Thrash Metal

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    Leave Scars – Chain of Redemption (2015)

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    Hailing from Belgium, today we have Leave Scars and their sophomore release “Chain of Redemption”. As with many Thrash Metal bands, this outfit has only released two albums in the decade the band has been together, and luckily for us, the eleven tracks presented here are quite polished and well crafted.

    Opening with the in-your-face riffage of “P.B.D”, the band sets quite a solid bar with a very melodic and fast-paced song. Evoking old-school Destruction and Exodus, the band plows through killer tracks like “Final Chance”, “The Faceless” and the anthem “Chains”. This last track suddenly busts out a melodic passage that completely elevates it to a whole other dimension. The vocals in this release are quite diverse as the swing between old-school Dave Mustaine (minus the whiny parts) to more mainstream Modern Metal and swing back into typical Thrash-styled screams.

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    Vhöl - Deeper than Sky (2015)

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    As one of the wackiest releases of 2015, today we have Vhöl and their sophomore release “Deeper than Sky”. Featuring members of Agalloch, Hammers of Misfortune and YOB, this is one super group with enough musical chops to make even the weirdest sound great. IF we had to categorize their music, we would say that they play Avant-garde Heavy/Thrash Metal, due to the mixture of genres surfacing thought this release.

    Opening with the Deathklok-esque “The Desolate Damned”, the band delivers an intense music with some brilliant guitar wizardry, which interestingly enough have Mike Scheidt handling vocal duties while John Cobbett handles the guitars. After an unconventional opening, “3AM” feels a bit more like a traditional Heavy Metal song with some funky drumming, courtesy of Aesop Dekker. Mike’s vocals are very versatile, as anybody that listens to YOB can attest, and they perfectly fit each track’s unique level of madness.

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    Ulysses Siren – Justifiable Homicide (2015)

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    As one of the most underrated Bay Area Thrash Metal band in the scene, today we have Ulysses Siren and their EP “Justifiable Homicide”. Featuring some songs of their 2011 demo and three live songs, this release was slated for a couple of years back but the loss of Jon Torres derailed all the band’s plans. A few line-up changes and a couple of years later, we are finally able to get our hands on a few songs from the demo and some live goodies.

    Opening with the title track, the band delivers an intense punch of old-school Thrash brilliance. The guitars are quite vicious and the drumming delivers the perfect tempo for this great piece of period music. The band’s experience allows them to deliver their timeless sound with an unspoken authenticity that only the real Bay Area Thrash bands have. “Bludgeoned Mass” keeps things nice and heavy with some killer guitar acrobatics and very tight drums. Paired with a very upbeat tempo, this track is quite enjoyable.

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    Slayer – Repentless (2015)

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    As THE most expected album of 2015, today we have Slayer’s first release in six years titled “Repentless”. After the loss of Jeff Hanneman and the departure of Dave Lombardo, many people wondered how the band was going to push forward, but for this release the band brought back Paul Bostaph on drums and enlisted Gary Holt to handle guitar duties. Keeping up with their tradition of intense and well-crafted releases, the band manages to deliver a very cohesive album that is considerably better than their 2009 effort.

    Opening with “Repentless” after a short intro, the band lays down the law with a crushing vocal performance from Tom Araya in this intense Thrash-tastic track. This song reminded us of Slayer from their best years thanks to the awesome riffs and furious pace. The drumming is quite hectic and the overall riffing onslaught is stellar. The band continues their onslaught with very solid pieces in “Take Control” and “Vices”, but the guitar leads of “Cast the First Stone” really deliver the second standout track of this release.

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    Cretus – Dux Mea Lux (2015)

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    Catching our attention with their viral marketing campaign that labels Cretus as something more than a band, a cult, we decided to give “Dux Mea Lux” a try. Featuring a very plain and unimaginative Thrash Metal sound with some cleaner and more mainstream elements, the band fails to live up to the hype with their average music and very repetitive nature.

    Opening with the playful “Price of Immortality”, the band’s novelty quickly wears off. This track is pretty bland and while amusing for a few minutes, it can easily go unnoticed by any fan of the genre. “Darkness Bites” is the best track in this release as it gets you going with its hectic opening and catchy hooks. Other songs like “The Leader” have a certain twangy feeling to them, something that could have been easily exploited in this release to make it more unique.

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    Deer Blood – Devolution (2015)

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    Bands these days try to mesh all kinds of genres together and get pretty odd or awesome results. Unluckily for Deer Blood their mixture of Groove and Thrash Metal falls flat to expectations in “Devolution”. Featuring over 13 tracks and 58 minutes of music, this release has some interesting moments that are quickly obscured by an iffy production and a very odd mixture of styles.

    Opening with “Bushmaster” we instantly get a weird Groove/Sludge vibe that morphs into Thrash after a few minutes. The raspy vocals are oddly mixed and come out too loud for the rest of the elements to shine. The guitar riffs individually are pretty decent, and in songs like “Born Strong Live Young Die Hard Born Again” and “Trapped Inside” we have some interesting rhythmical sections and a few leads that are very Thrash-tastic, but the groove vibe manages to kill all sense of cohesion and flow.

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    Impalers – God from the Machine (2015)

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    Delivering a Thrash-tastic sophomore release, today we have Denmak’s Impalers with “God from the Machine”. Featuring over 45 minutes of frantic Thrash Metal, this band nicely sets themselves apart from the countless other Thrash ‘revival’ bands by adding some cool melodic elements into their music.

    Opening with the relentless “Future Void”, we are treated to some solid old-school Thrash with a certain European vibe. Filled with attitude and relentless riffing, the band makes this opener quite intense. The melodic elements start appearing as tracks like “God from the Machine” and “Prepare for War” start to wind down. Filling the album with blistering guitar leads, Thomas Carnell does a pretty solid job in epic songs like “Beyond Trinity” and “Destroy the Meek”.

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    Sylosis – Dormant Heart (2015)

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    Helping us ring the New Year, Josh Middleton and Sylosis return with their very interesting blend of Melodic Death Metal with Thrash elements on “Dormant Heart”. Featuring 12 songs that have a darker edge than the band’s previous works, this UK outfit delivers one of their finest releases to date.

    Opening with the melodic “Where the wolves Come to Die”, the band really steps its game with the crushing “Victims and Pawn”. Both initial tracks are filled with the traditional Sylosis-styled barrage of riffs and harsh vocals. The band’s signature sound is further developed with a mellower tempo and a certain darker vibe in tracks like the imposing “Dormant Heart” and the breakout single “Leech”.

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    Exodus – Blood In, Blood Out (2014)

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    With the latest Thrash revival still in full swing, and all the legendary bands releasing crushing albums, Exodus does not fall behind and they are releasing “Blood In, Blood Out”. Marking their first release without Rob Dukes in almost 10 years, the band fully takes advantage of the return of Steve Souza and crafts 11 tracks of solid Thrash Metal filled with all those awesome riffs that make you feel warm inside.

    Quickly getting on the scoreboard, the band unleashes “Black 13”, a powerful track filled with Gary Holt and Lee Altus signature riffing and the typical Thrash Metal tempo we all enjoy. Steve’s vocals while not the favorite of many, they do a solid job in conveying the band’s lyrics in tracks like “Blood In, Blood Out”, charged with aggression. The band stays current and shows sings of incorporating more Groovy/Modern elements in songs like “Collateral Damage”, a thing they perfectly blend into their already established sound.

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    Deficiency – The Prodigal Child (2013)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Deficiency, a very promising young band that plays a mean modern sounding Thrash Metal. Presenting us with ten superb tracks, this band showcases that not everybody is just trying to copy what old-school Thrash Metal bands have did in the past. Giving us a certain flair of bands like Mercenary, EverEve (sans the experimental craziness), etc., this is a very entertaining album that will not get dull at any point.

    Blasting away instantly with the album title opening track, the band showcases vicious riffing and versatile vocals. Not settling for your typical Thrash style, the band throws some growls into the mix. As “Unleashed” and “A Prospect of Traveling Beyond” unfolds, the band clearly showcases their unique signature into the music with emphasis on epic vocal sections and incisive riffs. For those of us that enjoy dark and melodic songs, “Those Who Behold” is one hell of a track with lush drumming and the perfect tempo to make it quite memorable.

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