Category: Thrash

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HEXORCIST – Bestiarum Vocabulum – REVIEW

 

If you are into down and dirty old school Metal, Hexorcist have you covered with their debut demo, “Bestiarum Vocabulum.” It’s fitting that the artwork provided for the album is for a cassette release. Listening to this makes you feel like you were a part of the early tape trading days. This recording will bring you back to the beginnings of extreme Metal with a sound that is familiar to early Sarcofago with a hint of pre “Reign in Blood” Slayer.  Even at three tracks Hexocist leaves much to be appreciate on this demo. The vocals have a great Black/Thrash quality to them and the guitar and drum work gels perfectly together. This is a prefect listen for the old school fans and the kids just being introduced to the scene.

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CRISISACT – Turn It Off – REVIEW

It’s refreshing to see that we are getting some good things out of this never ending pandemic. Since no one is touring for the time being, many of our beloved musicians have been able to make the most out of a shitty situation and focus their time and talent on side projects that may have otherwise never seen the light of day. 

 

Crisisact was formed by members of Psycroptic, Revocation and King Parrot, so going in you know the level of musicianship is going to be top notch. Although Crisisact is a little more stripped down than the founders’ fulltime gigs, this album still manages to stand firmly on it’s own merits. Crisisact’s debut release pulls no punches, coming in strong, fast and dirty. With 11 tracks and only about 10 minutes of playtime, this ferocious fury of old school grind/death metal hits hard and leaves a mark. 

 

While the hooks and grooves are rather simple considering the guys playing them, they are catchy as hell. This album is equally groovy as it is grindy. The title track, “Turn It Off,” is an excellent opener that perfectly showcases Crisisact’s sound. The band even managed to make a music video for “The Dog in me Unleashed,” which is definitely worthy of a 1 minute trip to Youtube.

 

“Turn It Off,” is pure crusty chaos peppered with elements of grindcore, hardcore and some good old fashioned tried and true punk rock for an intense listen that may lead to permanent neck damage. 

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INTOXICATED – Walled – REVIEW

Florida is brutal. Brutal heat, brutal storms, brutal people and brutal death metal. Intoxicated are adding another element of brutality to that list with their thrash infused debut release, “Walled.” This album has been a long time coming for the group with almost 30 years in the making as the band worked on other projects touring and playing with such acts as Obituary and Andrew W.K. The Trio never gave up on their original dream of playing killer no holds barred thrash metal . With that in mind, the tracks on this album feel like they bridge that early 90’s thrash and death metal gap. 

 

The album cover immediately gives off a Municipal Waste feel and for me that’s a sign of some killer thrash. The vocals are clean but have a certain dirty quality to them. The guitars are loaded with plenty of banging riffs and are tight. It’s clear this band has been together for quite some time. Openers “Smash the Line,” and “Get the Rope” are total thrashers that will make you want to fuck shit up in the pit. The second half of the album is where the bands musicianship really shines with tight riffs and grooves and some nasty vocals. 

 

This album lives up to the hype. Let’s just hope they do not make us wait another 30 years before giving us more. 

 

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ETERNAL ARMAGEDDON – In Light In Dark In Hate – Album Review

 

Black Thrash Bastards is the perfect opening track for this debut album from the Bangladesh trio Eternal Armageddon. It kicks you hard in the teeth from the get go with thrashy guitars, raspy vocals and punishing drumming. They sound and feel like a bunch of Black Thrash Bastards. Seriously. This is pure trashy classic Bay Area inspired Thrash sprinkled with heavy does of Black Metal and cooked to perfection. Fans of Midnight, Venom and Sodom will want to pick this one up quick. Hell, fans of Metal should check these guys out.

Vocals are filthy, guitars are buzzing and drums are blasting, yet this is an extemely captive listen with plenty of octane to keep you coming back for more. Hazam the Black Reaper manages to slow things down for just a moment before going for an early NWOBM sound. It is just as awesome as it sounds. The guitar work for the rest of the album is very heavily Thrash influenced but works oh so well. Once the plague of COVID-19 is over, I can see huge circle pits forming anytime this band takes the stage.

In Light In Dark In Hate is a solid listen from start to finish. Incredible hooks, slick production and enough raw energy to put them at the top of their tier.

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CRUCIFIED MORTALS – Converted by Decapitation Album Review

Crucified Mortals brings old school thrash from Cleveland, Ohio. Playing 80’s inspired thrash has been popular with many new metal groups over the last few years with no slow down of the trend in sight. Luckily, Crucified Mortals are not a band that relies heavily on a gimmick or genre.

Most of this EP sounds like a cross between early death metal and thrash. Craig “Reaper” Horval lays down some seriously angry vocals here that are strong and howling, sounding somewhere in between classic Venom and even the more modern black thrashers Midnight. The layered riffs on this release are sure to have many banging their heads along with their darkened and dedicated thrash melodies. Sentenced to Extermination starts off with a haunting voice over regarding Nazi gas chambers only to be brutally followed by sick lyrics, pounding drums and intense leads. If this song dosen’t get you into the pit, nothing will.

Converted to Decapitation does an excellent job of flying the flag of well revered “Bay Area Thrash” scene and is definitely worth checking out even if you are not a die hard thrash fan with a denim vest covered in patches, blood and piss.

 

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SLAYER “FINAL CAMPAIGN” Tour Review

 

When Slayer announced they would embark on their farewell world tour in January of 2018, the collective cry of thousands of Metalheads could be heard screaming, “Nooooooo!”. Fortunately, Slayer has had several legs on this tour giving their fans plenty of opportunity to say goodbye to one of Metal’s most legendary and enduring bands.

 

In November, Slayer began their “Final Campaign” portion of the tour with what promises to be their last EVER tour dates, Joining them on this leg are Phil Anselmno and the Illegals (performing a special Pantera set), Ministry and Primus.

 

I was able to make it out to their recent show in Louisville, Kentucky. To say there was excitement in the air would be an understatement as excited screams of, “SLAYYYYEERR!” began to fill the KFC Yum Center in anticipation for what may be the last chance for many to see the Thrash Titans. Finally the lights dimmed and the familiar pentagram logo began to float in front of the large black curtains. Flames and fury were heavy from the get go as the band exploded into “Repentless”, “Mandatory Suicide” and “War Enesemble.” At some points the pyro used for the show was so heavy, I thought the band may have actually opened a portal to Hell. There were enough flames to make the California wildfires blush.  This was fucking metal. This was fucking SLAYER! Slayer performed many songs from their over 30 year catalog.”Seasons in the Abyss”, “South of Heaven” and “Chemical Warfare” were huge highlights for me.  For fans who may have been lucky to see them before on their farewell tour, they added a few new classics to this set: “Jesus Saves,” and a rare performance of “Show No Mercy,” from their 1983 debut album.

 

Slayer hasn’t been much for chatting up the crowd in past shows and nothing has changed for this final run of concerts. Tom Araya prefers to let the brutality of the music do all of the talking. Kerry King with his imposing tattooed look nailed every classic solo with ease. Paul Bostaph was on par with original drummer Dave Lombardo, proving that he is worthy of the Slayer Legacy. Gary Holt with his “No Lives Matter” shirt looked and sounded like he has been with the band from the beginning. This is truly a group that is going out on top. And the fans could not have enjoyed it any more as furious pits broke out across the entire floor of the arena. The rest of the fans who had seats to witness this show stood, headbanged and screamed aloud as they could to bid a fond farewell to band that many have listened to their entire lives. People came out in droves to pack the house from the older fans who have been there since day one and the younger fans who may have just discovered the Slaytanic Army.

 

Closing with perhaps their greatest contribution to Thrash Metal, “Angel of Death”, the evening came to an end. The usually quiet Tom Araya took a moment to thank the crowd for their years of support and how important they have been to his life.

 

Can this really be the end of Slayer? Will they play any one off dates? Maybe another Big Four Show? We will have to wait and see. One thing is for certain there will never be another Slayer.

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POWER FROM HELL: Devil’s Whorehouse REVIEW

POWER FROM HELL: Devil’s Whorehouse

Reviewed by Andrew Risch

 

Power From Hell’s fifth album is another trip down memory lane with strong influences from the
early 80’s heavy hitters such as Slayer, Venom and Bathory. For over 15 years now these
Brazillian thrashers have had a cult following in underground metal. Not without reason as
Devil’s Whorehouse is a simple yet satisfying album full of headbanging mini anthems and dark
and dreary atmosphere.

The album hits with the track, “Old Metal,” which immediately gives off a Venom vibe with it’s
hybrid feeling of Black/Thrash Metal riffs. Most tracks follow suite with plenty of filthy riffs and
croaking vocals that aren’t meant to be understood. The band also manages to slow things
down with their some atmospheric offerings on the track “Black Forest.” Nodding heavily to the
early Norwegian scene that first made Black Metal so intoxicating. “Long Road to Hell,” closing
the album out perfectly with it’s surprisingly groovy and bluesy feel.

Power From Hell’s Devil’s Whorehouse manages to be a great listen and one that fans for Blackened Thrash Metal will be sure to add
to their collections.

 

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BOTIS – Grand Abominations Review

BOTIS – Grand Abominations Review

Reviewed by Andrew Risch
Philly based quartet Botis, unleash a plague of slick as hell Black Metal that sounds almost too good to be a self produced debut album. Mind you, this isn’t your traditional type of Black Metal either with plenty of Thrash and Melodic Death Metal thrown in for a satisfying and complex listen.

 The opening track fires off with a technical ferocity of killer riffs, pulverizing blast beats and inhuman screams before slowing things down for a brutal midsection piece with some great bass work added to the mix. Taking bits and pieces from across the entire metal spectrum, Botis showcase incredible musicianship on this release. The second track, “Rodente,” is a real standout with it’s trashy almost punk like riffs showcasing how Botis seamlessly blends many different styles into a great and even catchy song. And the eerie chorus at the end of the track? Perfection! “Gullet,” is the longest track here clocking in at a little over 8 minutes, this is an epic track  with a unique piano outro that bears repeated listens. The albums closer, “The Nobel King,” finishes the album up perfectly, not too heavy, not too soft, but enough to leave you wanting more.

 

If this is their first attempt at a recording, Botis proves that they are a band that needs to be on your radar in the years to come.

Catch Botis in this month’s coffee subscriptions, here
Be sure to sign up by midnight (EST) tonight!

 

Botis is:
Erik Levitsky – Guitar
Graham Noël – Bass
Greg Bogart – Drums
Peter Hraur – Vocals

Botis Facebook

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DECEASED announce new drummer.

In the wake of the tragic, untimely death of longtime drummer Dave Castillo on November 12th, underground icons Deceased have announced their new touring drummer, Amos Rifkin, as well as structural changes to their recording lineup. Deceased founder and vocalist King Fowley says the following: “Deceased recently lost our drummer and dear friend Dave Castillo. He sadly drowned while visiting family in El Salvador. Deceased is a band that is all about family and friendship above all. The shock is still fresh in our systems as we decide how to proceed with the band’s future. After a few weeks of letting everything sink in, it is now a fruition. Deceased is continuing on! We all know in our hearts Dave would be the very first one to tell us to keep on rocking. The plan now is for me to go back to playing drums on the studio records, and we are bringing in a friend to play live drums for us.”

Continuing, King says, “Finding the right guy to play drums for us wasn’t easy. There’s a lot to what we do drum-wise in the band, and we need a heavy, precise hitter whose 110% always reliable and ready to rock at the drop of a hat. Oddly, how we found this guy is kinda ‘haunting,’ keeping in a Deceased career-long off-kilter kind of way. A few months ago, while playing on tour, Dave fell in love with a band called Death of Kings that were supporting us. He totally enjoyed their in-your-face thrash attack and really dug the drumming in the band. The two bands became good pals and metal brothers over the almost-two-week jaunt. At our last show of the tour in Detroit, Michigan, Dave told me, ‘If anything ever happens to me, you gotta get this motherfucker on drums – he kicks ass!’ Hauntingly enough, we stand here today finding a replacement for Dave. Talking amongst band members, a name kept coming up in every conversation. I put it at my top of the list of things for me to look into. Weirdly, at this same time, I was asked for my address by the guy and a letter came to my house. The letter was a handwritten two pages expressing condolences and had a genuine honesty to it that immediately made me take notice. He wrote of how much he enjoyed playing together on the tour and how Deceased was a powerful entity in the underground music world. About two thirds through the letter, he started to talk of offering his playing skills to the band to keep the entity rolling on. I called him up, and we talked for a good while. I explained how things work in the band and what we’d need and expect from him. He was all in, as were we. Deceased has people living all over the world anymore, it seems, so him being four states over from us is nothing. Homework is the most important thing in this band, and you come in ready in full. After a few video tryouts of him playing to our music, it is exactly as expected – full-hearted and played with passion, and a knack for understanding the wacky traits that are Deceased drums. The band will rehearse throughout winter and into 2019. Look for our first shows April 14th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Decibel music festival, quickly followed on April 19th at the Milwaukee NYDM spring bash.”

Concluding, “So here we are, about to go into our 34th year as a band. And I now introduce you to our new touring drummer, and fellow maniac for the music, Amos Rifkin. UP THE TOMBSTONES!”

Deceased‘s long-awaited eighth album, Ghostly White, is out now via Hells Headbangers. It features Dave Castillo’s final performance with the band, and can be heard in its entirety HERE at Hells Headbangers‘ Bandcamp.
Cover art, courtesy of Raul Gonzalez, and tracklisting are as follows:


Tracklisting for Deceased’s Ghostly White
1. Mrs. Allardyce
2. Germ of Distorted Lore
3. A Palpation’s Warning
4. To Serve the Insane
5. Endless Well
6. The Shivers
7. Thoughts of a Leaking Brain
8. Pale Surroundings

DAVE CASTILLO
November 25th, 1974 – November 12th, 2018

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DEATHHAMMER premiere new track for new album, Chained To Hell

DEATHHAMMER premiere new track for new album, Chained To Hell

Today, blackthrash elite Deathhammer premiere the new track “Threshold of Doom”.The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated fourth album, Chained to Hell, set for international release on October 5th via Hells Headbangers.By now, Deathhammer should need no introduction. For 13 years, this insatiable Norwegian duo have been at the forefront of the burgeoning blackthrash movement. Though blackthrash has seen intermittent surges in popularity over the last few decades, for sole members Sadomancer and Sargeant Salsten, this is a way of life – not a trend. Deathhammer proved as much as with their cult debut album, Phantom Knights, in 2010 and then proved it yet further and more fully – and more furiously and filthily – with 2013’s Onward to the Pits and 2015’s Evil Power, both of which were released by Hells Headbangers to widespread international acclaim. And yet, through it all, the duo kept their wits about them, simply being Deathhammer and taking their irresistible (and irresistibly evil) charm to stages worldwide, including a command performance at Hells Headbangers‘ Hells Headbash 2 in 2015.

With the stage set thusly, Chained to Hell is a statement of intent for Deathhammer: this is who they are, eternally, and there’s no turning back. Everything that’s endeared the duo to legions worldwide – bursting-at-the-seams energy, forever-forward momentum, coiling-yet-catchy songwriting, and that strangely clean ‘n’ clanging guitar tone that’s somehow dirtier than most other blackthrash out there – is here, both in a state that’s blood-red raw and sagely mature. It’s a unique duality that Deathhammer so unselfconsciously exude here, that youthful enthusiasm somehow remaining intact but simultaneously imparting an aeons-old wisdom, the entirety of classic metal history run through a rusty blender. Of course, the firmest foundation still remains that fateful year of 1985, when when Sodom and especially Destruction were releasing their respective, undeniably classic debut EPs – but also of course, Deathhammer possess that elusive charisma that elevates Chained to Hell from lazy pastiche to a crucial component in that blackthrashing continuum.

Some bands age like fine wine, while others are mostly remembered for their early, exuberant energy. With Chained to Hell, Deathhammer prove you can do both!

Hear for yourself with the new track “Threshold of Doom”

Cover and track-listing are as follows:


Tracklisting for Deathhammer’s Chained to Hell
1. Rabid Maniac Force
2. Satans Hell
3. Black Speed Inferno
4. Threshold of Doom
5. Tormentor
6. Into the Burning Pentagram
7. Chained to Hell
8. Evil