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 I.N.C. (USA)
One of the less conventional American thrash metal bands, I.N.C. play an interesting brand of dry mechanical semi-technical thrash, slightly recalling Voivod and Equinox on the more experimental moments, and Intruder, or Paradox, on the faster and more straight ones. Both albums are full of interesting, stylish riffs and quirky moments, although at least to these ears the speedy, direct sections work better, creating a nice, headbanging atmosphere. Some of the songs are long, but ironically, those are the less appealing ones, as the guys simply stick to a certain number of riffs without much deviation.
Razorback Full-length, 1987 Vibrations of Doom I.N.R.I. (HOLLAND)
A more aggressive version of the modern thrash/death metal of bands like The Crown and Terror 2000; the music is quite fast and brutal, staying closer to death metal.
Hyper Bastard Breed Full-length, 2002 Official Site I'LL EAT YOUR FACE (IRELAND)
Based on "Irritant", this band, which is only two people, plays an extravagant all-instrumental mix of death, thrash, grind and progressive balladic sections which is quite technical and jumpy without being too brutal. The approach is modern, and never loses the dynamics also giving the melodic peceful passages enough space to develop which may be considered a drawback by some since the compositions are too short, half of them closing around the 2-min line, and a bigger length would give this unusual blend a more complete form.
FatBoxLifeDestroyer EP, 2006 My Space I4NI (USA)
This band boast a stellar line-up comprising of members from bands like Overkill, Warning Sf, Angel Witch, Exodus. Style-wise this is heavy thrash sounding like slower Exodus and Anthrax; good stuff, but somehow underwhelming, having in mind the all-star cast involved.
It's All Fun and Games Best of/Compilation, 2001 I ACCUSE (USA)
Fast punk-ish thrash/crossover with very short incoherent tracks, little musicianship (if any), and noisy semi-shouty punky vocals.
Split Split, 2006 I HATE SALLY (USA)
Based on "Don't Worry Lady": this band pull out a mix of thrash and hardcore, with a certain industrial edge. The vocals are awful hardcore shouts, but the guitar work is not too bad, often adhering to alternative moments. The songs are generally short, no longer than 3-min, but there are two monstrous tracks, in the 8-9min range, which sacrifice the more energetic tempos for bland dragging doomy moments, and end up nowhere. "Iseah's Cancer" is a cool ballad, and is close to being the highlight of the album. "Mary! Mary!" is the band's tribute to the sludge/doom scene.
Sickness of the Ages Full-Length, 2004 Official Site IBOGAINE (FRANCE)
Based on the EP, this band plays cool modern thrash, not miles away from mid-90's Voivod, and the new Eric Forrest project E-Force; the drummer from that band: Kopf, also hits the drums here. The music is dry and mechanical, but packs a punch, and sounds fairly intriguing, even finding time to thrash with the best out there: "Icon Curse". On the other hand, we have doom-laden compositions: "Zombi", which suddenly turn into a whirlwind of technical riffage. "Tibetan Terrorist" is more on the industrial side ala Ministry, whereas "React" doesn't stray too much from the mechanical thrash path carved by Meshuggah and Voivod.
Ibogaļne EP, 2006 My Space ICE (USA)
The name is cold, I know, but of you manage to overcome the "cold", you will hardly be disappointed. Based on the "Ice" demo, this band offer cool heavy thrash ala early Exodus and Testament, mostly mid-tempo with smashing riffs. "Walls of Oppression" suddenly turns to more up-tempo technical thrash, and is a pleasant surprise. The heavy riffage, however, returns for the demo closer: "Rasta Man", which is an interesting blend of thrash and reggae, so good that noone bothered to come up with a similar mixture all these years- ha ha ha!
Ice Demo, 1990 ICE AGE (SWEDEN)
An all female thrash metal band; this is the band from where the legendary Debbie Gunn started her career, as a matter of fact. The style doesn't stray from the one practiced by other similar all-female bands, like Meanstreak and Original Sin, for example. The music is melodic, lacks a punch, but is enjoyable and catchy.
Demo Demo, 1986 Official Site ICED EARTH (USA)
These legends of American power metal had their feet firmly on thrash soil in the beginning. The self-titled debut is a brisk, inspired, albeit rough around the edges offering (but definitely not burnt!), full of highly-charged galloping speed/thrash rhythms ("Iced Earth", "Written on the Walls"), which may make the more hot-blooded jump the horse and ride to oblivion deep into the prairies. Thrash with a Bay-Area tinge takes over on the excellent "Colours", and on the brilliant semi-ballad "Curse the Sky": one of the band's finest achievements. The aggression then gets mixed with a more serious, almost progressive song-writing to quite an impressive effect, for "Life and Death", the first-rate instrumental "The Funeral", and especially the monstrous closer "When the Night Falls" which, despite its colossal for the style 9-min length, seldom has a dull moment, and never stops thrashing with force. Despite some flaws, mostly in the production and the sound-quality department, this album showed an outfit ready to keep the genre alive during its most difficult period.
Iced Earth Full-length, 1991 Official Site ICELAND (FRANCE)
Interesting and varied 80's thrash; there are fast headbangers, epic/pagan tracks, and slower ones close to Celtic Frost; a mixture which works well most of the time. The album opens in a shattering manner with the great aggressive smasher "Brain Washing". After that it slows down, and at least half of the tracks acquire this unique pagan atmosphere so typical for the Brits Sabbat: "Merry Sinner" is probably the best example of this influence. "Traces of Dreams" is a doom-laden, slow, heavy number, graced with stylish leads and meaty riffs. Then the music speeds up again, with shorter, but effective headbangers. The vocals are very good, although a bit dirty with this rough semi-clean blend, very similar to Chris Astley (Xentrix).
Iceland Full-length, 1990 ICHABOD CRANE (USA)
Based on the demo, this act specializes in intense melodic modern thrash/death metal with progressive tendencies sitting somewhere between later-period Death and Dark Tranquillity. The tempo is pretty up for most of the time with loads of great melodic implements which shine through despite the several brutal blasting passages surrounding them. The singer is a high-strung semi-screamer with a lower tone applied at the appropriate times.
No Son of Glory EP, 2008 My Space ICON-EIGHT (NORWAY)
Good classic thrash metal which manages to "Thrash The Moment"(and after it) quite well. The band mix furious, fast thrashers ("Torn Asunder") with moody, slower tracks ("Psycho Terrorizer"). The last song "Trial By Fire" is not a Testament cover.
Thrash the Moment! EP, 2006 Official Site ICON IN ME (RUSSIA)
Although this act is based in Russia, it's actually quite international, featuring Tony JJ, who also sang in the Atheist-Pestilence collaboration C-187, as well as the Danish drummer Morten Lųwe Sųrensen (Panzerchrist, The Arcane Order, among numerous other bands), leaving only the founder Artyom Sherbakov Russian-born. The music is your average modern thrash, combining both heavy groovy sections and fast Swedish ones ala early The Haunted and Terror 2000.
Human Museum Full-length, 2009 Official Site ICONOCAUST (USA)
Based on "Judas Complex", these guys offer a semi-technical mixture of modern and classic thrash with excellent lead guitar work and a vocal duel between brutal low-tuned growls and much more melodic clean ones. The music is dynamic, never too fast, except for the intense aggressive death/thrasher "Nazi's Torch" which is a nice twisted technical number. Still, the highlight here is the galloping thrashterpiece "Road To Ruin" which also features a few complex passages, some of them quite fast. There are several quiet instrumental parts including the very cool closer "Pro A Pera Argentum" with a fine short female vocal inclusion.
The Natural Evolution Of Metal Full-length, 2005 Official Site ICONOCLAST (CHILE)
A potent mixture of thrash and death metal on a modern base "courting" later-period Death on the more inspired moments. The guys rip fast and tight ably assisted by an unobtrusive keyboard background. The occasional hyper-blast ("Serpiente Alada") has also been implemented, but most of the time the music flows in a speedy semi-technical way with vicious black-ish vocals helping on the side.
Naqoyqatsi EP 2010 Official Site ICY VALE (GREECE)
Cool classic power/speed/thrash metal with more aggressive death metal vocals; the first two tracks are fast-paced epic-tinged anthems which later give room to two longer more doomy compositions with nice female vocals, and despite the loss of dynamics the latter are not bad at all with plenty of atmosphere and fine melodic tunes.
The Last Drop Of My Blood Demo, 2008 My Space IDIOSYNCRAZIS (POLAND)
An obscure Polish act who specialize in aggressive old school thrash with acceptable semi-technical death metal elements, echoing both Death's "Spiritual Healing" and Pestilence's "Consuming Impulse". The guys play fast'n tight adhering to the up-pace mostly, with the casual disperses of technicality gracing the less speed-based numbers ("Mortal Way", "Unfulfilled Death"). The singer is a passable muffled semi-death metal semi-declamator.
Mental Wilderness Demo, 1991 IDOLS ARE DEAD (ITALY)
Based on "Mean": melodic modern thrash along the lines of Metallica's Black Album and 90's Megadeth; this is feelgood stuff, with no any pretensions for a more aggressive play, flowing in the same mid-tempo energetic vein, with good James Hetfield-like vocals, and cool choruses. The closing track takes a more playful, groovy shade, going under the title "Twiggy" (could be a tribute to the legendary 70's model?!).
Mean Full-length, 2008 My Space IGNORANCE (GERMANY)
"Legion": thrash/death of the classic type, mixing more energetic numbers with steam-rolling, Bolt Thrower-like ones; the music is never all-out speed, and the guys' infatuation with the pounding rhythms takes the upper hand more often. As a result this album might turn out a fairly tiring experience for the regular headbanger, with its repetitive one-dimensional lifeless approach.
Legion Full-length, 2004 Official Site IGNORANCE (UK)
Based on the debut, these guys try to break the standard thrash formula in a way similar to another British band: Re-Animator, or the Americans Mordred: in other words, funk meets thrash metal. Ignorance are more of a crossover/thrash act, and have done a better job than the other two bands, simply because apart from all these new touches used they haven't forgotten to be a thrash metal band, and there is a considerable presence of heavy sharp riffs. Contrary to the debut, their sophomore release is a total disaster, very negatively shocking, having no ties to thrash at all, being very bland, unappealing funky alternative form of rock/wave: hello, Re-Animator!
The Confident Rat Full-length, 1991 IGZORDIUM (USA)
Based on "Eremitic Vibrations", this outfit provides a modern thrash/deathy roller-coaster which blends melody, aggression, and a tad of technicality on a slightly fuzzy base. The speed gets lost at times replaced by more atmospheric Amon Amarth-esque sections ("This Blood Runs Cold"), but the hyper-speed outrages ("Wanted Dead") are just around the corner. The brutal low-tuned vocals are at times intercepted by capable clean female ones.
Igzordium Full-length, 2009 My Space IKINAE (FINLAND)
Based on the "Alfons & Co." EP, this act offers melodic modern post-thrash which doesn't try to hide its infatuation with Metallica's Load/Reload period. This is laid-back carefree music sharing also some of the proto-doomy vibe of Monster Magnet.
Lucky Seven EP, 2004 Official Site IKILLYA (USA)
This US trio pulls out modern metalcore-ish thrash which is suitably melodic and fast, but music of the kind needs much more to make even a few heads turn these days, when this sub-genre is overfull with practitioners...
Recon Full-length, 2011 Official Site IKKI CRANE (USA)
Modern power metal with a few more aggressive post-thrashy moments; this is peaceful stuff with an occasional hit potential which may bore the listener at some point providing a predictable mid-pace over and over supported by not bad clean mid-ranged vocals.
Dead Again Full-length, 2002 ILEX (GERMANY)
Heavy creepy post-thrash with heavy mid-paced riffs, and a good galloping section on the more energetic "The Deer". "Sleepwalker" goes into the other extreme being a high-octane doomster, and the guys' delivery kind of suits this side of theirs with the crushing guitars and the proto-groovy arrangements.
Liebe ist... EP, 1996 ILLEGAL BODIES (CANADA)
This act offers atmospheric speed metal, modelled after early Children of Bodom, with shades of thrash and black (think the progressive elaborations of later-period Emperor). The music delivers also being quite atmospheric with proficient leads and riffs, completely overshadowing the dispassionate clean, mid-ranged singer who is barely audible at times. When the guys get tired of the highly energetic delivery, they have a rest by dooming: the officiant sleeper "Eradication of Deviants". Well rested, they also try something hyper-blasting ("Re-emerge to Breathe") later on, as well as orchestral, Bal-Sagothesque arrangements ("Carrying the Fire"). The final "Necropolis" is a suprising power metal hymn, the singer trying something more expressive, and consequently laughable, which clearly shows his limited vocal abilities.
Mindflayers Full-Length, 2011 ILLEGIANCE (UK)
A blistering debut EP of heads-down old school thrash which will make you headbang the way past masterpieces have: Vio-Lence's "Eternal Nightmare", Necrodeath's "Fragments of Insanity", Sacrifice's "Forward to Termination", etc. "My Temple, Your Tomb" is an explosive aggressive opener, followed by the more controlled and heavier "Betrayed". "Visions Of Torment" is a marvellous steam-rolling thrasher; the speed returns with the closing "Sombre Promise", which finds time to slow down in a nice atmospheric way before the final intense, furious thrashy section shoots the listener at close range. The singer has a very effective sinister singing style, coming as a vicious fusion of Rob Urinari (Sacrifice) and Marcelo "Flegias" Santos (Necrodeath). This is an impressive beginning, which finely paves the way for the coming of the eventual full-length.
Disease and Disorder EP, 2005 Official Site ILLWILL (SWEDEN)
Members of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond have gotten together with the intention to pay tribute to the modern thrash metal scene. And they have done a good job; this is nice modern technical thrash with magnificent guitar work, courtesy of the mighty Andy LaRocque who, again, is in top form here. The music is like a more technical version of Fight's "War Of Words", the resemblance coming also from the vocal department where the guy really sounds like Rob Halford most of the time, but you have to think of the vocals Rob used on the Fight works, and more particular, "Small Deadly Space". There is industrial thrown in as well, and another band the music might remind you of, would be Skrew, but here the riffs are more interesting, and the tempos more varied. Don't take it as a downpoint that the best track here is a ballad- "Eternal Sleep", which boasts very cool heavy guitar work and a strong vocal performance. Maybe, to compensate things a bit, the guys put the most aggressive song right after it: the excellent riff-monster "K.A.O.S.". Apparently a one-album project, Illwill are really worth checking out.
Evilution Full-length, 1998 Official Site IMAGIKA (USA)
The band's self-titled debut is power/thrash, with more emphasis on power metal- a good job, but not hard enough to be classified as all-out thrash. "Worship" is a good move in the right direction, with thrash metal taking the upper hand. This eventually led to the band's finest hour, their third effort "And So It Burns": first-class Bay Area thrash. The band have the detrimental habit to leave big gaps between their albums, making a large part of the metal audience forget about them by the time of the next release. Fortunately, this tradition has been broken in 2006 when the band came up with an immediate follow-up to the excellent "Devils On Both Sides". Their last two albums saw the band going back to the mixture of forceful thrashers and more restrained power metal tracks.
Imagika Full-length, 1995 Official Site IMBALANCE (NORWAY)
This band were operating under the name Frost before, releasing a solitary demo with a style closer to black metal. Here the music is quite diverse: there is heavy, groovy thrash, but quite often it speeds up acquiring classic qualities with good, hard-hitting riffs. The EP opens with the aggressive thrasher "Burial Of Consciousness", in the best tradition of Slayer and Vio-Lence, which is partly ruined by the sloppy, groovy ending; apparently the guys were warming the settings up for the groovy "Deprivation". "Ride the Blades" is not faster, but boasts cool sharp guitars, and a very cool lyrical deviation in the middle. "Torn From My Time" is another ordinary groovy track, if we exclude the nice balladic mid-section with a gothic shade.
Burial of Consciousness Demo, 2004 Official Site IMMACULATE (SWEDEN)
A decent attempt at classic thrash metal with nods to numerous practitioners of the genre, mostly "courting" the German school; the problem is that these guys want to be something more than just old school thrash-resurrectors, and they try something more elaborate and technical, but either the lack of clear ideas or musical skills lead these experiments nowhere, making some of the songs sound kind of clumsy and unfocused, something like a lesser and more aggressive Realm (USA). Sticking to the laws of more conventional thrash metal would serve these guys a lot better, as it clearly shows on quite a few of the tracks with the song (and the album)-titles constantly referring to the genre at display ("Into The Pits of Thrash", "Satanic Thrash Uppsala", "ThrashZilla's Revenge", etc.).
Thrash, Kill 'n' Deströy Full-length, 2007 Official Site IMMORAL HAZARD (GREECE)
Tight retro/modern thrash metal alternating fast with slower tempos mixed on a fairly melodic base to which the gruff semi-clean vocals do not quite suit. The pace is mid for most of the time, the finish a really nice touch being a marvellous acoustic balladic piece.
A Minor Innovation EP, 2010 IMMORALIST (RUSSIA)
Excellent technical/progressive thrash with echoes of Death, above all, Living Death, Target, etc.; there is a Gothenburg influence in the guitar work as well, but it's aptly mixed with the precise, technical riffage. The band play energetically, and the up-tempo is constantly present, although the slower technical breaks are also quite a few. Seldom does the music take blasting extremes ("Euphoric") for a while, but the listener's attention will be completely grabbed by intense technical experiences, like the brilliant "Progressive Demise", which is an impeccable downpour of steel technical riffs, supported by an outstanding bass bottom, and a nice quiet balladic exit. "Potential Threat" is a masterful blend of melodic and technical guitars, an obvious nod to later period Death, graced by great speed/thrash deviations. "Totalitarian Slavery" takes your breath away with a fascinating balladic intro, before unleashing a more moderate, less speed-based approach to technical thrash. "Imminent Destiny" is the most melodic number on the album, which also relieves the technical play, followed by the more edgy short instrumental "Paved Roads To Abstraction". Having lost its initial bite at this point, the album makes up with another Death-influenced song: "Without Judgement", a speedy thrasher, which serves well to pave the way for the glorious closer "Mental Liberation": technical speed/thrash metal at its best, a perfect "marriage" between fast and technical riffs until the end, again, in the best tradition of late-period Death. This is a more than welcome addition to the contemporary prolific metal scene, although a bit more of an individual approach would not be detrimental if the guys want to move away from the hordes of the Death imitators of present times.
The debut begins quite ambitiously with the 8-min and more composition "Indestructible Noise Command", which provides constant speedy thrashing, without losing the fast-tempo for a split second. "The Grip of Death" repeats the same formula, but "War Not Words" slows down, adding a very good bass bottom and stupendous lead guitar work, which takes a considerable part from the song. The more technical apporach remains for two more numbers, before "Fists from the Mighty" brings more intense thrash in a shorter form (only 4.5-min), which stays until the end, with the bass making his voice heard quite strongly on the final "Passageway Through Purgatory". As a whole this efort offers a cool, albeit a bit uneven blend of direct and more complex thrash, which could have been more appealing, if the songs were at least twice as short.
"The Visitor" is not miles away from the style of the debut, but the guitar tone is more abrasive, to the point of annoyance on the slower material ("Bed Time Stories"), and the faster tracks predominate, this time quite satisfying slabs of hard-hitting speed/thrash. If one manages to ignore the abrasive guitar sound, he will be able to enjoy this effort quite a bit, finished with the nice punk-ish cover version of The Cars' "Just What I Needed/Candy-O". Although the technical elements on this one are not as obvious, it can pass for the better achievement, with its more sincere straight delivery.
Both legends of thrash and underground phenomena rush to compete these days as to who will come up with a better comeback release, so lets' welcome I.N.C. who were one of the earliest disappearances from the scene after two albums released in a quick succession. The EP contains 6 songs showing a band not having forgotten how to thrash in a cool energetic way, and to these ears the main annoyance comes from the singer (if that's the same one) who has acquired an unpleasant hardcore-ish semi-shout which is way inferior to his much better clean antics of old. The music is better, though, mixing classic and modern influences as the former clearly dominate producing cool headbangers ("Full Metal Jacket", "Fueled By Regret"), but the approach is pretty conventional and kind of unexciting citing more recent Exodus quite a bit, completely lacking the stylish sterile technical sound of their full-lengths. This is a workmanlike, "testing the soil" kind of effort, which would hopefully grow into something more striking on the eventual album...
The eventual album is out now, with all the 6 songs from the EP included. The other 6 numbers are inferior being more modern-sounding, with not much life inside, the exception being isolated sections from "Swallowed", and the intense headbanger "Audio Erotic Asphyxiation". The irritating semi-shouty singer remains to convince the listener that this is hardly the best comeback album made in the new millennium seeing an old veteran struggling to bring back the magic of their old days, sinking into mediocrity even faster than some of their "apprentices".
The Visitor Full-length, 1988
Bleed the Line EP, 2010
Heaven Sent...Hellbound Full-length 2011
Ultra Sonic Hatestorm Full-length, 2007
Now That's What I Call Manual Strangulation Vol. 1 Split album, 2008
Irritant Full-length, 2010
I4N EP, 2001
The Plague EP, 2005
Don't Worry Lady Full-Length, 2007
I Hate Sally Vs GFK Split EP, 2007
React Full-length, 2008
Demo Demo, 1991
General Alert Demo, 1987
Demo Demo, 1988
Instant Justice Demo, 1989
Just a few months later, apparently encouraged by both the critical and commercial success, which surprisingly saw the metal masses still willing to part with a few dollars for more retro thrash stuff in the early 90's, the guys were back with another full-length. The bombastic orchestral intro of "Angel's Holocaust" and the opening balladic tunes may confuse the listener, but the speed/thrashing havoc soon springs up, nicely assisted by menacing operatic background vocals. Forceful thrash rules on the next "Stormrider", which again tries to deceit with a tender balladic start. Keyboard implements sneak into "The Path I Choose", but the thrashing madness there never stops. "Mystical End" is probably the lyrical deviation, reminding of the great 80's American power metal scene, sounding more laid-back and controlled. No more of the kind, though, as "Desert Rain" is a vintage hard-hitting speed/thrash masterpiece, with one of the greatest choruses in metal history ("The desert rain... is changing me, It's called on me... to rise"), and a fine bass interlude. "Pure Evil" is "pure evil" Bay-Area thrash ala the Forbidden debut (which is the main reference point when talking about the early Iced Earth works), references also made with the title: non-stop riff-fest (with great bass performance again, accentuated on the middle break), after which the fan would hardly have any energy left to take one more colossal 9.5-min thrash metal opus, which is the closing "Travel in Stygian". No complaints, as the guys have left their souls on this one, making it a really impressive take on more thoughtful thrash, bordering on the technical at times: a whirlwind of riffs and tempo changes, which come served with high-pitched vocals ala Rob Halford (remember "Painkiller") in the beginning, not heard anywhere else on the album, as opposed to the not very interesting, one-dimensional throaty main ones, although John Greely does a fairly good job on the balladic parts, and his cleaner tone is by far his better side. It was pretty clear that he was on the way to improvement, but this was his last performance for the band, as Matt Barlow stepped in soon after.
3 years later the guys are here again, with a new singer on board: Matt Barlow, and the question about the musical direction immediately arises. To the fanbase's utter delight the guys continue in the same merciless manner, thrashing with full force all the way through, seemingly viewed as one of the very few defenders of the classic 80's thrash metal faith during the very hard for the genre mid-90's. The band's penchant for more complex song-structures springs up on the very first song: "Burnt Offerings", which despite the slightly overlong quiet break is a truly satisfying slab of vintage 80's speed/thrash. Then comes a string of stripped down speed/thrashing hammers: "Last December", "Diary", "Brainwashed", which will make you raise your fists high, as well as your middle finger to those who had said that thrash was long gone buried deep in the underground. The heavier, doomier side of the genre is honoured with the crushing riff-fest "Creator Failure". And, of course, let's not forget the epic-long closer, which here reaches larger-than-life proportions with its 16.5-min; the name is "Dante's Inferno", and seldom will one come across a single dull moment. This is full-fledged thrash, seldom interrupted by the occasional more melodic, balladic interlude; the guys change the tempo frequently, relying mostly on galloping riffs, until the breathtaking outro, where mighty sharp riffs meet a nice piano tune, as both disappear out of hearing into the void...
This masterpiece was the band's last stop from the thrash metal train, and on their subsequent releases they chose the less edgy, more power metal-based side of the genre, and although they succeeded in becoming one of the most popular metal acts of the past 15 years, their early days are by all means those which contain the band's most inspired and creative moments.
Night of the Stormrider Full-length, 1992
Burnt Offerings Full-length, 1995
"Brimstone" contains the same modern thrash/death blend, this time a tad more melodic and more simplistic, also recalling the Finns Gandalf on the more laid-back moments. The speed has been preserved, though, even to the point of going over to the grindy side (the short exploder "Trust You"); and generaly there is plenty of energy at display. "Cloister" is a great melodic headbanger with addictive melodic licks and jupy, semi-technical, rhythms; and the closing "Hail!" is an uplifting power/speed metal anthem also featuring clean high-pitched vocals.
Wearing the Horns Full-length, 2009
Redox Demo, 2009
Brimstone Full-length, 2011
"The Reckoning of Man" is less striking sticking to the modern patterns more often, but "Open Armed Conflict" is a sure-handed technical piece, very dynamic and intense. Surprises of the kind are no longer to be encountered later on (the album is only 7 tracks long, two of which are peaceful balladic variations one of which is a tribute to Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P.) closing the album), but "The Reckoning Of Man" is also worth mentioning with its nice interplay between memorable melodic hooks and sharp biting riffs on a pounding mid-tempo base.
The Reckoning of Man Full-length, 2007
Judas Complex Full-length, 2009
Human Museum Full-length, 2009
"Bloodfed": the fast-paced death/thrash opener "Bloodfed" promises a more dynamic entertainment this time, and indeed, this album is faster, but on the other hand at least half of the songs are full-fledged doom/death ala Beyond Belief and early Tiamat. Those numbers are well mixed with the more energetic material, although to these ears the opening track has no match later on, and one has no choice but to embrace the dark doomy sound offered for most of the time.
Bloodfed Full-length, 2006
Positively Shocking Full-length, 1992
The self-titled debut is in the same vein, only more melodic (check out the short technical cut "Open Your Eyes") and not as fast, the clean vocal participation now being male, of the dispassionate alternative type. The guitars come with an abrasive, industrial edge, and some gothic melancholy ala mid-period Sentenced has been thrown in ("In Times of Darkness") for good measure, too. The closing "Forever In The Grave" is a more serious offering, crossing furious, almost grinding, sections with much more romantic ones with a touch of Gandalf and Night in Gales.
"The Lost" starts engagingly with the melodic epic opener "The World Of Sin", but the idyll never settles in with "The Formation Of Life" blasting its way out in a merciless death metal manner. Still, the dominant approach later on is smashing, heavy thrash with a dark edge and a pinch of doominess ("The Broken Memories"). Then all of a sudden comes the merry melo-thrash/deathster "The Absence Of Life", and the picture gets quite varied, with the thoughtout 9.5-min piece "The Lost" added in the 2nd half as well. be prepared for soemthing more monstrous, though: the closer "The Other Side" is 13-min of gloomy doomy music with a cool keyboard background; a pretty effective moody composition, a bit off-context, but engaging and expertly executed.
Eremitic Vibrations Full-length, 2011
The Lost Full-length, 2012
Second Symptom EP, 2005
Alfons & Co. Single, 2006
"Feast For The Hated" follows on the steps on the last two albums; in other words we have a good blend of thrash and power metal, which reminds me of a more thrashy, more recent Iced Earth this time, including the very good, Matt Barlow-like vocals, which in the clean sector surpass even him (check out the nice ballad "The Sick Sense"). The new implements are blast-beats on "Bleed As One Appease The Gods", which is a cool progressively-tinged song; the aggressive proto-death riffage on "Behind Immoral", accompanied by more brutal death-ish growls, but otherwise this is not very intense stuff, and as such falls behind the great "And So It Burns". Pure more immediate thrashers are nowhere to be heard, and all compositions mix the two aforementioned styles in almost equal dozes. "Thinning Out The Herd" thrashes quite intensely, but it still has its more quiet breaks. The other thrash peak is the speedy "New Power Succubus", which is all-out thrash almost until the end. The closing "Succubus" is traditionally longer and more complex, and here the singer is "helped" by a fine female vocalist who gives the song an additional gothic shade, an impression further "cemented" by the inclusion of some atmospheric sections; from a thrash metal point of view this song may not be of big value, but is truly a good piece of serious, thought-out metal.
The guys became a more regular presence on the scene now with 3 albums for the past 4 years, closing the big gaps which were so typical for their past. Still, to these ears the more thrash-fixated "And So It Burns" remains their finest hour, with the excellent reminder of the best from the 80's American metal scene "Devils On Both Sides" a close second, although the band's hyper-active retro power/thrash metal style epitomized well on the last two albums is on full-throttle on "Portrait of a Hanged Man" as well, again decorated with several more extreme elements (death metal blasts, etc.), and its encompassing sound will definitely leave a lot of fans pleased. More speed could have been better; now the majority of the songs are pounding mid-tempo power/thrashers with sharp heavy, but repetitive, riffs. Watch out for the beautiful short instrumental near the end "A God No More" where some of you may recognize the guitar of Mr. Andy LaRocque, and will be right: he is the one responsible for the gorgeous leads there.
Worship Full-length, 1998
And So It Burns Full-length, 2001
Devils On Both Sides Full-length, 2005
My Bloodied Wings Full-length, 2006
Feast For The Hated Full-length, 2008
Portrait of a Hanged Man Full-length, 2010
"Period Three Implies Chaos" is an intense modern thrash "monster" the guys moshing with full force all the way through making even the more laid-back slower moments ("Hellfire") sound intense. Slayer-sque aggression is easily reached on the short bomb "On Your Kness", and later one will encounter the excellent more complex piece "A Furore Normannorum Libera Nos Domine(Part 1)" (part 2 is apparently intended for a later release), a seamless blend of furious crushing and heavy pounding rhythms. "Burial of Consciousness" is a cool deviation into abstract dry technical thrash, followed by the "bestial" fast-pacer "Bestial by Nature" and the atmospheric stomping closer "Ease Your Pain" which is mostly heavy hammering riffs with sparce vocal participation.
Bestial by Nature EP, 2006
Period Three Implies Chaos Full-length, 2010
"Atheist Crusade" continues the more technical tendencies heard on the debut, but now the final result is way better coming close to their compatriots Hypnosia, and even Kreator's "Coma of Souls". "Thrashark" is an awesome shredder with proto-death shades compensating for the slightly unfocused feel on the opening "Cross of Nero" which tries hard to reach Atheist (the album-title could an allusion to the Americans?) heights to mixed impressions. "The Immaculate Dead" starts in a sleepy slower manner, but soon the mayhem begins, and this number is another techically-polished exercise in fast intense speed/thrash metal. "Sanity's Eclipse/Steel of the Missionary" is two songs mixed together, both fine attempts at fast technical thrash with numerous hooks and tempos, including a brutal death metal exit. "Atheist Crusade" is a really ambitious composition closing on nearly 9-min ending up being a very good progressive thrasher with a lot of fields covered, the dominant one being fast and fairly complex broken by a cool lead-driven balladic interlude. "Thrash Metal Avenger" is a more immediate up-tempo piece, followed by the fine surprise: the cover version of Fates Warning's "The Apparition" from "The Spectre Within", done faithfully with the thrash left behind for the sake of forceful heavy power metal riffs. The end comes in the form of the most brutal number "Gutterthrash" which is shattering blitzkrieg thrash which will tear you apart; not much room for more clever deviations, this is direct merciless attack which strays into a really good guitar "duel" ala Iron Maiden in the middle for a while. This is a really fine achievement which sees the guys finding the right way to blend the more straight side of their music with the more complex one to a pretty positive effect. Maybe one should give the debut another listen to try to discover some hidden "sparkles" of genius there as well...
Atheist Crusade Full-length, 2010