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 K.O.D. (USA)
This is the band where the ex-Rigor Mortis singer Bruce Corbitt continued his career. Based on the "Slaughterhouse" demo, the style is quite good fast thrash/death metal, sounding like a further continuation of the Rigor Mortis' debut, with the Corbitt vocals taking a harsher, more sinister tone. Apart from the short speedy assaults, this demo includes two much longer (8-9min) songs where you won't hear something more technical, it's just that the bashing goes for longer "decorated" with some stylish lead guitar work, and Corbitt takes a secondary role there, leaving more room for the others to perform.
Slaughterhouse Demo, 1989 K-0S (SPAIN)
Melodic thrash with some crossover tendencies; the music is feelgood, reaching for heavy/power metal at times ("De La Onu A La Otan"), or at times at jolly punk (S.K.A."), also including one cool semi-ballad (El Camino"). The album definitely has its more edgy moments: the short headbanger "Odio", the heavy up-tempo thrasher "La Semilla Del Diablo", but it would have a wider appeal than other full-fledged thrash metal works.
Kondenados Full-length, 1999 My Space KAARMENAITELLY (FINLAND)
Another fine example that there is something in the water in Finland. Brilliant retro thrash from the North- sung in Finnish (a growing tendency with the bands out there) with both fast, technical songs and some heavier, slower ones; excellent!
Moraalin Vartijat Full-Length, 2005 KABAT (CZECH)
Melodic thrash with classic heavy metal parts; might sound too soft for the more radical thrash metal fan (based on the debut). Despite the presence of some up-tempo speed/thrashers ("Nechte Me Bejt", "Fuck 'N' Roll", and especially the intense Bay-Area-sque "Ma Ji Motorovou"), the music will not hold water for long for the thrash metal fan. The last song- "Pasik", is a sudden turn to slow, funereal doom, and is quite effective, although the ending ruins it a bit, being some punk-ish joke. Later the band moved to hard rock.
Má Ji Motorovou Full-length, 1991 My Space KACHANA (UK)
This band remind me of Ghoul and Frightmare: thrash metal mixed with mid-period Carcass. These guys are less aggressive, and by all means more technical. The music is heavy, with some nice technical breaks, never speeds up a lot, and the bass work is simply brilliant at times (check out "Severed Skin"). "Byzantium" is the highlight of this very impressive debut, featuring some great twisted riffs, and some more intense sections ala Dark Tranquillity. The singer has a voice similar to Jeff Walker, maybe with a slight shade of Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity again) .
Killing Inside Full-length, 2003
My Space KAIN (CROATIA)
Based on the "Everything Is Possible" EP: classic 80's thrash metal, reminiscent of Exodus and Vio-Lence. The band play fast and intensely, with some cool melodic tunes thrown in. The closing song "Wargames" is slower, mid-paced and heavy (and too long as well: 7-min), and kind of underwhelming, betraying the cool headbanging pace of the rest.
Everything Is Possible EP, 1992 Fan Site KAMALA (BRAZIL)
Based on the demo, this young Brazilian band pull out fairly intriguing modern thrash, with occasional shades coming from the classic school. The style is somewhat technical, with choppy riffs, mixed with more straight-forward ones, resulting in some really good intense, complex numbers: "Take Away", "Corrosive". One song is featured in two forms: "Tired", which is also a cool track, maybe more groovy and standard. The last one "Shame" is 1.5-min of frantic, but again fairly interesting thrashing.
Corrosive Demo, 2005 Official Site KAMARA (FINLAND)
A very good mixture of classic and modern thrash with rough, death-ish and nice clean vocals, which at times come unpleasantly synthesized, and touches of the gothic/doom style adopted by their compatriots Amorphis on their more recent works. There is some Metallica-influence in the guitar work, coming from both their late 80's, and their Black Album period. This is heavy, mostly mid-paced stuff, with cool crushing riffs and some memorable melodic guitar lines, but is kind of one-dimensional, with very few attempts at a more varied, up-tempo play: "Hauras Mielil", and the closing moments of "Riisuttu", which come with some furious blast beats.
Ämäkin Vielä EP, 2004 Official Site KAOS (USA)
Based on "Kaos Among Us", this band mix classic and modern thrash, with Pantera and Slayer being the main influences. The guys try to play fast and tight, but when they slow down, they come up with some intriguing heavy tracks ("Burning Scars", the semi-ballad "God As My Witness"), although ther more aggressive side is also cool ("Live Forever", "Descend Into Madness"). As a result we have a really successful bridge between the old and the modern school, done with style.
Vision Beyond Full-length, 2000 Official Site KARBONIZED TRAITOR (FRANCE)
There is no information anywhere who is behind the music, but this is hardly important, as this is unimpressive noisy thrash/black with horrible synthesized vocals; at times the tempo is quite fast, but there are times when some clear stoner/doom passages sneak through, as well as some rock'n roll jokes: "When I Plug Your Sister's Holes". The overall sound is not far from the Japanese school in the genre: Barbatos above all, but also Abigail, etc.
Take it in the ass Full-length, 2006 KARRAS (GERMANY)
Modern thrash/death with some moments recalling Slayer's late 80's period. The music stays closer to thrash, except on some furious sections where the blast beats reign supreme for a while.
The Bright Side of Death Full-Length, 2007 KARRION (CANADA)
Based on the "Free In Death" 3-track demo, Karrion blend aggressive, Slayer-influenced thrash ("King's Exile") with slower, heavy riffs ("Free in Death") in the Celtic Frost-vein, plus a combination of the two ("Forsaken World").
Karrion Demo, 1986 KARTZER (BULGARIA)
This obscure Bulgarian band come up with a modern, angry brand of thrash, which shares some of the hardcore aesthetics of bands like Pro-Pain and Sick Of It All, but when they feel like it, thay can pull out some good headbangers: "Let Me Die", "Bulgarian Reality" (this song could be a good starting point, from where you can begin learning something about the country, at least its more recent history- kidding, of course!). "Virtual Reality" tries to experiment with some rap-styled vocals, and some offbeat melodies, but they simply sound ridiculous, compared to the vicious, aggressive hardcore shouts of the singer.
Progress to Decay Full-Length, 2000 KASATURA (TURKEY)
Two songs which show this young Turkish act preferring to stay closer to the classic school; both songs combine speedy riffs with heavy, mid-paced sections, accompanied by a dual vocal attack: one style is vicious black-ish rasps, the other- gruff death metal one.
Cruel Killers Promo, 2007 KAT (POLAND)
A band who did a lot to establish metal on the music scene in Poland. The first two efforts are more in the power/heavy metal realm, recalling early ADX or Killers, but after that the band moved to thrash metal (the same year when another big Polish band- Turbo, did that) with "Oddech Wymarlych Swiatów"- a fine fusion of power, speed and thrash, boasting some really impressive speed/thrashing pieces: "Porwany Obledem", "Dziewczyna W Cierniowej Koron". The band hint at more complex things to come, with the excellent "Mag-Sex", which begins as a ballad, before it evolves into a smashing riff-fest. Some more mellow compositions are also around, keeping the band's past alive, including one cool ballad: "Glos Z Ciemnosci".
Metal and Hell Full-length, 1985 Official Site KATAFALK (HOLLAND)
Katafalk play modern thrash/death metal, with some brutal blast beat-moments and shades of black metal. The tempo very seldom goes to mid-paced; this is quite fast and intense music.
Storm of the Horde Full-length, 2003 Official Site KATASTROPHY (USA)
Good classic 80's thrash, hard-hitting and energetic, close to Anthrax and Slayer, maybe a bit more adventurous, with both more technical and modern 90's elements trying to sneak through here and there, but these are the moments where the music loses edge, and sounds kind of chaotic. It's in the faster and more immediate parts where the guys really know what they do, and also on the heavy, slower, but effective, Infernal Majesty-influenced number "Third Anti-Christ".
Demo Demo, 1993 KATEDRA (LITHUANIA)
Based on "Natus In Articulo Mortis", this is a very pleasant surprise: standout progressive thrash, which sounds wonderfully abstract and avantgarde in a way similar to Voivod's "Killing Technology", early Mekong Delta, and the other great progressive thrash metal act from the former Soviet Union: Valkyria. The music is graced by fabulous technical riffs, great leads, and superb surreal melodies. There are also some more accessible sections where the guitars thrash more aggressively, creating a cool headbanging atmosphere. Even the gruff, Tom G. Warrior-like vocals fit the music quite well. Despite its complex nature, this masterpiece will grab you immediately, simply because you will get absorbed in the very engaging, but at the same time quite riffy music; by all means one of the Russian-related metal scene's finest hours.
Mors Ultima Ratio Full-length, 1989 Official Site KAUTERY (ITALY)
This is raw, aggressive thrash metal with numerous proto-death moments, which will bring you back to the days when bands like Messiah and Protector were making a hell of a noise in the metal underground with their first works. The production is awful with bad synthesized, hysterical vocals put in the front during the mix. There are some more interesting, almost technical moments ("Calling Inner Self"), but the rest is mostly intense bashing with not a very high level of musicianship.
Living Crusher Demo, 2004 Official Site KAYSER (SWEDEN)
A cool new band from Sweden who play retro thrash with thicker, modern production. The band's influences are from the Bay Area scene, but one could catch shades of Slayer and even of some of the German thrash heroes. In other words- for fans of all walks of classic thrash this band would be a delight.
Kaiserhof Full-length, 2005 Official Site KAZJUROL (SWEDEN)
The full-length is a nice classic speed/thrash metal album. The guys play fast and intensely, like on the good opening "A Clockwork Out Of Order", which is not all-out speed, but comes with a heavy, doomy interlude in the middle. Actually, there are no many pure speedy tracks here: the merciless (no pun intended) "Merciless Insanity", the Slayer-esgue "Honesty The Right Excuse", the brutal hardcore-ish "Stagedive to Hell"; the longer compositions mix fast and slower moments all the time, resulting in a fairly interesting listen: check out the awesome, multi-layered "Echoes from the Past". Seldom can one hear something more complex ("Blind Illusions"). No fillers here, and as a bonus there is a cover version of Eric Clapton's "Cocaine", followed by the album closer "The Human Force": a heavy thrasher with a hardcore edge.
Dance Tarantella Full-length, 1990 KEEN ACT (USA)
One of the many roughly produced typical 80's thrash demos; the music is heavy, not very fast, with gruff vocals, recalling James Hetfield. The sound has a strong Bay-Area influence, but the bad sound quality is a big obstacle for one to appreciate this stuff. "Crematorium" is a nice track- aggressive and pounding at the same time, in the spirit of early Testament. "Sense of Destruction" is a cool closer, again picking more speed: a short, but enjoyable speed/thrasher.
Hope Demo, 1990 KEEPER OF DARKNESS (ITALY)
There's certainly a potential here: the band play kind of original heavy, doomy thrash with progressive overtones, which is not too far from Communic, or Nevermore in the faster parts; another act this band might remind you, are their compatriots Chaoswave, but the music here is slower, and heavier (man, these riffs weigh!). The guitar sound is very heavy and crushing, and the strong melodic, semi-high vocals very nicely contrast on them. "Subject of Nothing" is a marvellous opener, setting the gloomy, maybe a bit depressive tone for the whole demo. "The Kiss of Rationality" speeds up quite a bit, and all of a sudden the singer might remind you of Warrel Dane, as well as the music, although the Italians stick to more varied song-writing, spicing things with some stylish leads and cool melodic hooks. "When the Soul Cries" is another great number, slower, with smashing riffs, which jump from leaden doomy ones, to some more dynamic technical ones. "Confession with Pain" starts as though the band have decided to play some aggressive death metal for a change; the fast tempo remains, "broken" by the doomy middle section, after which the speed from the beginning never fully returns, but the mighty, creepy riffage does the damage no worse. "A Friend of Mine" ends this demo with style, being a great doomy ballad, although you might not be able to dance with your girl/boy on this one, and not only because of the faster thrashy closing passage. This is a great underground gem, which will hopefully reach its goal: to arouse the labels' interest in signing the band.
Keeper of Darkness Demo, 2005 Official Site KELDARK (SPAIN)
Cool melodic power/thrash, energetic, mid to up-tempo, with some balladic moments ("Stealer's Prince", "Time of War", etc.), and good mid-ranged, melodic vocals. The riffs are not very sharp, and except on "Slow Trip To Destruction" you won't be able to hear many intense thrashy sections.
Slow Trip To Destruction Part II Full-length, 2007 Official Site KEMAKIL (UK)
Very good energetic retro thrash, which offers a lot to entertain the thrash fan: fast-paced direct headbnagers ("Social Disorder", the smashing blitzkrieg thrasher "Blood Removal Machines", and the closing ball of fury "Acceptable Carnage"), great mixtures of heavy, stomping riffs and speedy semi-technical ones ("Profit Of Poison"), a marvellous galloping power/thrasher ("Deadlines"), with lashing steel guitars; the nice mid-paced lead-driven instrumental "Gondolas On the Styx". There is not a single filler here: 8 tracks of unadulterated classic thrash; the main riff from "Already Dead" will remind you of Exodus' immortal "Piranha".
Gondolas On The Styx Demo, 2007 Official Site KENÒS (ITALY)
Based on "The Craving": these guys' music reminds me of Invocator's "Through The Flesh To The Soul": progressively laced modern thrash/death metal, which is not bad at all. The band rely mostly on heavy, crushing riffs (the exception is "Teaben Rising" which is a speedy, aggressive piece with a Dark Tranquillity touch), but it's the shorter, faster numbers which stick out, and are the more technical: "Mutant Creation". On the longer songs the guys try to keep things interesting, with Gothenburg-styled elements and slower, gothic parts (think mid-period Sentenced, Cemetary- "Aries", Part II).
Rigor Mortis EP, 2002 Official Site KEOPS (SPAIN)
This is mostly speed metal in the vein of early Helloween (also the vocals which are very close to Kai Hansen except on the time when they scream their lungs out, which, fortunately, doesn't happen too often), but it has its quite a few thrashy moments. At the time when Helloween were repelling even their hard-core fans with the awful brand of metal they started to play around the same time, these guys have made a small gem of fast-paced metal which could have been quite an influence on the 90's power/speed metal scene, although this 4-track demo easily beats 90% of those bands. This is great music, full of nice melodic guitar leads, more aggressive headbangig riffs, catchy choruses and galloping rhythms.
A Pasarlo Bien Demo, 1990 Official Site KEOPHZ (BRAZIL)
Old school death meets old school thrash metal; the tempo is mostly heavy, with some occasional fast outbursts ala Cannibal Corpse ("Sell Your Soul"), and shrieky vocals alternating with deep growls.
Invocation Demo, 2004 Official Site KERIFERN (FRANCE)
Based on the demo, this is badly produced black/thrash metal mixed with some pagan/folk elements; the pace varies from ultra fast parts ala Cradle Of Filth to some nice, folk-ish thrashers which will remind you of the Dutch Bifrost. With a better production this music would certainly have a bigger appeal.
War Of Black Fire Split, 2005 Official Site KERNEL (ITALY)
Based on the "Escape Or Kill" demo, this is thrash metal of the modern, groovy variety mixed with hardcore; the style is not too far from early Pro-Pain, but more melodic.
Demo CD 2002 Demo, 2002 Official Site KEY OF MYTHRAS (AUSTRIA)
After the imposing orchestral intro, these guys hit you with furious black/thrash, which is frequently quite brutal and fast, but rest assured that every song has a big doze of good thrashy riffs, which alternate with the blast beating moments. The band have a good sense of melody, which reaches impressive heights at times ("Behold The Pentagram"), and is a nice contrast to the aggressive passages.
Demonspeed Metalstorm Full-length, 2003 Official Site KIANA (FINLAND)
Groovy modern thrash mixed with gothic/doom; there are some cool thrashy headbanging riffs to be heard, but the gothic shades ala To Die For and End Of Green are quite frequent, and the clean, alternative vocals which spring up also quite often, lessen the impact of the harder-hitting material. The basic vocals are of the angry, hardcore type.
Reflections EP, 2006 Official Site KIJU (ITALY)
90's groovy thrash sounding like a cross between Sepultura's "Roots" and Machine Head's "Burn My Eyes".
Nothing to Play For Full-length, 2002 Official Site KIL’D KOR (USA)
Despite the demo name, the band have nothing to do with Metallica. Their style is similar to the first two Overkill albums and SA Slayer plus the thrashy riffs which are not too many . Touches of early Savatage could also be found.
Demo Demo, 1990
Kingdom of Dead Full-length, 1993
Živì! Live album, 1991
Dìvky Ty To Znaj Full-length, 1993
In Touch With Reality EP, 1994
Kamala Full-length, 2007
Synti, Tuomio, Katumus Full-length, 2005
Kaos Among Us Full-length, 2003
Free In Death Demo, 1987
"Bastard" wastes no time, showing that the guys have grown musically, and the opening "W Bezkszta³tnej Bryle Uwiêzion" comes with a heavier, more technical sound. "Zawieszony Sznur" excels in the guitar department, producing some enchanting melodic hooks of the Oriental type; it even finds time for a speedy section near the end. When "Bastard" refuses to speed up, it becomes clear that there won't be much aggression involved here, and this is the reason why despite the high level of musicianship displayed all over, this album will leave fewer memories in the listener's head, than the rawer, but more immediate predecessor. But the guitar performance alone will make you go back to it more than just now and then, as well as the nice closing ballad "£za dla Cieniów Minionych", a tendency which the guys fully developed on the follow-up, which consisted of 9 very good ballads (some of which are a bit overlong), including the aforementioned one from "Bastard".
However, the band quickly gave up their romantic inclinations, and "Ró¿e Mi³oœci Najlepiej Przyjmuj¹ Siê Na Grobach" saw them speeding up once again. Unfortunately the fast-paced thrashing opener "Odi Profanum Vulgus" will cheat you big time, since this album is not about heads-down thrash, and at least half of the songs are full-fledged ballads, with a more aggressive edge. There is a lot of groove involved as well, and although "Strze¿ Siê Plucia Pod Wiatr" lifts the spirit up, with its brisk thrashy guitars, it can hardly dissipate the morose atmosphere created by the two lengthy semi-balladic compositions which surround it.
The previous effort left a solid aftertaste in the mouth, but "Szydercze Zwierciad³o" does very little to dissipate it. The guys feel content playing some ordinary, uneventful modern power/thrash. It was good that the band took a break after this one, to do some rethinking, but this pause must have confused them even more, as "Mind Cannibals" is a direct follow-up to the last one, containing another portion of blatant, unimpressive modern metal.
666 Full-length, 1986
Oddech Wymarlych Swiatów Full-length, 1987
Bastard Full-length, 1991
Ballady Full-length, 1993
B¹d? Wariatem Zagraj z Katem EP, 1996
Ró¿e Mi³oœci Najlepiej Przyjmuj¹ Siê Na Grobach Full-length, 1996
Szydercze Zwierciad³o Full-length, 1997
Mind Cannibals Full-length, 2005
Death’s Contradiction EP, 2006
"Mors Ultima Ratio" is a more melodic affair, with quite a few semi-balladic and atmospheric elements, a mix of power and thrash metal (more power metal-based, actually), and is a much more immediate listen, with the progressive tendencies only slightly hinted at. Still, it's a strong effort, with, again, good melodic leads, and some fine speed metal numbers ("Smeklos").
"III" comes after a long 12-year break, and shows that the guys have apparently lost almost all interest in thrash metal; the sound is a mixture of more recent Fates Warning and modern progressive power metal, which packs a punch here and there ("Gele", "Kosmaro Vizija"), and the musicianship remains on a considerably high level, but most of the time it is just not a very impressive progressive metal album.
Natus In Articulo Mortis Full-length, 1992
III Full-length, 2006
Good Citizen EP, 2006
Frame The World...Hang On the Wall Full-length, 2006
Bodyslam EP, 1991
Toothcombing Reality's Surroundings EP, 1991
Intersection Full-length, 2004
The Craving Full-length, 2007
KerIferN Demo, 2005
Escape Or Kill Demo, 2005
Promo 2006 Demo, 2006
Demo(N)cracy Full-length, 2005