Thrash metal – Page 49 – Wonderbox Metal

Unsaint – Watch Them Bleed (Review)

Unsaint are from Poland and play Death/Thrash Metal. This is their second EP.

I enjoyed Unsaint’s début EP so this latest one is a welcome listen.

Unsaint’s chosen style of Metal is a combination of Death and Thrash Metal. Some of it has a modern sheen to it that recalls bands like Lamb of God, whilst other parts harken back to bands like Kreator with their aggressive brand of Thrash.

The singer has a personable growling shout that works well with their particular style. It’s gruff and aggressive but not totally indecipherable.

The instruments are well-played and there are some nice solos and leads on the songs. Sharp riffs and tight drumming make for songs that are focused and directed.

Watch Them Bleed has a good sound that allows the band to make the most of their energetic Metal anthems.

This is a nice collection of songs that showcase the band’s aggressive Thrash style.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Divine Zero – The Cold Asylum (Review)

Divine Zero come from Germany and play Death Metal. This is their second album.

Divine Zero have a singer that alternates between deep growls and high shrieks, sometimes within the same sentence. It’s schizophrenic and harsh. The high screams have a bit of At The Gates about them and both styles sound top quality.

Ostensibly a Melodic Death Metal band, Divine Zero have enough brutality in them to satisfy fans of harder Metal also. It may be melodic but it’s also aggressive.

The songs have plenty of tasty riffs and the trade off between melody and brutality is handled well, with even a smidgen of Thrash being thrown into the mix. Everything’s played to a high standard and there are lots of things included to hook the listener and capture the attention.

The riffs are interesting and quite varied, with everything between modern Metal and Old-School Thrash having a look-in at various points. I also like that the solos are bountiful and emphatic.

A strong sound rounds off a strong package and Divine Zero have produced a very enjoyable album. It reminds me of turn-of-the-millenium Metal like Dew Scented and Withering Surface.

If you’re put off Melodic Death Metal as you think most bands who play the style sound watered down and/or too commercial then give Divine Zero a listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Wömit Angel – Holy Goatse (Review)

Wömit Angel are from Finland and this is their second album of Black Metal.

This is dirty Black Metal fuelled by Punk and raped by Thrash.

The band boast a raw but strong sound and their filthy rage-filled attack comes off loud and clear.

Vocally we get stinging, lacerated shrieks with the occasional deeper, daemonic grunt. They sound authentic and intense.

The songs are short bouts of violence that may be underground blasts of hatred but manage to be remarkably catchy. Some nice hooks are included in the tracks and odd flares of melody are thrown in with the general chaos of the guitars.

It’s as if Impaled Nazarene, Motörhead and Venom have been crushed up, eaten and regurgitated as gooey Black Metal projectile vomit. Eat it. Eat it all back up.

Wömit Angel have produced an enjoyably venomous assault on the ears. Check them out.

Skull Koraptor – Dead Ahead (Review)

Skull Koraptor are a Thrash Metal band from Greece and this is their début EP.

Skull Koraptor play Old-School Thrash Metal with a pinch of Heavy Metal added to the mix. They’re influenced by the old Big Four and wear their influences on their sleeves.

It’s energetic and played with passion. We may have heard this style many times before but there’s no denying the enthusiasm that the band attack the material with.

The instruments are played well and there are a fair few enjoyable solos sprinkled around.

Each song is well written and the band have a good grasp of what it takes to write a catchy Metal song.

The vocalist does a good job and overall this is an authentic recreation of Old-School Metal that should be recognisable to any fan of the genre.

If you’ve reached your saturation point with this type of Metal then there’s probably not much to tempt you here, however if you still carry a torch for this older Thrash sound then Skull Koraptor are actually way better and more authentic than a lot of those in the retro-Thrash movement.

Want some enjoyable and honest Old-School Thrash Metal? Look no further.

Deathronation – Hallow the Dead (Review)

Deathronation are from Germany and this is their début album. They play Death Metal.

This is morbid Old-School Death Metal with dark malevolent feelings rubbing shoulders with some nice graveyard tunes.

Their brand of Death Metal has a few influences from the Doom, Black and Thrash Metal genres mixed in with their Deathly attack, which makes for a nice, well rounded album that has good pace and variety.

Doom? Some of the riffs are superbly downbeat, slow and mournful. These sections typically don’t last long but they’re there and they sound good.

Black? A slight Blackened tinge to some of the guitar licks and leads lends a slightly Old-School Blackened feel to the songs on occasion. It’s not overly blatant but it gives the band an extra depth than just employing pure Death Metal influences.

Thrash? This part is apparent in some of the riffs; sometimes they just Thrash out and an older, crusty vibe is brought to the fore.

All of these are worked around an Old-School Death Metal base that places songs, heavy riffs and horror-fuelled melodies firmly in the limelight.

Hallow the Dead is an impressive collection of tracks that remind the listener that it’s not all about the hyper-blast or the Slamming grooves; the most important thing about Death Metal is the songs themselves and the feelings they invoke.

It seems Deathronation have made a great start to their career. It’s definitely worth checking this out.

Voodoo Gods – Anticipation for Blood Leveled in Darkness (Review)

This is the début album from International supergroup Voodoo Gods. They play Death Metal.

Featuring members of bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Sceptic and Severe Torture you know that a lot of talent and experience has gone into making this release.

This is song-oriented Death Metal with plenty of hooks, solos and a Thrash influence.

The tracks are catchy and memorable. They roll along enjoyably and the Thrash aspect gives the riffs an extra energy. There are frequent solos which are played well and it’s always nice to hear the colour and interest that a good solo brings to a song.

The dual vocal approach works a treat and provides nice variety to the tracks, as well as some good rhythms and vocal interplay. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher is, of course, immediately recognisable. The second singer Seth Van de Loo certainly shouldn’t be discounted, however, and holds his own against the seasoned Cannibal Corpse veteran. Together they growl, grunt and shriek their way across these songs with power and conviction.

Coming from the people involved this is not as brutal as you might be expecting. The Thrash influence and the emphasis on songs means that this is more catchy and mid-paced than brutal and blasting. It’s still Death Metal and still heavy, of course, but not as much as you might think.

There are also moments of lighter reprieve and a good Death influence to some of the riffs. It all adds to their palette and the end result is a rich, sumptuous Metal meal.

Enjoyable and accomplished, this is the kind of album you throw on when you’re in the mood to be aurally beaten around the head by a band with a bit of groove who know how to write a good tune.

Highly recommended.

Iron Reagan – The Tyranny of Will (Review)

Iron Reagan are from the US and this is their second album. They play Metallic Crossover and feature members of bands such as Municipal Waste, Darkest Hour and Cannabis Corpse.

I have enjoyed Iron Reagan’s previous work so I was expecting good things from this album. It doesn’t disappoint.

Iron Reagan play Hardcore and Thrash mixed in a blender and shat out at escape velocity. It’s highly aggressive and kicks your door down looking for a scrap. There’s no hiding.

The songs are short, heavy and usually exceedingly violent. Iron Reagan have a nice malevolent streak to some of their riffs that keeps things gritty.

The band play tight and fast, and some short, sharp guitar solos are also included in their spiky package.

Vocally the shouts straddle that rarely seen line where you can imagine them being transposed into either an 80’s Thrash band or an 80’s Hardcore band with equal ease. They inhabit both worlds flawlessly and effectively represent both.

A quality album. 24 blasts of anarchy in just under 32 minutes. Play loud.

Osmium Guillotine – Osmium Guillotine (Review)

Osmium Guillotine are from the UK and this is their début album. They play Heavy Metal.

This is 80’s style Heavy Metal with a sexy guitar sound and plenty of attitude. The production is largely apt for this kind of band, although in a feat of differentiation Osmium Guillotine have a guitar tone that’s both thicker and heavier than most bands playing this genre and it works very well for them.

The music is played with passion and obvious zeal and everyone seems to know their job well. Nice solos too.

This is Old-School Heavy Metal that manages to encapsulate quite a few different feelings from early Metal and distil them into this release. Classic Metal is a given, but Doom Metal, Proto-Thrash and NWOBHM all get a look in. There’s even a touch of Punk to things now and again.

The vocals are great, and there’s not a hint of Power Metal to be seen. I love Power Metal as much as anyone, but it’s nice to hear a band like Osmium Guillotine who are just pure Heavy Metal without the more extravagant ostentation inherent in Power Metal. The singer here has a great set of lungs and possesses the charisma to do the tunes justice.

These are a strong set of songs with plenty of hooks and choruses to keep you coming back for more. Memorable melodies and good riffs flow freely and everything feels just as it should.

Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Anthrax…if these bands float your boat then Osmium Guillotine are a logical band to check out. Along with the recent stellar release from Johnny Touch this proves once again what any real music fan already knew – True Metal isn’t dead.

Great stuff.

Exordium Mors – The Apotheosis of Death (Review)

This is the début album from Exordium Mors who are a Black Metal band from New Zealand.

This is Black Metal with a Thrash influence and songs that are interesting and well developed. The riffs are powerful and propel the songs onwards and upwards in a blaze of raw melody and colourful leads.

The band have a strong grasp of dynamics and have lots of ideas that they pour into The Apotheosis of Death. This makes for a fascinating and satisfying listen as Exordium Mors provide an important lesson in Extreme Metal in 54 minutes.

It’s a chaotic frenzy of Blackened Thrash and bloody sacrifice. It’s frenetic, impassioned and coursing with vitality. It’s imbued with a terrible majesty and undeniable presence.

Exordium Mors have built up their own kingdom of Extreme Metal and lord it over their subjects with the confidence of those who know they are untouchable in their own lands.

The Apotheosis of Death is varied and interesting and you’re never sure what dark labyrinth the band are going to explore next. The savage Blackened brutality of the songs is a multidimensional, expertly realised and fully textured Extreme Metal reality that the band have carved out for themselves.

This is an advanced album that’s probably not for the casual listener. For hardened Black/Extreme Metal fans though this is what you’ve been waiting for.

Breakdust – Baleful World (Review)

Breakdust are from France and this is their second album.

Breakdust play Thrash Metal that’s aggressive and heavy. Their style is influenced by Classic Thrash but delivered in a modern style.

The band manage to mix the old and the new together quite well, with some songs being straight ahead Thrashers, and others having some different influences, (splashes of Death Metal hints here and there, for example).

They incorporate a fair few different ideas and feelings into this release, usually quite small things amongst the Thrashings but they all make a difference. Keyboard effects and female vocals, for example.

For a basic idea think a combination of Testament and Sepultura which the band then add to to make it their own.

Vocally the singer mainly uses harsh mechanistic shouts, but variety is added to this with deeper growls and some cleaner vocals.

The music is of the heavier variety with plenty of double bass, crushing riffs and even some blast beats making an appearance.

It’s clear that the band can play well and there are some nice technical passages and good solos floating around.

This is a comprehensive album that’s been impressively put together by a coherent vision of what they want to achieve.

A very worthwhile listen – check them out.

Favourite Track: Mother Will Kill Us All. A proper Thrash Metal epic.