gotta hand it to VHS. Death Metal hasn’t been this fun in ages. Not only that, but their music simply rips and consistently gets better with each release. Each album also follows a different theme usually having to do with some sort of movie or television show. Past themes include Vampires, Italian horror and killer sharks. This time VHS ventures slightly outside of horror and into the realm of fantasy. Quest for the Mighty Riff is one awesome journey that you’ll want to be part of. ( *SPOILER ALERT* There are plenty of mighty riffs to be found here)

VHS plays tribute to some of the best there is in Sci-Fi and Fantasy films suchs as Excalibur, Highlander, He-Man and Beastmaster.  As a product of the 80s I wholeheartedly approve.

The album starts with some perfectly epic narration as VHS begins their Quest for the Mighty Riff. “Cleve ’em and Leave ’em,” starts things out fast with some nice and fierce punk fueled mayhem. It’s the perfect blend of Death and punk. In true punk fashion it barely last 90 seconds but still leaves a mark.

VHS keeps the party going buy continuously melding genres. You’ll hear plenty of Death Metal mixed with grind, thrash, punk and even some old school traditional metal (“Hail King Arthur,” I’m looking at you.) No two songs sound the same as VHS throws more killer riffs and styles than you know what to do with.

For me, “Eternia Needs a Hero,” is the standout track. Not just because the world needs more songs about Skelator. I’m a sucker for anything in the vein of Black Thrash and this song fucking delivers that and more. The riffs are punchy, the vocals are sicks and twisted and the lyrics are funny as hell.

dea does what many albums hope to do; provide a little something for everyone. No matter what genre of Metal you dig, you are gonna find something to love here.

 

 

 

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LAST LEGION – Metall, Blod & Aska- REVIEW

You know that feeling when you hear the first few notes of an album and you instantly realize that you are going to love it? That’s the exact same feeling I had when I heard the opening and title track, “Metall, Blod & Aska.”

Last Legion is a Swedish band that formed in 2009. After releasing an EP in 2021 the band return with their debut full length album. And it’s a helluva debut too. It’s equally savage as it is thrashing; Black ‘n Roll madness. If you are a fan of Midnight, Hellripper or Cloak this is definitely worth your time checking out.

After the first neck snapping track Last Legion changes gears a bit with “Dodens Falang.” With it’s somber and atmospheric beginning it helps showcase that the band is not just your average Black Thrash band. The violins add the perfect uneasy touch. The band quickly blasts the speed back up towards the midpoint of the track. Last Legion blends in plenty of classic Black Metal eerines and savagery to keep it compelling.

All of the lyrics are sung in the groups native Nordic language. Although many English speaking Metalheads may not understand the lyrics, they are delivered perfectly savage here. Something about the lyrics being sung in their native language ups the brutality for me.

This album contains tons of hooks, groovy riffs and plenty of blast beats. At some times it feels Black N Roll or Black Thrash and at other times it feels like classic tried and true Black Metal. However at all times, they are savage as fuck. While they aren’t offering anything we havent’t heard before, they are giving us one hell of a ride.

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RISE OF THE NIGHTMARE TERROR – Nattmaran X Terror Cross – REVIEW

 

When Wise Blood Records first mentioned this split’s upcoming release, I was pretty pumped as I’ve been on a Nattmaran kick lately. I haven’t heard Terror Cross prior to this release but I figure if they are cool enough to team up with Nattmaran, they’re cool enough for me.

Each band contributed 5 tracks to this EP, 4 original and one cover. Hellripper’s James McBain lends his shrieks on the opening track, “Savage Urges,” that is an assault of early thrash and black metal. They continue their thrashing assault with each blistering track. The riffs and solos still have plenty of grooves that still match the band’s fury.   Their cover of Bathory’s “Conspiracy with Satan,” is a perfect choice as it lends itself perfectly Nattmaran’s sound and style.

Terror Cross takes things in a slightly different direction. Their sound is a little darker and murkier. Their is still plenty of thrash to be found here, it’s just covered in a thick layer of blackened ooze. “Metal Bloody Metal” is a hard hitting march that feels like it pounds through your chest with its haunting chorus.

The biggest highlight of this split is Terror Cross’s interesting choice to cover Manowar’s “Gloves of Metal.”

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BLASTED HEATH – Vela – REVIEW

 

Black Thrash Space Metal. Those 4 words could sum up Blasted Heath’s debut album, Vela, perfectly. Its as raw and vicious as the great unknown. This group from the far reaches of Indianapolis blend dirty punk riffs with a savage death metal edge. The vocals have an eerie production effect that amplifies the reverb giving it an empty feeling that works well for their “outer space” theme they are going for.

At first glance, this album sounds almost like an homage to some early pioneers of the Black Metal sound such as punk speed and foulness of Venom and the empty darkness of Bathory. “Big Chill,” opens the album up with some nasty dark riffs and echos that match the vocals.

While the first track may feel like an homage, there is plenty going on in this recording. No 2 songs sound alike. Blasted Heath seem to love delivering a variety of styles. Besides the pummeling Blackened Thrash, Blasted Heath includes plenty of slower Doom and Sludge like elements that give the album a more psychedelic and haunting feeling.  “The Wind in Vela,” is an instrumental mostly somber track except for some entrancing sound bites about the real life horrors of interstellar space.

The album closes with the 7 minute epic, “Strange Matter,” that perfectly blends the moodiness, eeriness and thrashing foulness into one song. This is definitely one of those types of albums you need to spin a few times until you “get it.”

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BULLETBELT- Warlords – REVIEW

 

Bulletbelt may be best known for their thunderous theme track to the incredible 2015 metalhead themed horror flick, Deathgasam. Flash forward 5 years and a new lead singer, this New Zealand based group is still angry and out for blood on their 4th album.

Bulletbelt does an excellent job here switching from straight blitzkreig thrash insanity to black metal bleakness with plenty of melody throughout. The album is full of heavy and catchy hooks and complex passages  nicely presented with some slick and smooth production. New vocalist, Paul Roberts’s screeching vocals work well with the filth and fury presented here.

“Blade on Fire,” starts out with a killer punk inspired riffs complete with a 70s fuzzy tone then transitions to a much more thrash feel.  The next song, “Flames of Hell,” goes back more into the black metal territory with plenty of tasty riffs and great song structure. This is where Bulletbelt really shines; the melding of different styles and harmonies in such a smooth transition that it feels natural.

“Warlords “isn’t your standard blackened thrash album. There is so much to unpack here, it’s brutal as fuck in parts, eerie and dark in others and includes too many incredible riffs to keep track of.  Hopefully we can get these lads to the states soon as touring has become possible again. These songs are begging to be witnessed live.

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THLURM – The Thlurm Must Die & Dungeon Scum

 

Thlurm bills itself as, “Metal Punk from the dungeons of Indiana,” which is quite an accurate description for their contribution to this month’s subscription. “The Thlurm Must Die and Dungeon Scum,” is part of Wise Blood Records demo series that highlights up and coming and promising new artists.  This recording, combining 2 separate demos is raw and punk as fuck, covered in chunky layers of pure filth.

” Instantly you hear influences of Toxic Holocaust and Midnight and like those bands, Thlurm is a solo product brought to you by Austin Sipes. Thlurm though has a much more punk and grind approach to their style. Songs come in fast and filthy with a certain unpolished charm that is comparable to early Napalm Death. This recording reeks of the lo-fi production of the the mid to late 80’s.

The vocals are sick, the guitars have more of a punk then metal feel and the while the drumming does not include any blast beats, the first demo, “The Thlum Must Die,” is some killer Grindcore. “Disease,” is punk rock kick to the jaw and the following track, “Imaginary Hell,” is a straight up banger that reminds me of Ghoul.

The second demo, “Dungeon Scum,” is much more raw in sound than the first. This half shows more of a Black Metal influence which can be felt the most on “Serpent Master.” “Illusions of Chaos,” and “Human Waste,” even slow things down a bit with even adds more of a haunting vocal feel.

For a demo release, Thlurm are already a band to watch.

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INSINNERATOR – Hypothermia – REVIEW

This one is for the Thrashers. Instantly from the first track, “Burned Alive,” Insinnerator assaults the listener with a battery of blazing riffs, intense solos and some killer vocals that give off an early Exodus vibe. Tons of falsetto screams and group vocals are added throughout the album that hammer home the Bay Area metal vibe that Insinnerator expertly pull off.

Curiously, the title track, “Hypothermia,” is a vast departure from the rest of the album. It is a short and somber instrumental melody that feels much more like the opening of  a longer piece than a title track. “Elemental Ice Dragon” has all of the makings to be an epic Thrasher. It’s a longer song that adds more technical flair than the pure Thrash fury displayed on the rest of the EP. It has a real Metallica meets Slayer vibe. This is a nice change of pace that showcases that the band can add a little more variety to their sound beyond straight aggressive Thrash. (Not saying that there is anything wrong with that!)

“Curse (Horror of Dracula)” is a banger and a great way to end this EP with tons of angry speed, great vocals and a nice haunting feeling vibe to close things out. Another win from the next generation of Thrash Metal!

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VHS – I Heard They Suck…Blood! – REVIEW

Canadian horror monsters, VHS are back from the crypt once again with more thrashy, trashy and blood splattered tracks based on films from the great video store era of the 80’s and 90’s. This time the band focuses its  theme on the most rocking creature of the night; vampires. VHS plays a killer style of death and roll that is part thrash, part death metal, part grind and so on. If you are a fan of Carcass, Midnight and Ghoul this is a can’t miss. Being a band of each of them, this album has already received heavy rotation in my collection. VHS even managed to snag a few guests on this album as well. Trevor Strnad and Dave Ingram lend their unholy howls to tracks, “Horror of Dracula,” and “Immortality Comes with a Price,” Not only is music here top notch the sound bites included are worth the price of admission alone. If you are a horror film fanatic, you’ll be impressed with some of the films that VHS include in their undying homage to bloodsuckers. From classics like “The Lost Boys” and “Near Dark” to cult classics “Martin” and “Monster Squad,” this release will make you want to go back in time and visit your local video store.