Copyright (c) 2007 THE THRASH METAL GUIDE
0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
1000 ODIOS (ARGENTINA)
Thrash/death metal of the modern type, with hellish female vocals, which might scare even Angela Kossoff at times. Music-wise the band have a long way to go, before they reach Arch Enemy, although the guitar work is not bad at all, with numerous melodic hooks, which are the driving force, overshadowing the sharper riffs, which are actually not too many; the problem is that there is no speed, the tempo is mid-paced with slow-ish gothic passages. "Phobos" shows signs of life, but it soon gives up for the sake of the heavy stomping riffage.
1000.Odios EP, 2008 My Space 12 TON SLEDGE (USA)
Modern groovy thrash (make no mistakes, folks- once you see numbers in the band bame, you have to know that this is going to be groove all over, in most cases), with a heavy, steam-rolling sound, which never speeds up a lot, seldom coming with some more choppy riffs ala Prong: "Slingin' Ink".
Nothing to Gain Full-length, 2005 Official Site 19 A.D.D. (USA)
This is purely instrumental stuff: good elaborate music, quite hectic in a positive way and very technical modern thrash affair, although music of so many nuances and shades is not easy to categorize as modern or classic. The riffs jump into all directions, sometimes unpredictably, never being too fast or brutal, constantly changing tempos and pace disorienting the listener quite a bit who will be actually entertained for most of the time moving through this complex landscape of moods and hooks where the bass plays a very big role touching Cynic and Atheist; the riffage is mostly dispassionate and precise with the casual melodic addition. Every instrumental piece is preceded by a short introduction based on a film/news sample or industrial/ambient noise, to these ears a not very necessary inclusion. A couple of more direct headbanging sections can also be heard, and they are very well embedded into the much harder to swallow rest. The guys' genius reaches the top towards the end, on the brilliant twisted technical thrasher "Saudade" which is relatively conventional compared to the other longer and more complex numbers. To name a soundalike would be a difficult task: a more moderate, less aggressive, Electro Quarterstaff or a more intense thrashy Canvas Solaris may come not too far, but this "animal" is truly of a less ordinary breed.
19 Minute Attention Span EP, 2003 Official Site 2 HEADED CHANG (USA)
Based on "Deliver Us...": this band come up with pedestrian groovy thrash, occasionally graced by more melodic, Swedish style leanings ("The Inner Workings Of A Perpetual Victim"), which put more vitality into the album. The other surprise is "Bonded With Vengeance", which thrashes with intensity and sharp riffs, which overshadow the clumsy groovy section near the end.
Dead City Rodeo Full-length, 2003 Official Site 2 TON PREDATOR (SWEDEN)
Based on the first two albums, this band try to keep 90's groovy thrash alive, and as such manage to come up with a decent sound, which might not be as hard-hitting as early Pantera, and at times could degenerate into some stoner/doom ala Down, but fans of this style will be happy all over.
In the Shallow Waters Full-length, 1999 Official Site 21ST CENTURY SIN (USA)
This band offers a heavy mostly mid-tempo thrash/death of the groovy variety, sounding quite close to mid-period Gorefest (circa "False"), including in the vocal department. "Mutations" speeds up near the end, showing the guys well able to thrash along with the best when necessary, and they should have provided a few more speedy "surprises" like these earlier. Some of the band members play similar music in Tempestuous.
21st Century Sin Full-length, 1998 Official Site 26 BEERS
Good, speedy thrash/crossover, with some really aggressive riffage ("27 Beers", "Nobody's Safe"), and some genuine technical moments ("Hit the Marc", "The Mexican Drinking Song"). The style is not miles away from Wehrmacht and Cryptic Slaughter. This is really an intense listening experience, which also provides some relative "pauses" for a break: the punk joy "Dermaine (Two-Step N' Thrash)" (there's nothing thrashy here, despite the title), and the slower, melodic crossover piece "How to Make A Little Girl Cry Twice".
26 Beers Full-Length, 2007 3.3.3. (ECUADOR)
Groovy doomy modern thrash, mid-paced to slow, with a few speedy surprises: the quite classic-sounding "Tirano", and the pure 90's power/speed metal piece "Tus Falsas Verdades".
Semana de Pecado Full-length, 2006
3B ASYLUM (USA)
A 4-sond EP of really good classic thrash, with a genuine technical twist; "Black Monday" is all-out headbanging thrash, but "Suicide Slide" switches onto more thought-out music, providing smashing riffage and various tempos. "Eternal Rite" thrashes with full force once again, but "Kobb" comes with all the gimmicks of progressive/technical thrash: a wide gamut of time and tempo changes, all this on a very heavy base, with sudden faster outbursts, very good bass support, and a slightly annoying noisy outro.
3B Asylum EP, 2008 66CRUSHER (NORWAY)
Based on the 2-song Promo: "The Game" is melodic atmospheric, progressive power/thrash, whereas "Mindgame" is more aggressive riff-wise, but has the same dream-like quality, brought with the slow, semi-balladic passage in the middle, followed by a faster section with excellent melodic guitar line; later some blast beats come through, but are accompanied by another great guitar line, and are not that annoying. This is multi-layered stuff, comig as more thrashy Opeth, which shows big promise, and it would be interesting to hear what the guys have done on the full-length.
Concept of Elimination Demo, 2001 My Space 666 TRIANGLE SIX OF DEATH (JAPAN)
Based on the "Why You Believe in It?" demo, this is half heavy mid-paced, and half somewhat clumsy thrash/crossover. The music is not aggressive, and has also shades of doom, but the second half speeds up quite a bit, and the tracks there thrash admirably for a while, since all the songs here are longer than 4-min. The last two tracks are with a much worse sound quality, and have obviously been recorded at another time, and the sound on them is more aggressive, along the lines of early Messiah.
Why You Believe in It? Demo, 1987 7TH NEMESIS (FRANCE)
Based on "Archetype of Natural Violence", these French, who have in their midst the expert guitarist Nicolas Coudert (Korum, No Return), offer an interesting combination of intense thrash/death, the closest soundalike to which would probably be later period Carcass, or Atheist, and complex progressive arrangements, which are not long, and create a lot of dynamics. Since mixtures of the kind are not common at all, these guys will strike a cord in the metal fan's heart, with their adherence to strange music patterns, hectic tempo changes, heavy sharp riffs, and frequently very technical delivery. Some exercises at progressive/technical thrash/death hit the top ("La Chair, Le Monde Et La Machine", "Divinus Afflatus", which will make your head spin with all the twists and turns inside, and the constant expert shredding), others excel in the more brutal, faster department ("Severance", which is also graced by an enchanting quiet section in the middle; the short chaotic masterpiece "Prometheus Unleashed"). This album is a great concoction of aggressive and technical metal, which easily beats many of the Canadian masters of the genre, and are a proof that the French haven't said their final word in the technical metal field (check also Thalidomide, which are similar in style, but not that aggressive; and Skeleton Crew).
Violentia Imperatrix Mundi Full-length, 2005 My Space 8 CONTROL (FRANCE)
A 3-track EP of modern groovy thrash keeping a good pace with heavy smashing riffs and harsh semi-death metal metal vocals.
You Should Have Cared EP, 2009 8MM METAL BULLETS (USA)
Wow, this is quite a treat: very badly-produced grind/thrash/death, sounding well more underground than the very early demos of the Brazilians Vulcano and Sarcofago; Napalm Death's "Scum" and Cryptic Slaughter's "Convicted" are a close refernce, too, but this is a ot inferior sound-wise; very fast ultra-brutal stuff with two hardly distinguished covers near the end: Venom's "Black Metal" and Sodom's "Outbreak of Evil".
The Blood Purge Demo, 2002 8MM OVERDOSE (USA)
Hardcore-ish thrash, close to early Prong and D.R.I., but with a more modern, groovy edge; it comes with a more aggressive sound ("Criminally Insane", which is not a Slayer cover, although in terms on intensity is not too far behind), and there is a lot of energy put into the recordings.
Harder Than Hardcore Full-Length, 2001 9 DAYS DOWN (UK)
Modern thrash, with a strong shade of groove, sounding quite energetic at times ("Life Lost Living"). Actually, quite a few of the songs start in an intense thrashing way, before they slide down to ordinary groovy thrash.
A Sign of Things to Come Full-length, 2007 My Space Copyright (c) 2007 THE THRASH METAL GUIDE
The "Vol. 2" EP offers heavy doomy thrash/death metal of the classic type, a bit one-dimensional with quite a few melodic hooks.
Vol. 2 EP, 2009
Elements of Emptiness Full-length, 2006
"Dead City Rodeo" is worse offering rhythmic almost rappy post-thrash "stifled" by heavy groovy passages which are the better side of the album managing to capture some of the early Pantera intensity ("The Devil Never Goes Away"). Like in the other effort, there are a couple of more vigorous thrashers ("Fight"), but here they really have to try hard to keep the listener entertained.
Deliver Us... Full-length, 2007
Boogie Full-length, 2001
Checkpoint # 4 Split, 2003
Demon Dealer Full-length, 2003
Untitled Full-length, 2005
Promo Promo, 2004
Truth Unmasked Full-length, 2007
Die If You Want To Die Demo, 1988
Attack of 4 Tribes Split album, 1988
The debut is a great beginning for the guys, serving the same frenetic, technical blend of death and thrash, maybe sounding closer to death metal, and especially to mid-period Carcass. The fast moments are more frequent, but they do not last very long, and change all the time: check out the progressive masterpiece "Severance"- arguably the band's finest achievement. "Prometheus Unleashed" is a more typical example of their striking style: a shorter, chaotic technical number, which lashes from all sides riffs like bullets. "Moira Kai Hybris (La chair, le Monde et la Machine" is another highlight- a technical death/thrash delight, which doesn't contain any fast sections, but twists and turns to a head-spinning effect. "Divinus Afflatus" excels in complexity, but slows down, offering a more controlled delivery, ending in a marvellous acoustic manner. The last "Odium Humani Generis" puts the brutality one level up, not miles away from Morbid Angel, but the stylish slower twisted breaks later on will be hard to match even by the big Americans.
Archetype of Natural Violence Full-length, 2008