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

R.A.M.B.O. (USA)

Thrashcore of the fast intense type, without completely missing in the melodic department; the problem is that from the whole 19 songs included here there are barely two which slow down a bit to bring a change from the very one-dimensional, quickly wearing out, delivery.

Bring IT! Full-Length, 2009

R.A.V.A.G.E. (USA)

This is the early incarnation of the legendary Atheist. Traces of technical death metal are, of course, nowhere to be found. On "Rotting in Hell": if we exclude the vicious, harsh vocals of Kelly Shaefer, there is nothing too aggressive or brutal here, although the music is quite intense: definitely thrash, but quite raw, with a few moments of good musicianship, not miles away from early Hallows Eve, or Slayer's "Hell Awaits". The guitar sound is very thin, and sticks out of the other instruments to the point of annoyance.
The 1987 demos show a band ready to do some damage on a larger scale; the music is much better with cool aggressive parts, smelling death metal in a way similar to the Death debut, and these efforts are clearly some of the first full-blooded attempts at death metal, along with this album. "Undefiled Wisdom" is one of the first death metal pieces, a furious and a violent number. "Hell Hath No Fury" is not too far behind boasting great guitar work, suggesting at bigger things to come in the near future. There are not too many technical deviations, but it was clear that these guys were having a lot more up their sleeve.

Rotting in Hell Demo, 1985
Raging Death vol. 1 Split album, 1987
On They Slay Demo, 1987
Hell Hath No Mercy Demo, 1987

R.A.W.W.A.R. (CANADA)

This is the band from where Alex Vachon (Quo Vadis, Cryptopsy) started his career in metal. He shows his infatuation with a more technical play on this 5-song demo which is fast furious thrash/death metal not very far from the early exploits of Hellwitch. This is clearly one of the earliest attempts at pure death metal (check out the bombs "Rawwar" and "Delirium") as the concentration is strictly on speed and aggression with a few semi-technical licks present here and there. The bass work is quite good overshadowing the amateurish screaming leads, and the singer does a good job with his vicious semi-death shouts.

Delirium Demo, 1988

R.I.P. (MEXICO)

Based on "Las Damas De Salem", R.I.P. are a power/thrash metal band with nice melodic guitar work. Their style is similar to the Argentinians Hermetica. Don't expect lashing, sharp thrashy riffs: tracks like the intense killers "Cirrosis" and "Arsenico" are not too many; the other material offered is mid-paced melodic power/thrash metal with numerous nods to the classic heavy metal scene.
"Demencia Extrema" is uneventful groovy 90's post-thrash which suddenly livens up with more aggressive riffage, but these switches are awkward and not that frequent. Still, this effort doesn't lack energy and sharpness although the latter asset is mostly due to the buzz-like guitar sound. Near the end the guys "lose" it, and start thrashing in a furious Sepultura-sque manner with the merciless "Berfagor" which remains the only pleasant surprise.

Placer Insano Full-length, 1990
Las Damas de Salem Full-length, 1992
Demencia Extrema Full-length, 1996

R.I.P. (PERU)

This Peruvian trio unleashes quite brutal death-tinged thrash metal which is constantly fast, both on the longer and shorter compositions. The constant blasting makes the tracks merge into one another, and more variety would only be beneficial for the future, but not in the form of mellow, heavy metal numbers like "Minotauro 2". "Reaccion Cadena" is a cool attempt at a more complex song-writing, and has its moments, switching from super-fast parts to better slower ones, where the guitars sound atmospheric, supported by the strong bass work.

Ejecución sin Misericordia Demo, 2008

My Space

R.I.V. (BRAZIL)

Aggressive, fast-paced thrash, a direct take on Ratos De Porao's "Brazil"; short blitzkrieg tracks with scattered touches of grind and hardcore. Sometimes the speed goes over the line in a way similar to Wehrmacht, but these moments sound even better as sheer aggression is the order of the day there.

Is This a Modern World Full-Length, 1993

R.O.T. (USA)

American power metal meets thrash; the result is not bad, mid-tempo reminiscent of the Savatage debut and early Laaz Rockit. "Fight" richly deserves its title speeding up admirably being a nice little headbanger. "War Stories", on the other extreme, sounds almost epic, but comes up with cool guitar melodies and war-like choruses.

War Stories Demo, 1987

RABBATH AMMON (JORDAN)

The second band from Jordan to grace these pages after Ajdath; black/thrash metal with a slightly monotonous feeling, modern sounding, with a use of a drum computer which creates a somewhat artificial, mechanical atmosphere. There are a few stylish atmospheric, gothic-tinged moments, but generally this is not something really worth checking out, at least from a thrash metal point-of-view.

Rabbath Ammon Demo, 2005
Ammonites' Knights' Nights Single, 2006

Fan Site

RABBIT JUNK (USA)

Modern post-thrash, melodic stuff, with alternative and metalcore borrowings, and a couple of vocal styles quarreling within; the odd brutal track is certainly here ("Black"), but those moments are very rare.

This Life Is Where You Get Fucked Full-Length, 2008

RABBIT'S CARROT (SWEDEN)

The Swedish metal underground is full with demos like these: typical late 80's thrash of the aggressive variety with fast, proto-death moments and attempts at a more ambitious song-writing ("My Own Leprocy").

Question Of Pain Demo, 1989

RABID (USA, California)

Based on the "Led to the Gallows" demo: despite the bad sound quality, this effort pulls out well done speed/thrash metal, reminiscent of the Whiplash and the Agent Steel debuts, with nice attempts at a more technical play ("Deadly Obsession").

Demo Demo, 1985
Led to the Gallows Demo, 1986

RABID (USA, New York)

The band's early demos have nothing to do with thrash metal, being brutal death/grind. On their only official release so far they have suddenly switched to thrash, and have done quite a good job, with a sound reminding of many veterans from the 80's- Razor, Kreator, Destruction, among others. The band play fast and tight most of the time, with only "Metal Massacre" being a slower, but also a nice heavy thrasher. This is definitely one of the more impressive debuts from the thrash metal field in 2007.

Annihilation Full-length, 2007

Official Site

RABID CAPTOR (USA)

A 3-song demo of aggressive proto-death/thrash metal reminiscent of Slayer's "Reign in Blood" and Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends".

Last Rites Demo, 1990

RABID LASSIE (USA)

Brisk simplistic thrash/crossover with an open hardcore edge; this is wild frenetic stuff ala early D.R.I. and The Accused with a few more laid-back punky "reliefs".

Camel Toes Demo, 1987

RACE WAR (GERMANY)

Based on the debut: melodic thrash/crossover which, along with the more energetic, jolly numbers features heavier, but slower ones ("Helliger Krieg") which work better, because it's where the guitars sound sharper. There are a few tender ballads as well, and a few punk-ish tracks. "Stimme des Blutes" is a soft hard rock affair, mixed with a huge doze of punk; no shades of thrash whatsoever, although some may find the melodies inside catchy and singalong.

Kingdom Of Hate Full-Length, 2004
Stimme des Blutes Full-Length, 2005

RADAMANTHYS (USA)

3 songs of melodic thrash/death metal with more laid-back guitar work in mid-tempo with brutal low death metal vocals; "Earth Rim Roamer" has its ties to the gothic/doom metal field as well where the guitars start smashing heavily recalling early My Dying Bride.

Radamanthys Demo, 2009

Official Site

RADAR (RUSSIA)

This Russian duo comes up with very good classic instrumental thrash, often reminiscent of the Metallica instrumental pieces of the 80's; actually this is the "child" of only one musician, going under the pseudonim Ravendark, who uses the services of a singer (Britva), whenever needed. This is really music worth hearing: sharp straight thrash metal in various tempos and moods, but never too technical or complex; the approach is not too distant from the one of another one man project: The National Cemetery Orchestra, or the Canadians Mastery, on the faster compositions (the excellent energetic "V"- all the tracks are numbers, without titles). There is a nice keybord background to be heard, and the closing "VII" is an impressive combination of doom and thrash metal with nods to Metallica's "To Live Is To Die". The sound quality is crystal clear, and a full-length of the same material would be definitely worth checking out.

Shemhamfothrash! Demo, 2008

RADIATION SICKNESS (USA)

Based on the "Elvis Ain't Dead" demo, this band play thrash/crossover which recalls Cerebral Fix's "Life Sucks...and Then You Die!", maybe more brutal and hardcore-ish at times, with clear grindcore pretensions (Elvis Ain't Dead"). Reportedly on the later efforts the guys have increased the intensity by adding some death metal-styled guitars.

We are All the Victims Demo, 1988
Elvis Ain't Dead Demo, 1989
More Than Death - Volume I Split, 1990
Bounds of Reality EP, 1990
The Other Me - A Journey Into Insanity EP, 1990
Circle of Sickness (1988-1990) Best of/Compilation, 2005

RADICAL (URUGUAY)

A modern, and not really striking version of thrash/crossover do these guys play, with a shade of hardcore on the shorter tracks, and occasional brutal tendencies, where they get obsessed by grind even ("Pelea"). Among the speedy thrashers, there are more moderate ones ("Kerosene"), but the problem is that they try to imitate Pro-Pain and other 90's acts. Others, on the other hand, are bland alternative experiments, pale copies of what bands like Tool or Helmet offer ("Milagro"). The industrial death/thrasher "Salvame" is the only song which matches the very cool Slayer-esque opener "Technosis".

Radio EP, 2005
Perfecto Infierno Full-length, 2006

Official Site

RADIOLOKATOR (CZECH)

The guys have just two songs released so far showing an act capable of pulling out pretty decent early Germanic speed/thrash also not far from the early efforts of their compatriots Kryptor to whom half of their discography so far is dedicated: "Rychlost Vitezi".

Nunslaughter / Radiolokator Split, 2009

RAFFLESIA (BELGIUM)

Based on "In The Face Of Suffering", this band plays a modern blend of thrash and death metal, fast intense stuff, with sparce metalcore breaks, and more frequent melodic passages, some of which are quite striking (check out "Bow Down"). The guitar work is not bad, although pretty derivative, and the guys spare no speed which goes well with melodic "decorations". The same, however, can not be said about the forced throaty death metal vocals which are intercepted by other aggressive styles, one of which are shrieky black-ish ones.

Rafflesia EP, 2006
Embrace the Final Day Full-length, 2007
In The Face Of Suffering Full-length, 2010

My Space

RAGE (GERMANY)

One of the most respectable and most prolific German metal bands, earlier known as Avenger (one full-length and one EP were released under that name), Rage's beginnings are firmly rooted in thrash metal boasting energetic, technical riffs and great memorable songs. Their thrash metal past jumps up here and there on their later works, but the style is full-blooded power/speed metal: one of the finest of its kind, and also recommended for thrash metal fans.
"Reign of Fear" is a sure-handed debut, with their style almost fully shaped. The music is energetic and sharp, and here one can easily hear all the trade marks of the band: the very catchy memorable choruses, the forceful semi-clean vocals of Peter "Peavy" Wagner, the fast-paced semi-technical guitar work, etc. The guys here provide blistering, speedy thrashers: the excellent "Deceiver", the opening "Scared to Death", the speed metal killer "Hand of Glory", the speed/thrashing furies "Echoes of Evil" and "Machinery". The more melodic side is also here, in the form of the softer, slower "Reign of Fear", "Raw Energy", and the fine heavy metal hymn "Chaste Flesh". The closing "Scaffold" fortunately comes at the end, otherwise it would have spoiled the fun, being a very long heavy, and a bit boring, ballad.
"Execution Guaranteed" is a strong follow-up, with tighter, and heavier guitar work. The album starts with a great speed/thrashing trio ("Before The Storm", "Deadly Error", "Down By Law"), before "Execution Guaranteed" slows down with smashing riffage, being a very satisfying heavy technical thrasher. "Grapes Of Wrath" is a marvellous technical instrumental, one of the band's finest achievements. The album loses speed and intensity after that, and "Streetwolf" could be considered the analogue to the long balladic closer of the debut: it's heavy, monotonous, partially saved by the more up-tempo final section. The last song "When You`re Dead" is a revelation, finishing the album the way it started: in a brisk speed/thrashing manner.
"Perfect Man" is the band's best work, along with "Trapped" (1992). All the 14 tracks are utterly compelling power/speed/thrash anthems, although thrash metal steps down, playing a secondary role. Speed/thrash metal hymns ("Wasterland", "Supersonia Hydromatic", "Don't Fear the Winter", "A Pilgrim's Path", "Between the Lines") take turns with more laid-back power metal ones ("Death in the Afternoon", "Time and Place", "Sinister Thinking", "The Darkest Hour"). There's no way you won't fall in love with this magnificent stuff: simple, direct, catchy metal at its best which marked the end of their more aggressive early period.

Reign of Fear Full-length, 1986
Execution Guaranteed Full-length, 1987
Perfect Man Full-length, 1988

Official Site

RAGER (UK)

A good 4-track demo of classic aggressive thrash in the vein of Slayer (both their more aggressive and more laid back period) and Sepultura ("Arise"). The songs are fast and intense with the exception of "Idiot Circus" which is an exercise on heavy crushing riffage.

Pray For Death EP, 2007

My Space

RAGING FURY (CANADA)

Quite good semi-technical power/thrash metal sounding not far from Wargasm's "Why Play Around", and Savage Steel's "Do or Die" on the more inspired technical moments. The music is quite varied: there are fast speedy sections; slow, almost, doomy ones; vigorous galloping ones; twisting technical crescendos, short memorable choruses, etc. The singer tries to follow those twists, and does a good job with his potent md-ranged clean voice who doesn't miss the opportunity to unleash a higher pitch whenever necessary. The only complaint would probably come from the lead department: the lead guitar player spares himself with short naive, somewhat amateurish, solos, which are well inferior to the very good riffage.

Raging Fury Full-Length, 1991

RAGING FURY (JAPAN)

With their first demo released in 1986, Raging Fury are actually the first real thrash metal band from Japan. Based on the "Wolf Spider" demo, these guys pull out good fast thrash metal tunes with a slight crossover element ("Donald Duck"); a really good start for the Japanese thrash metal scene.
The "The Rattlesnake Rules" is only 2 songs, both of which show the band carrying on in the same vein, moshing out crossover-laced speedy thrashers, this time longer, but without too many ados.

Raging Fury Demo, 1986
Wolf-Spider Demo, 1987
The Rattlesnake Rules EP, 1988
Raging Fury Full-length, 1992
Deal you a fatal Blow EP, 1999

Official Site

RAGING MOB (CHINA)

After the haunting intro taken from the horror cult classic "Re-Animator", these Chinese present us with polished modern power/thrash metal which offers cool headbanging ("Slave to a Lie", "Rage", "Promise breaker") moments. The album brings nothing new to the scene, but is competently executed which shouldn't be a surprise if one finds out that behind this project stands Robert Gonnella: the same one who sang for the Germans Assassin, and also lends his vocal abilities here.

Raging Mob Full-length, 2008

Official Site

RAINSPAWN (ITALY)

One of the promising young Italian thrash metal bands, Rainspawn really pull it out with pretty good technical thrash similar to mid-period Megadeth on "No Escape". However, the whole album is not sustained in this vein, and at times one can hear more uninspired moments as though the guys didn't quite trust themselves that they could come up with a masterpiece like "Rust In Piece". "Buried Alive" is an impressive opener, setting the Megadeth influenced tone of the album, being quite an energetic technical thrasher. But then comes "The Execution", which at least in the first half features more melodic, slightly funky guitars, and the listener already has something in mind. But after it the music accumulates a lot of inertia, and the dull moments are few; maybe "The Time Warp" is one, with its speedy riffs ala early Scanner and the catchy happy chorus; it's just a joke song, I guess. What follows, however, is the album's highlight: an excellent instrumental, which boasts great lead guitar work, and the long complex, but very satisfying "Two Month Sleep", which will remind you of several tracks from Megadeth's "Rust in Peace" put together (you sort them out).

Messenger Of Death EP, 2000
No Escape Full-length, 2004

Official Site

RAISE CAIN (SWEDEN)

One of the first bands from Sweden who followed on the steps of Pantera and Machine Head; this is heavy groovy 90's thrash mixed with hardcore in the Pro-Pain vein. There are both hard-hitting and more light-hearted moments; for fans of the genre these guys are well worth tracking down.

Call It Whatever You Want EP, 1994
Stench Full-length, 1995

RAISE HELL (SWEDEN)

Having started as a pure black metal band on their debut, the guys quickly jumped on the more fashionable thrash wagon with the follow-up which was still not cleared of all the black metal "remnants". "Babes" sounds like a leftover from Kreator's "Outcast", but the intensity increases later on with the pounding "Back Attack", and the aggressive "Soulcollector". The band don't aim at the very fast and brutal dimensions of the genre, and melodic, pleasant, black-ish songs are also around: "Devylin".
"Wicked Is My Game" is a great work with very sharp cutting riffs; although often citing Destruction as their idols, the band's music is not a very close soundalike to the Germans. The music is mid-paced, with very timid attempts at more speed ("Deathrace" is an example of the latter), infused with melodic hooks and good choruses. "Hellborn" uses the theme from the cult horror film "Halloweeen" as a base for a fine sinister thrasher, the highlight of the album.
"City of the Damned" is a real disappointment, a U-Turn from the band's biting thrash style, into a more melodic variation of modern post-thrash, similar to what The Haunted did on "The Dead Eye".

Holy Target Full-length, 1998
Not Dead Yet Full-length, 2000
Wicked Is My Game Full-length, 2002
To the Gallows EP, 2006
City of the Damned Full-length, 2006

Official Site

RAISE THE DEAD (UK)

A modern blend of thrash and death metal, with cool guitar work, and some occasional technical implements. The guys vary the tempo from mid-paced to faster: check out the nice headbanger "Cloak of Mist".

Hymns of War EP, 2005

Official Site

RAISING FEAR (PORTUGAL)

Aggressive thrash/death sounding like a more deathy "Beneath the Remains", with moments also reminding early Death; this is fast music, never brutal, with deep death throaty vocals and straight sharp riffs. "Gone Mad" is obviously a leftover from an early demo, being mellower early thrash ala Slayer's "Hell Awaits". The guys concentrated more on their other project Genocide, with whom they released 2 full-lengths and 3 demos of brutal death/grind.

Raising Fear Demo, 1994

RAMAYANA (SWEDEN)

Atmopsheric dark thrash with brutal death metal vocals alternating with unemotional clean ones; the music is not bad being heavy with gothic touches and nice melodies reminiscent of early Nighfall (Greece).

Ramayana EP, 2010

Official Site

RAMMER (CANADA)

One of the new Canadian thrash metal bands of the new millennium, Rammer offer a very potent mixture of old school thrash, black and death metal (mostly on the band's new album). The German thrash metal scene is an obvious influence on the band's sound- Kreator and Sodom, in particular, the latter especially in the vocal department (think of a more vicious version of Tom Angelripper). Apart from occasional metalcore moments ("Rammer"), everything here is done with style and competence.

Incinerator and Krusher Full-length, 2002
Suffer EP, 2003
Cancer Full-length, 2006

Official Site

RAMMING SPEED (USA)

The full-length is an energetic simplistic slab of classic thrash/crossover, owing much to acts like Ludichrist, The Accused and Leeway. The guys thrash with conviction, relying mostly on speed and catchiness, adding the odd sense of humour in the song-titles: "Shane Embury Is the Brad Pitt of Grindcore". The surprise comes at the end, with the closing heavy metal hymn with the very appropriate title "Heavy Metal Thunder" which sounds as though directly taken from some of the 80's works of Saxon or Diamond Head.

Full Speed Ahead EP, 2007
Brainwreck Full-length, 2008

My Space

RAMP (PORTUGAL)

"Thoughts" is one of the finest thrash metal albums which the Portuguese metal scene ever produced, a classic thrash masterpiece, fast and technical at the same time, bringing to mind Death Angel's "The Ultra Violence", but with a more technical edge. The vocals are of the clean type with adherence to rough higher-toned shouts. The sound runs away from the thrash metal formula into epic heavy metal fields in the middle: "The Last Child", and "Try Again", which is a cover of a rock'n roll number, which author I don't know; Tankard have the same cover made on "The Morning After" (could be a Tankard cover?). But the guys gain speed again on the last three songs: awesome thrashers gracefully finishing this great album. The band's future career follows closely on the steps of Pantera and Machine Head, and is not that bad with really aggressive, but derivative, approach.
"Visions" brings more life into the band's rigid approach adhering to more brutal riffage, still far from the classical standards, but entertaining enough, when it comes cleared of the groove and the Black Album-like leanings. The guitars hit hard on quite a few times, and for fans of the angrier modern side of thrash there is a lot offered to be enjoyed.

Thoughts Full-length, 1992
Intersection Full-length, 1995
Evolution, Devolution, Revolution Full-length, 1998
Nude Full-length, 2003
Planet Earth EP, 2005
Visions Full-length, 2009

Official Site

RAMPAGE (AUSTRALIA)

This band was founded by two members of the Australian thrashers Hobb's Angel Of Death, after they left their previous band. The style here is more ambitious with slight technical tendencies not too far from Liege Lord's "Master's Control", but with a more aggressive attitude, and a worse sound quality. The band show skills at thrashing with more intensity: "Acid Storm", "Producers' Edge", but their slower more technical side is kind of more appealing: "Sinister at Sunrise", "Satrap". The guys were surely going somewhere, but they never recorded again.

Veil of Mourn Full-length, 1988

Vibrations of Doom

RAMPANT DECAY (USA)

Brutal thrashcore with grind-y overtones, not for the faint-hearted; the guys relieve the pressure by inserting the odd heavy break, but most of the time they bash with no mercy in a not very intelligible semi-The Accused/semi-Cryptic Slaughter manner with an updater modern sound.

Antisocial Death March EP, 2008

RAMROD (USA)

This band were supposed to be the continuation of Liege Lord after a lengthy 6-year break. Well conformed with the 90's tastes, this 3-song demo also has a slight classic flavour, but is more along the lines of Flotsam & Jetsam's "Cuatro" and 90's Overkill, rather than the early works of Liege Lord. This is the reason, I guess, why the guys continued their career in Overkill after this solitary effort, and some of them were also seen in other famous American metal acts (Annihilator, Anvil, etc.) later.

Promo Tape Demo, 1994

RAMSES (MEXICO)

Based on "Guerreros del Metal", this band pulls out melodic speed/thrash with virtuoso lead guitar performance which beats by miles the other instruments. The style is a sure-handed forerunner to the 90's power/speed metal scene, with the sing-along choruses and the soaring clean vocals. The album is a mix of slow and fast tracks, with the slower material carrying a stronger thrashy "colouring". But the speedy songs are really a wonder to listen to, with the great melodic hooks and leads. "Adicto A La Velocidad" is a mighty speed/thrasher which goes away with all the "laurels" in both departments. "Sedientos De Poder" adds some technicality to the speed, but the closer "Necropolis" will shoot you at close range with its machine gun-like riffage and galloping tempos.

Apocalipsis Full-length, 1985
Guerreros del Metal Full-length, 1988
Pon Tu Cerebro A Remojar EP, 1991
Delirio De Desastre Full-length, 1992

Fan Site

RANCID DECAY (USA)

Based on the Best of Compilation, which contains almost the whole discography of the band from the 80's, this act plays violent aggressive thrash/crossover quite close to Wehrmacht, and those 3 demos could well be placed right beside Slayer's "Reign in Blood" and Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends" as one of the early extreme works from The States. The music here is less serious perhaps, with nods to hardcore as well, but "Silent Scream" on the other hand could easily pass for one of the first takes on brutal proto-death metal.

Decaying Stench Demo, 1986
You Had to Be Eliminated Because You Are Breathing Our Air Demo, 1986
Rancid Decay - Live at Hung Jury Pub Demo, 1986
Presumed Dead Best of/Compilation, 2004

Official Site

RANCOR (SPAIN)

This is cool classic power/thrash metal: mid-paced with occasional fast moments and nice melodic guitar work; the overall style recalls Ultimatum or early Imagika. "Release the Rancor" is a nice elaboration on the EP providing 10 brand new tracks for the fans which will hardly leave anyone disappointed with the brisk guitar sound, the cool attached semi-clean vocals, and the catchy arrangements. The tempo is energetic clinging between power and thrash metal this time also recalling early Meliah Rage and Overkill, apart from the other two aforementioned acts. Both sides are well mixed on almost every song until the coming of "Rancor": a short bursting speedster which shatters the established pattern, slightly influencing the energetic proto-modern "Twist the Knife" afert it. The inertia doesn't get lost later, first with the energetic "Incompetent", and later with the up-tempo semi-technical closer "Zombie War!".

Death Is Everywhere EP, 2006
Release the Rancor Full-length, 2010

Official Site

RANDAGI (ITALY)

Based on "Seismic Area", this act plays jolly funky crossover-tinged thrash, quite melodic and happy to be taken seriously by most thrash metal fans. Some tracks are too bland and toothless to keep your attention, a situation worsened by the weak vocals, sounding like an impotent mix between Ozzy and Denis "Snake" Bélanger (Voivod). The better moments are those where speed steps down for the sake of power/heavy metal riffs ala 90's Flotsam ("Seismic Area"), but they are so few that at first listen one may completely miss them, and a second listen is not very likely to take place...

Hard States of Conciousness Full-length, 1990
Seismic Area Full-length, 1991

RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE (USA)

The full-length provides a wild frenetic mixture of thrash, hardcore, punk and even grind. The songs are not very short, developed well beyond the spontaneous outburst. The approach is predictably fast, and the vocals are suitably hoarse and shouty with a gruffer death metal flavour at times. The guitar work gets occasiional technical dimensions on some tracks which shouldn't be a surprise having in mind that Phil Dubois-Coyne (Cryptic Warning, Revocation) is responsible for them.

Unleashing Full-length, 2003
Cathartes Aura EP, 2005

Official Site

RANDOM DAMAGE (CANADA)

Modern power/thrash metal close to 90's Flotsam & Jetsam; this is heavy, mid-paced stuff, spiced with quite a few slower, almost doomy parts, including one acoustic ballad as a finishing touch: "Calm Before The Storm", (again a reference to the Flotsams (their 1990 album), although nothing really "stormy" comes after this one. It sounds appealing when it speeds up ("Shut Your Mouth", "Broken Mirror"), but this doesn't happen that often.

Random Damage Full-length, 1995
Human Flytrap Full-length, 1998

Official Site

RANDOM MULLET (FINLAND)

Based on the "Lifeless" demo: this is very technical/progressive stuff, which at its best comes close to the Canadians Electro Quarterstuff. This is not all-out thrash all the time, but has its furious thrashy moments: "The Statement", "Penetrated Skin" and "Infected" are fine examples of the latter, but the guys never settle for something more ordinary, and all compositions are filled with various tempo changes and atmospheric, semi-balladic passages, where the guitars lose their cutting edge, and then come the clean, melodic vocals which give the sound a distinctive, but not very desirable semi-alternative edge. There is a lot happening here, especially on the 9-min epic "Waters of Shame", which is an impressive work of progressive, thought-out metal. The thrash metal fan should give this band a listen; those who like their metal more complex and non-conventional, would certainly be not disappointed.
The demo is 3 songs of technical/progressive modern thrash, but the clean vocals, which are more clearly accentuated here, and the melodic breaks kind of leave something more to be desired. "Transmission" is the best song, quite dynamic and edgy, whereas "Alive Six Feet Under" is a bit heavy-handed Meshuggah-esque mechanical affair, and "A Moment in Nowhere" is a cool semi-ballad, with the initial quiet balladic parts sounding much better than the closing groovy noisy tunes.
"Remission" is 3 tracks of more ordinary semi-progressive modern post-thrash having almost nothing to do with the band's excellent debut demo, except for the more intense passage from "Asshats"; the rest is not really worth your attention being a very typical for more recent (and not so recent) times attempt at "injecting" a more technical/serious doze of music to the already tired 90's groovy patterns.

Lifeless Demo, 2005
Infection EP, 2007
Remission EP, 2009

Official Site

RAPED APE (USA)

With a name like this, one would expect hard or even grindcore. Well, there's nothing like that here; this is very good classic Bay Area thrash with quite stylish guitar work akin to Exodus and Testament with a dual vocal attack: rough death metal growls and more typical thrashy ones ala more aggressive Max Cavalera. The music is quite hard-hitting having also shades of Sepultura's best period ("Beneath the Remains", "Arise"): "Land of Promises". The concentration is not on speed, but on heavy crushing riffage with a nice semi-technical edge. Unfortunately this work is only 6 tracks. Later some members continued their career under the name Paingod.

Terminal Reality Full-length, 1993

Official Site

RAPED GOD (MEXICO)

A promising new band from Mexico who play death/thrash metal with more emphasis on death, but with good semi-technical thrash riffs involved, too. The sound is quite heavy and pounding accompanied by sparce furious blast-beats with a very occasional use of the lead guitar.

Raped God Full-length, 2004

My Space

RAPED GOD 666 (MEXICO)

This is the same band, known as just Raped God previously (see the review above), who had to change their name because of the clash with the former singer for the old name. The style here is pretty much the same, but more thrash-based, and to these ears better sounding. The new singer does a very good job, with a semi-clean, rough voice, close to Katon W. DePena (Hirax). The music is fast and intense, combining the German thrash trends with some Slayer-esque parts. Actually death metal-like intensity is almost nowhere to be found, with very few exceptions: sections from "The Eyes Of Hate", "The Hellbeast", etc. "Metal, Muerte, Destruccion" is a smashing thrashterpiece; a raging instrumental, which starts in a calmer, softer way, before it turns into a ball of fury later on.

The Executioner Full-length, 2008

My Space

RAPID DECAY (USA)

Based on "Thrashin' Undead", this is good 80's thrash with slight crossover elements, reminiscent of Suicidal Tendencies' more thrashy releases. The production is slightly dull, putting the drums too much forward. The tracks are fast and short except the last one "Commanding Legions Of The Walking Dead", which is a nice deviation from the straight formula.

Rapid Decay Full-length, 2003
Thrashin' Undead Full-length, 2004

Official Site

RAPID FIRE (POLAND)

Quite cool classic thrash with a few modern implements, mid-paced, not very aggressive, with nice melodic guitars, and good mid-ranged, semi-clean vocals. Some tracks have a more modern, also alternative shade, including two ballads, where the singer is by all means the star of the show (the 2nd demo), as opposed to the more hard-hitting numbers, mostly on the 1st demo.

Demo Demo, 2002
Demo 2 Demo, 2003

Official Site

RAPID FORCE (SERBIA)

This band was founded by a former guitarist of another Serbian thrash metal band- Heller. Based on "Apotheosis Of War", Rapid Force's style is not pure classic thrash like the other band; their sound is heavier, with more modern tendencies, reminding of 90's Overkill. There is also a certain 80's spirit here, recalling late 80's Metallica. The musicianship is particularly good with impressive solos and a great bass bottom.
"Burst Under Pressure" sees the band having grasped the groovy tendencies much tighter, following on the steps of early Machine Head and Pantera closely. Successful attempts at stoner/doom ala Down can one hear as well ("Eyes For An Eye"), as well as a very good thrashing up-tempo closer ("A Song For Me").

Apotheosis Of War Full-length, 1993
Burst Under Pressure Full-length, 2008

My Space

RAPTOR (ARGENTINA)

Modern groovy post-thrash made by the same guys who have a much more consistent career under the name A.N.I.M.A.L.; one can hear faster classic riffs from time to time, but these are rather "remnants" from a previous formation rather than a suggestion for a future direction to be taken.

Raptolandia Full-length, 1995

RASKAT (RUSSIA)

Based on "Ogni Drugoi Realnosti", this act plays melodic thrash/death metal which is both classic and modern. The album begins with the peaceful melancholic "Master Of The Dead", but picks intensity very soon after with "Sovremennyj Inkvizitor", although later on both tendencies alternate throughout, but near the end the speed takes over resulting in a couple of energetic headbangers finished with the furious closer "Vemeret' Odnomu".

Beyond Good and Evil Full-length, 2008
Ogni Drugoi Realnosti Full-length, 2010

Official Site

RASPATUL (SINGAPORE)

A typical for modern times mixture of thrash, black, and death metal. It has its moments, though, and at times the music takes a nice technical turn, or comes up with a cool headbanging riff, or descends into atmospheric gothic/black ala mid-90's Rotting Christ; there are also ultra brutal death metal passages.

Devils In Renewed Birth Full-length, 2007

Official Site

RASPUTINS (DENMARK)

3 tracks of modern groovy post-thrash; stoner/doom, alternative and even grunge are also covered; how did they manage to do that within just 3 songs... but, please, don't bother to check it out! You're going to hate yourselves...

Skull Hurts EP, 1995

RATOR (MALAYSIA)

A very buzzy guitar sound hits you from the get-go, and stays with you till the end, which may be quite a detraction to some. Otherwise the Malaysians play tight and fast presenting us with furious, seldom semi-technical, black/thrash metal of the old school. The slower compositions kind of work better ("Satan Slave") coming with a touch of sinister epic/pagan. When the band abandons the frequent blasts the songs develop into nice up-tempo thrashers ("Spell From Fire"). The last 3 tracks are with a much worse sound quality (can you imagine?!), and are either live recordings, or are taken from an old demo; the style is pretty much the same.

Possessed Full-length, 2008

Fan Site

RATOS DE PORAO (BRAZIL)

Although this band boast one of the longest running careers on the Brazilian metal scene, it's the albums featured here that are of importance to thrash metal. The band's hardcore past is obvious on "Dirty And Aggressive", but "Brazil" smashes everything in its way with its uncompromising, hard-hitting thrash and short, straight-in-your-face tracks. "Anarkophobia" is another very strong release, with a more serious song-writing, but with the same direct, take-no-prisoners attitude. "Just Another Crime in Massacreland" is less thrashy paving the way for the return to the more hardcore-based sound.

Cada Dia Mais Sujo e Agressivo / Dirty and Aggressive Full-length, 1987
Brasil / Brazil Full-length, 1989
Anarkophobia Full-length, 1990
Just Another Crime in Massacreland Full-length, 1993

Official Site

RATTLEHEAD (USA)

Melodic speed/power/thrash metal (based on the debut), strongly recalling Meliah Rage, Destructor, and other 80's American acts; there is not much thrash to be heard here, but the catchy melodic hooks will keep you entertained ("Devil's Workshop", above all, where the guitar work is really impressive). The intro and outro are awkward silent tracks with barely anything to be heard.
"Tales From the Gutter" is a similar affair, mostly power/speed metal with touches of thrash, but now the sound has acquired more modern tendencies making spontaneous bursts, like the speedsters "Walk with the Dead" and "Digging My Own Grave", more than welcome. Another more pleasant surprise would be the galloping "rider" "The Losing Hand" which is a satisfying piece of power/thrash metal lashing riffs for more than 7-min recalling Attacker's "Second Coming". The singer doesn't add up to the merry mood, though, singing in a listless gruff semi-hardcore tone.

Responsible Moshing? Full-Length, 2004
Rattlehead EP, 2006
Step Inside for the Slaughter Full-Length, 2008
Tales From the Gutter Full-length, 2010

Official Site

RATZINGER (CHILE)

This is typical groovy thrash, the way it used to be played in the 90's; if you like mid-period Prong ("Beg to Differ", above all) and the last two Accuser works, there's no way you won't like this. There's a few moshing parts in the vein of Pantera and Machine Head, but this is mostly minimalistic music with a little variety offered.

Under Attack EP, 2005
State Enemy Full-length, 2007

Official Site

RATZKRIEG (USA)

This band really deserve to be more known, because their only demo is a good example of an early thrash/death metal blend. The style draws comparisons to Benediction, but the British band haven't been founded at that time yet. The vocals are also similar to Dave Ingram's. In the slower parts one could hear shades of the other British death metal giants Bolt Thrower. So what is this band doing here? Like I already wrote, this is not entirely death metal; songs like "Retribution" and "A New World" carry the Slayer-esque thrash metal spirit pretty well. A very rare item, but well worth the time to track down.

Black Reality Demo, 1989

RAVAGE (GERMANY)

A nice fusion of death and thrash metal with both technical and fast guitar work involved at times; there are two vocal styles on the albums: one is low death growl, the other is higher-pitched snarl close to Kelly Shaefer from Atheist. Music-wise the band are similar to Defleshed from Sweden or the Dutch Thanatos (more technical than the former, and less technical than the latter). "Infernal Devastation" is more thrash/death metal-based, with more frequent brutal outbursts (parts from "Infinite Hate", "Execution Call" and elsewhere), whereas "Get Fucking Slaughtered" clings more towards thrash metal, with nods to Destruction in the guitar department. The songs are short, direct, speedy smashers, except for "Blazing Chaos" which is longer and more complex.
"Violent Offense" offers another thrash/death mixture, but this time the sound is clearly on the modern side, with the Swedish school more than just slightly hinted at. There is more concentration on the death metal side in the beginning with the 2 raging openers where the guys spare no speed, but then they slow down, for the dark stomping "Systematic Anguish", and the excellent more melodic instrumental "Marooned". Death metal steps aside after those two, and the continuation is in the form of fast brisk thrashers: "Disposer Of Cruelty", "Apocalyptic Raid". Near the end the aggression comes back; death metal shows up, and the blend delivers, with "Christian Deception" even trying to sneak something technical into the album. Although in terms of speed this recording may even surpass the previous two ones, the reliance on trite modern patterns makes it a less interesting listen in the long run.

Infernal Devastation Full-length, 2003
Get Fucking Slaughtered Full-length, 2005
Violent Offense Full-length, 2008

Official Site

RAVE AGE

Heavy groovy post-thrash with hammering riffs and a couple of intriguing melodic hooks inserted; the overall approach resembles GZR (their 2nd album, above all), and near the end the album picks more dynamics offering more playful optimistic stuff with a shade of the dance-potential approach of Rammstein ("Death is not for Me").

Burning Generation Full-Length, 2010

RAVEN BITCH (USA)

American power metal meets thrash; the style is similar to a more aggressive Attacker.

Tear Down the Walls EP, 1987

Official Site

RAVENOUS (AUSTRIA)

The finest Austrian thrash metal output so far, this one-album-wonder will make your day with its sure-handed technical riffs and fast energetic pace. The vocals are a bit of a letdown with their rough low-tuned delivery closer to death metal rather than thrash. The overall style resembles quite a lot Mandator's "Perfect Progeny", with the steel riffage and the aggressive delivery. The energetic play is seldom interrupted; the songs are speedy, and are not really complex experiences, except for the great multi-layered technical opus "Welcome Terrible", and the shorter, but equally as intriguing instrumental "Psycho Trilogy". "H.O.G." slows down to mid-pace, but comes up with nice crushing guitars, and is the only deviation from the speedy formula.

Book of Coventous Souls Full-length, 1991

RAVENOUS (FINLAND)

Based on the "Bestial Legacy" 2-song demo, these guys pull out an uneven mix of classic and modern thrash kind of recalling 90's Slayer without any temptations towards a faster, more dynamic, play. The riffs evolve around a mid-paced semi-groovy base, and despite the vivid tone they are not very exciting, neither are the flat unemotional semi-hardcore vocals.

From the Ashes Demo, 2006
Delicious Disease Demo, 2007
Bestial Legacy Demo, 2008

Official Site

RAVENS CREED (UK)

Based on the debut EP, these guys offer old school thrash metal with Slayer the main influence, although the very abrasive fuzzy gutar sound will be a major annoyance to some. This can actually be considered a super group consisting of ex-members of renowned British acts like Sabbat, Cerebral Fix, Skyclad, etc. There are a few heavier passages which recall early Celtic Frost, and "Dead Crow Mantle" at the end is an aggressive ball of fury with proto-death overtones.

Militia Of Blood Sacrifice EP, 2007
Neon Parasite EP, 2009
Albion Thunder Full-length, 2009

My Space

RAVENSTHORN (USA)

Few are the bands nowadays which pay such a good tribute to the 80's American power/thrash metal scene. The debut is a massive slab of classic power/thrash metal summing the best from the 80's works of acts like Helstar, Manilla Road, Liege Lord, early Overkill, Meliah Rage, Anvil, etc. "House of the Damned" is a sprawling power/thrash metal composition with an epic feeling in the best tradition of late 80's Manilla Road mixing fast-paced sections with heavy, almost doomy, ones. The singer is a great asset delivering dramatic mid to high-ranged vocals always keeping a nice melodic blend throughout. "Lament Configuration" thrashes more intensely with great steam-rolling sharp riffs in a fine up-tempo, and a cool lead-driven outro. "Lust for a Vampire" carries on in the same spirit, maybe a tad slower and more power metal-based, and with higher-pitched vocals. "Ouija" could be annoying in the beginning, with the overlong 1.5-min intro of an ouija ritual, but then the guys start lashing without mercy, and this track is a thrash delight of the highest order, also boasting fine lead performance. "Possessed By Evil" again starts with a slightly long-ish intro, but this small gem is all-out speed/thrash metal at its uncompromising best reminding of the Flotsam & Jetsam debut, among other efforts. "Up from the Crypt" is a very cool heavy mid-tempo number with samey, but catchy, pounding riffage. "Walk with the Undead" is highlighted by superb bass performance, followed by a slab of first-class headbanging thrash, interrupted by a couple of slower, more melodic sections, one of which is a breathtaking acoustic guitar-driven one. "Wolf Witchery" is energetic speed/thrash metal which never slows down for a split second providing some of the finest headbanging moments on this very strong debut.
"Hauntings And Possessions" is a commendable follow-up, but can not rank as high as its predecessor. It's more power metal-sounding, acquiring at times softer heavy metal tendencies ("Buried In The Basement", the cool haunting theme on "Buried In The Basement"). "The Ring" introduces up-tempo dark thrashy riffage paving the way for "Lost In Darkness": smashing fast-paced thrash, but the gained inertia is lost on the next "Hand of a Killer". "Possessed By Evil" thrashes like there's no tomorrow again: who cares that this is actually the same song from the debut. "Bloodthirst Of Dracula" is the analogy to the "House of the Damned" from the debut: a long, progressively-laced composition, opting for a more technical play, without forgetting about the faster, more aggressive side of the style. This is by no means a very big step down for the guys who remain true to their roots giving their music a wider appeal with cool nods to other genres apart from thrash metal.

House of the Damned Full-length, 2002
Hauntings And Possessions Full-length, 2004

My Space

RAVING MAD (SWEDEN)

Based on the "A Dazzling Display" 2-song demo, this is power/thrash similar to Manninya Blade (the band from whom Hexenhaus originated), and early Laaz Rockit.

Expirience II Demo, 1986
A Dazzling Display Single, 1987
Master Mind Demo, 1989
Lethal Greed Single, 1990
Pure Existence Demo, 1991

RAW ENERGY (USA)

One of the least successful attempts at crossing traditional metal with thrash from the American metal scene; the band incorporate some thrashy riffs, but they get buried in the mish-mash which also includes power, heavy metal, doom and even something more. This could have sounded better on a full-length, but in an only 4-song EP such a mixture is awkward, to say the least.

White Stallion EP, 1988

Vibrations of Doom

RAW HIDE (PARAGUAY)

A really awesome start for the guys who later went on to form the excellent act Corrosion. The music here is less adventurous, but equally as effective, being more aggressive thrash, very similar to Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains" (could have been an influence on the Brazilians, and it was released earlier- kidding, of course! But... you never know), but with a more technical edge. The tempo is fast and relentless with interesting guitar moments which would later find a fuller realisation on the Corrosion album.

Caceria Humana Demo, 1989

RAW IN SECT (GREECE)

A 3-song demo of very cool technical semi-modern thrash/death metal of the heavy mid-paced to up-tempo variety; at times the music might remind you of Bolt Thrower ("The IV Crusade", "For Victory"), but with a more technical and thrashy edge. Shades of mid-period Death ("Human") could also be heard as well as slight jazzy moments ala Cynic on "Meeting My Ecstasy". Mixing all that together, this band manage to come up with their own style which, hopefully, will develop further on their official releases.
The "Red Flows" demo is three tracks which sound more conventional, still offering something more intriguing, although this time the approach sits somewhere between Darkane and the 90's groovy angry school, the closing minutes of "Protect" being a very good example of the latter, a smashing steam-roller with a strong Pantera vibe. "Wall Of Greed" is a dynamic semi-technical jumper, and "Man Less" is not far behind even lashing out in a more classic fashion at some point. The singer is an angry semi-shouter also adding the more aggressive death metal touch to his delivery. The guys are keeping themsleves busy with their other band: the heavy/progressive metal formation Stillborn Virtue.

Demo Demo, 2007
Red Flows Demo, 2010

Official Site

RAWHEAD (USA)

Based on the first demo: these guys come up with very cool stylish technical thrash metal which is hectic and jumpy, but never too fast, strictly in the classic mould which, when it takes more chaotic and frantic proportions ("Stillborn"), sounds even more compelling recalling such greats in the technical thrash camp, like Savage Steel and Terrahsphere. The untitled track at the end is a more direct heavy thrasher in the Bay-Area vein.

Something Crushes Spine Demo. 1991
Bones of All Men Demo, 1993

RAWSHOCK (USA)

A 4-track demo of total classic Anthrax worship with excellent clean vocals akin to Joey belladonna; this is very cool headbanging stuff softening down a bit mostly in the lead department the leads beating the screamy ones of Scott Ian (sorry, Scott!), but the sharp chugga-chugga riffs are vintage Anthrax with a few more technical inclusions ("Blowout"), and a more laid-back slower delivery on the more experimental "Self-Destruct".

Rawshock EP, 1990

RAWWAR (CANADA)

This is the band from where the Cryptopsy guitar player Alex Vachon started his career. The music is very fast and brutal, with Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill" the prime target for worship. Happy crossover moments can also be found here ("Razzle"), but the rest is relentless devastating thrash metal which would please most fans of the genre.

Delirium Demo, 1988

RAYDEAD (AUSTRIA)

One of the very few thrash metal bands from Austria; this is more of a death/thrash mixture; fans of Protector will enjoy this. Some shades of Benediction could also be heard in the faster parts.

Raydead EP, 1991
End In Sight Full-length, 1993

RAZA DE ODIO (ITALY)

A very good band playing modern technical death/thrash spiced with flamenco melodies; among the band members one can see names who are also a part of more renowned bands, like Necrodeath and Sadist. The style is slightly reminiscent of Necrodeath, their slower moments, but is more choppy, and slower. The acoustic guitars are perfectly embedded in the sharp riff wall of sound; a unique band who are yet to show their best. Although this is not fast and aggressive stuff, the frequent change of tempos create quite a dynamics, aggravated by the sudden, but stylish insertions of the acoustic flamenco guitars. Surprisingly, there are no pure flamenco songs, except for the most of "Vente pa Madrid", and the short tracks are clearly hardcore-influenced ("Odiados"), including the cover version of Cryptic Slaughter's immortal hymn "United Forces" at the end.

La Nueva Alarma Full-length, 2004

Official Site

RAZOR (CANADA)

Canadian thrash metal legends, Razor's beginnings were not that impressive with its murky messy sound and an uninspired song-writing. With "Custom Killing" the band made a huge jump forward, and never looked back since. All their subsequent works are very well executed thrash metal with "Shotgun Justice" being the peak of their career. Their comeback release "Decibels" is also quite good, despite its more modern sound and the synthesized vocals.

Armed And Dangerous EP, 1984
Executioner's Song Full-length, 1985
Evil Invaders Full-length, 1985
Malicious Intent Full-length, 1986
Custom Killing Full-length, 1987
Violent Restitution Full-length, 1988
Shotgun Justice Full-length, 1990
Open Hostility Full-length, 1991
Decibels Full-length, 1997

Official Site

RAZOR FIST (USA)

Based on the full-length debut, this band play power/speed/thrash metal the way it used to be played in the 80's in the USA- think Destructor, Agent Steel, Attacker. This is an entertaining mix of forceful speed/thrashers ("Demon Christ", "Death's Head Revisited") and heavy American power metal tracks ("When The Witches Ride", "Razor Fist Force"). The singer is really a find with his high-ranged voice, reaching almost Rob Halford-like heights at times.
"Metal Minds" is a faithful follow-up, concentrating on speed metal a bit more, well expressed on the "furious" opener "Fury of the Warrior". The next "Metal Minds" misleads with calmer riffage developing in a milder power metal fashion, but there's lots of moshing on this one later. Saddle the horses for the galloping "Runner", before a few reminders of the more recent power/speed metal scene ("Cosmic Hearse Driver", "The Seer"- this one is more thrashy) hit the speakers. Ultra-speed/thrash this way comes with "Thirst for Disaster" and "Breath of Fire" and the more controlled "Silver Howler". The song length increases for the closer "Loud into the Night", but the fast energetic pace remains, and this track would be another no-brainer for the speed metal lovers. All the guys, except the singer (who wouldn't possibly fit into the other picture), try their hands on something quite different, playing a melodic brand of black metal with their other band Tower of Babel.

Rage of the Black Blade EP, 2005
Razor Fist Force Full-length, 2006
Metal Minds Full-length, 2009

My Space

RAZOR OF OCCAM (AUSTRALIA)

The line-up includes two members of Destroyer 666, but the music lacks the death and epic metal elements of this band's later releases, and concentrates on pure black/thrash assault of the old school; fast and intense most of the time, but offering pleasant variations with a slower, doomy sound. "Homage To Martyrs" is way more brutal, often sheer black hyper-blast madness, but the thrashy breaks can be come across more than now and then, and those which come with an epic, mid-period Bathory shade ("Heat Of Battle"), are quite compelling; the other highlight is the intense riff-monster "Pattern On The Stone", where the guys shred like crazy. However, the high speed on the other material might come as too much for the more conventional thrash metal fan.

Diabologue EP, 1999
Pillars Of Creation EP, 2003
Homage To Martyrs Full-length, 2009

Official Site

RAZORMAZE (USA)

The demo is vintage 80's speed/thrash, well done, mostly in the early German tradition; good sharp riffs, mean enjoyable semi-clean vocals, screaming leads, fast tempo, nice melodic tunes ("Annihilator"), and mid-paced heavy riffs ("Lobotomized") thrown in the end.
"The True Speed of Steel" elaborates on the sound from the demo, starting with the smashing speed/thrash instrumental "Dawn of the Shred". No speed lost on the next "Annihilator", which lashes riffs from all sides like there's no tomorrow. "Slaughterotica" even acquires proto-death tendencies for a while, before "Desperado" calms the tempo down with galloping up-tempo riffs, also offering a cool interpretation of Ennio Morricone's main theme from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". No mercy, however, on the thrash delights "Bleed on Command" and "Lobotomized". "Dipsomaniac" is the other "catalyst", providing slower mid-paced guitars with a power/thrash metal edge. The closing "Slave to the Maze" brings back the all-out attack pulling out quite cool technical moments ala early Testament, along with a couple of more melodic hooks taken from the Metallica debut. The band is the continuation of the 90's thrash metal act Aggroculture, who is still active, by the way, with a demo released in 2007.
"Miseries" is 3 songs of the same energetic brisk stuff, fast-paced speed/thrash metal with technical Testament-esque leanings and good semi-clean mid-levelled vocals. The tracks are direct and lashing, with "Miseries of the Flesh" being a bit more complex and longer, also recalling Paradox's "Heresy".

Slave to the Maze Demo, 2008
The True Speed of Steel Full-length, 2009
Miseries EP, 2010

My Space

RE-ANIMATOR (UK)

The band had a fairly impressive start with their first two works showing a lot of promise with its forceful, crunchy and somewhat original sound. "Deny Reality" was a good way to "test the soil": a cool little slab of energetic, semi-technical thrash, with nods to the Bay-Area scene (Testament, in particular), picking more aggression at times ("D.U.A.F."). "Condemned to Eternity" is not a very distant departure, but the presence of several longer, more complex tracks, makes it the more ambitious effort. The guitar work is more proficient and pounding, and the sound has shifted towards late 80's Metallica on those longer songs, but the rest is good, more straight headbanging thrash. Unfortunately, the band's desire to give a more original edge to their sound threw them all over the music spectre on their next releases (including the notorious funk tunes on "Laughing"; there will be hardly a handful of fans "laughing" on this one, though, ...) with the final result quite unsatisfactory, to put it mildly; a sad example of a sheer talent gone wasted.

Deny Reality EP, 1990
Condemned to Eternity Full-length, 1990
Laughing Full-length, 1991
That Was Then... This Is Now Full-length, 1992

RE-ANIMATOR (USA)

An excellent demo of aggressive fast-paced thrash metal sounding like a more controlled, and a more technical, version of Slayer's "Reign in Blood", or Vio-Lence's "Eternal Nightmare". The songs are longer, and more complex arrangements are present ("A Product Of The State") reducing the speed a bit. The rest is great speedy stuff with mighty steel riffs, occasionally impressive lead work ("Nuclear Devastation"), and forceful semi-clean vocals.

The Final Stage of Evolution Demo, 1988

REACTOR (CANADA)

This is the band where Dave Galea, who later played for Cryptopsy, started his career. Based on the self-titled demo, these guys pull out heavy mid-paced thrash metal which on its best moments might remind you of Celtic Frost ("Nosferatu"), but there are moments where the music becomes very fast, like on "The Plunge". The mixture, however, is quite uneven, and the final impression is mostly on the negative side.

Reactor Demo, 1988
Dangerous Music by Dangerous People Demo, 1989
Matches Demo, 1990

REAL ANIMAL (MEXICO)

Based on the demo, this band offers vicious, brutal thrash/death metal with a bad sound quality and more peaceful sections, recalling the early Messiah attempts in this direction, but these are more dodgy. "Escape de la Realidad" is an utterly surprising "oasis" amidst this aggressive fast-paced bashing being a very cool acoustic ballad with great guitar performance.

Real Animal Demo, 1990
Divine Perfection...? EP, 1991

REALM (USA)

An essential progressive/thrash metal band; the debut is the weaker effort with its slightly unfocused sound mixing straight thrashers with more ambitious progressive songs. The vocals are in the high range, and quite screamy at times, but at least to these ears are well-suited to the music. The music is quite speedy, and less technical compared to the follow-up, and on the best moments comes close to the same year's Toxik's "World Circus". Well, moody slow pieces like "Eminence" could have been avoided, as they by all means have no place on an album like this. Watch out for the excellent speedy cover of one of The Beatles' finest songs "Eleanor Rigby".
"Suiciety" is a classy progressive thrash work, which might take time to fully grow on you because of its quite complex and technical nature. The guitar sound is heavier, and at least half of the songs still retain the speedy rhythms of the debut: check out the brilliant fast-paced thrashers "Final Solution" and "Energetic Discontent". The tracks, albeit more technical, are shorter, with the sole exception of the album closer "Suiciety", which lasts for 10-min, although after the 7th min what one hears is just thunder (accompanied by lightning, I guess) and quiet acoustic guitars. This is by far one of the finest entries into the progressive thrash metal field from the USA.
The demo contains 2 songs, one of which is a King Crimson cover: "One More Real Nightmare", and the guys' effort to preserve its weirdness has resulted in a melodic progressive composition with no shades of thrash. "Cast the First Stone" saves the day, being a nice fast technical thrasher, with the staple for the band's sophomore effort's twisted time-signatures and excellent lead guitar work.

Endless War Full-length, 1988
Suiciety Full-length, 1990
Demo Demo, 1992

My Space

REANIMATOR (CANADA)

This EP is a mixed bag: on the more energetic thrashers these guys bring their compatriots Razor to mind, but some of the songs lack intensity sounding like uninspired heavy/rockers. Well, let's not forget that the Razor beginnings were pretty humble, too...

"Ignorance Is No Excuse" doesn't rely on a material from the EP, but offers brand new songs of better, more thrash-focused stuff. A song of the title "Thrashin' The Neighborhood" finally appeared, since there was no track of the same title on the EP, and it really may help one thrash his/her neighbourhood. Here the sound has moved towards another notable representative of the Canadian scene: Sacrifice. The opening trio is vintage old school fast-paced thrash, until "Maximum Overdrive" reminds in the middle of the EP's boring softer material. "The Desolator" remains more mid-paced, but "Ignorance Is No Excuse" smashes everything in its way: aggressive speed/thrash with clever semi-technical implements. The next two songs are less intense, and the final "Speak No Evil" is a 10-min thrash opus, more melodic, with a cool balladic mid-break and hooks reminiscent of the power/speed metal acts of the 80's including the leads which are proficient, albeit too melodic.

Thrashin' The Neighborhood EP, 2007
Ignorance Is No Excuse Full-length, 2009

My Space

REBEL'S MOTHER (USA)

Based on "Sanctity", this act plays modern power/thrash with groovy overtones and clear shades of the Black Album. The music is harsher probably, and more complex aiming at the progressive sector at times. There is a lot of atmosphere created by interesting guitar melodies, fast acoustic guitars and gothic borrowings. An ambitious undertaking as a whole sounding more convincing when sticking to the more stripped-down patterns, like on the cool galloping "Fatherless", which is pure classic 80's American power/thrash with a touch of epic. "Night" is a cool attempt at edgier progressive power/thrash metal at the end, a dramatic composition sustained in an energetic mid-pace with a few twists both in the lead and riff department. The singer begins the album in a brutal vicious death metal fashion, but soon after reveals his more attractive side with a gruff, but still clean-sounding, voice in mid-range managing to keep certain dramatism the whole time without changing the pitch a lot.

The Dark Unknown Full-length, 1998
Shipwrecked Full-length, 1999
Sanctify Full-length, 2000

Official Site

REBELLION (VENEZUELA)

Thrash/death metal close to Protector and the French Agressor with a dark gothic atmosphere; some songs are sprawling, long-ish, and are placed in the beginning, creating the impression that this would be a progressively-laced experience, but later come the more immediate aggressive thrashers, which are by all means the more appealing side of the band's style. The guys have a good sense of melody ("Beyond the Reality", etc.), which makes even ultra-fast and brutal sections sound cool. Seldom do the band adhere to pure gothic numbers ("Night of Terror").

Land of Hate Full-length, 1996

REBIRTH (URUGUAY)

A 3-song EP of more classically sounding thrash/death metal with atmospheric touches (keyboards, slower breaks, etc.); the guys have a good sense of tempo, and the mid-paced moments are quite well integrated, although at times the gothic flavour comes a bit over the top ("Black Garden", which also comes epic decorated in the Amon Amarth vein).

Blood Dimension EP, 2007

RECALCITRANCE (USA)

Very well executed aggressive thrash metal bordering on death, similar to Recipients Of Death (see the review a few lines below) and Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends", on the first demo; the songs are longer, though, and the guitar work is more engaging, albeit hectic and chaotic at times ("Craving Death"). The band play fast and aggressively, trying to insert stomping slower elements all of a sudden those coming accompanied by short, but good, lead guitars. "Fragmented Reality" is even more hectic and jumpy, not as aggressive, but the guitars are more technical. "Fragmented Origins" is a nice, "lead-meets-bass" instrumental piece, laid-back and peaceful, but then comes the very aggressive death-laced "Self Perpetuating Fury", which also boasts very stylish riffs and fast screaming leads: a really nice example of the band's flamboyant original style.

Demo Demo, 1989
Fragmented Reality Demo, 1990

Official Site

RECENTLY VACATED GRAVES (USA)

This is a mix of well-crafted classic thrash and brutal death-metal outbursts. There are also gothic/black metal passages accompanied by organs and keyboards where there is an inclusion of declamatory vocals, too, in addition to the "duel" between the deep growls and the black-ish vicious snarls. You wouldn't be surprised if I tell you that quite often do the thrashy sections get lost in the rest which is sad, since when they're there, the music really takes off.

True Zombie Metal Full-length, 2004
Former Human Sergeant Full-length, 2005

Official Site

RECIPIENTS OF DEATH (USA)

The band's sound is an impenetrable wall of brutal violent thrash metal rubbing shoulders with Slayer's "Reign In Blood" and Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends"; a truly impressive debut. This is one of the best bands from the more extreme side of thrash metal. Apart from the relentless bashing heavier slower sections are also included ("Seizure"), again in the Slayer mould (their late 80's period), as well as super-fast proto-death ones ("The Aftermath").
"Final Flight" tones down the aggression, but the music remains in the thrash metal realm, this time coming with more varied guitar work ("Democratic Life"); as a whole the overall style is again close to Slayer (Seasons in the Abyss"): a nice combination of intense speedy and heavy pounding riffs.

Recipients of Death Full-length, 1988
Final Flight EP, 1990

Vibrations of Doom

RECKLESS TIDE (GERMANY)

Cool thrash metal of the old school, but with a very modern production which makes the band sound like some of the modern thrashers at times. There are two vocal styles here: the one is clean, the other one shouted. The music is pretty good with very sharp riffs and nice dual melodic solos recalling Iron Maiden. For fans of modern day Kreator and Testament this band are well worth tracking down.

Repent Or Seal Your Fate Full-length, 2005
Helleraser Full-length, 2006

Official Site

RECLUSION (SWEDEN)

A band who mix the two modern trends in thrash metal: the 90's aggro-sound of Pantera and Exhorder, and the fast-paced thrash/death metal hybrid of The Haunted. Fans of modern thrash will definitely like this band, who are actually quite good musicians, adhering to a cool technical play at times.
The demo is a bit of a step down, offering less adventurous music, slower and softer, kind of moving in a direction similar to the more recent The Haunted works without losing the groove completely. There's no speed, or intense riffage here: just modern pedestrian mid-paced thrash.

Shell of Pain Full-length, 2001
Inventory of the Morgue Full-length, 2005
Demo Demo, 2006

Official Site

RECRUCIDE (CHILE)

Based on the full-length, this band plays well executed aggressive modern/classic thrash metal of the old school, along the lines of Dew-Scented. Some leads will strike you as being quite stylish for the otherwise more ordinary straight delivery ("Fear Injected", and elsewhere). "Generhate" is the odd slower, semi-groovy track, and "Coronation" goes over the top with its ultra-fast death metal riffage. The closer "Rebellion" goes away with all the "laurels" being a fine furious mix of the two aforementioned styles again more death metal-sounding.

Gamma EP, 1997
Rebellion Full-length, 2005

Official Site

RECTIFIER (TURKEY)

A promising promo of classic 80's thrash metal; the music is heavy, mid to up-tempo with crushing riffs which will remind you of Heathen's "Victim of Deception", but Rectifier's approach is more straight-forward. "United Killers", on the other hand, introduces a Slayer-esque aggression, whereas "Monopolizing Violence" with its galloping rhythm brings to mind the Germans Pyracanda's great anthem "Top Gun". In other words, you get a classic headbanging delight which will come in bigger dozes with the band's full-length, which is in the makings.

Promo Promo,2007

RECTUM (FINLAND)

A very obscure, but highly worth tracking down 6-song demo of brilliant technical thrash/death metal; music which will keep you guessing what follows next with not much success. The tracks are short (2 to 3-min), but they are full with tempo changes and stupendous riffs which leave enough room for great melodies and solos, too. The music is full of energy without being too fast or aggressive. But, when the guys unleash more aggression, they could easily beat even masters like Hellwitch ("Golden Gates"). This is probably how the follow-ups of Atheist's "Unquestionable Presence" or Coroner's "Mental Vortex", or Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients" should have sounded, if these bands hadn't taken a much more experimental approach on their last efforts...

Enforced Prick Demo, 1992

RED HARVEST (NORWAY)

These extreme industrial metal wizards started their career as thrash metal practitioners. Their only venture into thrash metal shows them as quite well capable of pulling out fairly cool intriguing technical riffs, spiced with numerous influences. "The Cure" is an awesome opener, a great progressive thrasher, with a more aggressive death metal edge, and brilliant flamenco tunes; it sounds like something the Brits Acid Reign could have written, if they were a level up the music scale. The guys concentrate more on the aggressive side of their style on the next "Righteous Majority", but "Acid" is a wonderful short abstract technical thrasher in the best tradition of mid-period Voivod. "No Next Generation" is another fine progressive thrasher, which will remind you of the Germans Depressive Age, who released their full-length around the same time. "Machines Way" thrashes intensely with dry mechanical technical guitars and impressive leads, followed by the excellent "(Live & Pay) The Holy Way", which is another impeccable exercise in technicality, maybe a bit more straight-forward and more melodic, boasting probably the best guitar performance on the album. This song marks the end of the progressive aspect of this effort, leaving room for 3 shorter, less intricate (that's relative) numbers (the closer is a happy crossover hymn: "Wrong Arm Of The Law", and the only song which doesn't carry the technical charge) to close this masterpiece of progressive/technical thrash metal which showed the band more than well equipped to play a more important role on the 90's thrash metal scene, and not only because it was deprived of its best performers at the time.

Nomindsland Full-length, 1992

Official Site

RED NAILS (CANADA)

Excellent heavy, pounding thrash, very similar to Slayer's late 80's period; of course, there are the obligatory fast sections some of which exceed the limits of thrash (a few seconds of blast-beats on "Ancient Blood") metal, but most of the time this is heavy crushing music ably supported by harsh aggressive vocals ala Phil Rind (Sacred Reich), maybe less intelligible and lower-pitched.

Mutiny of a Small Group of Lemmings Demo, 1992

RED TO GREY (GERMANY)

A fine retro thrash metal band; the band's debut consists of 6 songs only, but is a commendable effort with great stylish guitars and a mighty bass-bottom. The guys play energetically with heavy riffs, several technical and balladic breaks, jumping occasionally on the power/speed metal wagon: "The Phantom". The style is very similar to the one of the one album wonder Sardonyx, including the high, clean vocals; this band are perhaps better in the lead department.
"Wrath of the Weak" is a better work, with more technical and faster riffs, sounding well more aggressive than the debut. The music here is closer to the first two Forbidden albums, sharing both the technicality of "Twisted into Form" and the energy of "Forbidden Evil". The singer sings higher, and better. The only complaint is the inclusion of "The Phantom", which was the weakest song from the debut, here offered without any changes whatsoever. Fortunately it's followed by the awesome up-tempo piece "Total Cleaning"- a really nice song, with a great chorus, very cool tempo changes and swirling, melodic leads. There were rumours of a third album in the makings, including anouncements on the band's website, scheduled first for 2006, but they're all gone now...
"Admissions" is finally out, after numerous delays and cancellations, and shows the band in fine form once again. The album continues exactly from where "Wrath of the Weak" left off: the opener "Admissions" offers a nice combination of straight thrashing and more complex passages. "Cast The First Stone" is an awesome up-tempo technical thrasher, in the Scariot, and even Coroner vein, if we exclude the catchy memorable chorus- a track, which the band put for download on their website a long time ago, here re-mastered and better. "Free" calms down with slower heavy riffs and a touch of power metal. "The Amour Piercing Dread" follows in the same spirit, adding epic elements and very cool leads. "In The Darkest Corner" desirably returns the sound to the faster, thrashy territories, and the lashing riffs will make you jump around in no time. "Sweet Suffering" is a speed/thrash riff-fest at its best, again accompanied by a great chorus, and amazing guitar hooks from beginning to end- another song released for download on the band's site earlier, here coming almost unaltered. "The Fall Of God" is a more melodic power/thrasher, and "Celebration Of The Cult" adds some speed metal to this mix. "The Cheated One" is more than a worthy closer to this very good album being a stomping heavy piece with smashing punishing riffs. It was really worth the wait to see whether one of the biggest hopes of German thrash would manage to sustain their high status; they did, with flying colours...

Circle of Pain Full-length, 1998
Wrath of the Weak Full-length, 2000
Admissions Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

REDEEMER (AUSTRALIA)

Very good power/thrash metal akin to Helstar and Liege Lord; the short atmospheric, sinister introduction will impress you from the very beginning, although it has nothing to do with thrash, or power metal. The guitar work is heavy, and the pace is mid-ranged, but the guys know how to move things around by adding more intense riffs, like on the nice "Transmuter". "Metallic Frenzy" deserves its title, although this is not a very aggressive number, but combines a lot of energy with cool semi-technical hooks, and is probably the best song.

The Light is Struck Full-length, 1990

REDIMONI (SPAIN)

If we exclude the hysterical part of the dual vocals used here, we'll be left with very good classic thrash along the lines of Darkness and Necronomicon. The full-length goes a few levels up the aggression scale, and offers high-octane retro thrash metal again with a classic edge, but considerably faster. Certainly there are calmer moments: the steam-rolling "Shah Mat"; the crossover-laced "Wrath Wars"; the epic/power metal oddity "Hell's Ascension"; the galloping speed/power metal anthem "Irongoat", and, of course, the melodic Motorhead-sih, with an epic twist, closer “Riding To Battle”. Some of you may say that this list is quite long for a thrash metal album, but believe me, all those songs get lost among the rest of the material, since the album is whole 13 tracks long. And this is this rest, which will make your day with its uncompromising high-speed approach, and a decidedly faster and more brutal sound than their 80’s counterparts.

The Onset of Chaos EP, 2005
Into The Coiling Arms Of Mayhem Full-length, 2008

Official Site

REDOX (SPAIN)

On the full-length these Spaniards pull out heavy mid-paced modern power/thrash metal which hesitates sometimes towards the classic spectre (the excellent riff-fest in the Overkill vein "Playing With Lies"), but not hard enough. So groove takes over on quite a few times, and the best song is a semi-ballad: "Fear Of Not Dying", with the short acoustic instrumental "Lullaby" a very close second. "Need Turned Into Addiction" is a cool pounding modern thrasher which could have been well fitting into Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro".

Forgotten Nature Full-length, 2000
Sharpened Knives EP, 2002

Official Site

REDRUM (USA)

Very cool energetic 80's speed/thrash metal sounding very similar to Intruder; the music is quite speedy and the guitar work is heavy with the leads being the downside: short and screamy (although on "Power Corrupts" they suddenly get too proficient for a while). The singer is quite good, not too far from Jimmy Hamilton (Intruder again), having the same tendency to high-pitch scream sometimes. Some riffs have the original and technical edge, but the concentration is clearly on pounding crushing ones with a small break near the end: "World War III", which is a more melodic crossover piece.

Power Corrupts Full-Length, 1989

My Space

REENCARNACION (COLOMBIA)

Based on the debut, this band play raw brutal thrash metal along the lines of their colleagues from Brazil Sarcofago, Vulcano and Sextrash. The music is quite noisy with the drums put too much forward in the mix, and the overall sound is quite amateurish and undeveloped, typical for the early stages of South American thrash metal.

888 Metal Full-length, 1987
Acompa±ame A La Tumba EP, 1988
Egipto (1990-1995) Full-length, 1996
Visiones Terrenales Full-length, 2000
Mas Hombres, Menos Estatuas Full-length, 2006

REFLECTING BLACK (FINLAND)

A good mixture of progressive thrash and gothic; the music is on the modern side, and there are a few vocal styles used. The concentration is on the progressive, more thought-out, aspect as the songs twist and turn in many directions, but the final result is quite satisfying. There are elements of symphonic black metal used, too.

For Those Demo, 2004
Songanglion Demo, 2005
Progressively Aggressive Demo, 2006

REFLECTION (GERMANY)

Reflection hail from the same province where Kreator and Sodom do. Their style, however, is not close to their renowned compatriots, but opts for a more ambitious, even proggressive at times, song-writing. The music is a cross between modern and classic (more classic than modern) thrash metal with nice sharp riffs and good technical licks. The pace is not fast, and the guys focus on mid to up-tempo songs only slightly acquiring some speedy tendencies ("Made in Hell", "Everlasting Conflict") where the sound recalls Paradox's "Collision Course". There are moments when the music slides down to slower semi-balladic territories: "The Journey".

Made in Hell Full-length, 2004

My Space

REHASHED (CANADA)

Fast blitzkrieg hardcore/thrash the intensity well expressed on the speedy 1-1.5min (with a few exceptions near the end) tracks which surprisingly come accompanied by stylish leads at times. This would be a good fun for those who don't look for any musical merits, but like to pogo to oblivion...

Code Black Full-length, 2010

My Space

REIFY (AUSTRALIA)

Heavy modern thrash, well conformed with the tastes of the time, with a punishing rhythm section, but lacking the vigour and anger of Pantera. The music loses intensity at times, and generally the mid-pace is seldom crossed over, except on the cool faster thrasher "Where 4 Art Thou Soul". Another good touch is the closing acoustic instrumental ballad "Memory", very well done.

In Your Dreams Full-length, 1995

REIGN (UK)

Based on "Exit Clause": ordinary moden 90's groovy thrash along the lines of Pantera and Machine Head; the tracks are slow-ish to mid-paced in the best case with very sparce use of solos, and some hardcore touches.
I was wrong to avoid getting ahold of "Embrace" for so long, based on the not very good impression "Exit Clause" produced on me. The debut is a much better achievement; the music is still on the heavy, groovy side of thrash, but moments from the 80's scene are also present, and the tracks are more complex, much longer as well, and the guitar work is way better, even with technical touches. The only complaint comes from the tempo, which is slow, doomy and this might create a somewhat monotonous atmosphere, although faster passages are featured on the longer numbers (most of which are within the 8-9min range), albeit not very long. The shorter songs are nice energetic thrashers: "Erosion", and especially the crushing "Infinity Within", which serve as a slight relief, before another epic heavy track comes over you. This is thought-out, dark stuff, which would perhaps find its fanbase among some doom metal fans as well.

Embrace Full-length, 1994
Exit Clause Full-length, 1995

RELEASE (USA)

This band boasts the presence of the ex- Metal Church singer Aaron Zimpel and the guitarist Gary Wendt (Sacrilege BC, Skinlab). Unfortunately they do not go over the conventional 90's groovy post-thrash, so typical for the time. This is dark one-dimensional music with doomy overtones and dry industrialized riffs; hardly the best collaboration of two famous metal heads.

End of the Light Full-Length, 1995

RELEASED ANGER (GREECE)

The band's line-up includes former and present members of another very good contemporary Greek thrash metal band: Crucifier. If these guys manage to keep the high quality displayed on this demo, the sky is the limit for them: perfectly executed old school thrash in the Kreator, Destruction-tradition. The singer impersonates Mille Petrozza quite well; another highlight is the tight, razor-sharp guitar work. If for all of you out there Flames have always been the leaders of the Greek thrash metal scene, you might have to think again very soon.
"Faces of Fate" fulfills all the promises given with the demo; the music is in the best German tradition, this time also recalling Tankard along with the aforementioned bands, and with a better, and faster guitar work. The riffs are still sharp, but more melody has been introduced, which is a very positive change here, making the band's sound more appealing, but without completely ignoring the more aggressive numbers: "Parasite", and especially the great "Shadows of Insanity"- a masterpiece of raging thrash. A cover of Whiplash's "Power Thrashing Death" is thrown in the middle.

Violent Instincts Demo, 2005
Faces of Fate Full-length, 2007

My Space

RELENTLESS (USA)

Early Exciter and Savage Grace brought to you in 4 energetic tracks, which are deeper rooted in the power/speed metal scene, but up-tempo numbers like "Storm The Gates" and "Wait For The Lightning" will make you raise your fist in agreement.

Wait for the Lightning EP, 2000

My Space

RELIGIO MORTIS (ITALY)

Based on the "Varcata La Soglia" demo, these guys offer a mixture of thrash and death metal with a few black-ish implements. This is intense stuff, quite diverse as well ranging from fast delights ("La Prima Qliphot") ala Dissection to vintage traditional doomsters ("Bitch Torment"). Blitzkrieg fierce death/thrashers like "Lingua Di Serpi" may scare the unprepared, but fans of the other two mentioned genres will find quite a bit here to enjoy, if we exclude the rough sound quality which gives the guitars a certain screamy edge.
"Before Christ...After Death" come served with a much worse sound quality and is much more aggressive and faster the highlight being the dark doomy "Blood Of The Tyrants" in the middle. The rest is pure bashing most of the time, the noisy abrasive guitars often stifled by the cacophonous "duel" between the two vocal styles neither of which leaving a very positive impression.

Before Christ...After Death Demo, 2008
Varcata La Soglia Demo, 2009

My Space

RELLIK (USA)

Based on the "Deceive the Deceiving" EP, these guys offer fast intense thrash ala Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill" and the Swedes Hypnosia. They break the pattern for the longer heavy "Die As I Say (Not As I Do)", but the other 4 tracks are speedy exercises in vicious 80's thrash metal occasionally carrying a hardcore shade ("Means To An End"). This band can be considered the continuation of the Philadelphia thrashers Violemosh, who released one EP in the distant 1989.

Deceive the Deceiving EP, 2004
Devoured In Sin EP, 2007

Official Site

REMORSE (HUNGARY)

Modern/classic thrash metal; the band's first two efforts, considering the time of their release, are modern thrash, and are not really anything special. "Harc!" is a nice turn to classic thrash metal with just a few remains from their more modern-sounding releases. This album is a great headbanging feast in the first half; the opening track "Valosag" is slow-ish, heavy number, but every subsequent song adds more and more speed into the proceedings. The second half is less impressive, and the album loses steam little by little, despite the presence of stylish technical riffs ala Jeff Waters: "20/40", as well as classic heavy metal hymns: "Miert van Csesd?" (the title is obviously some question in Hungarian); what follows until the end is mid-paced, more modern thrash, which still delivers the goods, but the compositions acquire groovy, even aternative, tendencies.
"D.Ü.H." thrashes with full force in the beginning providing numerous delights for the headbangers, without completely forgetting about the more lyrical side of the genre, with the cool semi-ballad "Amikor Vége II.". Watch out for "Jég", which comes straight after that: the ultimate speed/thrash metal experience, played with the speed of light. After this hyper-intensity the guys take it easy, and this ease stretches onto whole 6 tracks, leaving a solid aftertaste in the mouth, which the closing "Kin" tries hard to erase with another portion of speedy thrash riffage. Not a bad album at all, this work could have had more appeal if the band had chosen to thrash their souls out, instead of taking a very long break, dissipating the excellent impression left by the start.

Lmatlansßg Full-length, 1996
S÷tÚtsÚg Full-length, 2000
Harc! Demo, 2003
Harc! Full-length, 2005
D.Ü.H. Full-length, 2008

Official Site

RENEGADE (AUSTRALIA)

A very good, but forgotten thrash metal band; their style is quite close to the first Onslaught albums or Hallows Eve: dark, evil thrash, quite energetic with shades of black metal. The album is a cool mixture of more light-hearted speed/thrashers and vicious, more aggressive ones. Slower, more power/thrash-based numbers are also here ("Threshold of Death"). You won't find any technical play here, but the intensity of the material will satisfy even the more pretentious thrash metal fans.

Total Armageddon Full-length, 1987

Vibrations of Doom

RENFIELD (GERMANY)

A band who refuses to lay to rest the classic sound from the 80's, and mixes it with the typical groovy trends, resulting in occasionally interesting music which at times lightly touches the German progressive/technical thrash metal wave (check out the avantgarde Depressive Age-sque "Rain Will Fall") which at that time had almost completely disappeared. "Renfield’s Dream" is a cool galloping technical speed/thrasher, and "Hate Song" is a more aggressive thrash/crossover outbreak; don't ignore the closer "It’s Greed", which is another dynamic piece of up-tempo technical power/thrash. The early speed metal scene from the same country is paid tribute with "Burnout" and "Someday".

PolyToxicoMania Full-length, 1997

RENTGEN (RUSSIA)

Based on the "Lost Castle" demo, this act, which consists of two members only, plays very stylish technical all-instrumental thrash metal, mixing the pace the whole time, the predominant one being mid with dark overtones, but there are outbreaks of raging speed ("Obsessed Devil") as well as great Oriental implements ("Other Worlds"). "To Stars" is a brilliant progressive thrasher with the lead guitar playing a major role, but the riff-driven "Blood On Sand" makes up with plenty of sharp heavy guitars, also quite brutal at some stage, again graced by some of the finest Oriental motives around. "Lost Castle" is another display of progressive instrumental brilliance, an impeccable mix of virtuoso guitar parts and straight cutting riffs. "Poured The Whole" is a creepy minimalistic thrasher with a nice closing balladic lead-driven section. A true underground gem, which will inevitably raise the interest in tracking the band's other catalogue.
"Intrusion From Hell" is a more brutal affair staying closer to death metal in the beginning, and is less technical, except for the leads which are again on a high level. The thrash returns towards the middle with the Bay-Area smasher "Judicial Psychiatry"- vintage early Testament following closely Alex Scholnick in the lead department. "My Grave Became Tight For Me" is a no-brainer with its seamless mix of technical thrash, speed and death metal the latter occupying a small space near the end. "Post-Mortem Autopsy" is heads-down thrash aggression ala Slayer with both a more technical and a death metal twist. "Angel's Fall" is a heavy speed/thrash fest offering a slower approach which carries on on the next melodic lead-driven "Black Sunset". There is one vocal bonus track as a finishing touch: "Epidemic", intense thrash ala Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains" with very brutal low grunting vocals.
"Black Sunrise" shows the guys in a much more simplistic form with an abrasive guitar sound, and with vocals. The music has almost no shades of technicality, but is decent retro thrash/death metal in mid to up-tempo, a bit one-dimensional and uneventful, finished with a cover of Sepultura's "Troops of Doom".
The "Armageddon" EP is a big improvement over the debut demo, serving 5 songs of more proficient thrash/death metal, more brutal than the one on the debut now being pure death metal for most of the time, still preserving the vocals, also adding a considerable amount of leads which were completely missing from the demo. The technical performance is still not on a very high level, if we exclude the excellent lead guitar which is omnipresent creating haunting atmospheric landscapes which starkly contrast to the frequent blast-beats and the very low brutal growls. Seriously, this guy is probably the finest shredder on the Russian scene right now, his style not far from the one of his compatriot and peer, the guitar maestro Valerii Gaina (Kruiz).

Black Sunrise Demo, 2002
Armageddon EP, 2003
Lost Castle Demo, 2004
Intrusion From Hell Demo, 2005

REPENT (GERMANY)

A rising star from the German metal scene, Repent started with a nice mix of modern and classic thrash with technical tendencies; the opener "Feel Your Pain" is a really good initiation in the band's intense, semi-technical style, being a great intense thrasher. What follows is no less aggressive, but the tracks get longer, and the technicality increases. The last composition "Never Fallen Tear" comes as a complete surprise being slow, industrialized doom, sounding as a very good mixture between Saint Vitus and Neurosis, and lasts for whole 8-min.
Contrary to the expectations, instead of developing their interesting style further, on "Disciple of Decline" the guys moved towards aggressive, direct, blitzkrieg thrash metal along the lines of Slayer and Sepultura, which also worked great. Only time will tell what the next album from this very talented band would sound like...
The Promo sees Jürgen "Eumel" Aumann from their compatriots Final Breath taking over the mike, and offers 4 tracks of direct retro thrash pretty much in the vein of "Disciple of Decline". A few sparce proto-modern sections can be caught, but this would hardly turn into a dominant tendency with these purveyors of the old school sound.

Escape From Reality Full-length, 2000
Disciple of Decline Full-Length,2004
Promo Demo, 2010

Official Site

REPLIKA (HUNGARY)

Based on the debut, this is modern 90's thrash, obviously influenced by Sepultura ("Chaos AD" and "Roots", in particular), so this is not a total waste of time. Fans of those two albums will find a lot to like here. "Élvezetek Földjén" is a total waste of time, though: bland soft alternative heavy rock with no ties to thrash whatsoever. The guys apparently put more energy in their other project at the moment: the death/black metallers Neochrome.

Nem Leszek Áldozat Full-length, 1996
Ima Full-length, 1998
Másik Világ Kapujában Full-length, 2001
Testbe Zárt Lélek Full-length, 2001
Acoustica Full-length, 2003
Durva Élet Full-length, 2004
Nem Hiszek Full-length, 2007
Élvezetek Földjén Full-Length, 2010

Official Site

REPRESION (VENEZUELA)

A calmer, more melodic, but also toothless version of the modern thrash sub-genre with cool semi-clean vocals, mostly in mid-tempo, reminiscent of mid-period Machine Head in many ways; in other words, don’t bother...

Sobrevivencia Full-length, 2006

My Space

REPRISAL SCARS (FINLAND)

Typical melodic thrash/death metal with a strong Gothenburg influence in the guitar work; the vocals shift from the pattern, being low death metal growling ones. "Killing Art of Self-Deception" is a bit more of the same, no surprises, maybe the tempo this time is not as fast sticking more to mid-pace with the occasional more intense headbanger ("Grand Assertion of Hate!").

Dead End Road EP, 2008
Sobrevivencia Full-length, 2006
Killing Art of Self-Deception Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

REPTIL (MEXICO)

Good power/thrash in the vein of Deadly Blessing, Aftermath and Destructor; the demo starts with two cool speedy numbers, before it settles down for heavier, mid-paced riffage on the next two.

Basta Ya! Demo, 1988

Fan Site

REPTILE (PORTUGAL)

Groovy, hard-hitting, and fairly energetic thrash metal which keeps a respectable mid-tempo for most of the time, seldom degenerating into blatant groove ("Consequence"), which would have been a sure winner some 12-15 years ago. At times one might find himself headbanging on some of the more edgy tracks ("Criminal Power", "Dark Memories", which speeds up quite a bit; the pounding "New Face"). Few are the albums nowadays which can capture the unbridled energy of the early woks of Pantera and the Machine Head debut without sounding derivative and trite.

Reptile Full-length, 2008

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REPUGNANT (SWEDEN)

Based on the full-length: a good fusion of old school death metal and heavy thrash ala Celtic Frost; the tempo varies, but seldom stays on the faster side opting for a heavy crushing sound with twisted riffs in the Morbid Angel-vein. Too bad these guys called it quits soon after the release of their only full-length.

Hecatomb EP, 1999
Premature Burial EP, 2004
Epitome of Darkness Full-length, 2006

Official Site

REPULSA (USA)

Based on the demo, this band, which were named after their female singer, play a blend of crossover/thrash and pop-metal; if you can imagine a "marriage" between Lita Ford and Excel... "F.T.W." (aka "Fuck the World") is a cool thrashy headbanger, though, but that's all about it.
"Sex Pig" is a better offering due to the presence of two guys who later on played for Exodus, including the drummer Tom Hunting (also Angel Witch, and the Jason Newsted side-projects Sexoturica & IR8). The 3 songs from the demo are here as well, but the other material is superior being pure thrash for at least half of the album, sometimes thrashing with gusto ("Big Lady") ala Anthrax, sometimes crushing in a heavy mid-pace ("World Gone Mad", the gritty steam-rolling closer "Fuck Yourself" which starts thrashing with force near the end, too). Although this is hardly the headbanger's paradise, this effort should be paid respect for its reluctance to lay the classic spirit to rest during those difficult times.

Demo Demo, 1992
Sex Pig Full-length, 1994

REQUIEM (GERMANY)

Derivative, unimpressive groovy post-thrash, which sounds like a very poor and toothless version of Pantera and Machine Head.

Soulmachine Full-length, 1994

REQUIEM (USA, Nevada)

Based on the "Christ Has Risen" EP, this band play energetic hardcore-ish thrash ala early Prong. These guys' music is more thrash-fixated, coming up with really intense pieces: "Stuck in Society", the opening fury "Christ Has Risen". The full-length debut is more varied, already introducing the hardcore aesthetics, although proto-death and groove can also be heard here and there. The problem is that the music lacks pace and energy, and the end is occupied by boring semi-doomy/sludgy numbers with no life whatsoever.

Grave Full-length, 1996
Dawn of Souls EP, 1997
Christ Has Risen EP, 1998
U.$.$.A. EP, 1999
Volume 6 Full-length, 2001
Lock the Dead EP, 2006
Retrowar EP, 2007

Official Site

REQUIEM (USA, Washington)

This band are probably one of the first ones to introduce a slight doze of groove in their music ("World Peace"), but only on one track. The music on the rest of the album is pure classic thrash, recalling Anthrax in the guitar department mostly. The delivery is quite hard-hitting most of the time, and somewhere in the middle it introduces a couple of original technical elements ("Mind Escape", which features more abstract Voivod-ish sections, and "Peace Child", which boasts the finest guitar work on the album). The following three songs bring back the aggression from the beginning, but the technicality remains, resulting in a really potent sound. The last two tracks are less serious crossover numbers played just for the fun of it.

Earthquake Full-Length, 1991

RESIST

Hardcore/thrash of the more moderate variety, nor very fast, with numerous references to the 80's punk movement (think The Exploited), and a couple of more aggressive riffs ("See It Through") in the tradition of early Prong and D.R.I.

We Want Our World Black Full-Length, 2008

RESISTANCE (FRANCE)

A new band from France who offer very cool retro thrash; they play fast with intensity, and a great sense of melody, especially in the lead department. The riffs cut like a knife, supported by a great bass-bottom, sometimes coming with an Oriental touch ("Considered Dead", which is a smashing speed metal killer). "Necropolis" is a very cool cover of Manilla Road from their album "Crystal Logic" (1983) with the gruff death metal-ish vocals taking a nice melodic tember, which still is not close to Mike Shelton, but gives the song the necessary epic feeling. After this softer moment the speed/thrash rage returns, but more controlled this time, on the up-tempo "Rage" and "Fist of Fire", and unbridled on the complex, multi-layered "Soul Devourer", which also boasts low-tuned operatic, gothic vocals. "Satans Call Through The River Styx" is a progressively-laced, 9-min long opus, which is not that intense, if we exclude the beginning, but by no means less impressive, featuring sprawling epic moments, where the leads rule with full force, followed by a nice acoustic outro. It's guaranteed that you will spend quite a few moments "banging your fucking skull" with this one...

Bang Your Fucking Skull Full-length, 2008

My Space

RESISTANCE (USA)

Based on "Lies In Black", this is modern power/thrash metal, close to the works of 90's Overkill. There are classic leanings in the guitar work, but not enough to put it in the classic camp. The music is dynamic with nods to both faster and slower grounds, packing a punch most of the time. "Patents of Control" is a lot more classically inclined, and the better achievement. It's still a combination of various tempos, the mid-tempo being the predominant one. Near the middle the sound gets more aggressive and sharp ("Paternal Shift"), softened by peaceful, balladic sections. Then the music brings back the speed, reaching more aggressive heights ("The Cleansing"). There is actually only one track, which has a more modern, groovy shade ("The Alpha & The Omega").

A Certain Sorrow EP, 2002
Lies In Black Full-length, 2004
Patents of Control Full-length, 2006

Official Site

RESISTANT CULTURE (USA)

Based on the "Resistant Militia" EP, this band offer a very mixed bag of styles: the base is by all means thrash, but one could hear hardcore, heavy riffs akin to early Messiah, and pure vicious grindcore. When the band concentrate on just plain thrashing, they come up with cool energetic music and, fortunately, this is what they do for most of the time. Reportedly later their style incorporated elements from genres outside the metal field and, combined with their furious thrash/grind mixture of old, makes up for an entertaining, albeit quite an unusual, listen.

Resistant Militia EP, 1987
Living by Law EP, 1989
Ancient Future Full-length, 2003
Welcome to Reality EP, 2004
Welcome to Reality Full-length, 2005
Innate Rebellion Split album, 2005

Official Site

RESISTENCE (USA)

A really good demo which combines the aggression of Slayer with the dark, brooding atmosphere of the Brits Deathwish which means that, apart from the fast intense parts, you'll come across some slower, brooding moments.

Veil of Mystery Demo, 1987

RESPAWN (GERMANY)