Thrash metal – Page 56 – Wonderbox Metal

Kuazar – Wrath of God (Review)

Kuazar are a Thrash Metal band from Paraguay with a good Death Metal influence in their sound; they have the bite and aggression of old-school Kreator mixed in with some old-school Death Metal from the likes of Death.

The important thing here is the songs. The recording may be relatively low-budget compared to some, (but that’s not to say it sounds bad, quite the reverse), but no expense has been spared in the songwriting. Each track has good riffs, tight drumming and a thought for dynamics and structure.

This is an almost-relentless Thrash attack. But not completely. They may be aggressive but they still have some melodic flourishes and solos aplenty, as well as some moments to catch your breath such as Inner Prison.

The vocals for the main part are raspy and full of bile. Mixed with some almost-clean passages and Death growls the singer offers more than might have been expected and overall puts in a very good performance.

This is undeniably a high-quality album. It’s a couple of years old now so I’m hoping they may have something new to unleash on the world soon. To my mind the world can never have enough great Thrash. Highly recommended.

Hi-gh – Night Dances (Review)

Speed Metal played with plenty of melody and punkiness. With a low-rent album cover and low-rent sound, will the songs be similarly low-rent? No! It seems that all of the effort has gone into the songs to make them as pleasurable and memorable as possible.

The recording is not a bad one, it serves its purpose and allows the tracks to roll along on their speedy way. This is Speed Thrash made for the love of all things crossover, and not without talent either. This band know how to play as hard as they know how to have fun. Technicality added to an ease of riffing that combines to create something truly enjoyable, that seems to just slip into your consciousness and act like it’s always been there.

If they can keep this up for their next release then there should be a bright future in store for this band.

Woslom – Evolustruction (Review)

This is thrash Metal played mainly in a more modern style but with a real feel for the old-school nonetheless. Think somewhere between the Teutonic thrashings of Kreator and the more US style of Testament.

This album certainly has some bite, with the guitars alone having plenty of attack before you even factor in the other instruments. Songs are well played and recorded, with juicy Thrash riffs, liquid solos and a vocalist that can compete with the best of them.

The songs are memorable and full of nice hooks and vocal lines. Walking the line between melody and aggression they successfully straddle both worlds delivering an album that any Thrash fan would happily bang their heads and fists too.

These songs have grown on me, as all good music should, and I do not hesitate to recommend this band to you. Thrash will never die; bands like Woslom won’t let it.

Soul Remnants – Black and Blood (Review)

Soul Remnants play song-based Death Metal with a nice thrashy edge to it. Predominantly USDM-style, they are not afraid to mix it up with the occasional keyboard highlight, some slightly more Black-Metal-esque passages, variety in vocals, etc. Eight minute epic Dead Black (Heart of Ice) is a perfect example of this. Mixing Death and Thrash is not too uncommon; less common however is integrating the odd Black Metal riff or section into the boiling pot, especially when it works well and seems natural.

Working with the confines of the Death Metal genre this is a surprisingly diverse album. They can, (and do), blast with the best of them of course, but they also do more than just that. Melodic, emotive passages sit comfortably next to brutality and harshness. Some good lead work over a solid structure of riffing and percussion means that they are clearly in touch with their thrash side while comfortably remaining of the Death Metal camp.

And there are some galloping riffs here! It’s hard to fault this album when it comes to the riffs and the feelings they evoke. Whether they are going for the throat or want to convey a sense of crawling malice they hit the spot. Solid songwriting and dynamics elevate this album higher than most.

This is the band’s second album – based on this release I wish them many more in the future.

Final Curse – Way of the Accursed (Review)

Sometimes all you need is some good old-fashioned Thrash Metal. Final Curse deliver.

A strong, punchy recording means that the guitars crunch, the drums pound and the vocals hit the spot. Their brand of Thrash takes its cue from the Bay Area and has the riffs to prove it.

The vocals are very good – clear but with bite; the singer really enunciates his words and has his own character and so avoids the faceless-frontman-syndrome that plagues some bands.

Final Curse have also realised that speed is not the be-all and end-all of Thrash. They can Thrash out with the best of them when required of course, but mostly their song structures and tempo are more considered; based around the needs of the guitar, rather than having the drums set the pace. There are some lovely leads on this album – these are also considered and well-played.

Overall a very satisfying Thrash Metal album, with a foot in the past and an eye on the future.

Craven Idol – Towards Eschaton (Review)

From the foetid corpse of Black Metal we have a surprisingly fresh release from this UK band, who also have a nice sideline in Thrash.

This is a strong album. In every sense of the word. A distinct sense of force and musculature pervades this Black Metal release. Fast, blasting, relentless. This release is all these things and more. This reminds me of the famous Abyss studio-era Black Metal onslaught, where bands such as Dark Funeral and Marduk unleashed their hells on the world. Craven Idol, spiritually, share common ground. And to be fair I’ve missed it!

Songs show good composition, instruments are played well and throats are screamed raw – exactly what you would want from this album. Thrash riffs and more traditional Heavy Metal influences are also incorporated into their sound, all of which help the album to gallop along at a highly enjoyable pace. Not only that though; these influences allow Craven Idol to side-step the problem of being too one-dimensional which has sometimes weakened many a furious Black Metal album.

This is Black Metal with its finger on the pulse just long enough to know when you’re dead.

Merciless Terror – Vile Extinction (Review)

Hailing from the UK – Merciless Terror play Thrash-heavy Death Metal and it’s a joy to listen to; they don’t make them like this very often any more!

This album has a real late 90’s/early 00’s feel to it that fills me with a sense of nostalgia; at the same time however this is a modern take on it as the sound and energy is distinctly 2013 and exists purely to demolish the listener with its brawny bludgeoning.

An old-school vibe with a modern production, (reminiscent of Malevolent Creation as a reference point), this absolutely crushes everything in its path. Plenty of speed and brutality, but with a matching grasp of dynamics and the need for songs and hooks; this harks back to an era when brutality was not the be all and end all of this genre.

With many stomping riffs to be had and a general feeling of strength-through-guitar-power everything seems in place to worship the riff, fast or slow. And why not?

Vocals are not standard cookie-monster style, more a shouted-bark. This works well and also has a nice amount of variety, incorporating screams and some almost Black Metal-ish shouting at times.

Do yourself a favour and check out Merciless Terror as soon as you can.

Sanity’s Rage – You Are What You Swallow (Review)

Imagine, if you will; Anthrax and Kreator jamming together to create an unholy Thrash-tastic side project. Sanity’s Rage are that theoretical band.

Hailing from Belgium this is an absolute stormer of an album. Tight playing, and galloping, exciting riffs mean there is never a dull moment. A strong production accentuates the dynamic songwriting of each track and there is real bite to these songs. This is no nostalgia-fest. Rather than looking back to the past they drag it fully into the present and it’s like the Thrash heyday is alive and well and centred on Belgium.

Each song on here is focused, mature, and full of more chops, riffs and solos than most bands manage in an album. And it’s relentless. No pseudo-ballads here; just pure, unadulterated Thrash metal.

Pummelling. Pounding. Shredding. Shred-fest. I could go on, but you get the idea. Like a breath of fresh air this album fills you up with all of the goodness of Thrash Metal, before ripping your face off with speed and precision steel.

Sapiency – Tomorrow (Review)

Sapiency play modern melodic Thrash Metal. I don’t listen to a lot of this style of music as there is a huge amount of mediocrity out there – it seems to be that writing okay music in this style is quite easy, but being truly great is rare.

Their style is similar to bands such as Scar Symmetry, In Flames, Soilwork, etc. – the gruff vocals juxtaposed against the clean, huge soaring guitars and keyboards, epic melodies and punchy drums, etc. Although Sapiency don’t hit the heights of the truly great, they are certainly a cut above the mediocre, and dare I say it this is quite an exciting and enjoyable release.

Having more bite to their attack than a lot of the typical In Flames/Soilwork clones, (which they aren’t), certainly works in their favour. The gruff vocals are a bit harsher than the norm, and the clean vocals a bit more powerful. They dwell on the right side of catchy rather than sounding ‘pop’. The guitars are not watered down and actually have some meat to the riffs rather than just being there to accentuate the vocals, which seems to be a usual failing of certain bands in this genre. In fact, Sapiency are less In Flames/Soilwork and more Scar Symmetry/Dark Tranquillity – heavier and less polished, (relatively speaking of course), than their more commercial kin. Some would say ‘more metal’. Here we even have the occasional blastbeat, which is always welcome. Solos too. It’s good that they are not afraid of speed either; it’s too easy for bands in this genre to lose interest across an album as every song has the same mid-paced tempo, speed and feeling.

Albums like this live or die by their songs and Sapiency have these; energy and catchiness, wrapped up and delivered as molten melodic metal. It’s hard not to feel the enthusiasm inherent in these tracks. There is a genuine love of metal on display here and it exhibits itself in every track and imbues them with a vitality that is otherwise missing in so many catchier bands.

I enjoyed Sapiency more than I thought I would; which is a reminder that it’s far to easy to feel jaded and cynical these days and every band should be judged on their individual merits. A class album – if you enjoy melody with your metal then check them out.

Noisem – Agony Defined (Review)

Old-school Death/Thrash Metal with some distinctly hardcore influences. Not Deathcore, not Metalcore; hardcore. Old-school hardcore. Old-school hardcore mixed with a dirty Thrash/Death. There we are then.

This album is short and to the point. Thrash/hardcore inspired Death Metal riffs lash out at the listener, while the simple-but-effective drums pummel you into submission and the shouted Death Metal vocals roar and gnash angrily. Like a crazed, starved and disfigured attack dog and twice as ugly. This is not music for passers by. This is music for people that live it. For people that want a gritty realism to their songs; a brutality of awareness and apathy to destruction.

A great album for when you want a no-frills approach to aggression, and a stark reminder of all that made you like extreme metal in the first place. It’s not perfect or pretty, but that’s the entire point.