The Thrash Metal Guide

Copyright (c) 2007 THE THRASH METAL GUIDE

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

S.A. SLAYER (USA)

At this early stage of the genre's development one shouldn't expect very forceful thrash, and this is not the case here. This is the band where Ron Jarzombek (Watchtower, Spastic Ink) showed his great skills for the first time, although here he barely hints at his much bigger potential (well, the style doesn't give him many opportunities to do that). The music is mostly traditional power metal with sparce thrashy elements, catchy and entertaining, an obvious influence on the future thrash metal scene.

Prepare To Die EP, 1983
Go For The Throat Full-length, 1984

Vibrations of Doom

S.C.E.P.T.R.E. (FINLAND)

This band has ties to the early speed metal heroes Agent Metal. This 3-song EP shows the guys pulling out classic thrash/crossover with brutal death-ish vocals. The tracks are short mixing fast and slow sections, only once going out with all the guns blazing: the short brisk speedster "S.C.E.P.T.R.E.".

Retaliation EP, 2001

S.D.I. (GERMANY)

S.D.I.'s self-titled (the SDI abbreviation stand for "Satans Defloration Incorporated") debut was an instant thrash/crossover classic, the best achievement in this sub-genre to ever come out of Germany. Light-hearted, very catchy, and quite fast and intense all at the same time, this album has lost nothing of its initial magic all these years. This trio differed from their American counterparts (Nuclear Assault, D.R.I., Prong, etc.) mostly based on the stronger speed metal aesthetics coming straight from the early efforts of Destruction, Vectom and Warrant, plus the very memorable shouted choruses, a staple mark for the band, and pretty much one of a kind at those times. Along definitive thrash/crossover hymns ("Quasimodo", "Absolute Banger", "I Don't Care", "Take Off Your Hands") stand the pure hardcore outbursts ("Wanker", "Chainsaw Massacre") and, of course, the so popular at that period "I Wanna Fuck Ya"; at the time when most acts were shying away from using directly this frank direct request/invitation/promise/expression, disguising and veiling it under various preposterous euphemisms, these guys shouted it out loud and clear without any fears, and kudos should be paid for them for this "chivalry". Speed metal is also covered with the more melodic, but very memorable "Panic in Wehrmacht", but watch out for "You're Wrong": a marvellous ballad with a furious crossover finish and one of the best choruses ever heard on a thrash metal album; and for the closer "Bloodsucker": a curious moody doom/thrasher. Rainhard Kruse acquits himself with a cool mid-ranged semi-clean tember which nicely fits both the harder and the softer songs.
Despite the catchy and appealing material offered on the debut, one couldn not help but see this band as a bit more than the occasional "antidote" to the more serious and more technically-proficient music which the German scene was offering aplenty at the time, but this "antidote" threatened to become a constant presence on the thrash metal fan's "menu" with "Sign of the Wicked". One of the 10 best speed/thrash metal efforts to ever come out of Germany, this album is a bit more than half hour of sheer metal brilliance: diverse, melodic, technical, catchy, you name it. Once the acoustic intro to the opening "Comin' Again" starts, one instantly knows that this will not be the carefree unpretentious music heard on the debut, and indeed this number is a standout speed/thrashy tour de force with progressive overtones, and it seemed as though this band looked well-equipped to join the increasing group of technical acts which was becoming particularly big in Germany (Deathrow, Sieges Even, Living Death, Destruction, etc.). Well, not really, as the title-track carries little of the technical charge and energy of the first one, but is an utterly compelling piece of doomy sinister thrash with an addictive main riff. "Megamosh" (the guys shout their name here as well) is the only reminder of the more simplistic debut being a straight bashing thrash hymn closing on a little more than 2-min. "Alcohol" slows down again, but the chunky riffage and the memorable chorus make it another keeper. "Quick Shot" is the analogue to "I Wanna Fuck Ya" with explicit sexual lyrics and mighty speedy guitars. The attack continues on "Always Youth" which scores high in the chorus department again. "Long Way From Home" switches onto a more melodic speed metal-based approach quite reminiscent of the first two Blind Guardian albums, but the diverse thrashy mid-break will totally delight you with the ever-changing rhythms and the fine melodic sing-along chorus insertion. "Killer's Confession" is more aggressive speed/thrash, but another brilliant melodic deviation awaits you in the middle which touches the ballad with marvellous lead guitars and simply amazing bass performance which is very strong on the whole album making Kruse one of the best bass players of the 80's. "Fight" begins somewhat tastelessly with a guy reciting something in Turkish, but rest assured that later on there will be no one disappointed with this sincere slab of speed/thrash with a pinch of crossover which doesn't forget about the more melodic experimentations which here come as a nice "duel" between the bass and the lead guitar followed by another, this time not as exciting, balladic section which at least shows Kruse in a fine vocal form; he does a good job behind the mike trying to scream high at times, and succeeds, at times offering cool melodic lines, but still his bass pyrotechnics by far overshadow his vocal abilities.
Having found the right way to thrash with the best, the band looked well set to join the very upper echelons of world thrash metal, and one more album of the same stuff could have placed them there. Well, "Mistreated" is hardly this album; it had hardly come as a pleasant surprise to the fans being more melodic clinging towards power/speed metal with very little thrash present, decidedly more complex, and far less catchy. The longer numbers in the beginning are unnecessarily interrupted by spoken or balladic passages which serve to no purpose but kill the inertia and confuse the listener. Still, if you adjust your senses to this mellower offering, and manage to overcome your initial surprise, you may enjoy the jolly speedster "Night of Tears"; the energetic "leftovers" from the debut "Violence" and "Kiss Ass"; and possibly the mid-tempo steam-roller "Mother". The rest will be by all means a letdown, especially the clumsy heavy-handed metal anthem "We Want More" and the AC/DC worship at the end shamefully carrying the band name ("S.D.I."). The guys exited the scene in a not very impressive manner, with only the guitarist Rainer Rage later having been seen in the power metallers Enola Gay.
To my utter surprise I found out that this band had another full-length, released in 1991; but to my utter disappointment, it contained very bland heavy metal, with no traces of thrash and speed metal whatsoever. A few more dynamic songs still pack a punch, but they would make one even more upset, reminding him of the much better past: "Ruling The World", "Mad World". "Mistreated" already suggested at the changes, but wisely stopped on the edge, without crossing the border towards undesirable music fields; with this obscure release the guys have done it. Classic heavy metal was falling from grace, along with thrash at those times, and S.D.I. had done a cool job keeping it alive, but their hard-core fans had hardly been fascinated having heard this, to put it mildly.

Satans Defloration Incorporated Full-length, 1986
Sign of the Wicked Full-length, 1988
Mistreated Full-length, 1989
Unreleased Full-Length, 1991

S.E.K. (GERMANY)

This act is actually only one person: Necron, who is also a member of quite a few German metal acts. The style is old school black/thrash metal in the early Bathory vein, but not as fast and violent as the very early works of the Swedish hero (R.I.P.); it has a more playful, crossover edge, and Necron feels comfortable enough singing in a minimalistic, raspy, terrifying tone, recalling the sounds emitted by the Orcs from "Lord of the Rings".

Mehr NSgel fnr das Schwein Demo, 2004

S.F.D. (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the "Destruction of the Youth" demo, these guys offer diverse stuff of the classic type which on the most extreme moments comes close even to the Cryptic Slaughter debut (check out the first 2 tracks, which are furious exercises in thrash/death/grindcore of the comprehensice listenable variety). The two songs in the middle take a nice turn towards more stylish semi-technical thrash, still pretty classic-sounding, with the speed decreased almost to the point of disappearance. The latter returns, however, for the last two numbers which are fast, but more restrained, takes on thrash/crossover. The singer doesn't change throughout, though, singing in a gruff semi-death metal manner the whole time.

Dematerialize Demo, 1992
Putrid Decay / Legion Demo, 1992
Destruction of the Youth Demo, 1993

S.G.M. (USA)

Melodic thrash/crossover with a jolly, punk-ish attitude, mostly mid-paced, without any fast aggressive parts.

Aggression Full-length, 1988

S.I.C. (AUSTRALIA)

A cool entry in the thrash/crossover sub-genre of the faster more brutal type, crossing early The Accused with Wehrmacht; the tracks are short seldom going over the 2-min limit, except for "Brown Paper Bag Man", which tries its hands on purer thrash, and is less intense. The rest is very fast extreme stuff without any gimmicks.

Screaming In Churches EP, 1988

S.I.D.E. (RUSSIA)

Classic power/speed/thrash metal with several modern leanings; the guitar work is good, but the sound is a bit buzzy, and the singer is a not very suitable death metal growler. The guys know when to slow down, although the faster passages are better despite their clinging towards the Swedish school at times. Some of the musicians have done a better job in the mid-90's under the name Horror releasing 2 demos of stylish progressive thrash.

Voronviking Demo, 2000

S.N.F. (CHILE)

A good demo with awesome Alex Skolnick -like guitar work, courtesy of Ilvaro Soms (who later moved to another Chilean metal band, Dorso). The music is Testament-influenced and something else which is hard to define (perhaps it's the joke punk-ish moments like "Mr. Harry").

...Acting Like A Fool Demo, 1989

S.N.P. (ITALY)

Based on "Scarface", this act offers a bland relaxed version of the 90's post-thrash. This is a mild semi-grungy effort with strong balladic/doomy overtones which flows in the same sleepy fashion from beginning to end which many of you won't even bother to reach.

All Is an Endless Nothing... Empty Words Empty Promises EP, 1992
Excess Full-length, 1996
Scarface Full-length, 2003
Valthellina Full-length, 2008

S.S.A. (USA)

Modern thrash which sounds quite close to Tourniquet's "Vanishing Lessons", but far less good; this is mid-paced stuff, with a certain amount of groove, and one very cool short instrumental "Herbie Perogie", which nicely mixes funky elements with hard-hitting riffage. The rest is too one-dimensional and boring, without any other highlights, with one tender ballad as a finishing touch ("Sunshine").

Deal With It Full-Length, 1994

S.T.A.G. (ITALY)

Look no further than the gothic-tinged style of mid-period Cemetary ("Godless Beauty", in particular), with the vocals dead ringers for the Mathias Lodmalm early singing style, assisted by more vigorous galloping power/thrash metal sections. The guitar work is too melodic, and fits better the slower doomy and the balladic more quiet passages which also come aplenty.

8 p.m. Full-length, 2009

S.T.I. (BRAZIL)

Cool aggressive thrash metal ala Sepultura and Atomica, with some punky parts and hardcore-ish outbursts in the vein of S.O.D. ("Eternal Shit"). The songs are short, fast outbursts, with sharp riffs, and gruff, throaty vocals.

Twen Two Visions Full Length,1993

S.T.R.E.E.T.S. (CANADA)

Based on the debut: energetic brisk thrash/crossover along the lines of early Broken Bones and early Rumble Militia, in other words there's not as much thrash as hardcore/crossover; interesting guitar decisions can be caught from time to time, but the emphasis is clearly on catchiness and melody. The songs vary from short speedy 1-1.5min to heavier slower ones, closing around the 5-min line ("Skate In The Heart"), but without the fast-paced riffage the latter are a bit more than a waste.
"Bo Bo Gnar Gnar" is in a very similar vein, comprising of short, catchy crossovers with brisk melodic guitars, and not a lot of thrash involved. The guys have fun pulling out this merry crossover stuff which now sounds also close to Excel, No Mercy, and respectively, the Suicidals.

Worms Full-length, 2002
Bo Bo Gnar Gnar Full-length, 2003
Invaders From Gnars Full-length, 2005

SAARS (CZECH)

Modern thrash metal which tries to spice the intense groovy sound of 90's Pantera with more laid-back hardcore moments ala Biohazard or early Pro-Pain, but except for the more energetic slightly technical ala Meshuggah "Public Assault", all this is too pedestrian and painfully familiar.

Public Assault Demo, 2006

S-CORE (FRANCE)

Based on "Gust Of Rage", this is modern aggro-thrash with elements of hardcore, which unfortunately loses its edge and intensity on some tracks, but the smashing steam-rolling riffs for most of the time will keep the Pantera fans entertained.

Fat And Wet EP, 2001
Riot... Process Engaged Full-length, 2003
Gust Of Rage Full-length, 2007

SABBAT (JAPAN)

One of the oldest Japanese metal bands, the band's style has mutated throughout the years starting with primitive Venom-influenced black metal on the first EP's to a combination of thrash, black and death metal on the 90's releases with the Venom-influences being present all the time, although by the time of "The Dwelling" the band's approach has evolved into more complex serious one, the latter album containing only one 1-hour long composition, a larger-than-life symphony with numerous infuences, still remaining a pretty thrashy affair sharing some of the King Diamond operatic dramatism at times. The more elaborate arrangements stay around for "Karisma", but "Satanasword" is full-on old school speed/thrash metal, a compelling mix of sweeping melodies and sharp furious riffs.
"Sabbatrinity" produces no surprises, but those who have got accustomed to the band's delivery, will by all means be entertained by this appealing speed/thrashy boogie delivered in a carefree roller-coaster manner, slightly hardening the course on more "serious" speedsters, like the excellent melodic opus "Total Destruction", which contains nice operatic variations and virtuoso lead sections. "Witchflight" is a cool reminder of the early 80's German scene sounding like a leftover from Destruction's "Sentence of Death", and the other "witch": "Witch Hammers", is a more laid-back crossover piece. "Ravens Tell" is a more aggressive story thrashing more intensely recalling Rigor Mortis with the interesting melodic insertions ala Mike Scaccia; a great track with operatic overtones again which get nicely transferred on the next "Witch's Torches (Version 1)" (too many "witches" today; and some come with "torches", so be careful!). "Karmagmassacre" reaches almost progressive proportions with more complex dramatic escalating rhythms, and the last "witch" comes in the form of an instrumental: "Witch's Weed", a really good lead-only piece showing the lead guitarist in a really inspired form, and one shouldn't be surprised if the guy comes up with a solo album (quite a typical phenomenon for the Japanese scene of recent times) in the near future to fully display his talents.

Sabbat EP, 1985
Born by Evil Blood EP, 1987
Desecration EP, 1989
The devil's sperm is cold EP, 1989
The Seven Deadly Sins EP, 1990
Envenom Full-length, 1991
Evoke Full-length, 1992
Disembody Full-length, 1993
Sabbatical Devilucifer EP, 1994
Fetishism Full-length, 1994
Bloody Countess Full-length, 1996
The Dwelling Full-length, 1996
Karisma Full-length, 1999
Karisma Full-length, 2000
Satanasword Full-length, 2000
Karmagmassacre Full-length, 2003
Sabbatrinity Full-length, 2011

SABBAT (UK)

Often considered the finest British thrash metal band, Sabbat have a very original sound with a unique pagan atmosphere, frequently imitated, but seldom achieved. "History of a Time to Come" is a sure-handed debut, establishing immediately the band as a major thrash force on the UK metal scene. Along with the more direct, headbanging thrashers (the opener "Cautionary Tale", "Hosanna In Excelsis"), there are longer, more ambitious songs, which are not technical achievements per se, but are quite interesting: the heavy stomping "Horned Is The Hunter" which introduces the genuine pagan touch; the intense semi-technical thrashing fury "I For An Eye"; the excellent mix of crushing doomy riffs and sharp, faster, galloping ones on "Church Bizarre".
"Dreamweaver" is a masterpiece of classic thrash metal; the sound is darker and heavier with sharper and more technical guitars. "Clerical Conspiracy" starts with crushing up-tempo guitars followed by a nice short acoustic ballad ("Advent of Insanity"). Then three exquisite long dark pagan thrashers follow suit: one of the finest moments of the whole UK thrash metal scene; they sound like one small album together, being mid to up-tempo, slowing down to atmospheric doomy moments, but very soon pick up respectable speed thrashing with full force here and there. This incredible trilogy kind of overshadows the exiting two tracks, which are otherwise good intense pieces, containing the most aggressive guitar work, especially the closing "Mythistory", which is a fabulous pagan riff-fest at its best. Worth mentioning are the demon-ish, vicious vocals of Martin Walkyier: one of the most unique voices in metal.
After Martin Walkyier left to form Skyclad, it became obvious who the driving force behind the band's unique style (also displayed on the first two Skyclad albums) was; "Mourning Has Broken" is much weaker than the previous two offerings, although the Walkyier replacement, who was taken from the one-demo-wonder Desmatron- Ritchie Desmond, does a fairly good job behind the mike with his more melodic, dramatic, clean style. The songs preserve the complexity, but the intensity is gone, or at least to a considerable extent. Some tracks stretch towards progressive metal ("Theological Void"), but their overlength, and the lack of any more energetic thrashy riffs, place them on the not very impressive side. "Paint The World Black", albeit a ballad, captures the essence of the band's atmospheric style better than the faster material, and gives a good opportunity to Desmomd to dislay his vocal talents. Actually the style here is seldom pure thrash metal: the exception is the excellent up-tempo instrumental "Dumbstruck"; power metal has come to stay, and often takes the upper hand, especially on the last three elaborate affairs, where at one point you might not be sure whether you listen to the same song, although "Without a Trace" tries hard to save this album from sinking "without a trace" inserting interesting technical guitar lines; but it's overshadowed by the fine, short acoustic closing ballad "Mourning Has Broken" with an episodic, but very effective, participation of Desmond.

History of a Time to Come Full-length, 1988
Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) Full-length, 1989
Mourning has Broken Full-length, 1991

SABLE (HUNGARY)

Based on the "Rebirth" EP, these guys offer modern thrash/death metal, at times slower and pensive, at others very fast and blasting. The singer is a gruff death metal semi-shouter.

The Black Art EP, 1999
Rebirth EP, 2003

SABRETUNG (AUSTRALIA)

A young Australian thrash metal band who turn to the 80's for inspiration, and have obviously found it in the thrash/crossover side of the scene, in particular D.R.I., Corrosion Of Conformity's more thrashy works, and D.B.C.'s debut. The problem is that these young Australians get tired of keeping the music at a faster more aggressive pace and slow down to mid-tempo, even slower at times. This can be easily fixed on later efforts as the guys definitely have a lot of energy, and the musicianship at display is not bad at all.
The full-length debut is finally a fact, and the listener will easily hear the difference from the more direct EP; the guys have moved more towards the purer thrash metal spectre with a sound not far removed from more recent Kreator, still sounding pretty classic on thrashing bombs like the Slayer-esque "The Thing", or the hectic closer "Eliminate the Weak". "Chainsaws" is an obvious "leftover" from the EP, a jumpy hardcore-ish track, and "Barbarian" is a shift from the dominant speedy delivery into a melodic mid-tempo Oriental composition; there are several of the kind here, but they are not an impediment. Neither are the cool foceful semi-shouty vocals.

The Price Is Pain EP, 2006
Conquest Full-length, 2011

SACCAGE (CANADA)

Based on the demo, this outfit provides a hestitation between the classic black/thrash formulas and the more updated, blasting nuances, the final result being fast, intense music with vcious half-black/half-death metal vocals Overall, if we exclude the wild hyper-blasts, the approach is not too far from their compatriots Megiddo; the guys here are a bit faster perhaps, with shorter tracks and a dirtier sound.

La D�rape Tabarnak Demo, 2008
Tool Edit D�rape Squad - Alcoholocaust Split, 2009

SACCARA (GERMANY)

This obscure act offer energetic hardcore-ish thrash in the tradition of early Rumble Militia and D.R.I. This is not too bad, by the way, since the guys add stomping slower riffage when needed, and some songs are really intense takes on crossover/thrash: "Urlaub im Knast", "Acceleration of Annihilation", "Wasted Money". Certainly, there are compositions which are direct exercises in brutal proto-grindcore: "Pickel Dir Einen".

Urbi et Orbi Full-Length, 1990

SACKRACE (HUNGARY)

An intriguing album mixing modern thrash metal with stylish Voivod-ish technical riffs (think both "Killing Technology" and "Negatron"). There are also shades of early Meshuggah and Equinox. The music is mostly mid-paced with numerous interesting moments as well as stylish lead guitars. The riffs are quite choppy and technical, quite mechanical and dry at times, but never too complex or abstract. The vocal styles also vary according to the style meanderings, although neither of them is suitable to the much better music; some of them are shouted hardcore-ish ones, others are clean alternative ones, and those could be quite irritating with their absolutely non-metal blend.

Pain in the Fist Full-length, 1997

SACRAMENT (FINLAND)

The band's style calls to mind the Canadians Eidolon, their early, less thrashy period. Powerful, dark sound which could fit even Nevermore very well; heavy songs which never drag or lose coherence, aggravated by good, mid-ranged vocals.

Confuse My Mind Demo, 1999
Beginning of the End Demo, 2000
Escape From Reality Single, 2001
Walls of Hate EP, 2003

SACRAMENT (GERMANY)

Based on "Agony", the band's style is close to early Iced Earth and Meliah Rage, but lacking those bands' flair and stylish guitar work, without any particular claims at a more original or a non-standard play. There are pure thrash headbangers, and they are definitely the better and more attractive side of the band's music (the very good "Scat the Dark Eyes Aglow", and "Prophets of Doom"). "Guilty", on the other hand, has a pagan/viking flavour, and would fit on any of the early Falconer albums. "Feed the Memory" is a magnificent acoustic ballad, and is very close to being the highlight of the whole album. The few attempts at a more technical play are directly stolen from other bands (riffs from "Seed of Scorn" are taken from Annihilator's "Alison Hell"; the beginning of "Thin End of the Wedge" is a direct nod to Artillery).

Agony Full-length, 1995
Withered Dreaming EP, 1999
Aguante! Full-length, 2006

SACRAMENT (USA, IL)

Badly produced, but energetic thrash; the guys definitely have ideas to pull it through, and at times the music gets really inspired and interesting, but the sound quality and the annoying hardcore-ish vocals impede the proceedings. The pace varies from heavy and pounding moments similar to Nasty Savage's debut, to up-tempo Slayer-esque ones, plus one chaotic early Voivod-ish number: "AFU".

Demo Demo, 1988

SACRAMENT (USA, PN)

Arguably the finest Christian thrash metal band; the debut is an aggressive uncompromising offering in the vein of Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends" and Devastation's "Idolatry": a relentless fast assault with quite a few clever semi-technical riffs present as well as nice melodic touches in the lead department.
"Haunts Of Violence" tones down the aggression, and concentrates on the more technical play, already hinted at on the debut, resulting in a really enjoyable listen. The music is still fast-paced, but the slower, technical breaks are more frequent, as well as the tempo changes, which don't stay in the speedy parametres for too long. A good example for these tempo changes is the heavy slow-ish number "Souls in Torment" which flows in a slightly sleepy fashion, until it's interrupted by a much faster intense passage in the middle, after which it calms down again. Unfortunately Sacrament had apparently no more to give to the thrash metal fans, and disappeared soon after.

Testimony of Apocalypse Full-length, 1990
Haunts of Violence Full-length, 1992

SACRAMENT LA (USA)

Yes, you guessed right, the band come from Los Angeles, but the sound is vintage San Francisco Bay Area thrash (at least they didn't have to look for inspiration much further), akin to Forbidden's debut, and the Germans Pyracanda (their debut, too). The tempo is fast-paced, except on the heavy stomper "Getta Life".

Getta Life Demo, 1990

SACRAMENTAL SACHEM (USA)

Based on the "Anxiety" EP, this band plays pretty cool classic speed/thrash metal sounding close to the Poles Hellfire on the faster moments which should have been more. "Pedestal Of Lies" offers both speed and more elaborate progressive arrangements. The former gets lost partially on the next "Anxiety" which acquires a nice doomy vibe, before "Weapons Of The Gods" shoots you at close range with its a bit less than 3-min of intense thrash. "Sentenced To Live" is a mid-paced thrasher with appropriate galloping insertions, and "S.E.E." follows the same path speeding up a bit to recall more recent Paradox as well. The singer does a good job with his clean mid-ranged tember holding both emotion and aggression the latter helped by sparce more extreme proto-death grunts. The band later changed their name to Fuelblooded moving up the aggression scale towards modern thrash/death metal.
"Recrucifiction" is pure death/doom ala early My Dying bride and Anathema, comprising long stretched compositions with an omnipresent keyboard background, which will also remind of the Swedish doom/gothic masters Tristitia. It sound sso distantly removed from the following EP, that one may not be sure he/she listens to the same band, the singer using the most guttural tone possible, to produce some of the most sinister, underground-sounding voices on the scene at the time.

The Dolcinites Were Wrong EP, 1992
Recrucifiction Full-length, 1995
Anxiety EP, 2001

SACRARIO (BRAZIL)

An obscure gem from the Brazilian scene; this band pulls out exemplary aggressive thrash in the mid-period Sepultura mould ("Beneath the Remains", "Arise"), and Devastation ("Idolatry"). Actually this album sits comfortably between the two aforementioned acts, and could easily pass for a lost Sepultura release. These guys are probably a bit more aggressive, touching proto-death at times. The first two tracks are furious fast-paced thrash at its best, and such intense delivery inevitably requires a break, and it comes in the form of "Drug Addiction": a nice mid-paced, very heavy piece. But that's it, since immediately after the assault carries on, producing brilliant raging moments: "To Die is the End ?"; "Wasted Land", which is a bit more controlled, but nicely insert the only technical moments on the album, recalling Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients": "Extreme Unction". The closing "Divine Existence" again steps the pedal on a more technical approach, but the stomping smashing riffs take over. This is a must-have for fans of the more brutal side of thrash metal, and is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
"Stigma of Delusion" is a capable follow-up thrashing with gusto most of the time, this time with a stronger technical edge, well obvious on the opening title-track, a furious semi-technical headbanger. The rage goes on the next "Reborn In Chaos", but "Infernal Paranoia" shows a taste for crushing mid-paced riffs in the beginning, before the "carnage" starts over later on. "Back For Blood" finally shows consistency in the mid-tempo department, recalling late 80's Slayer quite a bit. "Frozen Dusk" is very similar to the preceding song, and when "Trauma" begins in the same heavy slow manner, some may start frowning, albeit not for long since this number starts thrashing hard in the 2nd half. "God Against God" is a pure speedy thrash attack, but the closing "Covenant" "flirts" with slower riffs again, "depriving" this album from the necessary final headbanger. This effort is not a full-on "massacre" compared to the debut, and the Sepultura influences have been left behind, now the more intense moments sounding quite close to early Pestilence and Slayer as the latter are given more than a few nods on the slower parts. The decrease of speed is noticeable, and some may find this a drawback, but overall the fierce approach from the debut is quite well translated on at least half of the tracks.

Catastrophic Eyes Full-length, 2007
Stigma of Delusion Full-length, 2010

SACRED ALLY (CANADA)

Based on the full-length, this Canadian act plays cool retro power/thrash metal with both speedy and epic tendencies, plus a certain number of beautiful Iron Maiden-styled guitar harmonies. The guys start pretty intensely with the energetic headbanger "Math", before the Muppet Show tribute "Kermit The Prog" turns to epic to deliver, except for the straight thrashing exit. "Despair" rides the wind far'n high being a soaring awe-inspiring speedster, and the next "Uzumaki" (a tribute to a very good bizarre Japanese horror film) is a galloping number with a cool memorable chorus. More elaborate, progressively-tinged, speed metal ala Manticora comes on "Valour And War"; the apporach gets a bit more melodic on "High Seas", an obvious nod to Falconer with addictive folkish melodies and fiery speedy rhythms. "Final Juggernaut" closes the album summing up the epic, the folk, the speed, and the power/thrash in flying colours also adding a nice acoustic folk-tinged break. This is pretty diverse stuff which will entertain a wide gamut of fans, but those into Blind Guardian, Manticora, and the Poles Hellfire will be the happiest.

Balls Deep In Metal EP, 2007
Reality Hammer Full-length, 2011

SACRED CHAO (GERMANY)

This band was formed by Thorsten Bergmann and Atomic Steif (both ex-members of Living Death), after the Living Death guitarists Reiner Kelch and Frank Fricke decided to spend more time with their other project Mekong Delta, and could be considered the continuation of Living Death, albeit for a very short while. Since Bergmann and Steif had no rights over the band name, they decided to name their new act after a song from the "World Neuroses" album: "Sacred Chao". Steif had previously lended his drum talents to the one-album-wonder Violent Force, and this time it was that band's bass player Lemmy to give the guys a hand in the recording of this 4-song EP, which would be a big surprise for the Living Death fans, and not a very pleasant one at that. These are 4 tracks of very bland unimpressive heavy/power/speed metal, with no ties to thrash at all, and with the Bergmann vocals taking an even more melodic tone. The guitars completely lack an edge, and the few moments where the music speeds up a bit are ruined by the very ordinary derivative riffage. It was really good that this project lasted for just this effort. The Kelch brothers (the founders of Living Death) did a much much better job on the comeback Living Death album "Killing in Action" two years later.

Sacred Chao EP, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

SACRED CRUCIFIX (FINLAND)

The first band formation dates back from the late 80's, and they have been releasing demos on irregular bases, right until this time. Heads down for the band's perseverance to finally get the opportunity to release a full-length. This album obviously includes songs from all their periods, but the style is pretty consistent, being old school death metal with hints at thrash, somewhat along the lines of Massacre, or Massacra. Their later period is more technical, drawing also resemblances to Death.

"Shallow Grave" is mostly in the death metal camp, and is very well-executed technical stuff, which stretches from fast-paced intense numbers (the excellent opener "The Wound - The Blade", "Sectarian") to slower complex opuses ("Single-Handedly", "I Will Kill"). The guys seldom go for just speed for its own sake, and all speedy tracks have their slower stomping moments, which may be a drawback to some, since the only two really fast songs are the aforementioned ones. The rest stays in the mid-paced sector, with deviations into more quiet progressive territories ala later-period Death. There are slight shades of Swedish death metal, but again of the less aggressive variety. The complexity fluctuates, being more accentuated on some tracks, on some being left aside, but because of the lack of opposition on the side of the more intense riffage, it doesn't shine the whole time. Fans of late-period Death, Extol, Wetwork, Acid Death will like this effort, but fans of the more aggressive brand of the genre may not be too happy.

Aeon of Chaos Full-length, 2004
From Beyond to... EP, 2008
Shallow Grave Full-length, 2009

SACRED CURSE (BRAZIL)

Based on the debut, this band plays cool Bay-Area-influenced thrash, sounding close to Forbidden's debut and Exodus. The music is fast and energetic with sharp cutting riffs. "My Reflections" is a deviation into a more melodic crossover direction, which is followed by a couple of laid-back softer tracks, carrying on in the same vein, maybe a bit more intense. Their number is probably bigger than necessary, and at some point the listener might stop looking for aggressive thrash riffage, until the last two songs: "Utopy", which returns to the thrashy style from the beginning, and the instrumental "Fuckin' Up", which is not as hard (and definitely not "fucked up"), featuring cool melodic guitars.

Sacred Age Full-length, 1992
The Raw Truth of Man Full-length, 1996

SACRED DENIAL (USA)

Thrash/crossover of the more aggressive thrashy type; the approach resembles the one of early Nuclear Assault, but here we have very bad whining semi-clean drunken vocals which very often just powerlessly balllessly shout. The music sometimes acquires a more laid-back Motorhead-ish edge ("Some Curiosity"), but be prepared for full-blooded thrashers as well ("Brother's Inventions", "Conquer", the explosive Slayer-esque "Take a Look Around").

Sifting Through Remains Full-Length, 1988

SACRED LEGACY (MALDIVES)

"Apocalypse" is a cool atmospheric debut of energetic modern thrash metal which is seriously marred by the awful synthesized shouty vocals. The title-track is a sure-handed opener thrashing in up-tempo, followed by the glorious speedster "Hysteria", a fast sweeping piece with an almost death metal-like intensity. Then "King Of Heroes" calms things down with heavy choppy riffs, a tendency followed by the aggro-smasher "Crave For Blood", which still remains pretty intense and energetic. This approach is stuck to for a string of songs until the final "Blood Hunt" which is a fine lasher with a classic spirit with great leads which take over near the end. There is nothing wrong with music of the kind which clearly shows that modern thrash metal is the order of the day on those islands (their compatriots Serenity Dies walk pretty much the same path); but some improvement in the vocal department should be done soon...
"Undying Heart" is very similar to the debut, starting again with a fast thrasher ("Beast of Darkness"), and "Black Velvet Part 1" (part 2 never appears) is the expected more relaxed speed metal number. "Forgot" is nice melodic speed/thrash metal with good melodic leads, which are actually on a high level the whole time, but "Gods Legends" is more on the more ordinary power/thrash metal side, an impression corrected by another vigorous speedster ("Dragon Wars"). No more surprises of this nature, the rest being melodic, all-instrumental, and not very eventful embracing the power metal idea tighter than any other one. The end leaves this effort inferior to the edgier debut, and despite the relative lack of the annoying vocals, which are identical with the ones on the debut, it still doesn't strike a cord as strongly now the band sounding more like a 90's power/speed metal act more than occasionally.

Apocalypse Full-length, 2007
Undying Heart Full-length, 2008

SACRED REICH (USA)

This band started quite promisingly with "Ignorance", which featured energetic fast thrash played with the utmost intensity. The guys made themselves heard with fast smashing riffs, short (3-4min) explosive numbers, and the forceful authoritative vocals of Phil Rind. Within a bit more than half an hour they managed to shake the ground no worse than two other seismic efforts produced a year earlier (Slayer's "Reign in Blood" & Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends").
Then came "Surf Nicaragua" less than a year later, which saw the guys diversifying with the merry rock tunes on the title-track; pounding in a heavy, thunderous way on "One Nation"; producing a cool faithful cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs"; and finally inserting some speed ala the debut on "Draining You Of Life", which is still pretty moderate, compared to the two live numbers following suit, both cuts from the debut, and coming with a very good sound quality.
"The American Way" is the band's magnum opus boasting some of the heaviest riffs around at the time, built around a solid mid-pace, which gives the album a unique, characteristic aura. Stomping, volcanic riffs pour from all sides, and their visceral effect largely compensates for the relative lack of faster-paced moments, the exception being the short ripping thrasher "I Don't Know", and a few isolated passages from "Crimes Against Humanity" & "Who's to Blame", the latter also introducing mellow balladic moments. The final "31 Flavors" is the joke closer, a bluesy funk/jazz cut, which still sounds enjoyable and fresh, despite its very non-metallic nature.
"Independent" is surprisingly melodic, with a laid-back power/thrash metal sound and quite a few balladic touches. It is still classic-sounding all the way, but thrash metal has lost its primal role, and overall one may find difficulties recognizing the act who once caused an earthquake with their debut, with Rind sounding pretty friendly, his aggressive semi-declamatory antics not even hinted at.
"Heal" is a much more aggressive offering with harder riffs and a bigger concentration on speed, and a much angrier Rind behind the mike. The problem is the sound is strictly modern with groove having settled in quite comfortably, bringing the approach close to Pantera from around the same time. Refreshing cuts are the energetic cover of the US act Oingo Boingo's "Who Do You Want to Be?", famous for the participation of the famous film soundtrack composer Danny Elfman, a constant companion of Tim Burton; and the more classic-inclined thrash/crossover piece "Seen Through My Eyes". The band are reportedly back on the scene, but apart from a compilation album, containing remastered versions of the debut and the "Surf Nicaragua" EP, nothing else has come up from their camp yet.

Ignorance Full-length, 1987
Surf Nicaragua EP, 1988
Alive at the Dynamo EP, 1989
The American Way Full-length, 1990
A Question EP, 1991
Open Book/The Big Picture Single, 1993
Independent Full-length, 1993
Heal Full-length, 1996

SACRED STEEL (GERMANY)

This band was formed after the one-album-wonder Tragedy Divine split up. The guys started quite well with "Reborn in Steel", resurrecting the old school American power/speed/thrash metal sound of the 80's, bringing to mind all the heroes from the period: Agent Steel, Attacker, Omen, Anvil, Exciter, etc. at a time when very few acts felt tempted to look so far back. The music packs a punch, highlighted by the high, soaring vocals of Gerrit P. Mutz, which are clearly an acquired taste, and might annoy some when hitting the higher tones. The next two albums repeated the established on the debut formula almost note-by-note, and were consequently a disappointment, showing the band acting a little more than just the next "victim" to the so widely spread in Germany "Running Wild" syndrome (a band playing the same stuff over and over, with no any intentions to move just a bit away from the trite pattern, named after... well...). "Slaughter Prophecy" is a big improvement, seeing the guys hardening the course, with more thrash added, and Mutz inserting some unholy death metal growls from time to time. Most of the tracks are forceful speed/thrash metal killers, with razor-sharp guitars and cool memorable choruses.
"Iron Blessings" already sounds familiar, staying true to the music heard on the predecessor, although very heavy pounding power/thrashers deliver the goods no worse, sacrificing the speed for the sake of the steam-rolling crushing riffage. "Hammer of Destruction" is a full-take on the 80's speed metal sound, with a few deviations from the model, crossing again Agent Steel, Attacker and Exciter in a commendable way, also featuring a very cool cover version of Jag Panzer's "Generally Hostile" from the Americans' debut "Ample Destruction".
"Carnage Victory" promises good speed metal-based fun with the opening "Charge Into Overkill" and "Don't Break The Oath" (no relations to Mercyful Fate music or vocal-wise), but this time the band have decided to mix it up, and here comes the slower epic "Carnage Victory", followed by the even softer, semi-balladic "Broken Rites". The speed comes back with a vengeance on the excellent "Crosses Stained With Blood", but later on the pace decreases, leaving the final damage for "By Vengeance And Hatred We Ride", which speed/thrashes with full force in the 1st half, but in the 2nd one the riffs become clumsy with a shade of doom. The guys try to offer more variety, for better or worse, like they used to do before, but in the present case the music is a step down from their more inspired stripped-down approach heard on "Hammer of Destruction" and elsewhere on their back catalogue.
The "Pounding Inferno" EP continues the more aggressive tendencies from the previous full-length (reportedly it contains songs which were left out from the "Iron Blessings" sessions, including the title track), and thrashes with force on the opening "Pounding Inferno" which is a maddening speed/thrasher at its best. More classic speed metal in a cleaner form arrives with "Children of the Spirit", before "Hell Insanity" moves up the thrash scale again. "Unholy Majesty" recalls the band's more epic period being slow and semi-doomy. "A Curse Upon Your Name" is ripping headbanging thrash metal once again, but "Iron Blessings" is an ultra-heavy piece with Gerrit P. Mutz adding a few more death metal-based growls to aggravate the brutality of this unstoppable steam-roller. And after that begin the covers, the 1st one being a sheer death metal madness: Death's "Zombie Ritual" played by-the-book with Muts growling no worse than Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) himself. The next one is on the other extreme: Raven's "All for One", a mild heavy rocker. Things get a bit harder on the Nasty Savage cover of "Metal Knights" from the Americans' debut, which is epic power metal; but the speed/thrash metal fans will have their final fun on Tankard's "(Empty) Tankard", done very faithfully as well (actually, all of the songs are played very close to the originals), with Muts impersonating the hellish shouty antics of Andreas "Gerre" Geremia down to the -T-. With its length of 10 full-blooded numbers this effort could easily be viewed as a full-length, and as such delivers every bit as good as the guys' last two albums.

Reborn in Steel Full-length, 1997
Wargods of Metal Full-length, 1999
Bloodlust Full-length, 2000
Slaughter Prophecy Full-length, 2002
Iron Blessings Full-length, 2004
Pounding Inferno EP, 2006
Hammer of Destruction Full-length, 2006
Carnage Victory Full-Length, 2009

SACRED STORM (USA)

Based on the "Extreme Assault" EP, these guys offer vintage retro speed/thrash metal with cool semi-technical guitar work. The music recalls Paradox's early output, but at times it goes into more aggressive fields (the blast-beats on "Extreme Assault", which justify its title pretty well). "Skullcrusher" and "Virus" "crush" in a more laid-back slower way, but the closing "Confessions of a Killer" is a brisk speed/thrasher with nice melodic hooks.
"Man Versus Machine" has a more modern sound, although the stylish guitar work is already here; still, this effort is not as satisfying. The guys don't rely on speed at all, although the album begins in an energetic up-tempo fashion with "Man Versus Machine" and "Thunderchariot", but very soon after acquires a heavier slower approach which doesn't change until the end, so what one will hear is heavy pounding mid-paced riffs, quite similar on each track, except on the closing "The Revelation", which is indeed a "revelation" with cool leads, a few faster moments, and a nice large instrumental part, albeit of the more melodic variety.

Man Versus Machine Full-length, 2007
Extreme Assault EP, 2009

SACRED THRASH (ARGENTINA)

These guys are one of the oldest metal acts in Argentina, having virtually started the whole scene with Lethal, Horcas and Hermetica. Based on the EP, they pull out mid-paced atmospheric thrash with gothic overtones, coming mostly from the keyboard implements, and the gruff death-ish, Crematory-like vocals. The heaviness comes too much, perhaps, on songs like "Injusticia", which is quite doomy and gloomy, but is nonetheless a satisfying slab of slower thrash. "Patria o Muerte" starts with an overlong orchestral intro, but later on the guys show no mercy, thrashing with full force, without forgetting about the genuine gothic edge, which makes their style quite unique, by the way. "Maldita Polucion" is a sudden switch onto full-blooded headbanging thrash.

Demo Demo, 1991
Injusticia EP, 2006

SACRIFICE (CANADA)

One of the most prominent Canadian thrash metal bands; their debut was quite raw and primitive, recalling Possessed's "Seven Churches", sounding well more aggressive and intense on quite a few times. Still, it's worth hearing with its appealing primal approach, coming as the most extreme official full-length release at this stage, beating the Possessed's aforementioned album and the first 2 Bathory efforts in terms of both musicianship and speed. The Canadians are probably more varied than the 2 other acts, adding slower pounding riffs ("Homicidal Breath", "Burned at the Stake") here and there, but brutal bombs like "Warrior of Death", "Infernal Visions", "Burned at the Stake", and "Necronomicon" could easily pass for the first genuine death metal pieces, the latter boasting some of the most extreme unholy screams on the scene. "The Exorcism" is one of the first attempts at aggressive speedy instrumental-only metal, offering relentless thrashing with a cool semi-technical edge. The bigger complexity of the follow-up is nowhere felt, even the longer, almost 6-min long "Beyond Death" bashes hard from beginning to end. After listening to this spontaneous outburst of aggression, the thrash metal fan's ears should have been well prepared for what came in the next few years, right up to the first full-on death metal attacks from Florida, and even beyond.

"Forward To Termination" is a masterpiece of well-thought, but quite uncompromising and aggressive thrash metal; arguably the band's finest achievement. The instrumental brilliance "Terror Strikes" opens this album magnificently, recalling Destruction, both music and vocal-wise, as Rob Urbinati's vocals have this unique raspy blend as well, a not very common phenomenon on the scene. The album speeds up ahead, until it reaches the awesome epic riff-fest "Flames of Armageddon", which shows the more complex and ambitious side of the band. It is followed by another, equally as complex, and even technical number: "The Entity". The songs which follow go back to the aggressive patterns of the beginning, as the intensity remains until the very end.

"Soldiers Of Misfortune" is a strong follow-up, keeping the fast pace throughout, again including more varied interesting songs with various tempos and riffs: "Soldiers of Misfortune"; "Truth (After The Rain)", which is more than 10-min long, and tries to follow the high model of "Flames of Armageddon", but fails, simply because it forgets to sound energetic and thrashy, but concentrates on atmospheric, semi-complex, melodic guitar work and on an unnecessarily long acoustic outro.

"Apocalypse Inside" offers a more abrasive guitar sound, and tries to keep the energy from the previous recordings, and succeeds in the beginning, with the first two tracks, but then "Flesh" comes in, and the tempo slows down, with heavy guitars. Still, the rest is not a total waste, relying on more melodic guitar hooks, which are quite appealing ("Salvation"), and even technical and haunting ("Beneath What You See"). Just when you start thinking that this album will have no more speedy thrashers, comes the up-tempo "Incarcerated", but it is soon followed by slower, almost doomy tracks, which leave no room for any faster moments later. Although less impressive than the previous band's output, this album still delivers the goods much better than the modern-sounding works of many 80's acts released around the same time. The band frontman Rob Urbinati along with the bass player Kevin Wimberley later formed Interzone, with which they paid their tribute to the 90's trends.

An unexpected return for these legends with "The Ones I Condemn", and an excellent one at that: from the furious openig instrumental "We Will Prevail" the assault begins and never lets loose. Fast razor-sharp merciless thrash will nail you down, more melodic and semi-technical on "Give Me Justice" and more aggressive, with a proto-death shade on "The Great Wall". "Tetragrammaton" is placed in the middle: a slow doomy 2.5-min composition, after which "Atrocity" nicely changes the course into a more galloping controlled pace, but only for a while, since "Hiroshima" is another heads-down up-tempo thrash piece. "The Devil�s Martyr" is ultra-aggressive Slayer-esque thrash, and with the end of the album coming one may start to ask for those longer elaborate songs, which were a considerable part from the band's older output. The good news is that yes, there is one: the closer "Desolation Alive", which lasts for more than 7-min, and is a great way to end this effort with clever arrangements, changing tempos, addictive melodic hooks, and a couple of more intense riffage in the middle and near the end. The bonus material is in the form of two remastered tracks: "Burned At the Stake" from their debut, and "The Entity" from "Forward to Termination".

Torment in Fire Full-length, 1985
Forward To Termination Full-length, 1987
Soldiers of Misfortune Full-length, 1991
Apocalypse Inside Full-length, 1993
The Ones I Condemn Full-length, 2009

SACRIFICE(JAPAN)

A less known, but a pretty decent Japanese band; the debut is a heavy, mid-paced affair sounding like a mixture between Carnivore and Venom with weak, hardcore vocals. It's a bit monotonous and one-dimensional, but is strangely listenable with its naive, but sincere approach; it includes more up-tempo numbers for stirring the blood ("Tank", "Redrum"), but at other times the music almost completely loses its edge, sliding down to pure heavy metal ("Lucifer Smiles").
"Total Steel" carries on in the same vein, but features more proficient, and faster guitar work, but worse shouty hardcore vocals (the ones on the debut were of the nosy, low-tuned, semi-clean type, sounding like a more melodic Cronos). The rock-ish numbers are here again ("Dancing Death Valley": I don't know about the Death Valley, but you might find yourself dancing on this one). Their swansong "Tears" is their heaviest, but also very modern-sounding work; it manages to thrash quite well: "Breaking the Silence", "Time Slips Through...", and the sound is more energetic compared to the first two offerings, but the groovy tendencies have found their way into it ("Down to You"), but just a little for a start.

Crest of Black Full-Length, 1987
Total Steel Full-length, 1990
Tears Full-length, 1992

Vibrations of Doom

SACRIFICE (SOUTH KOREA)

This is a brand new album coming from South Korea to offer us more heavy groovy post-thrash with hardcore vocals not too far from Pro-Pain. The music is not too stale, and moves around, becoming too aggressive at times ("You Know The Truth"), and "Tribal" is a nice chunky thrasher. Just when one thought that the 90's sound has been fading away into obscurity, here come acts from the distant corners of the world (the Far East in this case), to give it another breath of fresh air...

Burning Rage Full-length, 2007

SACRIFICED (BRAZIL)

Cool retro power/thrash metal with very good mid-levelled female vocals which remain the highlight; the music is mid-tempo with gothic overtones, and the guitar work is too melodic to survive a more difficult thrash test.

Sacrificed EP, 2009

SACRIFICIAL (DENMARK)

Sacrificial appeared around the same time as Invocator, but they were less lucky, and when their full-length debut came out, Invocator already boasted a second full-length release. So what do we have here? Sacrificial's debut takes a place between the two Invocator releases; it's aggressive and technical like the debut, but shares the modern production and attitude of the second one. The music most of the time is pure thrash with a classic edge, maybe more conventional than the one of Invocator, and with more frequent slower sections, which are quite intriguing, by the way, because this is where the riffs twist and crush with passion. "Destitute of Compassion" is the only track which is closer to death metal, and surprisingly recalls the Swedish Gothenburg sound, which at that stage was not yet fully developed (everything may have started in Denmark back in those days!?). Like Invocator, the guys don't need long compositions to show their technical skills, and it's the shorter tracks which carry a bigger technical charge ("Conducted Strain", "Edmund, A Butler's Tale"), and are the better ones. Reportedly on later works the band moved towards plain Swedish death metal with less thrashy elements.

Forever Entangled Full-length, 1993
Erect : Eloquent : Extinct Full-length, 2000
AutoHate Full-length, 2002

SACRIFICIAL BLOOD (USA)

Based on the Split with Zombie, these guys offer simplistic old school speed/thrash in the vein of early Whiplash and Hallows Eve. This is rough, mostly energetic music, with raw production qualities, and brutal death metal vocals. The band enjoy making covers, and here come two: "Shellshock" (Tank), and "Searchlights" (OZ), decently done, with the music taking a more accessible melodic turn, adapted to the classic hard'n heavy style of those two acts. Some of the musicians also entertain themselves with the thrash/punk hybrider A.S.D.
Finally a full-length release from these guys, and it doesn't disappoint comprising vicious retro thrash/death metal with a slightly thin guitar sound. The more aggressive, death metal-oriented cuts ("Sacrificial Blood"; the wild shredder "Unholy Wrath") are well mixed with more moderate speed/thrashers ("Reign Of Hate"; the black metal-tinged "fury" "Desolate"), as the latter deliver more, both in terms of melody and diversity (check out "Crushing The False"). The shorter tracks are very close to hardcore ("Chaotic Compulsion"), and the guys' infatuation with classic heavy rock springs up again, first with the heavy/power metal hymn "Infernal Creation", and at the very end with the edgy, and pretty faithful at that, cover version of Rainbow's "Kill the King" (covered by several thrash metal acts through the ages: ADX, Heathen, Liege Lord, etc.), with only the brutal vocals spoiling the mood.

Chaotic Compulsion Demo, 2003
Toxic Zombies Demo, 2003
Crushing the False, Destroying Everything Best of/Compilation, 2004
Eternal Hell and Damnation Split, 2005
Sacrificial Blood/Zombie Split, 2006
Promo Demo, 2007
Unholy Fucking Hatred Full-length, 2011

SACRIFICIAL DAGGER (FINLAND)

A good 3-song demo of speedy Germanic thrash in the spirit of early Destruction and Kreator; fast-paced sharp riffs and rough death metal vocals.

First Sacrifice Demo, 2006

SACRIFICER (CHILE)

Based on the "Sudden Death" EP, this act lashes out aggressive thrash/proto-death akin to Hellwitch when it adheres to a more technical play, and early Kreator when it bashes in a direct stripped-down manner. Both influences are well covered, ably intercepting each other, keeping the high speed the whole time, which only gets lost a bit on the fine galloping thrasher "Signature of Blood" where the vicious black-ish vocals don't suit too well. The guitar work is really cool with sharp riffs and proficient, albeit screaming, leads.

Society Of Destruction Demo, 2003
Society of Destruction & Covering Underground Demo, 2004
Sudden Death EP, 2004

SACRILEGE (UK)

A female-fronted thrash metal band, and quite impressive at that, having previously been a part of the UK punk movement where several UK thrash metal acts had come from (Onslaught, Cerebral Fix, Hellbastard, etc.). It has ties to two other more famous acts from the UK: Benediction and Cerebral Fix, since members of those two bands had played here. "Behind the Realms of Madness" is one of the first attempts at thrash from the UK, and as such has its both good and bad sides; "Life Line" opens the album in a fairly energetic way: a cool mix of thrash and hardcore/punk. Later the songs get mostly mid-paced, but more hard-hitting and more enjoyable, with the presence of another happy thrash/crossover number: "A Violation of Something Sacred". The style has its obvious Venom influences, but is more professionally done.
On "Within the Prophecy" the band forge a unique one-of-a-kind sound: mid-paced monotonous thrash with long sprawling tracks without too many tempo changes; maybe it doesn't sound very attractive, but is a fairly enjoyable listen, considering its weird nature. The concentration is mostly on music, and Simpson's involvement is not as big, although here she sings much better than the rough, throaty way she used on the debut. The guitars are sharper, and the sound is this time closer to Cerebral Fix. "Search Eternal" is a monstrous 11-min long opus which starts as a doom metal track, but later moves back to thrash.

"Turn Back Trilobite" shifts towards doom metal by retaining some of their thrash roots, another strong release which would by all means appeal more to doom metal fans, as well as to progressive metal ones, since the song-structures are more complex. Some may find this album the band's magnum opus, and well deservedly so. "Father Time (Beneath the Gaze)" opens it in a mighty doom fashion with heavy riffs, and Simpson's vocals taking a great melodic passionate edge. "Silent Dark" is a more dynamic doom/power/thrasher boasting more complex arrangements and a great doomy exit. "Soul Search" will make you cry (and probably start searching for your soul): one of the greatest ballads to ever come out of the metal circuit spiced with fine leads and a cool thrashy twist near the end. "Awaken (Suryanamaskar)" is the ultimate doom metal hymn recalling Candlemass' "A Cry from the Crypt" from "Ancient Dreams" with its proto-thrashy galloping rhythms, but this one beats it with some of the finest Oriental tunes ever put on a metal album. "Key To Nirvana" again sticks closer to doom, and is another massive composition setting the tone for the coming of the progressive 3-part opus "Into The Sea Of Tranquility" which may be considered a downpoint being balladic solemn doom throughout its nearly 12-min, but at this point the listener is already well aware that this album is a different "animal". The closer "Equinox" promises more entertainment for the doom maniacs as a finishing touch making this effort the main rival to the four 80's Candlemass releases for the "doom metal album of the decade" award. One more effort in the same vein could have established the band as a major force on the field provided that doom metal was the only 80's sub-genre which continued to flourish through the 90's, but the band members went their separate ways untimely ending a very promising career.

Behind the Realms of Madness Full-length, 1985
Within the Prophecy Full-length, 1987
Turn Back Trilobite Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

SACRILEGE BC (USA)

A good thrash metal band who never made it big despite the big potential on display here. The debut is a relentless fast thrash attack, which is not mindless bashing, like it often happens in the metal underground, but comes with great riffs, slower breaks, good, albeit short leads, and really cool bass implements, and at least one slower, stomping ala Celtic Frost track ("Skinned Alive"). "Too Cool to Pray" is less aggressive, with more clever guitar work, shades of crossover as well, and the leads are longer and more melodic; it still remains a good headbanging fun all the way.

Party With God Full-length, 1986
Too Cool To Pray Full-length, 1988

SACRILEGIO (PUERTO RICO)

Based on the Split, this young band pulls out fairly satisfying classic power/speed/thrash metal which opens with the galloping power/thrasher "Gods Of The Underworld", before moving onto sheer speed/thrashing fury, with "Black Purity" and "Lepanto". The end is again in a more moderate slower, epic pace: "Maldito Amancer", another very cool crushing mid-tempo piece, which preserves an even nicer fast-paced closing section with very cool melodic guitar hooks.
"The Ultimate Abomination" is a sure-handed debut starting with a song from the split, with a slightly changed title: "Dark", instead of "Black", "Purity". More temperate speed/thrash comes with "Pagar�n con Sangre" which is a flying Helloween-esque number, a tendency continued on "Karma", which thrashes harder, with another soaring "eagle fly free" composition ("Zona Cero") following suit. Then another piece from the split is included ("Gods of the Underworld"), before "Beyond the Darkness of Night" sweeps you with great larger-than-life speed/thrash in the best tradition of the Polish Hellfire, mixing speedy riffs with technical ones to a very positive effect. "Lepanto", from the split again, assists nicely right after, but "Shadows of Fear" goes away with all the glory, being a standout slab of epic technical thrash admirably speeding up in the second part to frenetic headbanging tempos. "The Fall (of The Traitor)" is a short melodic power/thrash instrumental, but apparently this "traitor" is alive and well, and is the topic of the next number (of the same title) which makes itself heard in a glorious speed/thrashing manner ala Paradox's "Heresy". The closing "Abomination of Desolation" will scare you, first with its title suggesting that it might be a direct take on the brutal Morbid Angel style, and second with with its aggressive rapid-fire approach, and is the most extreme offering thrashing high'n low never slowing down even for a split second. I don't know about "The Ultimate Abomination", but this is definitely one of the "ultimate" speed/thrash metal gems of recent years, a tour de force which will make the fans take acts from this small country/US state with a big doze of respect from now on. Some of the musicians involved here also play in the much more restrained progressive metal outfit Solvo Animus.

Reloj de Arena Demo, 2004
Dark Purity Demo, 2006
Thrash Clash Volume 3 Split, 2008
The Ultimate Abomination Full-length, 2009

SACRIMENT (CANADA)

Modern laid-back thrash hesitating between the groovy school and the more dynamic Swedish trends. Unfortunately, the music lacks speed repeating the same peaceful mid-paced structures which come gothic-ornated at times, and additionally "kill" the little sharpness the riffs have.

Sacriment Full-Length, 2009

SACROSANCT (HOLLAND)

Sacrosanct were formed by the former Pestilence guitarist Randy Meinhard who, unlike his former colleagues, preferred to remain within the confines of thrash metal. The band started with "Truth Is - What Is", a fairly good album, albeit a bit heavy-handed at times, with quite a few stylish moments scattered throughout (check out the surreal intro to "Execrated (They Will Be)", for example, or the fast-paced technical mid-break on "The Die Is Cast") which, combined with the more conventional, energetic material delivers on all counts. The bass performance is top-notch, though, overshadowing Meinhard's pyrotechnics on quite a few times. As a result the album works as separate pieces, rather than one whole, with some songs really hitting hard both in the headbanging and technical department: the ambitious progressive closer "Truth Is What Is", the Pestilence debut's reminder "Disputed Death", the complex meandering opener "Dimension Of Violence". Sadly, the flat hardcore vocals are absolutely no match to the much better music.
All flaws, however, were removed for the second album, which is a really impressive work of technical/progressive thrash metal; with longer songs, more complex structures ("Astrayed Thoughts" is one of the finest achievements of the whole progressive thrash metal scene), and some stupendous guitar performance, both in the technical and melodic department (the marriage of both is simply marvellous on "Mortal Remains" and "Illusive Supremacy": this one has a great balladic beginning and ending), this album sticks out even on a very high quality metal scene like the Dutch one. There are still quite a few energetic riffs present (the intense headbanger "With Malice Prepense", sounding like a leftover from the Pestilence debut), although the music is predominantly mid-paced, with a darker, gloomier, even doomy ("Hidden Crimes Untold", and the mid-section on "Mortal Remains" again) sound and fine very stylish technical breaks. The bass excels again, and the vocalist this time sounds much less irritating, moving his tember more towards the semi-clean field.
The band tried to make some "amendments" to answer to the demands of the 90's with "Tragic Intense", instead of joining the progressive/thrash metal wave which just started in their neighbour Germany, and took a direction towards progressive/power metal, by also further elaborating on the doomy side of their music, straying quite away from the technical thrash base, and consequently ending nowhere with the hesitation which path to take. The reason for this not very convincing work may be due to the leaving of the very talented bassist Gerrit Knol who, along with the singer Michael "Mike" Lucarelli who sang on the first 2 albums, continued their career under the name Genetic Wisdom.

Truth Is - What Is Full-length, 1990
Recesses For The Depraved Full-length, 1991
Tragic Intense Full-length, 1993

SACRIVERSUM (POLAND)

Based on the debut demo, this is death/thrash metal ala Incubus and Loudblast. The vocals are very brutal low-tuned, and the tempo is generally extremely fast, seldom spiced with more technical decisions ("Dreams Of Destiny"). "Taste Of Defeat" is more atmospheric death metal with shades of doom, which kind of suggests at the future direction in which the band were heading. Except for the debut full-length, the band's other releases are more in the gothic/death metal camp. Later in the 90's they also founded another act: Artrosis, with a style quite similar to their more recent works.

Dreams Of Destiny Demo, 1993
The Shadow of the Golden Fire Full-length, 1994
Soteria Full-length, 1998
Beckettia Full-length, 2000
Mozartia Full-length, 2003
Sigma Draconis Full-length, 2004

SADHU (SOUTH KOREA)

Intense thrash/death metal with a modern flavour; so expect a fairly even mix of fast proto-classic sections and heavier groovy ones supported by gruff death metal vocals. The music is closer to thrash producing some really fine pieces (the "perfect" Perfect Crime"; the excellent technical Pestilence-sque "Spreading Black"), although the more death metal-inclined ones are not too far behind ("Reincarnation") adding to the overall aggressive atmosphere which is only dissipated on the somewhat pointless groover "Labyrinth" at the end.

The Trend Of Public Opinion Full-length, 1996

SADIKO (MEXICO)

This is vicious tiwisted thrash/death metal which adheres to grind every now and then, creating a brutal incoherent picture. The songs are short, and almost every idea the guys have had remains unfinished with the compositions sounding like rehearsals for something even worse.

Sadiko Demo, 2006

SADISTIC GRIMNESS (SWEDEN)

"Asteni" is a relentless brutal mix of black, death, and a bit of thrash metal. This is constantly fast stuff with hellish black/death growling vocals. To these ears the highlight is the doomy creepy sinister "Asteni" which is placed in the middle, apparently playing the role of the interlude, after which the music gets even more vicious and intense. "Spiritual Serenity" is an interesting closer crossing furious technical death ala Morbid Angel with ambitious cosmic arangements in the spirit of Bal-Sagoth.

Vicious Torture Full-length, 2004
Asteni Full-length, 2009

SADISTIC PAIN (USA)

Based on "Same": a 2-song demo of heavy, almost doomy thrash: "Mr. Morbid", and a somewhat pop-ish power/thrasher: "Dogpile"; think Motley Crue meets early Laaz Rockit. The horrifying band name is not deserved at all, and clearly doesn't do the band justice, especially if they were aiming at the massive heavy metal crowd.

Same Demo, 1991
Sadistic Pain Demo, 1993

SADISTIC RAGE (USA)

This demo comes as a small version of Slayer's "Reign in Blood" (there are only three songs here): fast, aggressive thrash, slightly bordering on death metal. "Vision of Death" is longer (5-min), and brings forward some heavier, atmospheric moments.

Demo Demo, 1987

SADISTIC VISION (CANADA)

This is fairly cool technical thrash with more brutal proto-death passages and very mean clean vocals, which has by all means been an influence on the technical wave which started later in the 90's from the same country; and later graced the technical death metal legends Gorguts with one of its finest members: the drummer Steve MacDonald (R.I.P.), who also founded the black/death metal outfit Asgard, who still continue to carry his legacy after his untimely passing. Back to Sadistic Vision: this is clearly not an immedaite listen, as the music at first might strike you as too chaotic and illogical. The songs are short (3-4min), but are packed with stupendous technical riffs and twisted time-changes. "The Law Of The Jungle" offers a rawer and more brutal sound, whereas "Pris Au Piege" is a more polished and more refined, but still quite aggressive slab of well done technical thrash/proto-death. If you can imagine a more aggressive version of Watchtower's debut... These guys had definitely had a "vision", but why "sadistic"?
The debut demo is a really brutal affair rivalling the first 2 Cryptic Slaughter with ease on the more outrageous moments. The jympy, busy riffage betrays a more technical performance in the near future, but at this stage this is just chaotic, albeit listenable, bash "courting" grind, death and hardcore in a disorderly fashion, still managing to get the better out of this violent concoction.

Demo Demo, 1988
The Law Of The Jungle Demo, 1989
Pris Au Piege Demo, 1990

SADOCRUSH (SWEDEN)

Based on the "True Evil" demo, these two corpse-painters pull out really "evil" misanthropic black/thrash metal with morose doomy tendencies quite close to Khold and early Bathory. Fuzzy hypnotic riffs, sparce hyper-blasts, and wicked semi-whispered vocals; oh, and the odd surreal lead ("Goatfire")...

Deathorgasm Demo, 1998
True Evil Demo, 2000

SADOKIST (FINLAND)

Based on the "Horrors from Hell" demo, this act plays evil speedy black/thrash metal recalling Absu and the Italians Vexed; brutal stuff as a whole, constantly fast, occasionally blasting in a less controlled manner with vicious harsh black metal vocals. The guys' dedication to the black metal idea takes bigger proportions on their other band Necro Angel, although some other band members take it easier on the more laid-back heavy/black metal mixture offered by another project: Purgat�r.

Evil Sado Fuckin' Metal Demo, 2008
Sadomatik Angel Attack Split, 2009
Blackest Hell Primitive: The demos Infernal Best of/Compilation, 2010
Horrors from Hell Demo, 2010

SADOTANK (HOLLAND)

Brutal, aggressive thrash which comes as a blend of Sadus' debut and early Kreator; some occasional interesting guitar melodies could be heard, but most of the time this is fast bashing, with not much musicianship involved.

Alcoholic Hellnoise Full-length, 2007

SADUS (USA)

One of the true greats of US death/thrash metal, Sadus' beginnings were quite brutal and uncompromising, with the explosive proto-death/thrash sound on "Illusions", which is one of the "four aces" of extreme thrash metal from the USA (the other three, for the less initiated: Slayer's "Reign in Blood", Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends", and Incubus' "Serpent Temptation"). The sophomore release was an improvement in terms of musicianship and technicality, but much of the irresistible primal aggression of the debut was lost. "A Vision Of Misery" jumped high in the technical death/thrash department, featuring stupendous riffs and inimitable bass performance (DiGiorgio is the man!). Unfortunately Digiorgio's involvement with numerous other bands kept the band at bay until 1997, when "Elements Of Anger" saw the light of day. A colossal achievement, it pretty much summed up everything which modern technical death/thrash metal was about. It failed, however, to generate the necessary interest, and Digiorgio put an end to Sadus once again. 9 years later he seems to have found some time to record under the Sadus name again (something which happens less and less regularly, unfortunately...); "Out For Blood" goes even further into modern, even industrial at times, technical territories, and is not a very immediate listen, but is another great effort on all counts, also paying tribute to Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) with the song "Freedom", and featuring Chuck Billy as a guest vocalist on the closing "Crazy".

Illusions (Chemical Exposure) Full-length, 1988
Swallowed in Black Full-length, 1990
A Vision of Misery Full-length, 1992
Elements of Anger Full-length, 1997
Out for Blood Full-length, 2006

SAGROS (COLOMBIA)

Based on the 2-song "For Your Blood" single, this act plays well-constructed retro thrash of the Bay-Area type which is both fast and slower, both sides mixed on both songs, the title-track being a particularly ripping cut with crushing riffs and a few nice melodic insertions. The singer is a shouty semi-death metaller.

Paths of the Death EP, 2004
Freedom Lies in Chains EP, 2007
For your Blood Single, 2010
ANGER BLINS THE MIND Full-length, 2011

SAGUE (ARGENTINA)

3 songs of an uneven rough retro speed/thrash/death metal mix with even rougher vocals which alternate with melodic mid-ranged ones which are by far the better choice. The music jumps from very fast, almost grinding, sections to very quiet balladic ones ruining in the process the monolithic pounding mid-paced passages.

Un Grito En El Silencio Demo, 2008

SAHON (SOUTH KOREA)

Sahon started in an awesome fashion with "Made in Judecca", aggressive 80's thrash metal with a more modern production similar to Slayer and Devastation, topped by death metal-styled vocals. The follow-up added more "spices" in the variety: death metal, hardcore, even grind; not bad, but too wild at times. "Brutally Compelled" is an excellent return to the more thrashy style of the debut, but this time the music is faster, a tad more technical, the vocals angrier, and the final result generally more satisfying.

Made in Judecca Full-length, 2002
Kill... But... (Shut Your Fucking Mouth) Full-length, 2003
The Feeble Mourning EP, 2005
Brutally Compelled Full-length, 2007

SAINT SPIRIT (BRAZIL)

Based on "The Ways of Faith": this Brazilian trio from heaven unleash straight retro thrash with shades of death metal. The better, more thoughtout, side of Brazilian thrash is an obvious influence (Atomica, Sepultura, MX), but the guitar sound of this band is heavier, and not as fast, although it's not a "stranger" to relentless headbangers ("Worship Me", "Antropogical Blues", etc.). Near the end the guys loosen up a bit, with "I Cry For Live", which is a mix of heavy, doom and thrash metal, and the thrash/crossover closer "Losing My Religion" which is not an R.E.M. cover: don't get scared...
"Vanitas Vanitatum" tries to vary things a bit, with a drier proto-modern guitar sound, but generally the approach is not radically different from the previous efforts being fast direct thrash, which refuses to elaborate on the more stylish moments from its predecessor, opting instead to branch out into stripped-down hardcore on the shorter pieces ("Pentecostal Disaster"). The singer is clouded by the better music being a hoarse semi-death metal shouter.

Against Saints and Sinners Full-length, 2003
The Ways of Faith Full-length, 2005
Vanitas Vanitatum Full-length, 2011

SAITOR (USA)

Decent thrash metal with crossover moments recalling Harter Attack and Nuclear Assault; the music is quite energetic and fast throughout, reaching out to Slayer sometimes ("Church of Flesh").

Demo Demo, 1989

SAKRIFICER (USA)

An excellent 3-song demo of speedy thrash metal along the lines of early Destruction and Toxic Shock; the "Ice Burial" EP goes up on both the aggression and speed scale now sounding quite close to Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill" which to some may be a pullback since this time there is only speed, speed and speed to be heard without any deviations, with "Bestial Command" rushing forward into more brutal proto-death metal territories.

Unholy Thrash Assault Demo, 2006
Ice Burial EP, 2008

SALEM (SLOVENIA)

Fairly good aggressive thrash which comes as a more technical, and probably better, version of Rigor Mortis' self-titled debut, or the Flames (Greece) albums from around the same time. The album contains fairly interesting guitar decisions (great leads on "Incubus"), as well as stylish bass performance (the instrumental "Vampirella"). The guys are not strangers to brutal, death metal parts ("Cotton Mather's Nightmare"), and the pace most of the time is actually quite fast and relentless. The band were clearly ahead of their time, and this album could have served as a lesson for well executed thrash/death metal for the future practitioners of the style.

The Sleep Of Reason Full-length, 1987

SALEM JUSTICE (UK)

Blue-sy rockish semi-thrash, mixing the light-hearted Motorhead-ish aesthetics with more intense hardcore riffs, but the inclusion of groove and awkward jazzy/funky sections make this more of a failed attempt at slightly "updated" laid-back old school stuff, rather than a satisfying listen. The shorter songs are by far the more appealing side, being cool "hardcore-meets-early Venom" variations, while the longer ones mix too much within to strike a cord. The singer tries to save the show, by adding forceful throaty semi-clean shouts ala early Peter Steele (Carnivore, Type-O-Negative), but at some point gives up merging with the unimpressive rest.

Envirusfear Full-length, 1996

SALEM SPADE (USA)

A 3-song demo of pedestrian 80's thrash metal with slight semi-technical pretentions.

Sleepless Demo, 1989

SALEMS LOT (USA)

A cool mix of American power metal and thrash; this is heavy, almost doomy at times music with nice progressive touches and long 5-7min songs. The vocals are rough, throaty, and do not suit the music too well. There is, of course, at least one up-tempo track with an Exciter/Motorhead flavour: "Salems Lot".

Demo Demo, 1989

SALUTARY (HOLLAND)

A decent proto-modern entry into the genre with consistently heavy mid-paced riffs in the beginning, before the coming of "Hypocrisy Of A Man" which is a vigorous death/thrasher with clever technical pretensions. The technicality goes up a bit on the intriguing Voivod-esque "Hysterical Manifestation", but there is no time for those tendencies to develop any further since the remaining 4 tracks are live versions of 2 songs from this demo, with an older material added in pretty much the same vein.

Violated Holiness Demo, 1997

SALUTE (UK)

Based on "The Underground", this act plays cool heavy doomy thrash akin to early Celtic Frost stretching into whole doom passages, which loses nothing of its thundering intensity when it speeds up: "Dr. Faust", again in a manner close to the early efforts of the Swiss. The guitar work is a bit monotonous, but its crushing heaviness will keep you entertained especially when it descends to pure unadulterated doom: the classic doom masterpiece "Six Deep". The singer is a perfect match to the music with his gruff tone, a mix between Tom G. Warrior and Michael Williams (Eyehategod). The guys are occupied with two other acts: the black metal outfit Vanguard with which they have one demo released, and the more atmospheric ambient black metal project Tanhauser Gate with which they are on the same one-demo stage.

Break-Neck Speed Triumph EP, 2005
Above the Law Full-length, 2007
The Underground Full-length, 2009

SALVATION (GERMANY)

The German progressive/technical thrash metal wave, which many considered had begun with the Depressive Age debut in 1992, had actually started a year earlier, by several original one-album wonders that remained undeservedly buried in the underground: Of Rytes' "Without", Brainamputated's "Can't Get Enough", and Salvation's "From Where". Of the three, the latter is the most complex and diverse seeing the band sharing something with the progressive power metal field as well. "Real Values" is an atmospheric, but also dynamic, opener offering a great "duel" between stylish technical and haunting melodic hooks on a solid mid-pace, without forgetting about the memorable chorus. "Human Insertion" follows a similar path by adding an unobtrusive keyboard background, and "Nightmares" is the prototypical dark progressive/power metal opus ala Lethal and Crimson Glory. "Savoir Faire" is a clever sophisticated, all-instrumental, take on technical thrash, and "Inner Conflict" increases the complexity to reach the heights of Watchtower and Sieges Even done in a heavy pensive fashion alleviated by another easy to remember chorus to which the emotional clean singer is the perfect match. "Burning Assault" starts in a very twisted technical way before settling for a more conventional delivery recalling Xentrix, including in the carefree chorus department once again. "A Look Inside" is a seamless mix of power, progressive, and thrash metal reminiscent of early Eldritch, followed by the last temptation at more complex progressive: the multi-layered semi-balladic "1991". Like with the case of Of Rytes' "Without", there is not a very frequent change of tempos, and the overall approach may seem pretty sleepy at first listen, without too much happening, but those who choose to spend more time with this effort, will definitely be rewarded for the investment.

From Where Full-length, 1991

SAMATAS (GREECE)

2 songs of cool retro thrash/crossover ala Rumble Militia with fast and slower (not many) rhythms embedded well staying more in the up-tempo with crushing riffs and cool hoarse semi-clean vocals sounding like a more passionate Tommy Victor (Prong).

New Age Suppression Demo, 2008

SAMCHUNG (SOUTH KOREA)

Based on "Way of Men", these guys pull out modern harcore-ish thrash, sometimes clinging more towards Pro-Pain, sometimes branching out into something which is too mixed to be defined, even containing classic heavy metal hooks ("Combative Spirit", "Filled With Spirit"). This is far from full-fledged thrash, although pieces like the speedy headbangers "Way Of Man" and "Red Rats" will definitely stir your blood.

Talchuljeukshi Gaejukeum Full-length, 1998
Life is So Fucking Beautiful EP, 1999
Vengeance is Mine Full-length, 2000
United We Stand Split album, 2004
Way of Men Full-length, 2005

SAMHAIN (DENMARK)

A 3-song demo of a good blend of the heavy style of early Celtic Frost with quite fast and aggressive thrash; all three tracks combine both styles: slow crushing riffs alternate with cool speedy guitars. Later the guys continued their career under the name Desexult.

The Courier Demo, 1985

SAMORRA (GERMANY)

The breathtaking 1-min lead intro remains the best part from this laid-back groovy power/post-thrash metal work, which is not a total waste, especially with this great lead guitar work, which overwhelms the rest completely. A few more dynamic power/thrashers can be caught ("Sorrow Within", "Your Holiness"), but the music simply is too toothless and soft to catch the thrash metal fan's attention for long, if at all.

Religion of the Unbroken Full-length, 2007

SAMSARA (AUSTRALIA)

Decent energetic thrash metal crossing the modern with the classic sound; most of the time the guys play in up-tempo, and come up with a couple of cool headbangers ("Cruelty", "Enslaved"). The band runs away from the formula with the alternative melodic instrumental "Chloe", which is quite dreamy, and is not bad; and the heavy groovy track "Samsara".
"Instinct Over Influence" concentrates more on the modern side of the genre, but remains fast and intense shooting the odd more classic bomb: "Steel Trap". The songs develop in a direct speedy manner with clear touches of hardcore on the shorter material, the instrumental "The Divide" being the sole exception: a very nice dreamy atmospheric track ala Katatonia.

The Emptiness Full-length, 2007
Instinct Over Influence Full-length, 2010

SAMSARRA (USA)

Decent retro power/thrash metal in mid-pace with heavy riffs reminiscent of Testament's "Souls of Black" including in the stylish lead guitar work; the sound may wear out at some point since the riffs are too one-dimensional offering very little variation from one song to another, and the end is underwhelming with two live tracks with a bad sound quality included, and two tender acoustic ballads following them.

The Unbeliever Full-length, 2008

SANATORIUM (MACEDONIA)

One of the few thrash metal bands from Macedonia, Sanatorium play modern mid-paced thrash with numerous balladic and acoustic moments on "No More"; professionally done, but a kind of one-dimensional, and not really engaging. It's their first demo, which contains the better material, with some really fast-paced thrashers ("Ultra Speed", "Grad") and other, heavier, more technical numbers in the spirit of late 80's Metallica ("Epidemija na Omraza"), and an overall better guitar sound.

The Edge of Sanity Demo, 1992
No More Full-length, 1996
Sanatorium Full-length, 2001

SANCTION (CHILE)

Based on the "Endless Maze Of Demise" demo, this act offers fast intense retro thrash/death metal with original semi-progressive elements the latter greatly boosted by the stylish bass work. The music comes as a mix between Immolation and mid-period Death, and as such is closer to death metal perhaps, but the bad shouty vocals are a major detraction.

Human Final Holocaust Demo, 2010
Endless Maze Of Demise Demo, 2011

SANCTITY (USA)

Modern thrash metal with a certain Swedish-vibe, but closer to the sound of bands like the French Lyzanxia (minus their debut, of course), and more groovy. There are fast and slower numbers, and the singer will also keep you alert with his switches from more brutal death-y vocals to semi-clean ones ala James Hetfield, to quite good clean ones. This is good music although it's hardly something you haven't heard before.

Road to Bloodshed Full-length, 2007

SANCTORUM (UK)

Based on "Ashes Of Redemption", these guys do not bother to break the trite formula of modern thrash metal with the typical for the style alternation between faster and slower sections, the latter not bad, actually, avoiding the groovy "traps" for most of the time, adding to the dynamics of the former. The guitar players excel in melody, both in the riff and the lead department, leaving the closer "Take It All" to "carry it all" with the sharpest and most vigorous riffs on the album despite the virtuoso melodic lead break at the end.

Penumbra EP, 2004
The Heavens Shall Burn Full-length, 2006
Ashes Of Redemption Full-length, 2008

SANCTRUM (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Hold Your Ground" demo, Sanctrum play typical Swedish thrash metal of recent times akin to The Haunted and Carnal Forge, plus the also quite typical Gothenburg influences in their sound.

Sanctum Demo, 2003
Sanctrum Demo, 2004
Hold Your Ground Demo, 2005
From Ashes to Infinity Demo, 2006

SANCTUARY (USA)

This cult act was transformed into Nevermore during the 90's, and became one of the most essential bands on the scene, up to present times. The debut is a nice slab of American power/speed metal, but on "Into The Mirror Black" the guys grabbed thrash for the throat, by giving it a stylish progressive colouring, although a big doze of power metal still remains. The music on this very good album is quite heavy and crushing, mostly in mid-tempo, which may be a disappointment for the fans of the debut, but the top performance of everyone involved: the excellent soaring vocals of Warrel Dane, the fabulous bass-bottom provided by Jim Sheppard, the constant pounding riff-section of Jeff Loomis, will guarantee the listener's satisfaction the whole time. The dark bleak landscape "drawn" by the Nevermore works is already here, and brooding masterpieces, like "Epitaph" and "Taste Revenge", could easily make any Nevermore fan happy. "Long Since Dark" will keep the debut lovers on the edge of their seats, albeit for a while, and indeed it has a lot in common with the brisk speedy style of the first album. "Eden Lies Obscured" is a feast of the sorrowful, depressing type, clinging towards the doom metal genre, a tendency further continued on the following "The Mirror Black". "Seasons Of Destruction" livens up, thrashing harder, and is the most immediate track. "One More Murder" softens the tone, again recalling the debut a bit, being sustained in a more light-hearted speed metal manner, but the final "Communion" will literally bury you, with its massive heavy riffage, including the funereal doomy closing minutes; Loomis unleahes some very cool leads there as well, and Dane shines all over, too, with his dramatic emotional singing. A great work, and quite unique in its approach to progressive power/thrash metal, although comparisons to mid-period Fates Warning and Crimson Glory are inevitable, it remained the last in the band's short catalogue, although Nevermore is pretty much the same band, minus the guitarist Sean Blosl and the drummer Dave Budbill, with a style not miles away from the one displayed here, only more modern and clinical-sounding, with more emphasis on technical riffage rather than melody.

Refuge Denied Full-length, 1988
Into The Mirror Black Full-length, 1990
Into the Mirror Live / Black Reflections EP, 1990

SANCTUM (USA, CA)

A really cool demo of speed/thrash metal, released at the same year with Angel Dust's "Into the Dark Past", and sounding not too far from it, at least on the two speedy numbers. "Nothing Left" slows down, sticking to the American power metal field.

Demo Demo, 1986

SANCTUM (USA, WA)

Based on the debut EP, this act pulls out heavy battle-like thrash/death metal with obvious nods to Bolt Thrower including the Brits' earlier faster approach. The guitars crush on the slower sections, but the more speedy ones go straight into hardcore territory at times, and the singer is not very convincing with his semi-shouty throaty voice.
The self-titled EP is only 3 songs which this time offer more invigorating and faster stuff, "Sanctum" being pure death metal madness, again with a Bolt Thrower flavour. The other two pieces cling more towards thrashcore for which the low-tuned death metal growler doesn't suit quite well.

Enslaved EP, 2005
Sanctum EP, 2006
On the Horizon Full-length, 2008

SANCTUS (USA)

Good American speed/thrash metal ala Agent Steel's debut, Deadly Blessing, and Indestroy; these guys are more aggressive than those bands, and cool technical licks could be caught (the excellent smasher "Disloyalty"). "Gutter Bitch" is quite an aggressive number which thrashes no worse than Slayer on their best day. The singer is quite impressive with his high-pitched voice, sounding like a blend of John Cyriis (Agent Steel) and Eric A.K. (Flotsam & Jetsam).

Accept the Blessing Demo, 1988

SANGRE ANTIGUA (ARGENTINA)

Based on the split, this act offers early Germanic speed/thrash, crossing the fury of Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill" with the menacing avalanche-like approach of Angel Dust. The singer is perhaps less interesting with his gruff hoarse, "all over the place", delivery which would better suit some hardcore band.

Thrash Slash Vol. 2 Split, 2009
Sentencia de Muerte Demo, 2009

SANGRE PICHA (COLOMBIA)

Good edgy Bay-Area thrash of the heavier variety ala Defiance and late-80's Metallica; another close call would be the Italians In.Si.Dia. The riffs are heavy, mid-paced contrasting with the melodic leads, which are cool, but somewhat naive and repetitive. "A 120 Frente A La Muerte" and "Huir O Morir" speed up admirably, breaking the slightly monotonous feeling created by the solid, but one-dimensional steam-roller sound. "Aventuras" is not too far behind, although the beginning is very mild, in the power metal mould. As a whole the 2nd part is much more varied, with every track containing fast parts, including the short explosive thrashers "Redentor" and "Evolucion Irremediable" at the end.

Evoluci�n Irremediable Full-length, 1997

SANGUINARIA (PERU)

Based on "Mundo en Sangre", this band plays melodic power/thrash metal with weak amateurish high-strung vocals. Otherwise the music makes sense: "Vision Diabolika" is cool more intense speed/thrash, and explorations into the more progressive/epic form are also worth mentioning ("Peste Humana", "Desolacion"), although from a thrash metal point-of-view not much happens inside them. Despite its cheesiness and naivety, "Presagio Final" is a good power/speed metal hymn ala more recent Helloween and Gamma Ray. "Sangre Fuego y Terror" is the other more ambitious composition, but the guys lose coherence here and there throughout its more than 9-min, and start thrashing with full force at some point as well.

Mundo en Sangre Full-length, 2001
Entre el Bien y el Mal Full-length, 2001
Gladiadores del Metal Full-length, 2004
Metal Attack Full-length, 2006

SANGUINARY (USA)

An excellent demo: the opener "Bathing in Chaos" is a fast-paced thrasher with great sharp riffs and swirling leads, and vocals buried in the mix. The other three songs are longer, less immediate exercises in technical thrash (the vocals still remain barely audible, except on the screaming attempts); the tempo slows down and the guitars become much heavier. "Crisis of Conscience" has a great fast middle part, which nicely contrasts with the remaining almost doom-laden ones. This is music which would appeal to both thrash and doom metal fans, but the doom metal fans shouldn't expect something in the Candlemass vein; this is more intense and aggressive stuff.

Self-Desecration Demo, 1989

SANHEIM (RUSSIA)

A 3-song promo of rough classic speed/thrash ala early Razor and Hallows Eve ("Black Knight"), plus two covers: Venom's "One Thousand days in Sodom" and Motorhead's "Iron Fist", not bad but ruined by the unpleasant gruff death/black metal vocals.

The "Corpse Attack" demo is more aggressive, now pure thrash metal all the way, well done, nicely touching Slayer ("The Lifter") on the more aggressive moments. The songs are sustained in a fast energetic pace seldom smelling less serious (the Motorhead-ish deviations on "Dead Emotions", which also features the only heavy breaks on the demo), although some may complain about the singer whose gruff unrehearsed death-metal tember is below the usual standards for this kind of music.

The EP is another decent entry into the classic thrash metal field, a varied effort with both fast and slow sections alternating throughout the songs which never become too fast, but deliver with their consistent riffage and stripped-down delivery. The vocalist this time sounds more rehearsed, but doesn't stray too much from his dark sinister tone.

Black Knight Promo, 2009
Corpse Attack Demo, 2010
Bringer Of Death EP, 2011

SANITARIUS (USA)

The band's style is a fine cross between classic and modern thrash metal. There is aggressive Bay Area riffage to be heard, but one can also hear a certain presence of groove as well as stylish technical guitar ala Jeff Waters. The tracks are energetic, but not very fast, being of the mid to up-tempo variety. Despite the good quality of the material presented on these 3 EP's, one could sense that there is more to come from this band in the future.

Nuclear Trauma EP, 2005
Sanitarius Demo 2006 EP, 2006
Eyes To The Soul EP, 2007

SANITY'S RAGE (BELGIUM)

Very good energetic, Bay-Area influenced thrash; the band play with competence and inspiration, with sharp riffs, which also bring the Channel Zero debut to mind. The tracks (minus one) are lengthy (5-7min), and there are attempts at a more intriguing play which could serve as a good base for a strong full-length.

The Rage of One EP, 2006

SANTUARIO (BRAZIL)

The band shares this split with three other acts, one of which is Korzus (the other two are not related to thrash). The guys offer two songs of brisk galloping American power/thrash in the vein of Savage Grace and Attacker. The vocals are cool clean mid-ranged ones, which need a little adjustment in the high register department.

S.P. Metal II Split album, 1985

SANTUARIO (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Based on the debut, this band offers heavy crushing groovy thrash which doesn't shy away from doom, and even funk all this on a hammering riff-base which doesn't waste time with leads or melodic tunes topped up by very angry shouty vocals.

Adicto al Kaos Full-length, 2002
Brutalismo Full-length, 2004
Santuario Full-length, 2005

SAPIENCY (GERMANY)

Modern thrash/death metal which sticks more to heavy mid-paced patterns, and as such may tire at some point, especially on the mellower semi-balladic passages ("Mercy", "Wake Up" (yes, indeed, guys, wake up!)). This is not adventurous, but generic stuff, done professionally, but without much enthusiasm. Probably more of the aforementioned enthusiasm has been shed for the works of the progressive metallers Force Trankill where the two guitarists also take part, or for the melodic power metal otufit Everfest graced by the same two guitar players.

Fate�s End Full-length, 2010

SAPROPHYTE (CANADA)

This young Canadian act plays stylish technical thrash/death metal blending fast deathy with quirky jumpy rhythms on the opening dynamic "Different Faces", but "Finesse" is already an offbeat industrial ballad, and the unpredictability becomes really big when "Arterial Abcesses" rushes in with dry clinical Meshuggah-esque riffs. "Death Waltz" can hardly pass for waltz, but is a nice hectic technicaller, before "Mask of Sanity" exits this short effort with style adding another portion of complex mechanical shred. This is an interesting sound which has its rough edges, but with more refinement it could easily turn into a nice addition to the technical scene in their homeland.

Decompose EP, 2011

SAPROS (POLAND)

A 4-song EP providing one track of heavy proto-modern thrash of the aggro-type and 3 more belonging to the energetic Bay-Area thrash fraternity resulting in good headbanging music close to the Forbidden debut and Death Angel's "The Ultra-Violence". The riffs are sharp and lashy, and the singer is not bad although his semi-shouty tember may annoy at times when reaching for the higher notes.

Time to Kill You EP, 2008

SARAM (PERU)

The "Sinners" demo contains 4 tracks of gloomy dark thrash/death with some of the deepest death metal growls ever heard; if it wasn't for the bad sound quality one could have enjoyed this sinister mix of heavy mid-paced riffage and doomy depressing passages, the latter being not far even from masters like Runemagick or early My Dying Bride. The last "Glory To The Forgotten Spirit" is a sudden unexpected take on blasting black metal, not a very cool touch with furious unintelligible guitars and unpleasant apocalyptic, very hysterical vocals; the song still contains a sprawling doomy part, but it considerably ruins the monolithic wall-like impression created by the preceding material.

Sinners Demo, 1998
Metal Mayhem Genocide Demo, 2004
Embrujo EP, 2005
Sinners Best of/Compilation, 2007

SARATAN (POLAND)

The demo boasts crystal clear production. What we have here is a good effort: dark, powerful thrash which would probably remind you of Nevermore, plus more standard modern thrash metal parts. One would think that with such a talent at display it would be a piece of cake for the band to find an interested label to sign them.
"The Cult of Vermin" is a good debut, elaborating on the music displayed on the demo. "Future Is Grim" is an excellent modern technical energetic thrasher, but their other, slower, more atmospheric side quickly shows up, with the following "Path Of Mistakes". Later both sides take turns, with the faster, more technical being the more attractive one, later producing awesome, Nevermore-like songs: "Serve The Death", who seem to be the main influence on the band. A couple of short, moody instrumentals are also thrown in. Watch out for the great acoustic flamenco guitar on the closer "Vermin", which also boasts a pounding, hypnotic ending.
"Antireligion" is a different animal being faster and more aggressive beginning in an open intense manner with the first two tracks the second one "Antireligion Pt. 1" even adhering to spasmodic blasts. After the calmer mechanical (which is actually the main word to describe the guitar work here) "Dead Inside" comes another bombastic semi-blaster "My Demise" followed by the intense speedy "Reject Adonai", but the 2nd half is more moderate with all songs mixing slow and fast sections, except for the closing "Antireligion Pt. 2" which is more ambitious and technical, with another portion of fast raging riffs well mixed with the very good melodic leads and the several clever technical moments. This new offering sees the guys in a drier more clinical, less emotional, light now the approach being closer to modern acts like Altered Aeon and Biomechanical, although the Poles, on this album in particular, are not as fond of technicality which to some may be a setback compared to their older efforts.

Infected with Life Demo, 2006
The Cult of Vermin Full-length, 2007
Antireligion Full-length, 2010

SARCASM (SLOVENIA)

"Crematory" is a surprisingly good release which mixes thrash, speed and classic heavy metal. The vocals are an acquired taste, having a particularly high-pitched tone. Then the band got lost to resurface some 13 years later. The bad news is that the high-pitched singer, who had given such a distinctive face to the band on the debut, has been replaced with another, very average one. The music has lost its impact although it still is the same mixture of the three aforementioned styles. There are very cheesy moments ("Sarajevo By Night") which ruin even more the not very positive impression from the rest of the album. Certainly Sarcasm were a lot more capable than this.
"Revolt" is much more satisfying now pulling out cool speed/thrash of the classic type again interrupted by stomping heavier numbers. The mixture works well although the fan's heart will be sold for the speedy side where nice headbangers like "Crematory Generation" and "Divja Kri" belong, and especially the short brutal smasher "Mutant Hamsters", and the glorious speed metal hymn at the end "Metal Mania". More technical guitars can be heard on the galloping early Iced Earth-esque "Dealer", as well as slight balladic leanings on "Bang You're Dead".
"Igra Narave" is the comeback album, but shows the band in a different light having moved towards the 90's power/speed metal scene with a touch of the groovy movement. "Sparkles" of their much better past can be heard on the hectic technical shredder "P.P.N.", but the rest is seriously underwhelming with just one more "blast from the past" at the end: the short speedy closer "Zena".

Crematory Full-length, 1989
Igra Narave Full-length, 2002
Divja Kri Full-length, 2003
Revolt Full-length, 2006

SARCASM (SWITZERLAND)

This is the other band of Theo Hilfiker from Infected. This 4-track EP is far less impressive than the very good full-length of his other act, being your average modern groovy post-thrash trying to bring more life to the standard picture in the form of "Innocent Loser", which is faster and edgy, but is completely cancelled by the following funky joke "Spacecake", which judging by its length (5-min), was disappointingly apparently not considered a joke by the band.

In-Sect EP, 1993

SARCASTIC (MEXICO)

Based on the demo, this act plays typical for the time thrash/death metal with the Floridian school an obvious influence, early Death in particular. The vocals are vintage early Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.), whereas the music is more thrash-based, quite fast without losing it: check out the explosive piece of brutality "No Forgiveness". The other 4 songs are not too far behind speed-wise with "Power" slightly relieving the pressure pounding in a more mid-tempo manner in the beginning later also offering more melodic hooks.

No Forgiveness Demo, 1990
Nacimiento Hacia Las Alturas Full-length, 1992

SARCASTIC ANGEL (PORTUGAL)

Based on the "Haunting the Prayers" demo, this band plays power/thrash in the American tradition, elaborating things a bit, resulting in long, a bit clumsy numbers, with the final result sitting somewhere between inferior Liege Lord and the Manilla Road more up-tempo efforts. The sound quality is very bad, with the bass put too much in front, leaving very little room for the guitars to be heard. Not that there is much to hear, since the riffs are repetitive and monotonous, producing only one more dynamic speed/thrasher ("Haunting The Prayers").

Time To Change Demo, 1991
Haunting the Prayers Demo, 1992
Steps Demo, 1994

SARCAZM (RUSSIA)

Fast energetic modern thrash/death metal with a slightly dirty guitar sound which doesn't give a chance to the otherwise good leads to be heard clearly; the delivery is close to the one of Dew-Scented and Corporation 187, although to these ears the slower battle-like riffs deliver in a better way ("Satan's Revenge").

Just Hate Us Demo, 2007

SARCAZM (SWEDEN)

Modern thrash metal not too far from Sepultura's album that same year ("Chaos AD") with horrible synthesized vocals, and a rough hardcore-ish cover of Metallica's "Motorbreath" at the end, also ruined by the angry throaty vocals.

Breath, Shit, Excist... EP, 1993

SARCOFAGO (BRAZIL)

With its merciless brutal sound the first two Sarcofago albums are highly influential on the future black and death metal movement, along with the early works of their compatriots Sepultura, Vulcano, Sextrash. "I.N.R.I." contains extremely vicious aggressive stuff, probably a closer companion to Protector's same year's "Misanthropy" even than Death's "Scream Bloody Gore", although here the concentration is more on black metal. Merciless very fast, bordering on grind, songs are served one after another, seldom spiced by heavier doom/black passages, which are necessary otherwise one may not be able to stand through this exhausting visceral experience. Listening to this album one wouldn't need a very big imagination to see where the roots of the most extreme modern acts (Impaled Nazarene, The Berzerker, Marduk, etc.) lie. The musicianship is on a basic level, but this is not an obstacle for the fan to appreciate this sincere slab of primal brutality.
"Rotting" tones down the aggression, and music-wise this is a much more proficient effort, although this may be a pullback to some. The speed is not so much accentuated on, and the slower passages are longer and more frequent, all this well expressed on the excellent opening "Alcoholic Coma", which boasts solid riff-work with semi-technical leanings. "Tracy" is long 9-min epic black/thrash metal, a potent mixture of raging fast and heavy doomy riffs. The remaining trcks repeat the same formula, with only "Sex, Drinks, & Metal" blasting out the whole time, being much shorter, also graced by a fine melodic section. The infatuation with aggression and speed here has been diminished to a big extent this time the guys relying more on thought-out arrangements and more complex guitar work.
"Laws Of Scourge" takes an even more sophisticated approach, and although it was crucified by the majority of the band's fans, is actually a decent work, concentrating on the death/thrash metal side of the band leaving their black metal roots far behind. Both the melody and technicality are raised one level up, and the final result is cool technical thrash/death, at least in the beginning, sitting somewhere between mid-period Death and early-90's Messiah. The speed is omnipresent, often reflected in furious short blasts, but the more technical hooks are all over them. After 2 fast-paced brisk technical death/thrashers the band surprisingly slows down big time, for the otherwise good epic atmospheric doom opus "Midnight Queen": something completely new in the guys' catalogue. "Screeches from the Silence" speeds up, and contains breathtaking melodic keyboard-driven passages. "Prelude to a Suicide" is heads-down sinister doom, and may justify its title with the more faint-hearted. "The Black Vomit" is a ball of fury, sounding like a leftover from the debut, but when "Secrets of a Window" slows down for the upteenth time, one may really consider listening any further, especially when he hears the very soft acoustic interlude. "Little Julie" will hardly make even "little Julie" happy being another dark slow doom/thrasher. "Crush, Kill, Destroy" expectedly proves its title right, lashing out furious guitars and nice melodic leads, trying also to reach the first 2 songs in the technical sector. The metal fraternity saw the band in a new light with this recording, for better or worse, which closed the 1st period of their history.

Afterwards the band's career went down the hill, first with "Hate", which wasn't a total waste, trying to marry their vicious thrash/death/black metal style with the modern industrial tendencies, resulting in a very uneven affair, still quite fast and relentless, but totally lacking spontaneity and originality, sounding mechanical and unnatural, with the drum machine used the whole time worsening the situation. The guys hit the bottom with the awful modern "thrash-meets-black-meets-death-meets-industrial-meets-something too terrible to be defined" brand on "The Worst" (a very appropriately chosen title, by the way), the drum machine constantly creating super-fast artificial noise, stifling the guitars more than just occasionally. "Crust" was unnecessary, seeing the band now following those who learned from them (the Australians The Berzerker, in this case), blasting all the time in a very unpleasant dry fashion producing something which one may have difficulties calling music.

INRI Full-length, 1987
Rotting Full-length, 1989
The Laws of Scourge Full-length, 1991
Crush, Kill, Destroy EP, 1992
Hate Full-length, 1994
The Worst Full-length, 1997
Crust EP, 2000

SARCOMA INC (NORWAY)

Many bands these days try to put all extreme metal styles into one, and few are those who manage to do that well. This band, which consists of to musicians only (also involved in Limbonic Art, Zyklon, Trail of Tears, Dimension F3H, etc.), unfortunately, do not belong to this group as their music is black, thrash and death metal of the unsurprising and generic type.
"Psychopathology" is another larger-than-life offering, but packs more punch combining the orchestral arrangements of early Emperor with the operatic aesthetics of Bal-Sagoth and the blasting outrages of Impaled Nazarene. So is there any thrash metal at all here? Well, there is, on the slower and longer material: parts of the atmospheric Immortal-esque "Suicidal Death", and the closing doomy thrasher "Torment Rides Forever": a brooding steam-roller track.

Torment Rides Forever Full-length, 2004
The Dark Prophecy Full-length, 2005
Psychopathology Full-length, 2008

SARDONIC (GERMANY)

Based on The EP, this band plays fast intense thrash/death metal of the retro type closer to the early Swedish school: think early Cemetary, Entombed, Merciless. The music is more death metal-based, ranging from furious (but never blasting) sections to more controlled heavier ones, where the sound smells mid-period Bolt Thrower as well.

Say 10 Full-length, 2004
Symptomaniac Full-length, 2006
Parasites EP, 2009

SARDONYX (USA)

An interesting and unknown band; the roots of their music are deep in American power metal, but there are quite a few thrash riffs as well as progressive passages. The bass work is striking, and slightly overshadows the other instruments. The vocals are especially good, with a nice mean edge, not miles away from Dave Mustaine, but more diverse and dramatic. The tracks are long and quite atmospheric, but always interesting, with stylish riffs and time changes. "Corridor of Light" is a masterpiece of progressive metal which could easily put to shame many much more famous acts from this field. "Ft. Drum" is an excellent 2.5-min technical thrash instrumental, which will remind you of Savage Steel's "Do Or Die". There is a certain epic atmosphere as well, but not in the cheesy, 90's way.

Majestic Serenity Full-length, 1994
Linear Progression EP, 2005

SAREPTA (GERMANY)

Based on the "S.U.N.K." EP, this act plays playful groovy thrashcore with angry Phil Anselmo-sque vocals, maybe a bit gruffer with a semi-death metal shade. The music is too reliant on the groove, but there are a couple of heavier, seismic moments which may catch your ear.

Mind Wipe Full-length, 1995
S.U.N.K. EP, 1997
Soulscars Full-length, 2001

SARGON (PANAMA)

Modern Swedish thrash/death metal, fast and melodic, maybe more thrashy than their Swedish counterparts, as is evident from the nice energetic "Crestfallen"; still the overall approach smells Dark Tranquillity quite a bit.
"In Contempt" is a further evolvement from the approach on the EP, thrashing in a modern deathy fashion alternating between fast and slower numbers occasionally blasting with passion ("Restless", which also contains great thrashy parts); and "Dead In Vain" uses the inertia after it to produce a fine portion of healthy energetic thrash. The final "Thrash N' Roll" delivers to justify its title providing an entertainment not far from Carcass' "Rot'n Roll", except for the fast part at the end. The drummer Alex Marquez is a well-established authority on the metal scene having taken part in other renowned acts, like Malevolent Creation, Demolition Hammer, Hellwitch, Disincarnate, etc.

Vehemence EP, 2009
In Contempt Full-length, 2011

SARISSA (GREECE)

This act is one of the best kept secrets of the Greek metal underground. Their debut demo is a fine slab of classic heavy/power metal following the American standards (early Laaz Rockit, Jag Panzer, Griffin), but for some mysterious reason this effort failed to produce an interested label in signing the guys, and they had to wait for 7 long years before their first official full-length release saw the light of day. Only one song from the demo had survived ("Macedonian Army"), the rest sounding a little heavier and a bit slower, with strong epic overtones and well-embedded keyboard melodies, this time bringing also the Swedish epic metal pioneers Heavy Load to mind. The high quality of the music on offer could not be denied, but the band hid from sight once again.
The time of the action is 2004, and the band are apparently alive and well. No questions about what happened during those long 10 years of absence from the scene, since "Masters of Sins" "apologizes" for it with a heavy crushing sound mixing power and thrash metal to a fairly positive effect. The guitars are both sharp and heavy, nailing a riff after riff with the utmost intensity seldom leaving the mid-pace, with the odd galloping rhythm ("To These Powers (I Swear)") springing here and there. The atmosphere is quite dark, touching the one created by Eidolon and Hexenhaus, but in the vocal department this band beats both by a long shot: the singer Nick Iglezos is a treasure providing a unique vocal performance on every single song, covering all ranges, staying mostly in the mid-range producing standout dramatic singing sometimes following the guitar melodies, but his occasional brutal growls and emotional high-pitch are by no means less impressive. Style-wise the music is quite close to the last Hexenhaus album, their continuation Fifth Reason, and Memento Mori and Abstrakt Algebra on the slower moments. The guitars are classic-sounding, and the leads this time are brilliant, never too long, mixing melodic with screamy hooks, and their "duel" with the operatic sinister keyboard background creates dramatism seldom achieved even by acts like Therion and Bal-Sagoth. Prepare to run for cover on the closing "Hypocrisy Crusade", which comes splashing right after the peaceful semi-balladic "The Struggle", to scare everyone with brutal hyper-blast riffage in the beginning, which gets repeated throughout the song the latter remaining a pretty intense experience, offering aggressive operatic thrash/death/black ala Bal-Sagoth and early Therion, with Iglezos singing in a rougher more low-tuned manner. Well, this well kept secret now seems quite revealed, and hopefully the band will come up with something new before 2014...

Demo Demo, 1987
Sarissa Full-length, 1994
Masters of Sins Full-length, 2004

SARJAN HASSAN (MALAYSIA)

Based on the spit, this act plays straight-ahead thrash/crossover sitting somewhere between early Prong and Wehrmacht, on the faster sections. Impulsive stuff with short tracks, which at times bash in a direct hardcore manner.

Demo Demo, 2005
People Again - Sarjan Hassan Split, 2009

SARKE (NORWAY)

Sarke is the name (or pseudonim) of a Norwegian black metal stalwart, who has also taken part in other black metal acts (Khold, Old Man's Child, etc.), helped by the legendary black metal guru Nocturno Culto (also Darkthrone, Satyricon), who provides the vocals (all the other instruments are handled by Sarke). The music is very faithful to the old school (Venom, Celtic Frost) being mostly mid-paced and gloomy with nice keyboard implements, but of the background-like, not the omnipresent Dimmu Borgir-type. The music considerably loses speed ("The Drunken Priest", "Frost Junkie") on quite a few tracks, but acquires this effective hypnotic vibe quite characteristic of the last couple of Satyricon albums. This is eerie minimalistic stuff which may find more acceptance among the black metal circles, but is interesting enough to capture the attention of a wider audience.
"Oldarhian" follows a samey path producing a dark psychedelic take on the retro black/thrash metal idea which is well expressed on the minimalistic creepy opener "Condemned". The dark saga carries on with the macabre doomy "Pilgrim of the Occult", before "Pessimist" brings another solid doze of gloomy "pessimism" with its doom-laden Celtic Frost-like riffs. "Flay the Wolf" speeds up nicely with a lush keyboard support creating an intriguing eerie feeling. "Captured" is a sinister doomy semi-ballad influencing a string of tracks until the coming of the definitive doom metal hymn "Burning of the Monoliths", a sorrowful morose composition. Some more energetic optimism is highly necessary here to dissipate the darkness, and the closing "The Stranger Brew" does exactly that pulling out cool faster rhythms reaching Motorhead-like light-heartedness on the closing moments. This is good stuff which will keep you entertained with its unpretentious, but pretty effetive, approach which also benefits from the good Tom G. Warrior-like vocals and the good sense of dark oppressing atmosphere characteristic of acts like Thorns, Barathrum, Alastis, etc.

Vorunah Full-length, 2009
Oldarhian Full-length 2011

SARKOMA (USA)

Considering the time when the band's full length debut was released, it would come as no surprise that the style is typical modern thrash close to Pantera and Machine Head with a more playful, crossover spirit.
Complety Different EP, 1992
Integrity Full-length, 1994

SAROS (USA)

"Five Pointed Tongue": atmospheric lyrical progressive black/thrash metal sharing moments with the doom metal scene as well; this is engaging stuff, which will require your attention. There are no very fast moments, and the length of some of the compositions surpasses those of the Opeth material with ease, and are equally as compelling if, of course, you are a fan of the sprawling progressive genre. There is a lot of thrash to be heard, so don't shy away, even those who like the classic side of the style. The two shorter tracks ("Sleeping Beast" and "Collapse of the Tower") raise the flag of thrash metal high, especially the latter, which is a very cool up-tempo thrasher, whereas the former is more of a power/thrash metal mixture.
The full-length is less interesting, from a thrash-metal-point-of-view, and is totally immersed in the doom/black metal idea in the beginning, again with long songs, this time sounding quite one-dimensional. Thrash metal hits in the second half, with the mid-paced piece "Devouring Conscience", which unfortunately turns into ponderous doom near the end, to the listener's utter dismay. And that's basically all which can attract the ear of the regular thrash metal fan; the rest is not bad at all, but it comes mostly as a mix between Opeth and In the Woods, with a pinch of Katatonia-like melancholy thrown in here and there.

Five Pointed Tongue EP, 2006
Acrid Plains Full-length, 2009

SATAN (UK)

This legendary British act are responsible for one of the finest moments from the whole NWOBHM wave: their fabulous debut "Court in the Act". Although it's too early to talk about thrash metal on this one (although this was the very year when the genre was born, in the USA), mighty speed metal killers, like "Trial by Fire", "Break Free" and the brilliant galloping instrumental "The Ritual", all these coming with the finest guitar work around at the time, were some of the most aggressive songs produced in Europe back then, and were by all means a big influence on the coming more extreme styles.

It was obvious that the guys would join the thrash metal legions on future efforts, but their next step was really hard to predict: they changed their name to Blind Fury, obviously to avoid any "black metal" tags, but the music presented on their only album was much softer, and more ordinary heavy metal, which was surely a big letdown for their fans. Fortunately, having realized their mistake, the band were back in the game with their old name, and "Into the Future" was a good return to form: "Fuck You", despite its obscene title, is first-rate speed metal, with brilliant leads and hard-hitting riffs. "Hear Evil, See Evil, Speak Evil" slows down, sounding like a leftover from the Blind Fury album; "Ice Man" is another more energetic number, with a catchy chorus. "Key to Oblivion" is a smashing speed/thrash metal track, and the band's first genuine thrashy attempt, although it is still more speed metal-based.
"Suspended Sentence" is all-out thrash metal for most of the time, except for the more power metal-sounding "11th Commandment". The band have always been technical players, but here their musicianship reaches the top: the excellent progressive power/thrasher "Avalanche of a Million Hearts", the brilliant technical thrash opus "Suicidal Justice", the crushing opener "Who Dies Wins", which features superb lead performance. "S.C.U.M." is a more light-hearted, but very cool speed/thrasher. "Vandal" is more aggressive, really intense, and could pass for the most aggressive track here, along with the faster headbanging "Calculated Execution", which is classic thrash at its absolute best. This effort remains, after all these years, one of the finest achievements of the whole UK scene laying the foundations for two more albums, albeit not as striking, which the guys released under the name Pariah.

Court in the Act Full-length, 1983
Into the Future EP, 1987
Suspended Sentence Full-length, 1987

Vibrations of Doom

SATAN'S HOST (USA)

This band was founded by the singer Harry Conklin after he left Jag Panzer. The music is more aggressive than the one released by Panzer being forceful power/thrash metal along the lines of Liege Lord, Helstar and late-80's Manilla Road. The guys keep very good dynamics starting with the galloping "Black Steele", which flows into the speed/thrash attack "Into the Veil". "Metal from Hell" and "King of Terror" rage on uncompromisingly, on the latter Conklin adding some unholy shrieks. "Strongest of the Night" is only a bit slower, being an evil sinister power/thrasher. "Standing at Death's Door" is pure pounding power metal ala Jag Panzer, and is the only filler here. "Hell Fire" speeds up again, adding a nice epic melodic chorus. The last "Souls in Exile" preserves the speed and the epic, thrashing hard for about 7-min, before the peaceful balladic finale.

Conklin left shortly after the release of this album, which was supposedly followed by another one, under the title "Midnight Wind": a mysterious affair, which never saw an official release, and is nowhere to be found, although it's listed in their official discography as an 1987 release. He sang for Titan Force after that, and had a short spell later with both Riot and Ballistic.

The band had gone missing for more than 10 years, to re-emerge in the late 90's; fans of the debut will be shocked to hear their new material, which is full-blooded black metal, crossing the old with the new trends, often quite brutal and vicious. Their modern works are strictly for black metal afficionados, and are good in their own right, but have not even a shade of their old style.
"By the Hands of the Devil" sees the band abandoning their evil black metal ways, although the opening title-track will scare you with its blasting fury, a sure-handed death metal madness with the excellent powerful clean vocals of Harry Conklin, yes, that same one who sang on the band's debut, albeit very contrasting, to the brutal musical approach; the veteran is clearly the star of the show with his standout performance covering a wide range of pitches: from the dramatic antics of DIO (R.I.P.) to the high-pitched screams of Halford: all is here. Then comes "Shades of the Unlight" which is a potent blend of speed, thrash and death metal of the more epic type featuring great melodic hooks and choruses; followed by another great number: the power/speed/thrasher "Demontia", a vigorous progressive epic hymn with again great choruses. "Before the Flame" stretches into whole 8-min providing more laid-back epic power/thrash with the obligatory super-fast implements. "Bleeding Hearts of the Damned" is a very good atmospheric ballad, but "Black Hilted Knife" is an aggressive speed/thrashing shredder, with "Revival" going up the aggression scale into death metal territories once again to produce an encompassing sound with haunting Oriental melodies. "Fallen Angel" blasts again with the speed of light, and may tire you since relief from this fast downpour is seldom offered, except in the form of isolated passages from the songs. Many will be surprised to hear the closer which is a very good original version of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood", done in a very energetic blasting fashion suiting perfectly the style of the album. This is a welcome shift for the band into more acceptable fields, showing them dealing with several styles with ease without messing it up, still far from their power/thrashy roots, which may sound a bit overdone at times due to the music's hyper-speedy nature.

Metal from Hell Full-length, 1986
By the Hands of the Devil Full-length 2011

Vibrations of Doom

SATAN'S PROPAGANDA (GERMANY)

It's great to be Satan nowadays, isn't it? He gets everything for free, even "rock". These guys pull out music which indeed has a rock-ish vibe, but is way more aggressive than your regular Motorhead emulator. The closest soundalike would be mid-period Impaled Nazarene, but the Germans never go for speed for its own sake, but keep things mid to up-paced, the former side reminiscent of Barathrum at times, plus the more carefree interpretations of the good old hard'n heavy ("Christobserver") and the obligatory tributes to punk ("Written in Goatsemen"). The title-track is not as impressive, being a somewhat clumsy epic heavy metal cut lasting for whole 5.5-min. The other "rock" tribute, "Rock the Nun Until You Cum", is way more energetic even reaching the early speedy boogie aesthetics of the Exciter debut. The singer is the prototypical raspy semi-shouter, helped by his comrades on the catchy sing-along choruses. An annoyance would be the very buzzy guitar sound, which may have been used intentionally, in order to recapture the primal evil atmosphere of the early black metal recordings.

Rock for Satan Full-length, 2011

SATANARCHY (SWEDEN)

Energetic thrash/crossover spiced with heavy guitars in the vein of early Celtic Frost from time to time; jolly, catchy, simplistic riffs will you find here aplenty. Rarely are some tracks cool exercises in slower, doomy music ("Behold The Dragons Of The Revolution"), and to these ears this side seems the more attractive one; the singer also helps in this direction with his gruff Tom G. Warrior-like delivery.

Disgraceful World Full-length, 2002

SATANICA (ARGENTINA)

These guys specialize in heavy mid-paced thrash of the classic type; despite the bonus the music gets for sounding classic at the time, points are taken away fot its one-dimensional delivery and the bad semi-death metal singer. Oh, and the sound quality is not that good making the leads too screamy, although the ones on "Bestias Uniformadas" are really cool, both technical and melodic.

Anesthetizing The Reality EP, 1994

SATANICA (JAPAN)

Based on "After Christ, the Devil Comes", this Japanese act pulls out decent retro speed/thrash mixing early Whiplash with more meaty guitars ala Angel Dust and Iron Angel. Two blistering speed/thrashers open the album in a high note, after which the band have problems going back to the more aggressive patterns: "Mad Beast" shows the guys' more lyrical side being a cool semi-ballad, and "Whisper of Chaos" and "Sacrifice Hunter" are slightly confusing proto-modernish numbers in mid-tempo at best. Then the glorious speedy sound returns for another three pieces, although they are more of nods towards the 90's speed/power metal heritage, all this finished with the operatic epic instrumental "Golgotha". The singer is quite cool, though, having a dramatic high-strung voice also possessing abilities in handling the lower registers. Two of the members also take part in the classic heavy metal act Witch's Kiss.
"We Are Satan's Preacher" is another sure-handed effort, speed/thrashing with melody, the opening "Evil Metal" being a particularly "evil" cut ala Pile Driver and Exciter. "Show No Mercy" is a more uplifting speed metal roller-coaster, before "Witch Doctor" reduces the speed a bit to more moderate power/thrash, which also stays around for "The Grudge", which concentrates more on melody to a fairly catchy effect. "Soldier of Death" is a sinister doomster, but be prepared to mosh around on the next "Kill or Lose", which is classic speed/thrash at its best. "Black Assassin" is a heavy steam-roller with the staple melodc leanings, dragging the short pounding "Valhalla" along with it; before the final "Razor Holocaust", which is a re-recorded version of a song from their debut, wraps it up with the closing portion of hard speed/thrashing rhythms in the best tradition of early Whiplash and Pile Driver again.

Knights in Satanic Service Full-length, 2004
After Christ, the Devil Comes Full-length, 2007
We Are Satan's Preacher Full-length, 2010
Black Assassin EP, 2011

SATANIKA (ITALY)

After a long string of EP's, the band are finally able to produce a full-length, and it shows them in a bright (albeit unholy) light for the production of pretty decent retro black/thrash, helped by none other than Mr. Bobby Gustafson (Overkill, Skrew, Grip Inc.). The tempo is quite intense, with major headbangers ("Atomic Curse", "Razor Maniac") roaming around, intercepted by aggressive, blasting black metal cuts ("Morbid Priest"). "Fetish Bitch Kult" is a cool shift into doomy sinister thrash, followed by a short string of more moderate numbers, before the arrival of the closer "Brain Damage", which is a return to the speedy patterns. The singer is a typical black metal rasper with a characteristic, reverberating tone. The band's founders also have a few other projects: the symphonic black metal outfit Lord Vampyr; and the black/death metal hybriders Nailed God.

Atomic Curse EP, 2010
Brain Damage EP, 2010
Mutilator EP, 2010
Re-animate the 80's EP, 2010
Satanikattack Full-length, 2011

SATHANAS (USA)

Based on the "Ripping Evil" EP, this band offers typical old school black/thrash metal with a dirty, 80's underground sound and crushing heavy, mostly mid-paced riffs, plus vicious black-ish snarls for vocals. There wasn't another band at that time to play something similar to them, but their music has definitely had its influence on the more restrained (and better) side of the black metal field (Barathrum, Khold, Thorns, late period Satyricon). Reportedly on their later official releases the band have speeded up a bit, and their style incorporated elements from death metal which, at least on this EP, are nowhere to be found.

Ripping Evil EP, 1993
Black Earth Full-length, 1996
Armies Of Charon Full-length, 1997
Thy Dark Heavens Full-length, 2001
Cruentus Diabolos EP, 2002
Warlords Of Death EP, 2003
Hex Nefarious Full-length, 2003
Flesh for the Devil EP, 2005
Entering The Diabolic Trinity Full-length, 2005
Crowned Infernal Full-length, 2007

SATUREYE (SWEDEN)

Classic thrash metal (think Destruction, Kreator) meets the Gothenburg death metal sound; professionally done, very energetic and fast (except for the two doomy modern thrashers "Filled With Dust" and "In Mercury" at the end, which bring to mind the Kreator experiments on "Renewal", and Coroner's "Grin"), but hardly memorable, simply because there are hundreds of bands nowadays who tread the same path.

Where Flesh And Divinity Collide Full-length, 2004

SATYRASIS (USA)

Modern thrash/death metal ala Dew-Scented and Corporation 187; the guys here vary things a bit more perhaps with cool melodic hooks thrown in here and there, but generally the songs flow in a predictable fashion, mostly in up-tempo which makes the stylish closing "Cyclopean Shores" the highlight: a frantic progressive/technical thrash affair starting and finishing in an atmospheric balladic manner, the in-between containing a potent blend of furious straight riffs and swirling Coroner-like sections with creepy sinister riffs and chaotic leads; those tendencies should be developed further... with ideas like these it's a shame that the guys prefer to follow safer, well-trodden paths most of the time.

Creation of Failure Full-length, 2008

SAURON (USA)

This band's debut will bring you back to the days when German thrash metal was just beginning to take shape (the mid-80's). This is furious speed/thrash assault in the vein of early Destruction, Kreator and Sodom. The raw-ish production quality and the buzzying guitar sound are also perfectly conformed with the era. If you manage to overcome the feeling of nostalgy, what awaits you is a headbanging riff-fest finished with a raging (and faithful) cover of Kreator's "Total Death".

Thrash Assault Full-length, 2004
Satanic Assassins EP, 2006

SAVAGE AGGRESSION (COLUMBIA)

Fast direct thrash of the retro type: think early Kreator ("Pleasure to Kill", above all) and Exumer's "Possessed by Fire". The guys play with gusto with sharp biting guitars seldom pausing for a break (ironically, the only real one is on "Thrash Metal Attack"). The singer is a good Mille emulator rasping in a similar to the German's early vocal delivery. Some of the band members can also be seen in another retro thrash metal act: Alcoholic Force.

Satan's Strike Full-length, 2010

SAVAGE DEATH (USA)

This is an obscure, but essential band who have played a role in the establishment of death metal in the late 80's. The band's music is vicious speed/thrash metal with proto-death ala Possessed's "Seven Churches" moments and a Slayer-like intensity. It's amazing how these guys were never given a chance for an official release, considering the fashionable at the time (or maybe a bit before its time) sound at display on their demos.

Mass Genocide Demo, 1985
Crucified in Hell Demo, 1986

SAVAGE MESSIAH (UK)

This band are the continuation of Headless Cross, a cool act who released two EP's and one demo before splitting up. The music on this album is better, and more thrash-oriented than the "classic heavy metal meets thrash" mix of Headless Cross. This is actually good stuff, energetic and sharp, with a certain Bay Area flavour: think a less technical early Testament. The slower mid-paced thrashers seem to work better, at least for me: the excellent galloping "Heavens Gate". "Conspiracy In Silence" is a great ballad, with a fine performance by the singer, whose main style slightly recalls John Bush (Armored Saint, Anthrax), but lower-pitched, and more varied.
"Insurrection Rising" crosses the Bay-Area sound with slower less intense moments, with Testament again remaining an influence (their early-90's output). This time the faster numbers are the more appealing, since the slower ones are considerably softer, clinging towards the ballad ("In Absence of Liberty") quite a bit, with a certain shade of power metal ("Vigil of the Navigator") as well, and their number is too big to make this effort a sure pick for the thrash metal fans. The band relies on melody too much, and it's obvious that they want to touch a wider audience, but, like in the case of Evile's "Infected Nations", this "expansion of the horizons" needs future refinement, before one shouts out: "British thrash is coming of age!".
"Plague Of Conscience" is another larger-than-life offering, which crosses thrash, speed and power metal concentrating on melody more, which comes aplenty in both the riff and lead department. The songs are mostly in the mid-paced parametre with thrash stepping forward on "All Seeing I", which is a sophisticated semi-technical number with echoes of early Megadeth. "The Accuser" comes a bit late near the end, being a really invigorating short headbanger, and does its job, to wake up the sleeping spirits, since after it comes another more intense thrasher: "Shadowbound", a fast-paced shredder with a few effective pounding sections. "The Mask Of Anarchy" closes the album in a moderate semi-balladic fashion, killing the inertia accumulated with the last 2 numbers, acquiring progressive dimensions with its epic length (8.5-min) and several mood changes. The band are still faithful to their versatile style, touching the hearts of many a metal fan from several genres, and as such there should be no disappointed with this new release.

Spitting Venom Full-length, 2007
Insurrection Rising Full-Length, 2009
Plague Of Conscience Full-length, 2012

SAVAGE SKULL (USA)

6 songs of very cool intense thrash of the old school, which will shoot you straight to hell with the furious opener "Speed Demons", but this is just the beginning, since later on comes the proto-death/thrash bomb "Beyond The Morbid Gates" and the merciless "Into The Depths Of Terror", a direct leftover from early Massacra or early Sadus; the rest follows the pattern pretty closely. Another band from the past this EP may remind you of, is Morbid Saint. This is controlled brutality with sharp fast riffs and vicious semi-death vocals ala Darren Travis (Sadus).

Beyond the Morbid Gates EP, 2008

SAVAGE STEEL (CANADA)

A not very known Canadian thrash metal band whose debut was a pretty decent mixture of thrash and power metal, beginning not with a nightmare, like the album-title suggests, but with the long, complex, but fairly interesting "Hit From The Rear", which has a nice intense thrashy break in the middle. The complexity continues on the following "The Betrayel-Chambers of Darkness", but there's no thrash on it: just cool, mid-paced progressively-laced power metal. The remaining songs are much shorter and direct, and "Nightprowler" is a nice little speed/thrasher. "A Night On The Horizon" is the other more dynamic track of the mid-paced, semi-technical variety. The singer Paul Gleneicki possesses a cool mid-ranged tember, but his high-pitched attempts are quite piercing, and sometimes annoying.
"Killing Time"(recorded before, but released after "Do Or Die") is an improvement over the debut in every department, with a couple of really inventive riffs and more edgy tracks. It actually "Begins with a Nightmare" (in case of you wonder whether the guys indeed have a song of this title), which is a cool heavy semi-technical power/thrasher. Later things become more interesting, with the aggressive thrash killer "Can't Stop"; the stylish up-tempo semi-technical "Dead and Gone" and "Liar Liar"; the short, but utterly satisfying technical instrumental "Killing Time": the highlight of the album; the fine galloping power/thrash number "No Falling Angel". Gleneicki here adheres to his higher tones much more often, and his screams could easily rival high-singing masters like Mike Soliz (Watchtower), Gary St. Pierre (Hawaii, Vicious Rumours) and Bob Mitchell (Attacker).
Based on the debut (the sophomore album was not known to anyone at that point), one could hardly expect what these guys would come up with: "Do Or Die" is astonishing technical thrash, which remained just an underground phenomenon although his influence on the future development of this sub-genre is undeniable. Effortlessly played, with loads of brilliant technical riffs pouring from all sides, "Do Or Die" is a compelling tour de force from beginning to end. The frantic, hectic opener "Do or Die" will throw you into aggressive proto-death technical waters, where acts like Terrahsphere and Dead & Bloated (both bands could have been influenced by this album) belong, and this is even the least technical track here. "Enough is Enough" slows down, but only a little, and we have another intense technical thrasher to enjoy. "Time After Time" starts in a fairly aggressive manner once again, but during its 6-min it features quite a few head-spinning time changes, and a whirlwind of sharp riffs. "Better Late Than Never" is more moderate, slower, but the vortex-like technical guitars, which stop just for a split second, in order to continue in an even more abstract way immediately, will delight you all over (this particular formula was later picked by Coroner, and perfected on "Mental Vortex"). "Men of War" is a remastered version of a song from the previous album: the weakest one there, actually, but here it sounds much better, with a harder, more biting and technical guitar sound. "Evil Eye" is a superb fast-paced technical masterpiece, which even provides a short brutal proto-death break. The last song "Get Me Out of Here" is in the same merciless vein, but the guitar work reaches further, with a stupendous super-technical middle section. Gleneicki manages to finally sound more restrained, nicely recalling Bruce Dickinson at times, without completely losing his high-pitched screams, even adding sinister growly deathy "decorations" from time to time. The band's guitarist Marshall Birch is a first-rate technical shredder (his style could have been an influence on Jeff Waters), and it's a pity that he never recorded anything else after the guys split up. This incredible album is the first sign that there is something in the water in Canada, and virtually gives an early start to the technical scene in that country (I, of course, exclude Voivod with their abstract, surreal, inimitable style), laying the basis for the appearance of other similar masterpieces, like "Alice In Hell", Disciples of Power's "Ominous Prophecy", the Sadistic Vision demos, etc.

Begins with a Nightmare Full-length, 1987
Killing Time Full-length, 1987
Do Or Die Full-length, 1988

SAVAGE THRUST (USA)

Cool speed/thrash metal in the vein of Agent Steel and Toxik's "World Circus" with cool high-pitched vocals and powerful sharp riffs. "Acid Bath" is a heavy stomping opener, not realy suggesting at the more aggressive nature of the other material, except at the end, when it speeds up for a few seconds. "Speed or Bleed" richly deserves its title: an awesome speed/thrash number with a nice technical edge, quite aggressive. "Madman Marz" carries on in the same spirit with more direct punishing riffs. The rest is not too different, offering a great headbanging fun all the way.

Eat 'Em Raw Full-length, 1990

SAVIOR FROM ANGER (ITALY)

Quite good power/thrash metal of the old school, which starts with the crushing thrashterpiece "Claustrophobia", after which the speed decreases for the proto-modern "Victim Of Rage", but immediately picks it up on "No Way Out", which thrashes hard in a fine Bay-Area manner. A couple of mid-paced power/thrashers follow, before "Mindstruck" brings the Bay-Area spirit back. Later on there is one excellent ballad: "Through This Life", where the very good melodic singer rules; he performs very well everywhere, controlling both the lower and the higher registers with ease. More headbanging thrash comes as a finishing touch with "Shock Wave" and "Puncture Of Submission"; the latter is a bonus track, but, man, these guys unleash hell of a brutal thrash there, nicely contrasting with the very melodic vocals. This is a promising debut, which will make quite a few heads turn in the months to come.

Lost in the Darkness Full-length, 2009

SAWCHAIN (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Architecture of Evil" demo, this band prefer to stay within the confines of the style which represents their homeland best in the past few years: modern thrash/death metal recalling Terror 2000 and Corporation 187.

Abra Cadaver Demo, 2002
Monument Of Hate Demo, 2002
Architecture of Evil Demo, 2004

SAWHILL SACRIFICE (FINLAND)

3 tracks of excellent intense classic thrash/death metal; fast relentless music with vicious apocalyptic death metal vocals. The delivery is quite close to the Merciless debut, so expect plenty of headbanging fun and risks for sprained necks all over. The sound quality is very good giving the lashing guitars a strong sharp edge, especially on the speedy semi-lead sections (check out the thrash metal fan's paradise "End" at the end).

Sawhill Sacrifice Demo, 2010

SAWTHIS (ITALY)

Modern post-thrash mixed with metalcore; by all means skippable, with not much to hold on to, just rehashed jumpy riffs and terrible shouty vocals which in this case stay more on the death metal side.

Egod Full-Length, 2010

SAX (CZECH)

Based on "Zona Strachu", Sax play fast, technical thrash metal with great bass performance. This is really high quality stuff; reminds me of the Dutch techno-thrashers Usurper, but faster, or Koma from Russia. The music takes more chaotic and frantic dimensions, bringing the sound close to Terrahsphere as well ("Rudy Mor"). Such intense delivery definitely tires, and here comes a heavy, slower track in the vein of late 80's Slayer ("Du�en� Smrt S P�fchutf Olova"). But that's the only song the guys take a break on, and later thrash even more aggressively (the death-tinged "Killer Hammer"). The last song "Ten, Kdo P�ePil" is the culmination of this impressive release, a fine blend of very speedy and precise technical riffs.
The debut showed slight pretensions at the death metal field, which were supposed to develop further on the follow-up, but "Moravske Narez" loses the technicality somewhere, although the great bass work and the speed are almost intact. Still the music is more ordinary this time, and more aggressive, but not death metal, reminding me of Turbo's "Dead End" at times.

Zona Strachu Full-length, 1991
Moravske Narez Full-length, 1993

SAX PIJAK (CZECH)

The band was formed after the Sax singer Pavel Pij�k left the other band (reportedly under not very pleasant circumstances). If we compare this album and the second Sax album, we will find out that both efforts are not miles away from each other, but this one here delivers the goods in a better way. It is more aggressive, more technical, and overall faster, and comes as a fine combination of Gammacide's "Victims of Science", Sepultura's "Arise" and Invocator's "Excursion Demise". It touches death metal occasionally ("Smeti�t8 Perverzity", "UPiteFn� Svi�a"), and some of the songs are really quite fast. To release a thrash metal album with a strong 80's flavour in the mid 90's, was definitely a challenge to oppose to the fashion at the time, but Pavel Pij�k was probably just looking for a way to show to his old band who the real thrash metal talent was, and having managed to do that in a good way, he probably left the music scene soon after that.

V�lka Nerv� Full-length, 1993

SAXO (MALAYSIA)

Generally the average thrash metal fan approaches bands from the more exotic countries with caution and prejudice with the firm belief that quality metal from such distant lands could only come out of Japan. With bands like Saxo around things might change; these guys play fairly good metal which has its roots in thrash, but there are also moments from traditional and power metal (and three ballads). The music is more on the melodic side, and recalls some future bands from Japan, like Sex Machineguns and Hellhound.

Satu Perjuangan Full-length, 1991

SCAAR (SWEDEN)

Modern thrash/death metal similar to many other Swedish acts, with heavy groovy parts ala Pantera and Exhorder.

The Second Incision Full-length, 2005

SCAFFOLD (RUSSIA)

Based on the "Labyrinth of Pain" demo, these guys mix thrash and death metal in a quite cool manner. The bass performance is really outstanding, and slightly overshadows the rest. The music is pretty fast, but also quite technical; there are balladic parts which are nice "calms before the storm". At their best, the band manage to combine aggression and technicalty in a way not worse than mid-period Messiah ("Choir of Horrors", "Rotten Perish"), or even another good Russian band: Koma (their debut, and the demo after). The downpoint is the guys' penchant for frequent blast-beats which do not seem to match the otherwise technical approach too well.

Origin of Debility Demo, 1993
Labyrinth of Pain Demo, 1994

SCALPING SCREEN (FINLAND)

Based on "13 Revolting Strains", this band offer ordinary, unimaginative modern thrash/death metal with good forceful Phil Anselmo-like vocals. The music covers all possible changes, but there is too much concentration on groove, and at times the sound comes close to Pro-Pain ("Two Face"), switching completely to hardcore for a while ("Dead End", "Images Of Reality" and elsewhere).
"Twelve Out Of Chamber" doesn't stray from the chosen path, but there is hardly any death metal to be heard, and the sound overall is more consistent, keeping a good energetic tempo the whole time, with Pro-Pain again being the closest soundalike, and probably Sick of It All on the more intense sections ("Deal", "Collapse"). "Fight for Life" is a cool speed/thrasher, but the rest smells hardcore quite a bit.

13 Revolting Strains Full-length, 2003
...Blood Out Full-length, 2005
Twelve Out Of Chamber Full-length, 2009

SCAMP (DENMARK)

Groovy jumpy post-thrash, which comes as more aggressive, and more technical Clawfinger at times; yes, the sound is quite technical on some parts ("A Familiar Word", "Strategy", the cool heavy Prong-esque "You"), but tries not to stray too much from the trite formula.

Re-Draft EP, 2005
Mirror Faced Mentality Full-length, 2008

SCANXION (UK)

This underground British trio comes up with 2 songs of jumpy doomy thrash, which moves from slow heavy passages to faster more intense ones, clearly concentrating on the former, and as a whole this stuff will hardly appeal to the headbangers, especially when those speedy parts come up all of a sudden, and feature pure senseless bashing. There is quirky atmosphere created by the gloomy monotonous riffage, and this approach could have turned into something more stylish in the future, but the band had reportedly switched onto grunge/alternative rock in the vein of Nirvana and Fugazi, on their next 3 demos of the early 90's.

The Poetic Justice EP, 1990

SCAPE.GOAT (FRANCE)

Modern thrash with hoarse, hardcore vocals; the music is energetic and edgy, mostly up-tempo, and with some slower, melodic implements which work quite well combined with the sharp riffage ("Synergy", "Blank Army").

Zero Demo, 2006

SCAPEGOAT (GERMANY)

This act could be considered the continuation of the German speed/thrash metal act Defender, who released one demo and one EP in the late 80's. The line-up also includes Tosse Basler- the singer of another underground "hero": Poison Asp, as well as the drummer Alex Koch from the black metallers Mystic Circle. Based on "Goddog of Prey", this band plays typical 90's modern power/post-thrash, blending groovy and fast parts, but lacking both edge and heaviness in both the guitar and the vocal department. Often is the music pure hard'n heavy ("Stoker"), and as such could attract a wider circle of fans.

Purify Full-length, 1995
Until You turn to Dust EP, 2000
Goddog of Prey Full-length, 2002

SCARECIN (USA)

A cool 3-song demo of aggressive Slayer-influenced thrash; the only thing which differs it from their mighty compatriots, is the more stylish leads, which are short, but well-constructed.

Demo Demo, 1990

SCARECROW (GERMANY)

This band, who had tried their hands on a more speed metal-based sound under the name Beatifix a few years earlier, deserve to be better known mainly for the reason that they manage to forge their own unique sound which is a blend of dark heavy, semi-technical thrash and enjoyable more melodic numbers. The vocals are the downpoint, being weak and indifferent of the declamatory, semi-singing variety. Actually if you remember the first two albums of the British Sacrilege, then you might get an idea about the style here (check out the very ambitious, 12-min track "Condemned To Be Doomed, Part 2"), although the approach of the Germans is a bit more varied and more technical. The first part of that same song, which is the opener, is a fine instrumental piece, shredding in an awesome mid to up-tempo thrash manner, with aggressive bashing parts alternating with more controlled galloping ones, also featuring a cool balladic lead-driven passage and standout lead guitar work everywhere else. "In the Beginning", supposedly the intro, is curiously placed as the second track, killing the gained inertia to a great extent, being plain thundering noise accompanied by an indifferent chanting voice. "I Owe You..." continues the curiousity, mixing heavy almost doomy elements with chaotic abstract riffage not too far from early/mid 80's Voivod. "Nuclear Radiation" is nothing like the previous one, offering more laid-back thrash/crossover, but with "Personal Problems" the more serious song-writing returns to the fore with dark sinister riffs ala Infernal Majesty. Then comes the aforementioned 12-min opus, which sounds almost identical to the previous track, the reason for the bigger length being the stretched balladic passages. More softer thrash/crossover as a finishing touch with "Eternity", to which the very thin melodic punk-ish vocals are a much better match.

Condemned to Be Doomed Full-length, 1988
No Reason to Be Sad EP, 1989

SCARECROW (POLAND)

Ultimately vicious thrash/black/death, fast and brutal, with simplistic guitar work and a raving mad singer, who rends his lungs out; short tracks, with a tinge of grind even: not for the squeamish side of the thrash fanbase.

Deo Optimo Maximo Demo, 1989

SCARED TO DEATH (GERMANY)

This thrash trio from Germany plays energetic modern thrash metal with classic leanings ("Extreme Aggression", which is not a Kreator cover being much less aggressive than the Kreator song, and hardly deserves its violent title; the intense speed/thrash riff-fest "Dark Harvest"). The horrible industrialized vocals on "Paint The White House Black" ruin an otherwise good jolly speed/thrashing piece. The guys manage to sound convincingly on the slower longer tracks, too: "Crucifixion", which offers interesting dark pounding riffs; the cool bonus track at the end "Deine Zeit" which is more melodic with a crossover shade.

Deathconstruction Full-Length, 2008

SCARIOT (NORWAY)

Scariot are very close to grabbing the title "the best Norwegian metal band of modern times", and well deservedly so. Their debut album offers a cool, albeit an uneven mix of power, thrash and death metal. It jumps from straight-forward Swedish death metal ("Crimson Tears") to pure cheesy heavy/power ("Cruisin'", "False Power"), and it's near the end when thrash metal sneaks in ("Sister"), but still crossed with melodic power metal hooks. "The Bad Man" is finally a truly satysfying number, being a heavy, but also speedy thrasher. The duel between the gruff, low-tuned death metal vocals and the soaring clean ones does not work all the time, and as a whole this album leaves quite a bit to be desired.
"Tongueless God" is a nice switch to technical thrash with brutal death metal vocals, and great leads. The music is mid-tempo and heavy, with occasional takes on Swedish death metal ("The Cynic"). Some tracks are really impressive exercises in technical metal ("Death Request"), whereas some go into progressive territory (the nice atmospheric instrumental "Tongueless God").

"Strange to Numbers" is a big improvement over the predecessor cleared almost completely off all other influences (the exception: the laid-back heavy metal number "Lady X"), and concentrating on the thrashy side, again technical, with a unique dark sound, recalling Nevermore. The death metal vocals, which were not doing such a good job earlier, are gone, and the new singer has a poweful, clean voice, much more suiting to the music. This is a tour de force consisting of great complex tracks with mighty riffs, Oriental melodies, more direct intense headbangers ("Broken Circle - Cutting Glass", "Clear Mind"), and really infectious choruses (the closing, progressively-laced "Inner Mica"). The music is never too fast, but is often up-tempo, and emanates a lot of energy.
The band looked well set to conquer the metal scene, and not only in Norway, but the singer Oddleif Stensland departed, to found his own band (Communic is the name; he had already tested the soil, with a demo, under the name Ingermanland, which worked great), leaving the others hanging for 4 long years, when finally Daniel Olaisen, the band's founder, and its actual face, summoned a stellar cast, consisting of the almighty Steve DiGiorgio, and two members of the progressive metallers Spiral Architect, for the recording of "Momentum Shift". If those who have crossed the band off the list after the Stensland departure, have to put them back, and much higher than the first time: this is first-rate technical thrash, which has something in common with the previous album, but goes way further, perfecting the technical guitar sound, without forgetting about the more aggressive side of thrash ("Nothing"), and about the genuine Oriental tunes, which here are even more, and are simply brilliant (check out "Slaves", containing one of the greatest choruses of the past few years). A marvellous cover of Death's "Symbolic" arrives near the end, to make this work even more compelling, and also make it one of the main pretenders for the "album of the year" award of 2007.

Deathforlorn Full-length, 2000
Tongueless God Full-length, 2001
Pushing For Perfection EP, 2002
Strange to Numbers Full-length, 2003
Momentum Shift Full-length, 2007

SCARLET SKY (BRAZIL)

Despite some modern implements, this album retains quite a bit of the 80's sound, and is a good work of interesting minimalistic thrash metal which sounds kind of mechanical and dry without strictly belonging to the 90's school. The music is not aggressive, and nicely combines up-tempo riffs with stomping, Celtic Frost-like ones ("The Cannibal"). More intense numbers are a rarity ("Death Angel", the short aggressive "Hurted Innocence"), and the closer "Guru" is an ambitious technical track, with cold dry riffage recalling the style later adopted by Voivod a few years later. The vocals are very annoying, by the way, being bad undeveloped semi-hardcore shouts, and one might find it really hard to believe that they are delivered by a girl.

"The Portrait of a Nation" sounds more modern and more laid-back not strictly belonging to the thrash metal field the whole time ranging from crossover party numbers ("Body Bags"), to high-octane proto-groovy doomsters ("Dogs At Night"), to weird avantgarde cover versions (the surreal industrial take on The Doors' "Strange Days"; the more faithful wild interpretatuion of The Exploited's "Why?"), to "remnants" from the past (the brutal retro shredder "Witch Of The Streets" which comes accompanied by nice classical semi-acoustic guitars; the frantic mix of heavy steam-rollers and raging proto-blasting sections "Brazil Champion"). There are certainly displays of bad taste, like the awkward "Pussy Power Rap", which is a jumpy pointless groover, and overall this exuberant amalgam doesn't really strike as too impressive coming with an awful noisy abrasive synthesized guitar sound, on top of other annoyances.

Scarlet Sky Full-length, 1993
The Portrait of a Nation Full-length, 1994

SCARRED BY BEAUTY (DENMARK)

A 3-song EP of noisy abrasive modern thrash/death metal with touches of metalcore; the music is chaotic with sudden constant switches from one pace to another creating a complex, but incoherent, focusless picture.

We Swim EP, 2009

SCARRED MIND (BELGIUM)

Based on the full-length, these guys offer a mix of classic and modern thrash with good lashing guitar work and ordinary hoarse semi-shouty vocals. The music moves from all-out headbangers even touching Slayer ("Hollow Eyes", the speedy roller-coaster "Scarred"), to moody doomy pieces ("Seven"), to jolly crossover ("Fuck Off") happinesses.

The Sweet Taste Of Sickness Full-length, 2004
The Anomaly EP, 2008

SCARS (BRAZIL)

Typical modern death/thrash metal, led by the singer of the split-up technical death metal wizards Strangulation; the aggressive attitude is perhaps a bit more than usual, which places this EP closer to death metal territory most of the time; no traces of technical play here. However, this is not a complaint at all as the sheer energy and speed involved would win almost anyone in the long run.
"Devilgod Alliance" is a better effort, now deeply immersed in retro thrash, fast and relentless, with fewer more brutal death metal moments. The album starts in a crushing manner with a fast thrash duo, before "Feast of the Damned (Red Death Part I)" crushes your skull in the best tradition of mid-period Sepultura with heavy mid-paced riffs. "Diabolization" continues the assault with more aggressive death metal guitars and a nice balladic interlude, which ripens into the excellent short acoustic instrumental "Five Minutes Before Darkness", which may remind you of the intro to Destruction's "Curse the Gods". "Inner God Death" is the only full-blooded tribute to death metal, after which the enjoyable thrash show carries on uninterrupted for 4 more tracks, until the coming of "Devilgod Alliance": another slower smashing steam-roller. The end is put in the form of an Overdose cover of "Scars" from their 1995 album of the same title; that same album apparently being the "godfather" of the band.

The Nether Hell EP, 2005
Devilgod Alliance Full-length, 2008

SCARS SOULS (BRAZIL)

Based on "Highbreed", this act plays edgy thrashy progressive power metal supported by nice emotional female vocals (the name is Andr�a Palmieri, and she is also responsible for the unobtrusive keyboard background springing up from time to time) which are not too far from Doro Pesch, maybe a tad more melodic and attached. The album opens in an attacking manner with the galloping "Addiction", but the next "Warnings" is already a more laid-back progressive composition. The complexity goes up on the 9.5-min opus "Feelings" which mixes heavy sharp guitars with elaborate semi-balladic arrangements to a fairly positive effect recalling mid-period The Gathering. "Open Letter" is a dreamy ballad with very good vocal performance, cancelled by the short intense power/thrasher "Hybrid"; nothing progressive here, just straight dynamic shred. "Parallel Systems" is another exercise in a bigger complexity, this time all-instrumental, relying mostly on meaty doomy riffs blending well with the fine keyboards. "Solitute" beats everything in terms of length (12-min) and elaborate structures producing a satisfying "cocktail", albeit a bit overlong, of hard-hitting passages and mellower balladic ones. "Y O K A N" follows a similar pattern, closing on just above 10-min, but the guitars are edgier, and the pace is faster resulting in the best song on the album, a fairly nice slab of complex progressive power/thrash which never loses the intensity exiting in an admirable doomy orchestral fashion. The "final impressions" come from "Final Impressions", and they may not be the best ones, since this closer is a pure acoustic ballad, and brings little to the album's diversity provided that there already were quite a few more quiet moments encountered previously. Still, this is a cool effort which target is not the thrash metal fanbase, but those who love the more versatile and thought-out side of metal would do no wrong tracking this work down.

Troia Full-length, 1998
Highbreed Full-length, 2006

SCARSNEAR (RUSSIA)

A melodic brand of thrash and death metal, roughly done, with a buzzy sound and low-tuned guttural vocals. The guys stick to monotonous mid-pace, bordering on doom/death ("Polnoch") at times in a way not too far from early Pyogenesis. The few melodic touches could have been more appealing if it wasn't for this awful sound quality.

Demo Demo, 2006

SCARVE (FRANCE)

One of the better French metal acts for the past ten years, Scarve play fairly good technical industrial death/thrash metal with a modern sound, which is as close to bands like Meshuggah as it is to Atheist or later period Death, but with a nice thick modern production, and a strong presence of industrial metal. On the longer songs the guys spread further, adding some progressive elements, and combined with the quiet passages, smell Opeth quite a bit. Two vocal styles attack you here: one in the death metal-mould, the other clean, and quite good. Perfectly conformed with the demands of the contemporary French metal scene, Scarve are surely one of its leaders nowadays.

Six Tears of Sorrow EP, 1996
Translucence Full-length, 2000
Luminiferous Full-length, 2002
Irradiant Full-length, 2004
The Undercurrent Full-length, 2007

SCATTERBRAIN (USA)

Formed by ex-members of the thrash/crossover band Ludichrist, Scatterbarin play thrash sounding like a less serious Mordred ("Fool's Game") plus funky metal ala Faith No More. This is, of course, a loose description as there is more happening throughout the bands' career. If you like fun thrash, but Anthrax are too heavy for you, and Faith No More are out of the question, with only one track related to the genre ("Surprise, You're Dead"), then Scatterbrain seem like the perfect choice.

Here Comes Trouble Full-length, 1990
Scamboogery Full-length, 1991
Mundus Intellectualis Full-length, 1994

SCATTERED (MACEDONIA)

Quite good classic power/thrash metal of the 80's American type with both epic and progressive tendencies not far from Liege Lord's "Master Control" and the Germans Pcychotron. The album begins in a more restrained epic fashion with two more moderate numbers, but comes "The War of Life", and things get aggressively thrashy. "Anger Slave" is a heavy pounder with a cool faster galloping break near the end which provides great melodic hooks. "Mirror" is an excellent dark power/thrasher with speedy overtones, the latter completely overtaking the short headbanger "Reflections", which still finds time for swirling technical decisions. Things get serious once again on "Epic Liberation" which is indeed "epic" with its nearly 9-min of top-notch technical thrash which is a tour de force of complex technical riffage and faster more direct sections, and a fine epic exit (which is, actually, the only more epic part of the song). The final "Equilibrium" starts in a fast & furious manner, and your head will start banging spontaneously, before the sound acquires slower, almost doomy, shades in the 2nd half. This is an impressive convincing debut which may make one take acts from this small European country more seriously from now on.

Introspection Full-length, 2010

SCAVENGER (ESTONIA)

This compilation displays an act indulging in technical death/thrash metal of the classic type not far from Morbid Angel, also vocal-wise, but the Estonians' sense of melody is bigger, and their music's complexity is higher even aiming at the progressive field on the longer compositions (the atmospheric doomy "Labyrinth"). The main flaw would be the sudden jumps from technical mid-paced to furious blasting passages those switches coming unheralded the latter lasting for just a few seconds, but are quite frequent.

Keeper of the Knowledge Best of/Compilation, 2001

SCAVENGER (IRELAND)

This is an original band who manage to combine power, thrash and traditional heavy metal with doomy depressive passages, not too distant from the last few Katatonia albums. This combination works well (check out "Ethereal Journey" and "Daydreams In Dystopia"), and Scavenger have all the rights to be considered one of the prime bands on the Irish metal scene of recent years.

Madness To Our Method Full-length, 2004
Keeper of the Knowledge Best of/Compilation, 2001

SCENERY (SZECH)

One of the better practitioners from the technical death/thrash metal field for the past 10 years; the debut is the band's most aggressive, and arguably their finest achievement. The music is a seamless mix of Coroner's "Mental Vortex" and Pestilence's "Testimony of the Ancients", relying on both speedy intense and complex thought-out passages, a full expression of which is found on the excellent opener "After Life Before Life". "Bethrayer of Life / Destructor of People" is a technical/progressive masterpiece, a bit more moderate speed-wise, but "Why Won't You Listen to Me?" is already more dynamic with nice melodic semi-balladic insertions. "The Drowning Shadow of Mankind" is a complex dream-like take on thrash with numerous tempos and moods, mostly instrumental with sparce vocal participation. It influences the rest of the songs which are similar labyrinthine exercises in technicality without many fast "temptations", but totally satisfying with the high level of musicianship and the original ideas thrown in.
"Philosophy Of Ages" loses all the speed the debut had, and the concentration is on complex structures, mazey arrangements, and quite a few fine melodic hooks which nicely alternate with the sharp technical riffs. Now the sound has moved more towards late-period Death and Atheist with several fusion/jazzy passages ala Cynic. What may annoy the listener is the inclusion of a couple of longer semi-balladic passages which are usually placed in the middle of the tracks, and are hardly necessary (I mean length-wise) since at least half of the songs start in a quiet balladic manner. The bass work is great recalling the one of Steve DiGiorgio on the Death efforts. One may mourn the lack of more dynamic moments although the more elaborate approach will by all means delight fans of the style, especially those who will find time to listen with care.

"Continuity" is not far style-wise from its predecessor, but is kind of better since some of the intensity has returned resulting in a few very cool speedy passages, but on the other hand there are purely balladic vocal sections where the singer abandons his gruff semi-death metal delivery, and "unleashes" his nice clean vocals (could be another singer?). Still, this album delivers on all counts lashing technical riffs from all sides boasting the presence of pleasant more speedy "surprises", like the galloping "Behind Horizont" and especially the great progressive opus "Evolution Mirror", a feast for the ears with smashing fast sections, virtuoso harder-to-swallow ones, a nice keyboard background at times, and a haunting acoustic ending.

The Drowning Shadow Of Mankind Full-length, 1997
Philosophy Of Ages .... Full-length, 2002
Continuity Full-length, 2006

SCENERY OF THE BLACK MASK (RUSSIA)

Modern groovy mid-tempo thrash with rough death metal vocals and a rich dark sound; "Bitch Bride Suicide" is a very cool take on the atmospheric avantgarde style of the Australians Alchemist, and the last track "Warzone" is a cover of the Danes Konkhra.

Bitch Bride Suicide EP, 2009

SCENT OF REMAINS (USA)

The already proven groovy formula is given a slight more complex twist here, but not hard enough to make this effort stand out despite the several clever moments and the good lead guitar work. Nice clean vocals jump up on "No Excuses" to replace the gruff death metal ones, and leave a much more positive impression. They make one more appearance on the closer "Uno Mas Tiempo" to "duel" with the "monster" for the making of a nice creepy progressive modern thrasher, the highlight of this otherwise just an average effort.

Mind.Thought.Fear Full-length, 2010

SCENTERIA (SWEDEN)

Modern death/thrash metal with the Gothenburg school a clear influence; good stuff sounding like a thrashy version of Dark Tranquillity. The guys have a good sense of melody which works well with the energetic up-tempo riffs. The music is pure thrash most of the time, except for the closing "The Abyss" which comes with a genuine gothic edge ("Forever Lost"), which could have been emphasized on a little bit more, since it gives the style the necessary touch of originality. "Infected War" is a cool stomping thrasher which nicely changes the tempo for a while. Cool keyboards could be heard in the background ("Reign Of Hate") from time to time.

Art of Aggression Full-length, 2004

SCEPTER (USA)

Many bands have tried, but few have succeeded as well as Scepter to bring the old Celtic Frost sound back to life. There is little offered here apart from classic Celtic Frost, but with cool music like that one doesn't really care for more.

Metal Supremacy EP, 1996
I�m Going To Hell Full-length, 1998
Fucking Metal Motherfuckers Full-length, 2003

SCEPTIC (POLAND)

The techno death metal wizards Sceptic have taken a break from their intense complex death metal schedule with this fairly good technical/progressive thrash opus. The music remains elaborate, but the Death-influenced guitar work is not that widely covered; instead some touches of Pestilence"s "Testimony of the Ancients" could be felt: the opener "Unbeliever's Script", but the rest shows an obvious Coroner (sitting between "Mental Vortex" and "Grin") influence, interrupted by melodic death metal-styled leads. The tempo is mid-paced with numerous twists and turns, great guitar performance, albeit not as hard-hitting as on their other efforts, featuring one good slower atmospheric track: "Controlled by Mind", compensated by the fastest song on the album "Shapeless Entity", which again brings Pestilence, and Death, to mind. "Voices from the Past" is a good quiet instrumental, which is not really necessary, and is 7-min long, since earlier there already was one similar track; a long, and not very necessary, tribute to Death's "Voice of the Soul". "Waves of Destruction", the album closer, is another atmospheric, less riff-based number, which might make the listener frown a bit, as there were quite a few of them here. This album was universally criticized by both critics and fans, since it was quite a departure from their very effective style, but for fans of the more technical and atmospheric side of thrash metal it will be by all means a really engaging listen. Later the band safely returned to their old sound.

Unbeliever's Script Full-Length, 2003

SCEPTRE (INDIA)

Based on the full-length, these guys play modern-ish heavy thrash, more dynamic and less groove-based, seldom leaving the mid-pace. The riffs are pounding and heavy, but are varied and do not merge into one another, with the casual more classic hook thrown in ("Charred", the nice short instrumental "Twilight's End"). One may wish to hear something faster, and "Quicksand" comes in to fulfill those wishes, banging hard in a Defiance fashion. This song must have tired the guys a bit, since after it they offer a much more melodic power metal composition: "Search", and another instrumental, this time acoustic and quiet ("Circles Of Silence"). After this "rest" comes a time for another headbanger ("Revolution") which closes the album with meaty speedy riffs.

Sceptre EP, 1999
Now or Never Full-length, 2008

SCHIZO (ITALY)

The band's debut is a good piece of very aggressive thrash mixed with slower longer tracks, not too far from Necrodeath, and quickly won them a cult status. They apparently decided to try their hands at more quality thrash after a very long break. "Cicatriz Black" is pretty much in the same vein: a frantic mix of outrageous death/thrashers and more restrained melodic pieces (check out the instrumental "The Sicilian Clan" at the end).
"Sound of Coming Darkness" is probably the band's finest hour; it's too bad it's only 4 songs. This is high-class heavy technical thrash, which on the best moments even touches Sadus' "Elements of Anger". There are no speedy tracks to be found, like on their full-lengths; heavy, smashing riffs assault you from beginning to end (there are some timid attempts at a faster play on "Built With Bricks of Shame", but they get quickly buried under the wall of sinister technical guitars), accompanied by low-tuned death metal vocals.
"Hallucination Cramps" is a wild brutal affair featuring fast aggressive thrash/death metal the whole time, and as such can easily pass for the band's most extreme effort so far. Furious blasting sections take turns with calmer Slayer-esque ones, the only mercy shown on the mid-paced smasher "Absent" and on the very cool elaborate, almost progressive-sounding, closer "Executionerves", a nice mix of dark doomy rhythms and semi-technical steam-roller guitars.

Main Frame Collapse Full-length, 1989
Sound of Coming Darkness EP, 1994
Cicatriz Black Full-length, 2007
Hallucination Cramps Full-length, 2010

SCHIZOID (NICARAGUA)

Excellent modern technical thrash which sounds pretty close to Voivod's "Negatron" and E-Force's "Evil Force", but is more varied than both. The album begins with the manic technical shred on hallucinogenic masterpiece "The Awakening", before "Breeding Malaise" brings some stomping doominess with formidable heavy riffs and a great fast technical deathy ending ala mid-period Death. "The Deception" clings towards the old school, and is a satisfying speed/thrasher of the more standard type. Not to worry, though, as the more complex delivery comes back on the 8-min cold mechanical opus "Paths", which is followed by a cool short balladic instrumental with the appropriate title "Within The Silence". The approach reaches super-technical progressive dimensions on the multi-faced "Asylum Pt. 1" which is 13-min of quirky rhythms, hectic time-changes, a few pounding passages, and abstract speedy parts with a dry sterile shade. The closer "A Call To Arms" is a sure-handed epitaph to this diverse, but by all means satisfying, effort lashing in a similar to the opener in a mid to up technical fashion, getting nicely brutal in the middle on another cool nod to Death, before the final portion of technical riffage convinces beyond a shadow of a doubt that this talented act may stand proud even on an oversaturated scene as the US or the Brazilian one.

Asylum Full-length 2005

SCHIZOPHOBIC (USA)

All-instrumental modern thrash metal of the peaceful type concentrating on melody more; the guitar work is good accentuating on the leads, but there is not much speed covered the tempos not changing much throughout making all the three tracks sound like one big symphony. Still, this is not completley without merits coming with a very good sound quality and catchy melodic hooks.

Shock Therapy EP, 2010

SCHIZOPHRENIA (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Crime Time" demo, this new band plays a blend of classic and modern thrash of the more melodic variety, mostly mid-tempo, with an Annihilator-influence in the guitar work, and heavy metal tunes thrown in for good measure ("Special Agent"), plus a cover version of Vio-lence's "Calling in the Coroner".

Just for Giggling Demo, 2006
Crime Time Demo, 2006

SCHIZTOME (UK)

Based on "The Art of Dying", this band plays a frenetic mix of thrash, death, hard and even grindcore. The opening "The Art Of Dying" starts the album in a thrashy headbanging fashion, but later on the other styles come onto the scene, and things get wild, but entertaining, although the guys favour hardcore more, as well as grind (the fierce brutal "Symbiotic Disharmony", the 1-min hyper-blast monster "Return To The Pit").

Puritanically Unreconstructed Full-length, 2003
The Art of Dying Full-length, 2005

SCHOOL OF VIOLENCE (USA)

This is simplistic melodic heavy/thrash metal with a hardcore spirit, more in the mid-paced range with a jolly uplifting attitude. Some songs are a direct take on the Motorhead style: "Man at the Top", others suddenly exit the thrash metal field going straight into heavy metal territory ("Reign Of The Clown", etc.). The thrash metal fan might frown on quite a few times on the toothless guitars, but the band's intention was hardly to please this particular side of the metal spectre.

We the People...? Full-length, 1988

SCHWEISSER (GERMANY)

The band's first three full-lengths and the EP's surrounding them are fine representatives of the 90's metal scene: modern, aggressive, groovy thrash with an industrial flavour at times, featuring also vicious death metal tunes and a saxophone; the latter extra feature adds a particularly unusual touch to the music, making them one of the more interesting practitioners of modern thrash in Germany. With the genre's fading away in the late 90's, the band adopted a more accessible, non-thrash, alternative approach.

Schweisser EP, 1990
...auf der Autobahn zur Holle Full-length, 1992
Eisenkopf Full-length, 1994
Willkommen im Club Full-length, 1996
Malaria EP, 1996
Friss Scheisse EP, 1997
Heiland Full-length, 1997
Bitte warten Full-length, 2000
Vermissen Single, 2000
Pororoca Full-length, 2006

SCIENCE FICTION (CZECH)

This is really good; and indeed, once the brilliant lead-driven intro grabs you, you know that there will be many pleasant moments with this one. Well, the lead guitarist remains the star of the show, but the rest do their best to at least assist him competently, and as a result we have professionally executed dark/gothic modern thrash metal with an industrial edge, full of nice melodic hooks, most of them with a strong Oriental touch. The riffs are really heavy (check out "Schizofrenie"), and nicely contrast to the breath-taking guitar melodies and the keyboard background, which is constantly present, but is not irritating at all. The tempo is mid-paced for most of the time seldom intercepted by slower softer numbers: the cool atmospheric "P�fzrak". The 2nd part is less hard-hitting, and the riffs lose their edge, coming overshadowed by the fine leads almost completely on quite a few times (this guy should move to a more renowned band; his talent is too big to remain unrecognized: check out his amazing performance on "Prokletf"). "Vyvrhel" wakes up for a more aggressive and more up-tempo play near the end, and the final "Cherokee" brings something more elaborate on the table being a very good progressive number, where the lead guitar steals the show for the upteenth time on this album.

I.N.R.I. Full-length, 2001

SCORCH (USA)

Heavy, intense, groovy post-thrash with a strong industrial edge; the tempo is slow-ish, almost doomy, and the guys refuse to put more energy into the proceedings. As a result their music is monotonous and repetitive, despite the intense, but one-dimensional riffage.

Faces Full-length, 2003

SCORCHED EARTH (USA)

Based on "Devils in Iron", this is a cool mix of some well executed energetic thrash and some mostly mid-paced, heavy death metal riffage. The heaviness is further aggravated by the inclusion of groovy parts, going at times into sludge/doom-territory.

Thy Kingdom Crushed Full-length, 2000
Gods, Kings, and Conquerors Full-length, 2003
Devils In Iron Full-length, 2006

SCORNAGE (GERMANY)

The band walks the fine line between the old school and modern thrash; so bands like Sodom and Slayer are as much influences on the band's style as The Haunted or Dew-Scented. Fans of the aforementioned acts will find a lot to like here. Both albums offer good energetic, headbanging, up-tempo thrash, occasionally mixed with heavier, slower sections. The approach is a bit one-dimensional, and the songs tend to merge together.
"Born to Murder the World" is straight, direct retro thrash, well done, leaving the modern elements far behind for most of the time. The guys play fast and tight, sometimes adhering to brutal death metal intensity ("The Scent Of Things To Come"), sometimes offering sprawling, but interesting (don't read technical or progressive) thrash opuses, offering intense thrashing for about 10-min ("Born to Murder the World"). Still, the band's real power lies in the shorter, more immediate bombs ("If We Really Knew", "Dead and Gone", "There are no Innocents"), which send their message home in a more convincing manner. The end is preserved for the encompassing, again a bit lengthy "And Now He Rises", where the guys insert all that was previously heard on the album, including a short blast-beating section to boost it up. Besides the feeling of deja-vu, which will not leave the listener the whole time, including strong resemblance to same years Kreator's "Hordes of Chaos", Scornage are perfectly all right as one of the classic thrash metal defenders, even in a saturated field like the one we are enjoying nowadays.

Ascend EP, 2000
Aggression EP, 2001
Sick of Being Human Full-length, 2004
Pure Motorized Instinct Full-length, 2006
Born to Murder the World Full-Length, 2009

SCORNGRAIN (FINLAND)

The title of their debut can give one a clue as to what to expect from this band: this is modern, industrial thrash sounding like a mixture between Fear Factory and ...And Oceans with raspy black metal vocals mixed here and there with clean and death metal ones. The music packs a punch with meaty sharp riffage well blended with the purely electronic industrial landscapes which will also remind you of the cyber-black/thrashers The Kovenant. On the other hand, "Cyberwarmachine" is a pure headbanging piece ala early Skrew, and "Killing Breed" is an excellent sinister steam-roller. "4D Religion" is intense industrial thrash-shred, and just before the end one will encounter one more aggressive offering: the more industrial-tinged "Dawn Of Hypocrite Dod". The closer "No Funeral For The Last" is a u-turn from the guitar-driven mayhem heard so far, into atmospheric keyboard-infused stuff with fine orchestral arrangements.
"Utopia.Paranoia.Perversions!" is more heavily undustrialized, and a more melodic affair as a whole, but in this case this doesn't mean the inferior one. This album sums up the best from the apocalyptic electronic landscapes of Front Line Assembly and the more riff-based approach of acts like Skrew, Die Krupps, and Swamp Terrorists. The guitars bite strongly on more than half of the tracks, and their role remains pretty big, in the 2nd half pulling out a few very cool edgy thrashers ("Cure Equals Suffering", "Age of Disgust", the short explosive headbanger "Once In a Knifetime", the crushing riff-monster "Cure Equals Suffering"). The final "Fade And Vanish" is an imposing thrash/doom/industrial amalgam coming close to the orchestral grandeur of Front Line Assembly's "Hard Wired". With almost all of the industrial thrash metal heroes long gone, this act should be paid respect for doing a good job in keeping this rare nowadays "breed" alive.

Cyberwarmachine Full-length, 2004
0,05% Full-length, 2006
Utopia.Paranoia.Perversions! Full-length, 2010

SCOTOMA (CYPRUS)

Based on the "I want to Fly" EP, this band plays a slightly alternative version of the 90's groovy post-thrash metal formula spiced with more original semi-technical guitars, but the band's choice to use several vocal styles one of which is utterly annoying, being clean of the alternative variety, ruins things quite a bit. Not that the music is anything special, especially with the inclusion of the very non-metallic ballad "Moment of Silence", which may remind you of Queensryche's "Silent Lucidity".

Scotoma Demo, 1994
Outside the Slaughter House Demo, 1995
Bloodbrothers Best of/Compilation, 1996
Realife Demo, 1996
Desert Fish Single, 1997
I want to Fly EP, 2004
Sonic Arts 2.0 Best of/Compilation, 2005
Killing The Machine EP, 2007

SCOURGED FLESH (AUSTRALIA)

Based on "Welcome to the End of the World", this band plays a blend of modern and classic thrash, mid-paced with heavy guitars and a couple of melodic implements. The approach is kind of samey on all tracks since the guys totally refuse to speed up, even for a little bit, and soft funky vocal experimentations, like the ones on "Extinct", are simply laughable. "Episodes of Hate" finally contains a more speedy energetic material for the headbangers, at least for those who are still around to hear it. The band members have two side-projects: Burial Grounds, where the music is harder and faster, still in the thrash/death metal realm; and the similarly-styled Grave Forsaken.
"Bury the Lies" offers the same mid-paced one-dimensional music with very few faster surprises, but there is a nice female vocal participation on a couple of tracks which suit well the morose doom/gothic atmosphere of the album.
The debut sounds very close to its follow-up offering not very exciting mid-tempo riffs with a death/gothic shade, and the guys' steady refusal to speed up even for a short bit makes things even less appealing, except, maybe, for the short hard'n heavy shift on the closing "Wait For The Other Side". On top of that in the vocal department we have a very brutal low-tuned growler who doesn't really improve the situation with occasional guttural Chris Barnes-like screams.

Released from Damnation Full-length, 2006
Bury the Lies Full-length, 2007
Welcome to the End of the World Full-length, 2009

SCRAM (GERMANY)

Based on the full-length debut, these guys try hard to be the new Kreator, doing their best to sound like this legendary band used to in the 80's. They do a decent job when staying close to this pattern, trying at times to move away from the main influence, but it's these moments which show that the band still have to put a lot of effort in order to make a more lasting impression on the metal scene.
"Rich, Rotten & Poor" shows a more individual face, this time more polished and thought-out, the guys adding death metal to the proceedings, although still the shadow of "Pleasure to Kill" is pretty obvious on the faster, and shorter, material. The musical proficiency is bigger, also reflected in a few more lyrical moments: the mid-paced opus "Daily Insanity", which will scare you with its sudden ultra-speedy mid-break. "Desaster Out Of Ashes" is another dramatic piece without too much speed present, a cool shredder of the less ordinary kind. The listener may start getting a bit annoyed after "Deepest Black" also refuses to accelerate, but the final "Death" is a keeper with its steel lashing riffs showing another act intent on playing a more prominent role on the European thrash metal scene, and this time they by all means sound more convincing.

Suicide Kills EP, 2001
Radial Neuropathy Full-length, 2004
Rich, Rotten & Poor Full-length, 2010

SCRAPER HEAD (BRAZIL)

Aggressive thrash/death metal of the classic variety which is not constantly fast, but offers slower shifts ala late 80's Slayer ("Torpid Thoughts", the heavy semi-ballad "Suicidal Tendence", which has very little to do with the band cited in the title). The riffs are simplistic, and the approach is one-dimensional and samey on the faster tracks, topped by gruff death metal-ish vocals. The songs are short barely going over the 3-min limit.

Lost in a Dream Full-Length, 1997

SCREAMS OF ERIDA (USA)

Based on the EP, this band play modern thrash with elements of metalcore, from which the music loses a lot, since there is hardly an intense headbanging element to be heard, and often do more aggressive passages get choked with a very blunt metalcore break. Mid-paced melodic stuff is what you'll get here; skippable.

Burn The World EP, 2005
The Red Testament Full-length, 2006

SCREAMZ (GERMANY)

A mix of modern and classic power/thrash metal quite close to Xentrix's "Kim" with the Brits' album's characteristic heavy balladic sound well epitomized. Both sides are well balanced, with "Fighting Fingers" coming up boldly with vigorous galloping riffs, closely followed by the crossover happiness "Live in the Gutter" at the end. The rest is still edgy sticking to sharp mid-paced riffs supported by semi-gruff clean vocals which hold a nice melodic pitch the whole time.

Cash Full-length 1995

SCRIPTURA (FRANCE)

Monotonous uneventful groovy post-thrash with harsh semi-shouty vocals; the guitars drag except for the more lively moments when the music turns to pure hardcore. There are attempts at a more industrial sound ala Treponem Pal, but the guys very soon give up treading those waters.

Deep Stoned Full-length, 2008

SCROTUM (FRANCE)

Based on the 1st demo, this band varies things from Celtic Frost-laden ("Carnage (The Antechrist)") to shorter very brutal and fast, with a shade of grindcore ("Slatanic SS Wehrmacht"), tracks. "Black Death" is almost 8-min long, but contains a little more than straight raw bashing.

German Command Demo, 1988
Second Slaughter Demo, 1989

SCRUFFY TEARAWAYS (USA)

Fast aggressive thrash/crossover with short explosive songs; the guitars are more thrashy than the average thrash/crossover act, but the song-writing follows the pattern closely.

Demo Demo, 1988

SCULPTURE (HOLLAND)

Another one-album wonder from the full of pleasant surprises Dutch metal scene; this is standout thrash/death metal with progressive tendencies. The music is dark and moody, mid to up-tempo, and never becomes too aggressive. The album starts with the complex technical "A Contemplation Of David", which is the longest and most intricate composition. "Sodom" is much shorter, but the technical charge remains intact. "No Liberation" adds some death metal intensity, and the next "Spiritual Matrix" is a very cool energetic thrasher; those two lose the technicality somewhere, which returns with the good jumpy thrash/death number "No Respect". "Scorning" slows down once again, introducing gothic-tinged passages, a "legacy" which is carried by the dreamy, soft "Dawn Of Eternity". At this point the listener is almost ready to accept the new, Cemetary or Paradise Lost-influenced, face of the band, but "Grinding Sacrifice" brings the sound back to thrash of the more up-tempo variety. "Death To Death" is a tribute to the doom/death metal scene which was particularly strong in Holland at that time. The closer "Twilight Traps" apologizes for the lost inertia on earlier parts being a very cool technical death/thrasher still including moody slower sections.

Spiritual Matrix Full-length, 1998

SCUMSHOT (GERMANY)

Excellent thrash metal of the classic school, occasionally clinging towards crossover territory; the songs are speedy to up-tempo, with nice sharp riffs and semi-hardcore vocals (which might be a drawback to some).

Raise Full-length, 2006

SCYTHE (USA)

Retro thrash metal of the raw prime variety ala early Razor and Hallows Eve; the guitar sound is very fuzzy, and takes away a considerable part from the fun. This is generally fast stuff with very screaming leads and gruff declamatory vocals.
"The Seventh Day" is more proficient with sharper more polished riffs with again Razor remaining the main influence, with a couple of more intense riffage ala Devastation and Slayer ("The Seventh Day") thrown in as well; watch out also for the fast blasting section on "Human Discretion". This is good aggressive stuff which may be a warm-up for the guys' future full-length release...

Out From Below Demo, 2008
The Seventh Day EP, 2010

SCYTHES (FRANCE)

These guys offer energetic thrash/death metal of the old school (think their compatriots No Return and Massacra) with bad shouty semi-death vocals. The guitar work is good, especially the short, but proficient leads, mixing fine melodies with ultra-fast sections. Although the approach clings more towards the death metal side, some fine up-tempo thrashers can be easily found ("The Pain Inside Myself", "Reclusion", the heavy "Enemy", the closing speed/thrashfest "Absence of Pleasure"). Seldom do the guys excel in a more technical play: "First Five Years", which is slower, but is full of interesting riffs and hooks.

Deathscreamer Full-length, 2007

SCYTHIAN (UK)

A fairly good mix of early German thrash (think Exumer, Destruction, Sodom) and epic/viking metal along the lines of mid-period Bathory and Enslaved. The blend works well, "helped" by more aggressive riffs in the death/doom mould ala Bolt Thrower and Beyond Belief at times. There is also a raging cover version of Bathory's "Holocaust" from "Blood, Fire, Death" at the end.
The full-length offers just three new songs, the rest being taken from the demo. "Ares Guide My Blade" is an aggressive fast-paced thrash/deathster; "Open Steppe" is a mix of furious thrash/death/black metal and more moderate epic sections; "Kurgan Funeral Chant" is the 8.5-min closer which is the prototypical thrash/black/death/epic/viking amalgam ala Destroyer 666.

Suffering to the Conquered... Demo, 2007
To Those Who Stand Against Us... Full-Length, 2009

SCYTHIAN OATH (USA)

A 3-track demo of excellent technical power/thrash metal, a style not quite typical for the American metal scene at the time, with great stylish technical riffs which will remind you of Juggernaut, but the music of this band is faster and better bringing to mind Aftermath and Agent Steel in the speedy sections.

Shadow of the Torturer Demo, 1985

SE, JOSTA EI PUHUTA (FINLAND)

Fast intense thrash/death metal which mixes modern and classic influences the former leaning more towards the Swedish school. The music is predominantly fast with the closing "Ovat Uneni Veren Tahrimat" being a furious piece of pure old school thrash metal.

Ne, Joista Ei Puhuta Full-length, 2010

SEA OF TRANQUILLITY (USA)

Based on the "The Dead of Winter" demo, this band, whose line-up features Peter Clemens- the vocalist and bassist who has also taken part in Invasion, Shades of Grey, Skullview, etc., plays dark morose thrash/death metal which on the faster moments is not far from early Death and Massacre, but there is a certain amount of heavy, almost doomy, sections recalling Bolt Thrower quite a bit. Still, there is a lot of dynamics on offer both of the lashing and galloping type, with "Bait and Switch" being a full-on thrashing mosher, pretty one-of-a-kind since the approach is closer to death metal for most of the time. "As I Watched from Below" is an exquisite technical piece ala Pestilence and Coroner and, of course, later-period Death mixing twisting riffs with straight headbanging ones to a fairly positive effect. The singer suits the music with his brutal low-tuned growl recalling early Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.).
"The Omegan Ruins" offers a similar blend of twisted proto-doomy death metal and faster thrashy sections, the former the dominant ones, although they sedom branch out into purer doom ("Lone Traveler's Journey"). "A World Without A Name" is a more intense piece thrashing hard for a bit more than 7-min, but moments of the kind are not many at all. "Tinge Of Agony" is the odd exploration of more technical fields, done in a minimalistic slow-ish fashion, which suits well the generally gloomy atmosphere on the album.

The Dead of Winter Demo, 1995
The Omegan Ruins Full-length, 1998
Sonic Cacaphony Demo, 2000
The Pale Man Full-length, 2004
Ne, Joista Ei Puhuta Full-length, 2010

SEANCE (SWEDEN)

Seance produced two quite good death metal albums in the early 90's, before splitting up, only to re-appear under the name Witchery 5 years later, with a style firmly rooted in classic black/thrash (except for their last effort so far, where the guys expand their "horizons" beyond the "ones" of thrash). Witchery is put on hold, and here comes a new Seance release, which retains some of their old sound, by enriching it with a solid doze of thrash. As a result we have a satisfying work of classic thrash/death metal quite close to the French school (No Return's "Contamination Rises", Massacra, etc.). The music is energetic, not very fast, with the obligatory more technical sections ("They", "Invocation"). Occasionally do the guys adhere to more brutal elements ("Your Time Has Come"), which are tastefully used, as well as the bass wizardry displayed on the 1-min instrumental "Flight Of The Wicked". Most of the time this is all-out thrash, with the more aggressive "decoration" coming in the form of the vocals. "Choose Your Enemy" is the filler here, slower and unfocused, with a modern groovy flavour, but it's merciless blitzkrieg thrashers like "Prisoner 666" and "Wasted", which will keep you on the alert. This is by all means a sure-handed comeback for the band, although the future of the eventual follow-up is uncertain, with the guys planning to release a new Witchery material in the near future.

Fornever Laid To Rest Full-length, 1992
Saltrubbed Eyes Full-length, 1993
Awakening of the Gods Full-length, 2009

SEARING I (SWEDEN)

Professionally done, but prototypical thrash/death metal of the Swedish school; some good, hard riffs and melodic solos, but this debut as a whole brings nothing new to the scene.

Bloodshred Full-length, 2005

SEASON OF THE SPRING (USA)

Entertaining alternative post-thrash with good clean carefree vocals; the few hard-hitting riffs are drowned (but not in such a bad way) in melodic, proto-grungy rhythms creating something which is really hard to define: maybe if you can imagine a blend of Skid Row's "Slave to the Grind", the Black Album, and Depressive Age's "Electric Scum", then you'll probably have a decent picture about what's going on here. The songs sound like rehearsals for longer compositions, since they all end around the 2.5-min mark, not leaving a very deep trace in your mind. The closing "Silence Of Patience" is a fine semi-ballad which kind of predates the Metallica approach on "Until It Sleeps" 3 years later.

Season Of The Spring Full-Length, 1993

SECLUDED VIOLENCE (USA)

The sound quality is bad, and diminishes the impact from this otherwise cool demo of moderately aggressive thrash, obviously influenced by Slayer ("Hell Awaits") and Dark Angel ("We Have Arrived"), but having also other, heavier moments, where the guitars and the bass try to sound more original (not very successfully, though). "Curse" is an ambitious 8-min doom-laden thrasher which is the highlight here, although it betrays the predominant fast-paced style of the demo.

Demo Demo, 1988

SECOND HELL (HOLLAND)

A surprisingly brutal band for that time: thrash metal in the vein of Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill", very well done with good melodic solo work. It's beyond me how these guys never made it big as they were more vicious and better musicians than many other bands back in those days.

Prophets of Hell Demo, 1985
Metal Deadness Split, 1986

SECOND REALITY (GERMANY)

Based on the debut, this act plays heavy thrash which clings between the modern and the classic trends sometimes sounding angry like Pantera and Machine Head, sometimes moshing in a mid to up-tempo fashion ala Overkill and 90's Testament. Both sides are not too bad, actually, as the shorter thrashers ("Cancer Until Vanished", "Relatives Reduction") are more appealing than a couple of longer ("Aquis Submersus"), a bit clumsy, tracks although those latter ones try to capture the steam-roller heaviness of the Germans Warpath. The singer emits the prototypical for the time angry semi-shout, in this case a bit more growly.

Monolith Full-length, 1997
Source Trait's Full-length, 1999

SECRECY (GERMANY)

Secrecy are mostly progressive/power metal band, but on both their albums there are stunning thrashy outbursts (similar to later period Eldritch) that one could only wonder what would have happened if these guys had concentrated on this, more aggressive and more attractive side of their music. The band's style is actually fairly interesting: they don't sound like anyone else, and the vocals are of the very melodic type which, when mixed with the more thrashy moments, make for a really compelling listen.
"Art in Motion" starts quite promisingly, with the up-tempo thrasher "Trisomie XXI", but then the music switches onto progressive power metal, but goes back to thrash in the second half, for the galloping "Coroner's Inquest", the following short technical instrumental "Like Burning One's Boat", and the brilliant riff-fest "Inside You" at the end.
"Raging Romance" begins in the same raging (but not romantic) manner, with an aggressive thrashy opener ("Observer From Above"), again followed by a string of softer tracks, before exploding once again with the speed metal-based "This World's Wisdom". One more thrashy delight comes near the end: the up-tempo "Ideology", which will remind you of Attacker's "Second Coming".

Art in Motion Full-length, 1990
Raging Romance Full-length, 1991

SECTAS (MEXICO)

Based on "Ideas Falsas", these guys offer good power/thrash metal of the old school, thrashing out in the best tradition of the Bay Area heroes in the beginning, also boasting solid clean vocals. The album opens with an intense speed/thrashing duo, before calming down on "Ansias De Poder". "Muerte Segura" serves more melodic speed metal ala early Blessed Death with a great bass support, followed by the 1.5-min thrash/crossover delight "Agelasta". "Una Razon Mas" is softer power metal, and leaves its trace on the remaining songs, except for the closer "Fuera De La Realidad", which returns to the speed/thrashy patterns with a more melodic crossover shade.

Ideas Falsas Full-length, 1996
Sectas Full-length, 1998

SECTION BRAIN (CZECH)

Aggressive semi-technical thrash reminiscent of Torture's "Storm Alert" or Sepultura's "Beneath The Remains"; the vocals are of the death metal type, and the band rely on long elaborate tracks which never lose pace or sound stale. The songs move in a heavy mid-paced manner, when all of a sudden comes a fast, aggressive section, and again abruptly interrupted by a more quiet, more technical, or a lead guitar-driven one. There are a lot of time changes within the songs, and maybe at times the band get carried away, changing them too soon, before they manage to develop into something more sensible (actually, just when one starts to like a certain passage, it suddenly changes into another one, leaving you disappointed). Well, not for long, since the guitar work is really impressive, and the riffs are sharp and tight, dominating over the leads in terms of both time and execution. The album leaves you asking for more because, in spite of the considerable length of the individual tracks, there are only five real songs, with the last one being a bad 2-min joke ("The Czech Way"; fortunately, this is not the Czech way!). This band could have really gone far.

Hospital of Death Full-length, 1993

SEDITION (USA)

Superb technical thrash metal, recalling Forbidden's "Twisted into Form", but more aggressive and a bit more adventurous: smashing technical riffs, great solos, and standout bass bottom reminiscent of Steve DiGiorgio. And let's not forget the vocals which are a nice mixture between David Wayne (R.I.P.) and Russ Anderson (Forbidden), maybe a bit more dramatic. This is engaging music, with tempo changes and vortex-like riffs aplenty, staying in the mid to up-tempo range; demos of such a high level of musicianship are a rarity in the metal underground (maybe the Germans Flaming Anger's first demos come close).

Sedition Demo, 1989
Demo Demo, 1990

SEDUCTIVE BLASPHEMY (USA)

Based on the "Necessary Evil" demo, this band manage to mix speedy riffage ala Forbidden and Hirax with heavier "South of Heaven"-like ones, and they still find time to include a light-hearted rock'n roll number: "Roadkill". The follower "Hellbound" compensates with more aggression in the Dark Angel-vein.

Necessary Evil Demo, 1989
Communion of Hatred Demo, 1991

SEDUCER (USA)

Based on "Sin Speaks", these guys offer a heavy modern mix of doom and post-thrash, so expect mostly crushing pounding riffs with the occasional feast for the headbangers: the crossover happiness "Black Sheep", the aggressive mosher "Sour Blackened Tooth". From a doom metal point-of-view the album delivers most of the time, especially on the excellent macabre cover of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral". "Narrow Minded" "acquits" the other side of their music being a super-heavy hectic groovy industrialized thrasher as well as the closing minutes from the closing "Disrespectful" which thrash with gusto finished with a nice sinister orchestral outro.

Sin Speaks Full-length, 1993
Trials And Tribulations Full-length, 1994

SEEDS OF BAPHOMET (GERMANY)

Based on the 2-song promo, these guys play vintage classic thrash; "Undead Bloodlust" is a speedy number reminiscent of the Exumer debut and Toxic Shock, whereas "Hypnosis" is slower and heavier, more in the tradition of Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy" (kind of reminds me of the song with the same title).

Unleashed Wrath Demo, 2004
Promo Demo, 2007

SEELENFRIEDEN (GERMANY)

Based on "Schattengott", this band plays fairly cool thrash metal with touches of melo-death which walks the fine path between the classic and the modern Swedish sound, not too far from early Children of Bodom with a more aggressive edge. The sound is never too fast or brutal, and the guitars often take a more melodic, playful, but also a darker, edge, coming close to Cemetary's "Godless Beauty", or Sentenced's "Amok", or deviates into nice pagan thrash: "Primo Inter Pares", ala Bifrost. There are enough all-out thrashers to satisfy the more level-headed fans ("Der Heiland", "Licht im Niemandsland"), which are graced by very good guitar performance of the melodic variety. The guys haven't forgotten about the speed metal fans, and here are some delights for the Helloween, or early Running Wild lovers: "Niemals Mein", "Schattengott". Sharp and melodic riffs seldom come better mixed than here: check out the marvellous "Dein Geist Sieht Mich", or "Blumen aus Blut". The closer "Wehe dem Fleisch" is a glorious mix of speed, thrash and death metal featuring the most aggressive guitar performance on the album, putting an end to this entertaining album which will find quite a wide audience among the metal fraternity.

Rufe Aus Dem Nirgendwo Full-length, 2001
Schattengott Full-length, 2006

SEELENWINTER (GERMANY)

These guys were previously known as Damien Breed, under which name they released a good progressively-laced power/thrash metal album. Well, the music here is not very similar to that one (and it's a pity); the band have never played fast, but here doom/gothic metal seems to have taken the upper hand, and the thrashy riffs are not that common. At first listen it might completely pull back the thrash metal fans, but if you give it another chance, you might start enjoying this laid-back stuff, which will remind you of the gothic metallers Lake of Tears ("Forever Autumn", in particular), and even Opeth in the more progressive structures. "Where Death and Life are Still Friends" is probably the only full-blooded thrasher, but it's still quite melancholic and "out there".

Seelenwinter Full-length, 1995
If Soul Turns Into Flesh Full-length, 1996

SEKA (USA)

Thrash/crossover similar to the Rumble Militia debut, not very fast, with some modern "updates" thrown in.

Love Shim Full-length, 1993

SEKHMET (UK)

First-class classic thrash, quite energetic and intense, reminiscent of Mandator's "Perfect Progeny", Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare", and Slayer. The bad news is that there are only 7 tracks, the first of which is short 3-min instrumental. The vocals are a bit rough, having this unique James Hetfield blend. The guitars crush admirably with heavy up-tempo riffs and nice semi-technical touches. With bands like this one around the British thrash scene will soon get out of its dormant state.

Last Stand Full-Length, 2007

SEKMETH (FRANCE)

Modern thrash with a double vocal attack: one clean, the other death metal-ish. The music is not very aggressive, staying in the mid-tempo, with slight groovy tendencies. "My Funeral" is a cool piece, containing more intense headbanging riffage, partially ruined by the very melodic alternative ending.

An Opressive Day EP, 2008

SELF DESTRUCT (USA)

The line-up includes future members of the death metallers Vital Remains. Based on the "Scath Dilapidation" demo, death metal is the order of the day here, too, although quite a few thrash remnants can be heard here and there. The music is quite aggressive featuring blast-beats scattered throughout.

Cannible Mutants Demo, 1989
Scath Dilapidation Demo, 1990

SELF-DESTRUCTION (HUNGARY)

Besed on the demo, this is cool dark gothic-tinged thrash with good clean vocals which sometimes stray from the path with the casual death metal growl. The music is mid-paced, quite heavy, and it often recalls the works of some veterans from the Hungarian metal scene: Moby Dick, Akela, etc. There are balladic moments as well as moments from the 90's thrash metal scene.

Demo Demo, 2006
Ember Full-length, 2007

SELVAGERIA (BRAZIL)

Based on the "Metal Invasor" 2-song demo, these guys offer intense Germanic thrash in the vein of early Destruction and Angel Dust with fast riffs and gruff low-tuned vocals which at times try to scream quite high. The self-titled debut is a really cool roller-coaster speed/thrashing effort again in the Germanic vein moshing non-stop with excellent direct guitar work which inserts the odd melodic tune when needed. The music develops in a brisk fast-pace and will literally make you cry with memories of "Infernal Overkill" (Destruction) and "Change from Reality" (Toxic Shock). The opening speedy trio is followed by the slightly slower "Aguias Assassinas" which boasts nice leads and a good alternation of tempos. Then comes the lightning speed "Hino do Mal" and the more complex speed/thrashfest "Unitao Total", with the last couple of tracks strictly left for straight-forward old school German speed/thrash. The singer remains gruff low-tuned with an interesting unexpected adherence to high-pitched screams which fit very well into the upbeat picture. Without bringing anything new to the scene, this band are nonetheless a valuable addition to the growing legion of retro thrash metal acts from Brazil.

Demo Demo, 2005
Metal Invasor Demo, 2005
Selvageria Full-length, 2009

SEMEFO (MEXICO)

A very obscure entry into the all-instrumental thrash metal field; the music is not all-out thrash the whole time, but comes served with doom and power metal. The album opens with "Snuff Movie", offering a nice mix between slower doomy and much faster riffs with a proto-death edge. "El Canto Del Chivo" is a heavy doomster with a surprising very brutal death metal break near the middle. "1000 Cortez" is an intense galloper with a heavy bass-bottom, the tendency continued on "Mojolo", a very cool piece with heavy technical guitars and, again, sparce doomy implements. "Ted Bundy" is a compelling mix of high-octane doom and fast blitzkrieg thrash, both sides fighting for domination to the listener's utter delight; another shocking moment would be the grinding passage near the end, but wait till you hear the exiting twisted technical riffs; a marvel. "L�rvarium" is in a similar vein, but doom metal predominates to a very heavy squashing effect ala early Cathedral. Then comes the instrumental version of Black Sabbath's "Into the Void": an expertly done pretty faithful rendition of this great hit. The closer is "Church Of The Dead", another fine exercise in pure unadulterated doom accompanied by female chants, apparently assisting during an elaborate evocation ritual. This is a very pleasant surprise crossing several styles with ease, and as such would please fans of many sides of the metal spectre in almost equal dozes.

L�rvarium Full-Length, 1997

SEMEN OF SATAN (GERMANY)

This is raw amateurish stuff, and since the musicianship is on a pretty low level, one may not get much fun with this. Otherwise this a mix of hardcore, thrash, heavy metal as well; the speed is almost intolerable for the time of release: check out the blasting "Harder Faster", but don't expect anymore than pure senseless bashing, sounding way worse than the very first rehearsal of an inexperienced teenage thrash act. The singer doesn't really sing, but rambles and quarrels with a rending throaty voice, completely stifling the other instruments when in action. Even the early efforts of another extreme German metal act: Poison, sound well more polished, but the completists should definitely have it.

Demo Demo, 1984

SEMIC STAINS (GREECE)

The debut demo contais 3 songs of cool semi-technical thrash/death metal with varied tempos, not very sharp guitars, and an awkward vocal duel between clean and raspy black-ish vocals. Another 3 tracks come from the "This Cage" demo showing the guys having grown musically to pull out convincing, again semi-technical, stuff, but with more intense riffs and a better sense of melody. The sound is strictly modern, and this time the vocals are better sticking to the husky death metal pattern ala Kelly Shaefer (Atheist), only lower-pitched.

Sworn to Silence Demo, 2003
This Cage Demo, 2010

SENANDIOMA (BRAZIL)

This is raw thrash/proto-death metal with shades of hardcore; primitive guitar work topped by bad unrehearsed death metal vocals, seldom spiced with the casual more stylish leads ("Morbid Night", which is a frenetic speedy shredder).

Welcome To War Demo, 2004

SEND MORE PARAMEDICS (UK)

Few are the bands nowadays who can bring us back to the glorious thrash/crossover sound of the 80's. Send More Paramedics is definitely one of them. Although thrash metal takes the bigger share from the band's music, there are also direct nods to bands like D.R.I. and Nuclear Assault. Some Slayer-like aggression is also present here and there ("The Unclean" from "The Awakening").
The band's debut is more hardcore-based, and the vocals are really annoying with their undeveloped screamy tember; the music has a somewhat mechanical feel although there are no industrial elements used. It is not a total waste with some tracks carrying the thrashy spirit, with energetic riffs and a slightly chaotic delivery which at times might bring to mind early Voivod.

"The Hallowed and The Heathen" takes no prisoners, and is the real initiation into hard-hitting thrash for the band. Some shades of hardcore are still around ("Zombie Crew", which will also remind you of Pro-Pain), but the Slayer-esque riffs have taken over, and most of the songs are very energetic headbangers.

A Feast For The Fallen Full-length, 2002
The Hallowed and The Heathen Full-length, 2003
Tales Told By Dead Men Split album, 2005
The Awakening Full-length, 2006

SENILE DECAY (CANADA)

One of the lesser bands from Canada of the 80's, this band specializes in simplistic thrash ala early Destruction with the singer trying hard to sound like Schmier. The problem is that the guys lose focus too often, and start bashing really vicious hardcore, or switch onto a doom-laden Celtic Frost-like passage at the most inappropriate time. The fast riffs pack a punch at times, though: check out the 1.5-min explosive "Confusion".

Comatose Until I Croak Demo, 1986

SENSE O'VIERA (MALAYSIA)

These are the same gys who are also in charge of Militant Attack. To compare the two bands would be extremely difficult since on this recording here what one will hear is just plain noise, everything coming together in a horrible mess (could be a live recording) which bears some distant resemblances to early Messiah, with the ridiculously shouted raw vocals completely overshadowing the instruments most of the time.

Dayak Warrior Demo, 2007

SENSEI (SWEDEN)

3 songs of edgy modern thrash metal with gruff guttural death metal-styled vocals; the guys play with gusto mixing both heaviness and melody the latter covered more widely hitting the top on the excellent galloping speedster "The Absence of Presence" where a few classic leanings can also be encountered.

Demo Demo, 2010

SENSELESS REMAIN (GERMANY)

This obscure German combo pulls out competent retro Bay-Area thrash along the lines of mid-period Testament and Defiance. The tempo is mostly mid, with adherence to heavy doomy riffage (the 8-min stomper "Revenge & Hate", "Forbidden Humor"). There is no much variety between songs, with only "Who Cares?" thrashing faster at the end, closing this album in an unlikely speedy manner. The vocals are gruff, semi-death metalish, but suit the morose pounding character of the music. All the band members continued their career after this only effort, founding a couple of alternative rock acts with no relations to metal, let alone thrash.

Revenge & Hate Full-length, 1993

SENSLIS KILLING (USA)

An awkward mixture of thrash, Motorhead, hardcore, and some funk-ish moments ala Mordred and Re-Animator; the thrash metal fan might lose his patience while waiting for riffs to headbang to.

Chainsaw Boogie EP, 1990

SENTENCE (COSTA RICA)

Aggressive fast thrash/death quite close to the approach of the Swedes Merciless on their debut; the difference is that these guys slow down more often with doomy/gothic sections bringing also another Swedish act to mind: Cemetary, and more particularly their debut "An Evil Shade Of Grey". So as a whole we have a more death metal-fixated effort of the early Swedish school, with vocals very similar to the ones of L-G Petrov (Entombed). "Devastating Wrath" is one of the very first exercises in instrumental death metal, second only to Death's "Cosmic Sea" perhaps, although there are no similarities between the two pieces, this one being a straight-forward intense shred without any technical pretensions.

Devastating Wrath Full-length, 1992

SENTENCIA (ARGENTINA)

This is both heavy and dynamic modern speed/power/thrash metal with several classic references which bring the sound close to the Bay-Area (check out "La Venganza de tus Sue�os"). The guys prefer to mosh in a crushing mid-pace, but they sound pretty pissed at times, too, like on the openly aggressive speedy bombs "Lo Que Siento" and "Parte del Sistema". Still, the highlight remains the nice varied closer "Puerto Argentino", which is a first-class speedster in the early German vein. The singer is a find with his versatile delivery ranging from gruff semi-clean to pretty high emotional vocals changing the approach the whole time to a fairly positive effect.

Antologia Full-length, 1994

SENTENCIA (VENEZUELA)

A pretty faithful to the 90's fashion album providing a slightly faster twist to the trite groovy formula with a few intense proto-death metal passages. Sepultura's "Chaos AD" is a close call, but the music here is drier and less imaginative with not very pleasant throaty hardcore vocals.

Sentencia Full-length, 1995

SENTINEL (USA, MA)

This is pleasant stuff: modern technical thrash/death metal with a heavy mechanical side, which doesn't stand on the way of the ultra-fast grindy parts which grace every song turning it into a wild deathy exercise with just hints at thrash the latter sounding close to Altered Aeon and Biomechanical. "Locust Cult" tones it down, and results in an engaging quasi-progressive listen ruined by the bad shouted deathy vocals.

Sentinel EP 2011

SENTINEL (USA, NEW YORK)

A 2-song demo: both songs are standout speed thrashers in the tradition of Agent Steel's debut, graced by nice vocals which will remind you of John Cyriis on the higher tones.

Sentinel Demo, 1986

SENTINEL (USA, TX)

This obscure demo shows a band who pull out pretty potent speed/thrash with both bashing and technical tendencies crossing the more lashing aesthetics of Sentinel Beast (see the review below) and Destructor with the more sophisticated delivery of Have Mercy and Ulysses Siren. The first 5 songs are live recordings, but the sound quality is surprisingly good, the guitars nicely cutting through the speakers accompanied by weaker, but still passable, clean semi-declamatory vocals. Then those same tracks (with very few exceptions) are offered as rehearsal, all-instrumental, versions in the 2nd half, but they sound worse both in terms of sound quality and execution. "Blitzkrieg" (not featured in the live session) is a really blitzkrieg cut, fast'n furious, recalling the approach on Slayer's "Show no Mercy"; the other highlight being the more serious technical "Intellect Without Discipline", which is only included in the live performance.

Demo Demo, 1986

SENTINEL BEAST (USA)

One of the first female fronted speed/thrash metal bands, and one of the quite a few bands where Debbie Gunn displayed her vocal skills; here her voice is harsher and more aggressive. This band offers a cross between the aforementioned styles and American power metal ("Corpse"). The guys spare no speed and intensity, and tracks like "Depths of Death" ,"Evil is the Night" and most of the rest, are major headbangers. "Mourir" is a short speed/power metal number with great melodic guitars showing the band's more technical side. A very cool cover of Iron Maiden's "Phantom of the Opera" is also included. Gunn's departure to join Znowhite led to the untimely demise of this cool band.

Depths of Death Full-length, 1986

Vibrations of Doom

SENZA VITA (ITALY)

3 tracks (there is one boring unnecessary intro, which doesn't count) of melodic power/thrash metal with only one faster track: "Necronomicon", but "La Fanteria" is interesting long progressive power/thrash, and "Inferno" is a very cool Scorpions-like ballad.

SenzaVita Demo, 2009

SEPARABLE SOUL (USA)

There is nothing "psycho" or modern here, allusions made by the album-title; this is classic power/thrash of the American school, with a few technical leanings and a good bass support. The songs are all mixtures of fast and slow riffs, sometimes suddenly taking turns, without any warning, making the tracks kind of clumsy and incoherent. The middle is preserved for the more romantically-inclined fans, with the melodic epic "Deadpan" and the ballad "When The Moonlight Hits My Skin". This middle kind of influences the rest, which never speeds up, and is mostly mid-paced with more melodic guitar work, with another tender moment later on: the short ballad "Only You" (not an Elvis Presley cover, folks, relax!).

Psychodomesne Full-length, 1996

SEPARATOR (POLAND)

Based on the "Mein Kampf" demo: a very bad sound quality leaves little to be heard, but one could distinguish quite brutal and fast, but amateurish thrash/proto-death akin to the early efforts of the Brazilian bands Sarcofago, Vulcano, Sextrash, etc. The guys try to spice things with slower sections ala Messiah's "Extreme Cold Weather", but this is where you can hear the guitars more clearly, and this leaves you even less impressed.

Rehearsal Demo, 1987
Mein Kampf Demo, 1988
Another Messiah Demo, 1989

SEPELIO (PERU)

The debut demo is a mixture of thrash and power metal, but very badly produced, with a very thin guitar sound. Otherwise the guys march on with speedy, energetic riffs which had definitely deserved a better sound back in those days. The band mix a slow and fast material, inserting the odd balladic break ("No lo Dejes Morir"), and it's good that on those moments the shouty hardcore vocals are spared the listener. There is also an attempt at a more serious, more epic-flavoured, song-writing (the closer "Exhumacion"), again hampered by the hissing guitars.

Personajes del Terror Demo, 1990
Salidos de la tumba Demo, 1994

SEPELIO (SALVADOR)

Death/thrash metal of the Floridian school with a few stomping Benediction-like passages; the sound quality is not very clear, and the vocals are too brutal and shouty. Still, the guys put their effort into the proceedings, and consequently come up with several cool intense sections: the death speedster "Cazador de Almas", and the deadly early Death-influenced smasher "Sepelio", etc. A few years later the guys appeared again, under a different name: Era de Miseria, but the style had nothing to do with their old one, being pure hard'n heavy.

Cazador de Almas Demo, 1998

SEPTICMEN (HUNGARY)

Based on "Negative", this band pulls out cool "classic meets modern" thrash of the heavier variety. The songs move from mid-paced, groovy, Machine Head- styled ("Cursed", "Gravitation") ones to energetic thrashers ("The Final Step", "Az utols= lTpTs") in the Sepultura, or late 80's Slayer mould.
"Transit" is a big disappointment now full-fledged groovy post-thrash, an ultimately boring toothless affair without a trace of the classic leanings which could be heard on the previous release except for the more energetic "Vox" and the up-tempo roller-coaster "Sacrifice".
"Origo" is a heavy affair, offering industrialized modern thrash with dry sterile guitars and even more listless robotic vocals. Otherwise the music is decent having plenty of crushing moments, as well as a few aggressive speedy outbursts. There are also mellow post-thrash passages, supported by tender balladic ("Tango") interludes.

Dogma Full-length, 2000
Origo Full-length, 2004
Central EP, 2005
Negative Full-length, 2007
Transit Full-length, 2009

SEPTIMA (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Death Row" demo, this is modern thrash metal similar to Carnal Forge and The Forsaken; "My End" borrows riffs from Destruction's "Curse The Gods".

Born In Sin Demo, 2002
Sonett To Death Demo, 2003
Arise Demo, 2004
Rest In Pieces Demo, 2005
Death Row Demo, 2006
Walk To The Purgatory Demo, 2007

SEPULCHRAL (PUERTO RICO)

Based on the "Fuck Your God Worship Satan" demo, this act plays an aggressive blend of thrash, black and death metal mixing fast and slow passages the whole time managing to sound not far from early Destroyer 666. The sound quality is not very clear, though, and the brutal death metal singer is put too much up front deafening the guitars on quite a few times. Some of the musicians are also seen in the heavy metal "heroes" Rodney Infernal, and the grindcore "monstrosity" Auschwitz.

Rehearsal Demo, 1997
Enemy of the Cross EP, 2005
Fuck Your God Worship Satan Demo, 2008

SEPULCHRAL DEATH (HOLLAND)

This is the early attempt of members of Usurper and Thanatos to play thrash metal, and the final result is not bad at all, despite the rough production. This is actually quite aggressive for the time thrash/proto-death metal, sounding pretty confidently death metal-based on "Schizophrenic Doom" and especially on the really brutal "Praising Death". It's undeniable that this effort is one of the very early exercises on pure death, sounding not miles away from the Protector debut. To talk about technical thrash, like in the Usurper case, here is out of the question, except for a few more clever guitar hooks on "Mutual Repugnance", but shades of this demo can clearly be traced on the later Thanatos works.

Praising Death Demo, 1986

SEPULCRO (PERU)

One of the first metal bands in Peru, Sepulcro play heavy power/thrash metal with a wide range of moods: from doomy songs to quite aggressive ones (based on the compilation). Some tracks have quite an epic feel, like the 10-min instrumental "Los Gritos Del Silencio". Some numbers from the middle (songs 5-9) are with a better and heavier sound having almost no traces of power metal left, concentrating on a full-out thrash metal assault. Based on this part only it looked as though Sepulcro were a very worthy competition to their more renowned, but often less deserving, Brazilian counterparts.

Sepulcro Demo, 1989
Power's Trace Demo, 1990
Sepulchral Voices Best of/Compilation, 2006

SEPULCRO VACIO (COSTA RICA)

Quite good speed/thrash of the more complex variety, paying tribute to the spawning stages of European speed metal (Helloween, Warrant) on the fast compositions, which are by all means the better side. The slower ones are more riffy, and smell "thrash" more, but the guitar work is less flashy, and some moments are a bit dragging. Nothing wrong with "Tiempo Consumado": cool heavy thrash in mid-pace, with a catchy chorus, partially ruined by the very brutal death metal vocals, which are hardly the best choice for this kind of music. The other highlight is the intense speed/thrasher "Sepulcro Vacio", which also boasts very good lead guitar work. Cool stuff as a whole with no major flaws except, of course, the vocals, which may arouse your interest in starting to track down acts from this Latin American country.

Seres Inmortales Full-length, 2007

SEPULTURA (BRAZIL)

One of the most celebrated bands in thrash metal history, Sepultura began in a fairly raw, brutal manner, and although from musical aspect these beginnings are very little to write about, their influence on the future more extreme genres is undeniable, with their early efforts (the "Bestial Devastation" EP and "Morbid Visions") considered one of the early forerunners of the black/death metal movement. "Schizophrenia" sounded like pure thrash, still missing something in both the production and the music department, but the band soon shook the world with the landmark "Beneath The Remains": aggressive merciless thrash/proto-death at its most shining best. "Arise" (one of the best-selling thrash albums of all times) catapulted the guys straight to the top, sounding more restrained, but equaly as compelling as its predecessor. Sepultura adopted a more modern style on the not so bad "Chaos AD" as an answer to the 90's demands, and is their last work related to thrash. With Max Cavalera leaving to form Nailbomb, the band radically changed their style into groove/hardcore/tribal and everything in between.
"Kairos" sees the veterans back on their feet to an extent pulling the strings harder to produce this cool modern industrialized post-thrash effort which will remind you of more mid-period Ministry, early-90's Prong, Swamp Terrorists, among others. The sound is potently dark and heavy with echoes of "Chaos AD", too, with dry dispassionate guitars which create the necessary cold atmosphere. The good faithful cover of Ministry's "Just One Fix" could have been expected, and fits well into the overall picture, albeit done in a more restrained, less speedy, manner compared to the original. "Dialog" is the closest to the guys' more recent nu-metal "explorations", but delivers, mainly due to the expert melodic leads. "Mask" would be quite a surprise being a brutal death metallish number, although it can hardly be viewed as a return to the band's roots, but is more along the lines of the Swedish school. More plesantries later: the pure nod to the old school with the ultimate thrasher "No One Will Stand", which completely cancels the confusing noisy undustial closer "Structure Violence (Azzes)". Everyone involved has done a good job, with Green acquitting himself with a forceful sterile delivery without a shade of emotion, aptly avoiding the angry, shouty pitfalls so characteristic of the style.

Morbid Visions Full-length, 1986
Schizophrenia Full-length, 1987
Beneath the Remains Full-length, 1989
Arise Full-length, 1991
Third World Posse EP, 1992
Refuse/Resist EP, 1993
Chaos A.D. Full-length, 1993
Kairos Full-length 2011

SERAPH (USA)

The line-up includes two Vietnamese brothers who assist their colleagues in the production of this heavy modern slab of 90's post-thrash which is consistently heavy with a doomy vibe and cool comrehensive James Hetfield-like vocals. The Black Album is an obvious influence except on the cool energetic closer "The Innocent of Darkness" which is a faster affair with a nice "duel" formed between the heavy guitars and the suddenly sprung-up violin.

Awakened EP, 1995

SERBHERUS (BRAZIL)

Aggressive old school black/thrash metal, a very faithful rendition of the early 80's Brazilian scene; in other words we have amateurish, but inspired relentless assault, occasionally spiced with more laid-back slower elements, where the guitars take a cool melodic edge. Often does the music adhere to the typical for the genre blast-beats, where the guitar sound becomes too dull and unlistenable. The guys get carried away on a few tracks, which go over the 7-min limit, without offering anything more than merciless raw bashing. The singer is far from an asset with his gruff hoarse voice which he tortures by letting it try some higher tones from time to time.

Guardipo das Sombras Demo, 2004

SERDCE (BELARUS)

This great band firmly belong to the progressive metal genre. Their debut is excellent progressive power/thrash reminiscent of Control Denied, later period Eidolon, and Helstar's "Nosferatu". The tempo jumps from dream-like atmospheric moments to really aggressive thrashy outbursts, suggesting at more extreme things to come. The guitar work is outstanding featuring awesome Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.)-like riffs, and a couple of very stylish leads. The last track is a fine instrumental piece which, despite the lack of many hard-hitting riffs, is rich in atmosphere and haunting melodies.
"Cyberly" is a full-fledged technical/progressive death metal opus rubbing shoulders with the best of the genre: Atheist, Death, Martyr, etc., finished with a very cool cover of Death's "Scavenger" from "The Sound of Perseverance".
"The Alchemy Of Harmony" is an exquisite work of super-technical death metal, a surreal multi-faced journey, which doesn't offer much to the thrash metal fan, but is a truly captivating listen on the more serious thoughtful side of the music field.

Aritmia Full-Length, 2001
Cyberly Full-length, 2004
The Alchemy Of Harmony Full-length, 2009

SEREGON (UK)

An excellent EP ("Kingdom of the Blind") which will bring you back to the days when Sepultura were unreachable (think "Arise"). Quite a few riffs actually have an interesting technical edge, also recalling Kreator's late 80's period ("Extreme Aggression", "Coma of Souls"). The music is both fast and technical, great stuff, making their eventual full-length one of the more eagerly awaited releases at the moment.
"A Future Expired" is two tracks of more aggressive faster-paced thrash metal with the technical leanings slightly left behind on the first number ("Band of Brothers"). "Replicators" is about 9-min long, and this is where the technical flair is brought back mixed with very heavy punishing riffs and an ultra-fast ending section.

Kingdom of the Blind EP, 2007
A Future Expired EP, 2008

SERENITY DIES (THE MALDIVES)

Modern thrash metal, but not of the groovy variety, quite energetic with sharp expressive guitars; the opener "Killing Machine (The Apocalypse)" strangely reminds me of the Voodoocult's self-titled album with its cold mechanical riffs. The mechanical and sterile sound remains through the rest of the album, but is not awkward at all; on the contrary, it gives these guys' music quite an original touch. The leads are particularly good, and very often some technicality ala Megadeth sneaks through, and fans of this band's more melodic 90's period will find a lot to like here. But all of a sudden this well-established "serenity dies", and "Murder" splashes with aggressive guitars ala more recent Kreator. That's the only "distraction" here, though, with the rest returning to the modern, semi-technical style of the first half. The album closer: "The Deceiver", is probably the only, but mitigated failure, which strays from the path into more gothic-tinged territories in the vein of Lake of Tears and Sentenced. This is a really pleasant surprise; it's good to know that even in the most remote and exotic corners of our planet there are people who care for thrash metal.
The "Hacksawcracy" EP is a more ordinary take on the modern side of thrash metal with the staple more melodic elements which only get more exciting on the final "Dystopian Law" which is a clever semi-technical piece with good sterile riffage. The rest is pretty pedestrian without any highlights, although some may be moved by the cool melodic leanings on "Hacksawcracy".

Murder Full-length, 2006
Hacksawcracy EP, 2010

SERIAL KILLER (BRAZIL)

An interesting mix of aggressive death metal vocals and clean folk-ish ones; the sound quality is very bad, but one can recognize modern thrash riffs and melodic death metal ones. There are a couple of almost pagan/black metal-sounding tracks as well: "13th Warrior". If it only had a better sound...

Serial Killer Demo, 2005

SERPENT'S TONGUE (GERMANY)

Modern melodic thrash/death metal of the slower mid-paced type; the guys rely more on melody and atmospheric softer parts which give the demo a gothic touch ala mid-period Sentenced ("Amok").

Into the Burning Deep Demo, 2008

SERPENT MOVES (GERMANY)

This is a curious brand of gothic progressive thrash/death metal with an ominous dark atmosphere, mid-paced tempo, quiet balladic sections, which definitely has its moments. The guitar work is really good, and the riffs are sharp, but there is no speed involved, although the time-changes, some of which come out of nowhere, are quite interesting, as well as the duel between the low-tuned death metal growls and the excellent clean operatic vocals. "Never" is a cool intense thrasher, graced by a nice melodic guitar line, but the rest is more complex with a dream-like quality, similar to the more recent works of the Greeks Septic Flesh.

Curse Of Time Full-length, 1998

SERPENT OBSCENE (SWEDEN)

Based on the self-titled debut album, these guys pull out an aggressive, old school mixture of thrash and death metal. The music is very fast, with frequent blast-beats, and has a lot in common with the early bands from the French wave from the late 80's-early 90's: Agressor, Loudblast, Massacra, the Germans Ravage as well. The tempo slows down for the fine thrasher "Pestilent Seed": a nod to the German masters Destruction and Kreator. This song is like an intermission, placed in the middle, after which the aggression continues unabated till the end, becoming quite violent: the ultra fast and brutal "Act of Aggression".
"Chaos Reign Supreme" sees the band pouring the same brutal stuff, this time even faster and more aggressive, with more frequent adherence to blast-beats, staying closer to death metal most of the time. Whereas the debut was more varied, with some occasional deviations from the all-out speedy tempo, here all songs flow in exactly the same way: merciless bashing, for which one doesn't need a very high level of musicianship, and this is not the case here.

Serpent Obscene Full-length, 2000
Devastation Full-length, 2003
Chaos Reign Supreme Full-length, 2006

SERPENTINE FIRE (MACEDONIA)

A 2-song demo of quite good mid-paced retro power/thrash in the vein of Meliah Rage and Heretic, with very good dramatic, semi-clean vocals, which cover all ranges with dexterity. The shorter track "The Madman's Dream" speeds up in the second part, turning into a nice speed/thrasher.
The full-length is a good effort, showing no mercy at the very beginning with the sinister Helstar-ish opener "Pain", classic speed/thrash at its finest. "Out To The Light" is cool mid-tempo thrash, setting the scene for the coming of the crushing "Metal Magic". The "Instrumental" is, of course, an instrumental, which nicely returns to the speedy moments from the beginning. More heaviness on "The Angel With Regrets" which is fine dark power/thrash recalling Nevermore and Communic. "The Game" is intense thrash mixing slower with faster sections after which comes the already heard on the demo "The Madman's Dream", and the speed goes even up on the excellent "The World As We Know It" in the 1st part; the 2nd one calms down offering a cool balladic exit. "Insanity" finishes the album in an awesome smashing fashion, never speeding too much, with sharp riffs and an imposing doomy ending. The vocalist this time makes a few attempts at a higher singing, and his gruff emotional tember delivers the whole time.

Demo Demo, 2007
Out To The Light Full-length, 2008

SERPENTOR (ARGENTINA)

One of the hopes for Argentinian thrash metal along with Osamenta and Malicia, Serpentor are influenced by Testament and the Bay Area scene as a whole, but on the more aggressive moments the Slayer-influence could also be felt (on the band's second album there is a very good cover of Slayer's "Reign In Blood" sung in Spanish).
Their self-titled debut is a very promising beginning, mixing faster tracks ("Justicia") with more laid-back ones ("Vomitando Odio"). Seldom does the sound get quite aggressive and fast ("Condenado Al Infierno"), but there's no death metal here. "Final Sangriento" is in the same vein, bearing no surprises, being another good work of classic 80's thrash, maybe more melodic. The vocals are close to Max Cavalera, changing into gruff, semi-death metal ones, whenever necessary.
The EP follows the same path, particularly recalling early Testament, both in the music and vocal department, although the singer Guillermo Romero has still a long way to go before he reaches the unique semi-melodic falcetto of Chuck Billy. The music is not that fast, and there are plenty of pounding rhythms to be heard: "Controlando La Naci=n". "Final Sangriento" is the most melodic, but also the best track here: a fine laid-back speed/thrasher with catchy hooks, a slightly modified version of the title track from the preceding full-length. The last song "Angeles De Las Tinieblas" is a cover version of the Argentinian rock veterans V8.
"Privaci�n Ileg�tima De La Libertad" is built around the songs from the preceding EP, and as such doesn't stray from the Bay-Area path- early Testament, in particular. The album is a mixture of faster and slower mid-tempo tracks as the former predominate some of which are cool headbangers with a fine melodic edge: "Estado de Resistencia", the excellent speedster "Torturador" with a taste of Paradox as well.

Serpentor Full-length, 2001
Poseido Full-length, 2004
Final Sangriento Full-length, 2007
Ley Siniestra EP, 2008
Privaci�n Ileg�tima De La Libertad Full-length, 2009

SET ON END (NEW ZEALAND)

Groovy post-thrash with vicious evil vocals, lacking dynamics and variety, sitting somewhere between Biohazard and mid-period Machine Head.

Means to an End EP, 2009

SET TO DESTROY (USA)

A lengthy 7-song (kidding: the tracks are very short, within the 1-2min range) EP of pure retro thrash/crossover; the guitars are edgy and thrashy, the tempo is fast and energetic, and although this definitely sounds like a rehearsal for something bigger to come soon one can not help but mosh around and have fun like in the good old days.

Drink By Day, Swerve By Night EP, 2009

SEVEN KINGDOMS (USA)

Based on the self-titled sophomore album, this act plays good classic power metal with hints at thrash touching both the 80's American and the 90's power/speed metal scenes in almost equal dozes. The songs are fine mixtures of slower and faster passages as on the latter the band "courts" the Canadian one-album-wonder Messiah Force whose singer is also a woman/girl; did I mention that the vocalist here is female? And a pretty good one at that well fitting the vigorous energetic music. The "gods of speed metal" Helloween are "courted" on the excellent "Into the Darkness", and the following "Eyes to the North" is an excellent Oriental-tinged power/thrasher with forceful aggressive riffage. The title-track comes at the end providing 9-min of brisk classic speed metal boldly bordering on thrash on the more intense sections which come in the middle also introducing more brutal male semi-death metal vocals; a commendable way to finish this satisfying listen which will please a wide gamut of metal fans by keeping them almost equally as happy.
The debut is a more aggressive, and arguably a better, affair, and in the vocal department we have quite a difference: the girl is missing, and the male singer is deep clean doom/gothic-like, but not very emotional, and is helped by frequent brutal death metal growls which are absolutely no match to the much more melodic musical delivery. The album opens with the mild power metal hymn "Blackwater Rush", but "Dragonflight" steps in, and the more intense speed/thrashing starts on full-throttle despite the melodic leads and the catchy chorus. Time for some carefree speed/power metal happiness, and "Eyes Of Summer" will fully satisfy this need with the soaring guitars and the sing-along choruses. No more happy times with "Stormborn", another intense speed/thrasher with the obligatory melodic "reliefs", which are not annoying at all, and actually provide a cool contrast to the furious sections some of which border on proto-death. The alternation between the two approaches continue with "The Bloody Meadow", a melodic epic power metal piece, immediately followed by the speed metal rage "The Long Night". Surprisingly, the next track is another major headbanger: "We Do Not Sow (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part I)", fast aggressive thrash with a fine balladic break in the middle. The "massacre" carries on with full force on the heroic speed metal winner "Watchers On The Wall" which boasts a great memorable chorus. More moderate speed metal of the galloping thrashy type is served on "Towers of Hubris (The Legacy of Black Harren, Part II)" again accompanied by a nice quiet interlude. The final damage is done by the closer "Winter Comes" which doesn't betray the speedy spirit of the previous material lashing fast steel riffs and melodic leads for just above 7-min. This is a promising beginning of the band's career, and some may definitely mourn the loss of aggression on the sophomore effort despite the obvious improvements made in the vocal department.

Brothers Of The Night Full-length, 2007
Seven Kingdoms Full-length, 2010

SEVEN SCARS (IRELAND)

Groovy modern post-thrash which is dynamic and doesn't sound stale; it can even make you headbang quite a bit at times ("The Need To Bleed", "Turn to Stone").

In God We Rust EP, 2008

SEVEN SEVERED HEADS (USA)

A 3-song demo of heavy mid-paced thrash/death with slightly hysterical shouted vocals; the music slows down at times on the verge of doom metal recalling Asphyx.

Seven Severed Heads Demo, 2005

SEVEN STITCHES (PORTUGAL)

Modern thrash metal with classic borrowings, and touches of stoner/doom in the guitar department ("The World Is For Sale"); the tempo is mostly in the mid-range, but it still holds surprises for the listener, like the excellent intense "Confront The Fear Of Being Different" which, without leaving the mid-tempo, introduces cool death metal riffs. "Down The Earth" is an aggressive death/thrasher after which come 3 tracks from their 1st demo "Follow the Destiny", which are run-of-the-mill groovy post-thrash pieces.
"When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted" is a more aggressive affair with clear shades of death metal, both in the music and vocal department, and as such is a more satisfying listen adding the odd more technical hook ("From the Sky", which is a nice atmospheric number with great melodic tunes). The slower doomy elements haven't disappeared completely, but are more dynamic ("The in Between") intercepted by clever intriguing riffs. The music very seldom reaches blasting extremes, and almost every song features heavier pounding sections, including a nice balladic passage on the closing "Until You Get Dry". Some of the musicians play similar stuff with Spoiled Fiction.

The Face Alone Does Not Reveal The Man EP, 2006
When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted Full-length, 2010

SEVEN YEAR KISMET (UK)

Based on the full-length, these guys offer a dynamic mix of modern fast and groovy thrash which delivers, especially with intense moshers like "Into the Arms of Avarice" around. There are a couple of mild acoustic short instrumentals thrown in, and they create a nice contrast to the heavy pounding riffs and the very brutal death metal vocals.

When Fear Takes Form EP, 2007
Not Without Incident Full-length, 2009

SEVENTH ANGEL (UKRAINE)

Modern power/thrash with epic inclinations coming as a mix between early Children of Bodom and a more aggressive Falconer. The vocal duel between the gruff blacky rasper and the deep clean baritone is a bit awkward, but the more energetic ventures into 90's power/speed metal are not too inappropriate ("Pravilnui Kurs").

Seventh Angel Demo, 2002

SEVENTH ANGEL (UK)

One of the unique thrash metal bands from the UK, Seventh Angel play heavy, one-of-a-kind, somewhat progressive thrash which will require attention to be fully grasped. At least half of the songs are long (8-9min), without too many tempo changes with slow, almost doomy moments which create a kind of a dark, depressing atmosphere. Of course, cool energetic thrashers are still present, but it's in the more complex, longer material where the guys truly shine; these tracks are not deprived of up-tempo sections, but there are also quiet moments, and heavy, almost doomy at times riffs. "The Torment" contains the faster and the lighter material, and one could find himself jumping around on tracks like "Tormented Forever", or "Expletive Deleted", but the album closer "Katie" will startle you with its sprawling structure and meaty, heavy riffs.
On "Lament for the Weary" the music has lost its edge, and quite a lot of speed has been sacrificed for the sake of slower, heavier and more technical riffs, and more frequently inserted peaceful acoustic passages, although "Full of Blackness" breaks the "idyll" with a splash in the middle, with its furious intense guitars. This is not music for an everyday listen, but it will be a rewarding experience for those who like the more serious, thought-provoking side of thrash metal (including lyric-wise as the band, in this aspect, belong to the Christian movement).
A very unexpected, unheralded comeback from these underground heroes, "The Dust of Years" sees them paying more atention to doom metal this time, with the singer Ian Arkley singing in a more downtuned death-like manner, the same one he perfected so well on his doom/death metal project My Silent Wake. The problem is that he finds it hard to bid farewell to the slow side of metal, and the music presented here has more in common with the acts Arkley got involved (some of them his own "children") after the Seventh Angel split-up: the aforementioned My Silent Wake, Ashen Mortality, Century Sleeper, etc. with which he explored the fields of doom far and wide, to quite a positive effect, by the way. There are also sparce furious death metal breaks thrown in, so is there any thrash metal at all? Well, just a bit, and it's of the heavy doomy variety with only "In Ruins" jumping on the more dynamic up-tempo wagon. As a whole this effort is not a direct continuation of their old output, and it would also be of bigger interest to fans of doom: think Dark Millennium, Morgion, My Dying Bride, apart from the already mentioned bands.

The Torment Full-length, 1990
Lament for the Weary Full-length, 1992
The Dust of Years Full-Length, 2009

SEVENTH GATE (USA)

A decent slab of technically-minded classic thrash metal mixing faster with heavier slower songs all supported by strong bass and short screaming leads. The slower material predominates, and near the end things take a slightly doomy direction with the speed decreased quite a bit which is clearly a drawback since the riffage gets too repetitive. The singer has a gruff semi-clean voice reminiscent of Phil Rind (Sacred Reich).

Metal for the Masses Full-length, 1996

SEVERE WARNING (USA)

The band is mostly a power/speed metal outfit with shades of thrash, mostly on the 1989 demos; the music is not bad at all, but they never made it to the full-length stage.

Death to false Metal Demo, 1987
Severe Warning/Mutant Soldier Split Split, 1989
A Good Day...But for Who?! Demo, 1989

SEVERED EXISTENCE (USA)

Very well executed dark gothic thrash metal; the vocals belong to the death metal field, and there are also fast death-ish attacks (the short, aggressive "Die For Innocence"), but the music is generally mid-paced with heavy crushing riffs, really nice melodic touches ("Why Life Lies Cold"), and a dark brooding atmosphere. This band have managed to forge something really original here, although it would hardly appeal to gothic fans (except, maybe, for the closing "Severed Existence", which comes with heavy doomy guitars ala Cemetary, and good semi-clean vocals): the sharp guitar work and the intense delivery strictly belong to the thrash metal genre.

The Limbs of Humanity Full-length, 2002

SEVERED FIFTH (UK)

Modern post-thrash borrowing from the Black Album as well as from the groovy heritage of the 90's; the mixture is bearable if we exclude the awkward "gruff-clean" vocal duel and the very long (7-min) tender ballad "Forgotten Heroes". The headbanger "The Blackening" comes after it to apologize, but those moments are not very frequent, with maybe the mid-paced crusher "End Of Days" coming closer.

Nightmares By Design Full-Length, 2010

SEX MACHINEGUNS (JAPAN)

The name could hardly be connected with thrash metal, but on their first two albums, this band would literally catch you with your pants down with nice speed/thrashers topped by great guitar work and melodic high-strung dramatic vocals. "Sex Machinegun" is a really good debut opening with the smashing speed/thrasher "Burn" which will literally "burn" you with its furious, sharp, but at the same time melodic guitars. The album is quite varied, offering some pure speed metal delights in the vein of the 90's power/speed metal scene ("Devil Wing", "Hanabi-La"), featuring some of the most infectious choruses one might encounter. "High Speed Samurai" doesn't deserve its pompous title, being not as fast as some other tracks. "Japan" is a sheer classic heavy metal number which might annoy you, since there's been awhile since the last thrashy riff has been heard. But you don't have to wait much longer: soon comes the intense thrasher "Sex Machinegun", followed by a couple of more speed metal-based ones, but the closer "Family Rest Bomba" thrashes again with aggression and style, adding cool technical licks as well.
"Made in Japan" (these guys love their country!) starts quite promisingly with "Progressive Ojiichan": an interesting hectic power/thrasher, partially ruined by the awful industrial vocals. Later one would find out that those industrial vocals were just a solitary experimentation (thank god!). As a whole this album is more satisfying than the debut with really great tracks: the excellent speed metal masterpiece "Illusion City", the aggressive thrashing "Estheticien", the nice combination of power, speed and thrash "Serial Killer", the mighty speed/thrash opus "Iron Cross", which comes with the most aggressive riffs on the album. There are no light heavy metal tracks to ruin the impression; the speed and intensity are all over the place, even going a bit over the top, with the intense little thrasher "Onigunsow". The closer "Yellow Card" manages to sound even technical, with nice choppy, hectic riffs, nicely contrasting to the fast-paced ones.
Later their style adopted a more traditional power/heavy metal sound, but some headbanging thrashers are always present to keep things interesting.
"SMG" is a merry speedy roller-coaster mixng modern proto-groove with the free'n easy style of Motorhead and Tank. The guitars have an edge at times, even proto-thrashing here and there, but overall the mild approach of their more recent works has been preserved, without any unnecessary risks taken.

Live Fire EP, 1997
Sex Machinegun Full-length, 1998
Made in Japan Full-length, 1999
Barbe-Q Michael Full-length, 2001
Tariyou EP, 2001
Ignition Full-length, 2002
To The Future Tracks Full-length, 2003
Heavy Metal Thunder Full-length, 2005
Made in USA Full-length, 2006
Cameron Full-Length, 2008
45� Full-length, 2009
SMG Full-length, 2011

SEX MESSIAH (JAPAN)

This EP contains only 2 songs, both of the intense black/thrash variety, well more brutal and vicious than the music offered by their compatriots Abigail, Sabbat and Barbatos. Think a less intense and a more retro-sounding version of Impaled Nazarene, with the obligatory mid-paced break in the vein of Celtic Frost on "The Curse".

Wish You Were Dead EP, 2009

SEXOTURICA (USA)

This is another band formed by the Metallica (and ex-Flotsam & Jetsam) bassist Jason Newsted. Here, instead of Devin Townsend, he has invited Andreas Kisser from Sepultura to help him with the recordings (Tom Hunting (Exodus, Angel Witch)- the drummer, takes part in both projects). Based on the split with his other band IR 8, this is definitely the lesser band with an almost hardcore-ish sound bringing to mind Nailbomb, with a more light-hearted attitude, despite the ambitious, 7-min long "Zone of Death". The band name is formed from the names of the three acts where the members come from (Sepultura, Exodus, Metallica).

SpermogoDemo Demo, 1995
IR8 vs Sexoturica Split, 2003

SEXTON (CROATIA)

Aggressive Slayer-esque thrash with touches of death metal; fast intense music with gruff death-ish vocals and cool melodic slower numbers thrown in ("The Cold War").

Fade Out Full-length, 1992

SEXTRASH (BRAZIL)

With their brutal proto-death sound Sextrash fit very nicely along other representatives of the more aggressive side of Brazilian thrash metal like Sepultura, Sarcofago and Vulcano; "Sexual Carnage" is by far the band's finest achievement with its raw vicious thrash/proto-death approach and frequent blast-beats.

XXX EP, 1989
Sexual Carnage Full-length, 1990
Funeral Serenade Full-length, 1992
Rape from Hell Full-length, 2006

SEYMINHOL (FRANCE)

These epic heavy metallers have given a nice thrashy twist to their music to the point that some may not be able to recognize the band at first listen. The sound now has moved towards the progressive power/thrash metal realm where acts like the Swedes Pathos and the Canadians Eidolon belong. The French's guitars are more crunchy, and they are a bit more dynamic the latter expressed in a great way on the opening "The Old Man's Tree", a seamless blend of heavy smashing riffs and quiet balladic breaks. "Pretium Doloris" is a hectic jumper with a furious speedy section and a slight keyboard background, and "Suicide Obsession" is even heavier with doomy overtones and an even better keyboard support. "A Blank Chamber" is an exemplary dark thrasher recalling Sanctuary's "Into the Mirror Black" with a fine female vocal participation near the end followed by a supreme up-tempo thrashy break and a nice lead-driven chorus; too many things to watch out for here, eh! "Nail And Spear" continues the damage in an aggressive heavy manner with a great balladic "relief" in the middle introducing another melodic chorus. "Pendulum Motion" is a very good ballad with the singer shining all over with his dramatic clean delivery and the casual, but effective, adherence to the higher registers. "Ecstasy In Sin" is a more ordinary modern semi-groovy thrasher overshadowed by the speedy closer "Apocryphal Anthem" which serves another slab of hard-hitting dark thrash with the obligatory nice melodic chorus. This change of direction is more than welcome, although their hard-core fans may be quite startled at first since the epic "decorations" are almost completely gone, and the guitars have a decidedly more aggressive darker edge taking considerably away from the band's more carefree optimistic sound of old.

Ov Asylum Full-length, 2009

SHAARK (CZECH)

Members of the death metallers Krabathor and Master have gotten together to play some thrash for a change. Based on "Sinn Fein" the guys give preferences to the modern 90's scene, despite the brisk retro thrashing opener "Politics". Later on the music takes a modern orientation, not too far from Cyclone Temple and Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro". Sparkles of the classic sound can still be heard ("On The Edge") as well as pointless very tender instrumentals ("The Change (For Marcelle)"; this change might work for Marcelle, but not for us...), which ruins the angry sound, and the remaining 3 tracks are softer, crossover-tinged, with the bonus track being another very melodic non-metal deviation.

Sinn Fein Full-length, 1995
Propaganda Full-length, 1997
Suicidal Society Full-length, 2000
Again With Hatred Full-length, 2006

SHACKLES (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the "Coup de Grace" demo, this band offer a mix of slower atmospheric tracks with a certain pagan/epic element ala later period Destroyer 666 ("Converted to Evil"), and really cool headbangers in the vein of Sodom's "Persecution Mania" and Exumer's "Possessed by Fire" ("Child Saint").
The debut demo is raw, but energetic Germanic speed/thrash, this time also adding Destruction to the other already mentioned influences. "Iron Crosses" tries to break some death metal ground, and is a cool aggressive number, with a nice, contrasting to the simplistic riffs, lead guitar work. "Trophies Of War", on the other hand, settles for more laid-back speed metal ala Iron Angel's "Winds of War".
"Traitor's Gate" is a different "animal", epitomizing a style not far from the early works of their more renowned compatriots Destroyer 666, fiercely mixing black, speed, thrash and death metal, safely walking on well-trodden paths. Some epic touches are also added to the already overdone mixture, including one full-fledged epic monster (the closer "Orgy of Corpses"), to ensure the album's wide appeal. The songs are not very short, but the musicianship is so simplistic, that this is hardly necessary. The guys' sense of melody has to be acknowledged, though, and speed/thrash metal hymns like "Exorcised Remains" and "Malignant Expulsion" may end up big hits in someone's player. "Exhumed From a Watery Grave" is a marvellous short acoustic instrumental, another plus in the band's discography.

Orgy of corpses - Rehearsal slaughter Demo, 2005
Coup de Grace Demo, 2006
Inquisitor's Curse Single, 2007
Traitor's Gate Full-Length, 2009

SHADE (POLAND)

Atmospheric progressive thrash metal with quite a few gothic elements and gruff death metal vocals, supported by other clean, but not that convincing, ones. This is mid to up-tempo stuff with cool heavy guitars, not very technical, and good more immediate thrashers ("Meanders of Imagination (VII)"), albeit infused with keyboards, which are all over the album, but not in a very annoying way. The thrash metal fan will not enjoy pure gothic pieces ("Stoneflowers"), but crushing doomy thrashers, like "... Light (Part One)" and the nice progressive thrash closer "Birds" will surely make his day; but he needs to close his ears for those keyboards, which at least on this last song are a bit overused.

Sounds of Memory (Chapter...Echo) Full-length, 1997

SHADES OF DEVASTATION (USA)

Pretty cool all-instrumental music crossing the staple progressive structures with a healthy doze of thrash and death metal. The approach is modern with a dry, mechanical guitar sound and the tempo is almost mid. The leads are not very long, as the focus is clearly on the riffage which is pretty heavy, and doesn't contain any overt technicality, although the hectic patterns on "Break the Distance" may make your head spin a bit. There is an unobtrusive keyboard backgroung as well, which takes more space on the excellent atmospheric heavy ballad "Ghosts Of Haunting Memories". The final "The Grand Despair" is really "grand" being a 10.5-min opera of swirling riffs, hard-hitting sections, orchestral arrangements (an opera, indeed: check the closing passages), and quiet balladic breaks. Few will complain after hearing this engaging, thought-out music, despite the abundant supply of all-instrumental efforts of recent years.

Shades EP, 2011

SHADES OF GREY (USA)

The band's style ranges from more simplistic, early Slayer-like thrash on earlier works, to somewhat more technical one on the last demo. Both styles have their cool sides, like the jumpy, hectic, but quite intense "House Of Fools", or the intense direct thrasher "Legions of Corruption".

1st Demo Demo, 1988
2nd Demo Demo, 1989
3rd Demo Demo, 1989
Under the Skeptic's Eye Demo, 1991

SHADOW DEMON (USA)

If the Agent Steel sound after the reformation is to your taste, then you have to track this band down: power/thrash with interesting choruses and a more ambitious song-writing. The lead guitar work is good, and the riffs have this genuine dark brooding edge. The music is mid to up-tempo, with interesting orchestral choruses, carrying slightly the happy spirit of the speed/power metal movement of the 90's. The songs are long (the opener "A Dream of Dreams" alone is 9-min long), but there is no technical performance here, just heavy pounding riffs aplenty. "Brave Murder Day" has no relation to Katatonia, although it starts as a gothic-tinged ballad, before it speeds up. "Sea of Oblivion" will scare you with its brutal opening riffs, but later it slows down, still remaining quite energetic with great haunting guitars thrown in.

Grimoire of Ruin Full-length, 2006

SHADOW OF DEMISE (USA)

A heavy blend of death metal and modern groovy thrash; not bad, with nods to the first two Six Feet Under albums, including a very close similarity in the vocal department. The more up-tempo death metal-laced songs work better ("De-Evolve"), whereas the rest kind of lacks energy, even smelling doom at times ("Dog God").

Premature Burial Full-length, 2006

SHADOW'S FAR (SWITZERLAND)

Based on the demo, this band don't stray too far from the established Swedish thrash/death formula, playing an energetic brand of this blend, staying closer to thrash. The last track is graced by some fine Oriental tunes to suit the title: "Dubai By Night", although this is the most melodic, and the slowest one here.
"As Black Turns Red" is something more of the same, again "courting" thrash metal more, and the whole album is sustained in a brisk headbanging atmosphere, in mid to up-tempo, with the characteristic Oriental motives again preserved for the end which comes in the form of the nice short instrumental "38�000".

Lost in Contemplation Demo, 2003
Eleven Sins Full-length, 2007
As Black Turns Red Full-length, 2009

SHADOWS FX (BRAZIL)

A very obscure act who pull out thrash/death metal of the classic variety which sometimes comes "ornated" with more stylish elements: "They Dig My Grave" is a furious blasting piece, which suddenly switches onto atmospheric progressive metal ala Opeth, but not for very long; after all, the guys have to bash like mad, there's no time to waste. Well, but this same bashing is gone for "Blood Street", which is a cool mid-paced crusher in the tradition of Obituary; the singer also reminds of John Tardy at his most agonizing performance. "Tomorrow's Desolation" is an atmospheric, keyboard-laced doom/death song, which is long on both atmosphere and execution, but now the listener is completely confused as to what to expect later on. "Finis Glori Mundi" is a great short "leads versus acoustic" instrumental, after which the thrashing returns finally, with the excellent galloping "Death Penalty", which offers more: a stylish technical section in the middle, more aggressive riffage ala Slayer, and even furious blast-beats near the end. "Death Lament" starts as doom metal again, but later the guys speed up nicely, and produce another portion of cool thrashy riffage. "War Feelings" closes this interesting release with style being an energetic progressive thrasher with great melodies and numerous tempo changes.

Shadows FX Full-length, 2001

SHADOWMORE (POLAND)

Decent retro thrash in the spirit of the Brits Xentrix, so expect mostly mid-paced Bay-Area tinged stuff with mid-ranged semi-clean vocals. The guitar work is sharp, but pretty samey, and except for the slightly faster "Dead Point" there's not much happening in the headbanging department.

Out of Sight EP, 2009

SHADOWSPHERE (PORTUGAL)

Although the band name might prepare you to hear some power/speed metal of the new generation, you'll be perhaps a little surprised; not much, because the music is just run-of-the-mill modern Swedish thrash/death. Their second work is the better one with sharper, more thrash-oriented guitar work and good melodic solos.

Darklands Full-length, 2003
Hellbound Heart Full-length, 2006

SHADOWVEIL (GREECE)

Melodic speed/thrash metal with more progressive leanings at times, similar to the Italians Brutaliator and more recent Paradox on the more intense moments. "Dropping The Veil" is speed/thrash at its smashing best, ably supported by the more melodic, but still pretty edgy, "Silent Voices", but the guys vary things adding good heavy ballads ("Elusive Emotions") which show the good emotional mid-ranged vocalist in a bright light.

Promo CD 2006 (Remastered) Demo, 2006

SHAH (RUSSIA)

One of the first (and best) Russian thrash metal bands, Shah played straight-forward thrash metal on their first two albums somewhat similar to Anthrax (the debut), but slighly more technical. The debut is a really heavy affair with sharp guitars and fast tempos, albeit with a muddy sound quality; the songs are quite long for a first effort, but they are not mindless bashing, and come with cool semi-technical hooks which culminate on the fine technical thrasher "Reason X": one of the band's finest achievements.
"Beware" is in the same vein, with a slightly more technical edge (the fine heavy thrash piece "Threshold Of Pain"), and a much better production; the sound is not as heavy, and some tracks come as mixtures of speed and thrash, not too far from their compatriots Master's works from around the same time, and Metallica and Megadeth ("Bloodbrothers" with its galloping rhythm will definitely remind you of Metallica's "The 4 Horsemen"); still, it's a commendable slab of thrash with lighter, but memorable, compositions.
"P.S.I.H.O." showed a slightly more modern and technical approach, with the speed reduced quite a bit, and a sound close to mid-period Megadeth ("Countdown to Extinction", maybe even "Rust in Peace" on the best moments), and was a bit of a surprise, but a quality work like this one one can easily learn to appreciate; some bland groovy tracks could have been left out, but the better moments are definitely more.

Madness Demo, 1988 (?)
Escape from Mind Full-length, 1988
Beware Full-length, 1989
Terror Collection Best of/Compilation, 1991
P.S.I.H.O. Full-length, 1993

SHALLOW WATER GRAVE (USA)

Modern thrash of the energetic variety, but nothing unusual, albeit with a good sense of melody (the very cool "Persist And Persevere"), and some fine intense headbangers ("In The Aftermath") with a shade of Slayer.

Suspension of Disbelief Full-length, 2006

SHAPE SHIFTER (GERMANY)

An excellent 3-song demo of classic 80's thrash; the music is energetic, but not very fast, with meaty heavy riffs ala Slayer's late 80's period, mixed with nice technical guitar work ("Legions" is a great track, a fine example of the latter). Hopefully an official release is in the makings...

Collateral Damage Demo, 2004

SHAPESHIFT (GERMANY)

The EP shows an act playing modern groovy post-thrash with several more intriguing moments the latter sounding like a more aggressive Tool, but the music is pretty repetitive to strike a cord, and more melodic hooks are scattered throughout to show the guys' interest to conquer other territories outside the thrash metal spectre in the future. On drums we have the talented Hannes Grossmann: the man who also plays in Blotted Science, Obscura, Necrophagist, and other super-technical acts from the scene.
The debut demo is by far the band's finest achievement, complex progressive power/thrash with numerous twists, which never develops beyond the mid-tempo, boosted by very heavy guitars and cool clean attached vocals recalling the Dan Swano singing attempts through the years (remeber Nightingale, Godsend, etc.). "Perfect Life?" provides the necessary headbanging variation, and is a solid technical galloper ala Helstar's "Nosferatu". "Next Stop: Garden Eden" is a multi-layered composition with puzzling riffs and a morose doomy atmosphere. "Mind Curtain" is a more ordinary progressive metal cut, but "Principles" is a prime 3-min shredder with razor-sharp riffs on a pounding base. The final "Reproach" speeds up for a while again, also serving the oblgatory more elaborate passage ala Psychotic Waltz and the Germans Complex 7. This is a really promising beginning, and one may wish to track the full-length down in order to see if those promises have been realized more fully...

Confusedated Demo, 2004
Fragments Full-length, 2007
The Freal-EP EP, 2009

SHATTER (CZECH)

Energetic thrashcore which offers both fast and slow numbers both mixed well throughout although near the end the album loses steam a bit sticking too much to more repetitive groovy patterns wrapping it up with a weird ambient semi-electronic instrumental ("Apple Town").

Black Comedy Full-Length, 2009

SHATTER (GERMANY)

Based on "Miscreated Reflection", these guys come up with a cool fusion of thrash and death metal, more on the classic side, with good guitar work, which emphasizes on biting, but melodic riffs. The pace is up-tempo, never too aggressive, resulting in cool headbanging tracks, supported by not very suitable brutal death metal vocals, which sometimes sound synthesized ("Kill the Church") to produce an even more confusing effect.

Inward Discord Full-length, 2001
Thousand Scars Full-length, 2005
Miscreated Reflection EP, 2006

SHATTER MESSIAH (USA)

This band was founded by Curran Murphy: a famous figure in the metal world, having done service in bands like Nevermore, Annihilator and Faustus. From the bands listed only Nevermore could be cited as an obvious influence. Although the dominating style is dark power/thrash metal with progressive overtones, also recalling the Germans Psychotron and the Canadians Eidolon, the band reach hands towards more distant ones: both albums include very fast parts, and some of the heaviest moments would fit even on death or black metal releases. When the guys keep it short, they thrash like there's no tomorrow ("God Burns Like Flesh" (guess from which of the two albums!), to give one example), and the music picks up considerable intensity. In other words, the overall result is definitely on the positive side, and with a more focused, less scattered sound for the future, things could reach further.

Never to Play the Servant Full-length, 2006
God Burns Like Flesh Full-length, 2007

SHATTER SILENCE (JAPAN)

Derivative modern thrash/death metal with a few more technical deviations, quite melodic as well; there is a lot of energy put into the proceedings, and the headbangers will generally not be disappointed as the guys play on full speed for most of the time. The several more stylish jumpy moments ("Our Future Will Not Rot Forever") could have been extended since they carry the desirable digression, so it remains to be seen how things will turn out on future releases...

Opening of the End Full-length, 2010

SHATTERPOINT (CANADA)

Based on "Consequences", this band plays pretty decent modern thrash close to their renowned compatriots (or rather, compatriot) Annihilator of the mid-90's ("King Of The Kill" in particular, which is good since this is one of the few good Annihilator albums). The problem is the singer who alternates from low-pitched metalcore to semi-clean vocals (kind of the ones used by Machine Head on their later releases), to low death growls. This calls for a big talent, but as a matter of fact he doesn't leave a very good impression. "Crushing Down" is a very good headbanger (if we exclude the not very convincing, groovy ending), the best track on the album. Reportedly, the band have expanded their horizons outside the mere Annihilator-worship on the follow-up, and have done a better job.
"Dead Precedence" indeed has very little to do with Annihilator, but without a model to look up to, the guys have messed it up playing ordinary, occasionally groovy, modern post-thrash livened up by more up-tempo thrashing numbers ("Torn Apart", "Gone", "Dead Precedence") from time to time.

Consequences Full-length, 2004
Dead Precedence Full-length, 2006

SHE SAID DESTROY (NORWAY)

Based on the "Armageddon, Anyone?" demo, this band pull out an intriguing, sometimes chaotic, mix of thrash of the mechanical modern type and death metal with a certain technical edge, which works very well on "Swallow My Tongue". "Joy To The World (The Coming Of Kali)" is more straight, but the heavy crushing riffs are hard to be ignored. "Armageddon, Anyone" picks up more aggression, and is quite an intense technical death/thrasher with a dry Meshuggah-styled beginning and ending.

"Time Like Vines" includes all the songs from the reviewed demo, slightly remastered, plus another solid selection of varied ones, starting with "Time Like Vines": a nice combination of dry mechanical riffs and aggressive death metal sections. "Der Untergener" is a cool technical death/thrasher, spiced with more quiet progressive passages ala Opeth. "Beyond the Borders of Our Minds" is direct death metal madness, after which another excercise in more complex metal comes: "Shapeshifter", again mixing brutal riffage with the obligatory sprawling progressive part. "Becoming the Morningstar" preserves the more melodic sections, but the riffs are slower, albeit still technical and crushing, with a shade of the Swedish scene.
"This City Speaks in Tongues" is more brutal, and leaves a little room for thrash metal amidst the raging black/death. The good thing is that the technicality hasn't disappeared, but on the contrary, is more frequently adhered to, resulting in really good technical numbers: the excellent Coroner-influenced mid-paced vortex "An Age of Leeches", the awesome twisting Cynic and Atheist worshipper "Tea and Toast at the Very End of Time". But this is not all since the guys push the pedal later on to produce faster and more aggressive, but equally as technical, songs: the nod to Morbid Angel "No Zen", the smashing technical headbanger "Consider This a Warning". The closer "Servitude" is a completely different "animal" opting for a slow doomy mechanical sound with a nice final mid-break.

Demo Demo, 2003
Video clips Autumn Demo, 2003
Armageddon, Anyone? Demo, 2004
Human all too human Demo, 2004
Time Like Vines Full-length, 2006
This City Speaks in Tongues Full-length, 2008

SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT (RUSSIA)

Modern thrash/death metal with numerous metalcore decorations; wild chaotic stuff with screechy black-ish vocals, finished with a brilliant orchestral violin/piano-driven piece which is by far the highlight.

Thanks Maria For Suffering EP, 2010

SHEER IGNORANCE (UK)

Direct bashing death/thrashcore of the heavy, crusty type on a noisy, chainsaw-like, background; brutal death metal vocals and simplistic, dissonant at times, guitars shake hands here, plus the addition of cooler atmospheric, blacky moments ("Blood Sludge").

Conditioning EP, 2011

SHELF (GERMANY)

Only one person, the name is M. Reichelt, is responsible for this weird eerie mixture of industrial, thrash, doom/gothic, and black metal with a rich keyboard background and deep declamatory vocals. The music is very atmospheric focusing on the industrial and gothic side more, but still manages to produce the excellent dark technical thrasher "Frozen Senses" at the end which is a compelling mix of macabre keyboards and sharp complex riffage topped by dramatic sinister choirs.

Frozen Senses Demo, 1998

SHELLSHOCK (JAPAN)

Like most of the Japanese thrash metal bands, Shellshock also refuse to follow the conventional paths of the genre. The EP and the first two albums are cool thrash with hardcore tendencies. "Mortal Days" is the band's finest hour: a cool and varied effort with heavy riffs and rough angry vocals. Even the slower more melodic tracks ("Balance Of Society") are well done with a slight hardcore edge. The only annoyance is the soft punk-ish "Mortal Days", which very undeservedly carries the album title, which would better suit the speedy thrash/crossover delight "Killed By Myself", or the nice pounding closer in the Vio-Lence vein "The Cage". On later releases there is a lot of experimentation with the modern 90's sound including quite a few moments outside the thrash metal grasp.

Self Defence EP, 1987
Mortal Days Full-length, 1989
Protest And Resistance Full-length, 1990
Fiel L)rm Full-length, 1992
Graythem...Of Chaos EP, 1994

SHESHINE (RUSSIA)

Brutal thrash/death metal with a very bad sound quality and even more brutal death metal vocals which come synthesized, and awfully try to scream higher to an even more frustrating effect. Otherwise the music makes sense at times being fast, intense and hectic, even managing something more technical on the closing "The Way Of Virtue" which is a very cool mazey complex track with twisted spiral-like guitars (could have been written by anoter band?).

The Way to Death Demo, 1992

SHIFT (USA)

The guys from the progressive metallers Mystic Force have hardened the course a bit on this modern alternative power/post-thrash metal offering which mixes groove with more intense thrashy ("Sins", "Gone Wrong") sections, but hardly leaves a more positive impression than the musicians' main act: it's a pretty pedestrian affair with just a few more stylish moments: the mechanical technical thrasher at the end "Without A Soul"; the abstract creepy 1-min instrumental "Choir Of The Damned". The rest is just non-engaging mid-paced to slow-ish riffs with an abrasive indistrial shade.

Creating A Monster Full-length, 2006

SHINING VOID (ITALY)

These Italians offer modern melodic thrash which adheres to metalcore breaks, clean vocals (mixing with the main brutal death metal ones), and other equally as unimpressive tools. The overall approach is faithful to the Gothenburg school, although one would hardly come across any up-tempo passages, the guitars producing a lot of lyrical/balladic sections some of them coming with a more acceptable melancholic/gothic flavour.

Origin of Your Beauty EP, 2010

SHITFUCKER (USA)

Based on the "I.N.R.I - F.O.A.D." EP, this "shitty" (also "fucky") act brings the cataclysmic grindy approach of early Cryptic Slaughter mixed with abrasive moments ala Hellhammer; a very contrasting blend as a whole, and if it wasn't for the awful sound quality one may have enjoyed this stuff more, especially the atmospheric doomy closer "Cloned Sheep for Butchery" which comes pleasantly industrialized in a way not too dissimilar to Godflesh. Some of the musicians attempt something more thrashy and punky with Reaper.

Human Disorder EP, 2006
I.N.R.I - F.O.A.D. EP, 2008

SHIT FOR BRAINS (GERMANY)

The "shitty" name may have been an obstacle for the band to find wider audience, despite the presence of Matthias Hechler: the guitarst who is a full-time member of the German gothic masters Crematory. Based on "Vortex Cordis", these guys pull out competent modern technical thrash, quite close to the French one-album-wonder Aleister. On the more inspired moments the sound also recalls their compatriots Depressive Age: the awesome progressive thrasher "Bloodmoney". The band sometimes leaves the technicality behind, to concentrate on more smashing riffage: "Playing God", which despite the hammering guitars can still be defined as semi-technical. Other tracks are considerably slower, still quite technical, bordering on doom: "Global Assessment Score". The vocal variety is quite big: we have main hardcore-ish shouts, as well as occasional clean ones in the vein of Jan Lubitzki (Depressive Age), semi-clean ones, and brutal death metal growls. The middle is occupied by a couple of shorter, less elaborate numbers, which keep the intense thrashing going, without too many technical deviations. The acoustic version of the best song "Bloodmoney" ruins the pace almost beyond repair, a situation saved by the technical pounder "Septic Selves" and the aggressive explosive "Recoil". The closer "Me, Myself And I" is another disaster: dreamy, balladic and boring, spoiling the final impression to a considerable extent, leaving the listener bewildered as to what mark to give this effort.

The EP comes after a long 10-year break, but is hardly necessary, seeing the guys having lost their technical skills, or at least having forgotten them in the 90's, and they offer us bland unimpressive modern post-thrash which would have sounded outdated even 10 years ago. After hearing this, one would probably advise the band to take it easy if they plan on releasing a full-length any time soon.

Lukewarm Full-length, 1993
Vortex Cordis Full-length, 1997
My Silence EP, 2007

SHOCK (RUSSIA)

A classic mix of power, thrash and speed metal with a couple of modern throwings; the tempo varies the whole time, the dominant one being mid, but interesting with different riffage on the tracks and cool attempts at less conventional melodic insertions. The bass is quite good, and the singer is not bad, either, with his levelled clean tone with a cool gruff shade reminiscent of his compatriot Mikhail Seryshev (Master).

Mir Obezlichen Full-Length, 2010

SHOCK (USA)

Cool melodic speed/thrash metal recalling Tank and mid-period Exciter ("Long Live the Loud", "Unveiling the Wicked"); although some of the song-titles are too promising: "Sonic Assault", "Full Speed Ahead", there is nothing aggressive, or too fast here. "Slashing to Live" even has a strong heavy metal (Judas Priest) flavour.

Demo Demo, 1986

SHOCKWAVE (HOLLAND)

This obscure Dutch band play thrash metal of the old school mixed with occasional modern "updates". The guitar work is good, and some of the melodic lines are simply great (check out the opener "Tears"), as well as the leads. "Why?" carries a fine technical edge, which can also be heard on the intense thrasher "Lost in Life". "M.I.A." follows with even more aggressive riffage, and "Different Colours" spices things up with modern groove and rappy vocals, amidst the raging thrashy riffs. "Someone" is a ballad which "apologizes" for the lost energy with fine up-tempo moments in the second half. "Chucky" is an odd number which wastes 2-min with just lyrical guitar play, before it introduces bad groovy sounds, which the intense thrashing that comes later can hardly save from sinking. "Reprise" is even more confusing being a short 2-min techno/electronic piece. The ending is not too impressive, either: "P.P.", which is melodic thrash/crossover, with very little to remind of the aggressive thrashing of the earlier material. A fairly uneven work as a whole, this album tries to mix as many styles as possible on a solid thrash metal base which, at least in the 1st half, delivers the goods no worse than the latest offerings of Slayer and Sepultura from the same time.

Lost In Life Full-length, 1994

SHOCK TROOPERS (ITALY)

Based on the 2006 promo, this is well-executed fast-paced thrash/crossover, clearly old school, recalling quite a few veterans from the 80's scene: Slayer, Nuclear Assault, D.R.I., Razor.
"Blades and Rods": a nice shredding Oriental-tinged intro welcomes you into this entertaining thrash/crossover affair which this time comes served with a bigger doze of melody without stifling the hard riffage. The music is predominantly fast with Slayer touched on the more aggressive parts with ease ("Vice", "Road Thrash"). Jolly speedy crossover numbers will one find aplenty here assisted by gruff semi-hardcore, but comprehensive, vocals akin to Bob Reid (Razor).

Bad Reality Demo, 2004
Promo Demo, 2006
Shock Troopers Full-length, 2007
Blades and Rods Full-length, 2010

SHORT SHARP SHOCK (UK)

Vintage 80's thrash/crossover, well done; the hard-hitting riffs will make you headbanging like crazy, the way 80's acts like Nuclear Assault, Sonick Plague and Blessed Death have made you to. The band's style is characterized by jolly, punk-ish atmosphere, also bringing them close to Municipal Waste at times, but the Brits' music is more aggressive and more classic-sounding.
"The Dividing Line" is another solid slab of retro thrash/crossover, but here the attitude is less serious, and the concentration is clearly on the crossover side. Still there is a lot of intense headbanging thrash to be heard: there are whole 20 tracks here, with just 3 of them passing over the 2-min line, and the tempo seldom decsends to mid, so there's no moshing lost on this one. The middle part is occupied by a few more laid-back crossovers ala Suicidal Tendencies for the guys to take a break, and continue the damage. Oh, and let's not forget the closing "Unrest In The Northwest", which beats all records in terms of length, providing slightly more than 4-min of pure unadulterated thrash to wrap it up nicely.
"Problems to the Answer" is another roller-coaster of more temperate thrash/crossover, with crossover/hardcore prevalent seldom branching out in more brutal grinding ("White Bread") parts. The approach this time is fairly close to S.O.D. (their legendary debut, above all), its appeal further increased by merry-go-round power/speedsters like "Tales out of School". The last two songs are longer: "Dismantle the Dream", which is a light-hearted power/speed/crossover hybrid; and the instrumental "Strangenotes" which is a nearly 8-min extravaganza sacrificing the more dynamic thrashy beginning for a peaceful piano-driven ambient exit.

SSS EP, 2006
Short Sharp Shock Full-length, 2006
The Dividing Line Full-length, 2008
Problems to the Answer Full-length 2011

SHOTGUN CURE (CANADA)

This young trio specializes in brisk, edgy retro thrash which "courts" the Bay-Area movement with both heavy and speedy riffs, supported by hoarse semi-clean vocals which hesitate between the semi-declamatory and the mean-ish singing type. "Sustainment" opens the EP in a dynamic crunchy manner with piercing, screaming leads, before "Exercise This" comes thrashing down in a fast less compromising fashion, a nice reminder of Testament's heydays, with memorable hooks and cool choruses, the latter slightly ruined by the singer's thin delivery. "Unswayed" takes a more serious, almost progressive, turn, still remaining dynamic and intense for the bigger part, with a certain modern guitar edge at times which screams "Exodus of the new millennium". "Shotgun Cure" is a prime galloper with sharp riffs and another portion of modern, proto-groovy throw-ins in the midlle, which could have been spared this time, since they simply are no match to the vigorous headbanging "surroundings" which are nice nods to early Metallica. The closing "Iron Shadow" gallops along with the mustangs from the prairies pretty much in the vein of the preceding track raising the flag of the old school high in a way no worse than "The Four Horsemen" itself; nothing off-context here this time, if we exclude a very short acoustic insertion; just classic speed/thrash shred with energetic riffage and fine melodic insertions. The guys are already well rehearsed to enter the studio for the recording of their eventual full-length: let's see how big a competition they will manage to produce to their American counterparts...

Depravity Unleashed EP, 2011

SHOW NO MERCY (USA)

Don't expect aggressive thrash ala Slayer, hopes raised by the band name: this is thrash/crossover with a certain modern edge, and elements of groove; quite fast and intense at times ("Cities of the Red Night"), at times slower with shades of stoner/doom ("Death is My Religion").

Death Is My Religion EP, 2007

SHOW YOUR FACE (GREECE)

Modern thrash/death metal which hesitates between the groovy heritage of the 90's ("Fatality") and the more intense Swedish delivery ("Innocent Cries"). There are also a couple of mid-paced smashers with good sharp riffs which seem to be the best part. The singer is a typical angry semi-shouter.

Unleash Full-Length, 2011

SHOWER (ESTONIA)

The debut is a decent slab of technically-minded Bay-Area thrash not too far from the late-80's Metallica efforts. The guitar work is heavy, galloping and energetic on the opener "Bad Friends", and pounding and mid-paced on the next "Abandoned". The mid-tempo tone remains for a couple of numbers in the middle acquiring slight proto-modern tendencies, and it's near the end when "Mirror Man" livens up with crispy dynamic riffage. Still, the end is kind of underwhelming bringing back the stomp even adhering to blues/ballad on the sleepy closer "Blues Form".

"Humiliator" mixes both trends again, but is the better and the more classically-oriented listen. It begins in a sure-handed energetic manner with the mid-paced instrumental "Wizard`s Circle", but moves onto more hard-hitting and faster semi-technical thrash on "Deep in Lies". "Kingdom of Darkness" slows down being a slightly clumsy semi-ballad, and "Cruelty For Fairiness" does little to bring back the sharpness thrashing in a jolly crossover fashion. Things look brighter once again with the brisker, albeit still more mid-tempo, "Familiar Strangers", and it's "Humiliator" which finally reminds of the Metallica-influenced numbers from the debut with its heavy technical riffage and faster rhythms. "Wounded Wolves" can safely be put in the same camp although it offers a more optimistic sound not far from 80's Anthrax, and will remind you of the "Spreading the Disease" opener "A.I.R.". "Midnight Date" closes the album in a more sleepy melodic way, but the sound fits better the mid-levelled semi-clean vocals which cling between Mike Muir and Daniel ''Dan'' Clements (Excel).

Brain Piracy Full-length, 1990
Humiliator Full-length, 1992

SHRAPNEL (AUSTRALIA, Brisbane)

A 4-track demo of classic speed/thrash along the lines of the Whiplash debut with a shade of American power metal: the closing moments from "Rotham's Fire", which is an otherwise a blistering speedy number, with a good sense of melody shown by the guitar players in the form of a couple of really nice melodic hooks and leads. The guitar sound is a bit muddy, and the singer is not a very big asset with his low-tuned semi-whispered delivery which adds a sinister note to the proceedings, but could hardly be called singing.

Bogan Thrash Attack Demo, 2008

SHRAPNEL (AUSTRALIA, Perth)

Members of the black metallers Dybbuk have decided to give a more speed/thrashy twist to their raw primal black metal sound, and this album offers exactly this: an intense classic mix of black and thrash metal crossing early Bathory with the more speedy aesthetics of acts like Toxic Holocaust and Alastor (Portugal): check out the perennial speedster "Trample The Altar". This is entertaining fast music ably supported by vicious black-ish vocals and good short leads of the screaming type. The final "The Power Is Mine" is 8-min of more atmospheric semi-epic black/thrash ala early Enslaved.

Hellbound Full-length, 2010

SHRAPNEL (INDIA)

A modern laid-back blend of power and thrash metal with gothic overtones the latter recalling mid-period Lake of Tears. The tempo is mid for most of the time, and the guitar work is a bit repetitive, pretty melodic contrasting to the gruff semi-death metal vocals, which are comprehensible again reminding of the ones of Daniel Brennare (Lake of Tears) which he used on the early albums.

Intellectual Pursuit Full-length, 2004

SHRAPNEL (UK)

Fast headbanging retro thrash is offered here with Slayer the prime target for worship; well done, a non-stop moshfest with direct lashing riffs and slightly unsuitable hardcore-ish vocals. The guys are not strangers to more melodic hooks ("No Saviours"), but most of the time you'll be worried about your neck (and even tooth fillings), especially on the brutal mosher "Surgeon" at the end.

No Saviours EP, 2009

SHREDDER (USA)

4 songs of speed/power/thrash metal akin to Destructor and Sentinel Beast; the tempo is energetic and up, with the exception of "Vegetable Soup", which is strictly for "vegetables only" being a boring heavy stomper.

Demo Demo, 1989

SHREDDING CONSEQUENCES (MEXICO)

The workaholic Carlos Garcia (also Makina, Acrostic, Gothic, among other acts) tries his hands on more classic-sounding thrash, which may remind you of Kreator of the new millennium, with a boosting modern production. The guys spare no speed, and the guitar work is crisp and sharp, topped by more aggressive death metal vocals of the higher type. When the sound gets slower ("Chaos Monger Madness"), the guitars take a more technical turn, although to these ears the straight-ahead thrashers ("You Make Me Sick", "Worlderness") deliver better. "Profit Anarchy" is a really good hectic technical thrasher in a good tempo, but this is the only moment when the "shredding" can really lead to some "consequences", and partially on the somewhat chaotic closer "Revenge", which disappoints in the 2nd half, pulling out a slow groovy/industrialized passage where the vocals become too rending and hysterical. For the good guitar work thanks should also be given to the female guitarist Rene, who ably helps Garcia.

Against The Corporate World!!! Full-length, 2008

SHREDDING THE ENVELOPE (USA)

One man is responsible for the music here, the name Dave Reffett, assisted by a pleiad of guest stars among whom are Glen Drover (Eidolon), the omnipresent Chris Poland, George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), the guitar virtuoso Joe Stump (also Holy Hell). So what have these guys mixed here: cool classic power/thrash which starts mildly with the feelgood anthem "Caravan of Cannibals", before "Standstill and Scream" starts thrashing with ultra-heaviness and a very fast proto-death laced intro and outro. Later on both trends are mixed, as the headbangers will be delighted to hear 8-min of pure unadulterated blitzkrieg thrash in a constant fast pace on the closing "Shredding the Envelope". The more romantically-inclined will find their favourite in "I Just Don't Want To Say Goodbye", a bluesy ballad with good heavy guitars. The rest is of the heavy mid-tempo variety with "Ruby Avalanche, Red Flood" worth mentioning with its lively speedy breaks.

The Call of the Flames Full-length, 2009

SHREDHEAD (ISRAEL)

Modern thrash of the aggro-type meets thrashcore supported by throaty death metal vocals. The music is varied, moving from all-out headbangers ("Knife In A Gun Fight") to more moderate, more serious, numbers ("Rise", which is not a Pantera cover). This is all adequately done, but the workmanlike approach and the numerous cliches used throughout will hardle make this effort the fans' favourite.

Human Nature Full-length, 2011

SHRINE (PORTUGAL)

Fairly good classic thrash metal with a dark atmosphere, recalling Deathwish (but more technical), or the French Witches; the album starts with the chaotic, aggressive "Luminous Green", which sounds as though at any moment the sound will turn to death metal. But no; "The Masonry" bashes aggressively as well, but the stylish bass implements and the clever technical sections strictly belong to the thrash metal camp: check out the marvellous melodic hook at the end. "In The Machine" slows down to almost doomy dimensions, showing that this work would be quite a diverse story. Another fast-paced thrasher follows suit: "Here M. G. R.", and then the sound gest more complex and slower once again, for the intriguing technical piece "La Danse des Morts". "Ophelia Dreamed" is a fine technical thrash instrumental, easily the highlight of the album. The last song "Calcutah Plow" is not too far behind, being a longer, progressive exercise in thrash, an encyclopaedia of superb, swirling riffage. A great album, which remains the highest achievement of the Portuguese thrash metal scene after all these years.

Perspective Full-length, 1994

SHUD (FRANCE)

Death/thrash metal which will remind you of early Protector, or Agressor; based on "De Profundis", this is cool music with a nice dark atmosphere rubbing shoulders with Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy" in this aspect, but the approach is more aggressive, frequently alternating very fast with slow passages on the longer tracks ("Light Of Knowledge"). On the shorter ones the band bash without mercy ("World Of Terror"), but the music makes sense. "Blind Fold" is quite an awkward piece, thrown in the middle, being a melodic crossover nonsense. "Emotion Machine" is also out of context being more laid-back, but at least it thrashes faster, and at the end it justifies its place here offering furious closing riffs.

More Than Death - Volume I Split, 1990
De Profundis Demo, 1990
Beyond the Real Demo, 1991
Promo 1992 Demo, 1992

SHWORCHTSECHAYE (ISRAEL)

Excellent aggressive technical death/thrash metal akin to Hellwitch; here the tempo is a bit more varied including heavier slower passages and breaks ala Atheist and Cynic; apart from the vicious snarls which go with this style, one can hear a more brutal death metal growl "accompanying" them. Hopefully apart from Salem, Melechesh and Orphaned Land we might soon have one more big name on the metal map from the Middle East.

14-Minute Dive EP, 2000

SIA RADIKAL (LATVIA)

This is your average post-thrash for the new generation. The music is jumpy and crunchy with the casual more clever twist, as well as the more aggressive adherence to purer thrash ("Taisnibas"). The abrasive edge of the guitars may recall some acts from the industrial scene (Swamp Terrorists, later-period Skrew, etc.); the latter disappears for the cool balladic closer "Vel Tur Ir Cels", which boasts the most proficient execution on the album.

Monokar� Full-Length, 2011

SIANYDE (UK)

This is classic power/proto-thrash which comes with very buzzy guitars and good clean vocals. The band try to play it more complex, which comes for the sake of the fast sections, which are not many at all, replaced by thundering, 10-ton riffs (check out "Under Dark Skies") with a doomy flavour. It can not be termed "progressive", but the song-structures are cleverl despite their somewhat monotonous nature.

Under Dark Skies EP, 2011

SIBAT (PHILIPPINES)

2 songs of noisy crusty thrashcore in a constant up-tempo with buzzy guitars and monotonous shouty vocals.

Demo Demo, 2010

SICK DISTORTION (SERBIA)

Modern melodic thrash metal which mixes peaceful balladic passages with a few hard-hitting rhythms ("The Pain"), but generally this is calm mid-paced to slow stuff with shades of gothic and doom ("Kataklizma").

Sick Distortion Demo, 2007

SICK VIOLENCE (CHILE)

Classic speed/thrash metal quite close to early Whiplash and the Portuguese Alastor; so this is direct speedy stuff with vicious black-ish vocals which come unpleasantly screamy at times trying to hinder the better musical delivery. That same delivery is constantly fast, and despite the complete lack of variety, it will be a cool listen for those who enjoy retro "no-gimmicks" speed/thrash metal all the way through.

Metal Bitch Full-length, 2010

SICKLEAVE (SWEDEN)

This band manage to mix modern and classic thrash quite well on their two demos. The music stays more often in the classic camp, recalling the Brits Xentrix and Metallica. At times there is an inclusion of nice clean vocals (the semi-ballad "Parasite").

180 Demo, 2005
So Far, So Good, So Sickleave Demo, 2005

SICKNESS (CHILE)

A 4-song demo which introduces raw, badly produced, mid-paced thrash wtih classic touches. The sound is really messy, and doesn't do justice the several cool calm balladic breaks. Otherwise the pace is mid with clumsy riff patterns, which also stay around at the end on the very amateurish cover of Accept's "Metal Heart", ruined in every conceivable department, especially in the listless semi-declamatory vocal performance.

Demo Rehearsal Demo, 2005

SICOCIS (USA)

Four guys from Vegas concentrate on modern progressive thrash, which opens with the impressive orchestral intro "Preminitions". The following compositions are diverse offerings blending shrap, edgy riffs with sprawling balladic/semi-balladic passages. There is not much speed to be encountered, the closest to the headbanging parametres being the atmospheric galloping opus "Hourglass", which boasts fine Oriental motifs. On the more ambitious songs ("Corridors Within") the band show an obvious fascination with their Swedish peers Opeth, as well as a penchant for more pompous gothic arrangements (the symphonic closer "Revelations End (act 3)"). A vocal "duel" can be heard throughout, the better side being the clean side, the other being a much less expressive low-tuned guttural death metal one.

Sicocis Full-length, 2012

SICOMOTOR (CHILE)

This is decent power/speed/thrash metal which relies on speedy, intense cuts, both in the form of short explosive ("Escupiendo Al Cemento") and longer, more thought-out ones ("Ser Chiloe"). "Sico-Sis" is a more pure thrasher, almost instrumental-only, followed by the excellent speed metal killer "Sicomotor"; the guys relaxing on the closing "Ya No Estan", which is more moderate power metal. The singer is in the semi-clean registers, having a cool mid-ranged pitch with a gruff, drunken shade.

Majando La Isla Full-Length, 2011

SIDE EFFECTZ (BRAZIL)

Thrash, death metal and grindcore come together on this album mixed in almost equal dozes. This is actually an entertaining listen with short 1.5- 2min songs where fast blast-beats alternate with thrashy riffs of the classic school. The vocals are strictly in the brutal death metal camp. Although the ultra-fast aggressive sections take a considerable place here, they are not annoying, and nicely go along with the energetic thrashy ones.

Traitors Execution Full-length, 2002

SIDER (BULGARIA)

An excellent obscure entry into the progressive thrash metal genre; this is also quite energetic speedy music which suits well the long (8-9min) compositions which never drag because of that. To compare the guys' (and a girl) approach would not be very easy since there are elements of the 90's power/speed metal wave present as well, plus a cool, albeit overdone at times, presence of keyboards. The music shares some of the progressive semi-epic qualities of the Swedish scene of around the same time (the last Hexenhaus album, Pathos, Abstrakt Algebra, Memento Mori, etc.) when it slows down, but thrash metal is much wider covered, even on the slowest compositions: the mid-tempo shredder "Room of Dreams". The 10-min opus "Metamorphoses of Emptiness" is a pensive doomy track with balladic elements, and kind of doesn't fit into the much more dynamic picture very well; could have been well viewed as a leftover from an Abstrakt Algebra, or a late 90's Candlemass album. "Realised Insanity" restores the faith big time right after that offering heavy thrashy riffs on a dramatic keyboard background. Another monumental 10-min effort follows suit: "Edge of Absurd", which is way more satisfying than the previous one providing complex twisted riffs on a heavy steam-rolling base; please, ignore the exiting quirky funky rhythms near the end. "Dying World" is a standout technical speed/thrasher, a fast intense number, before the closing "Faith" smashes you with another 10-min portion of thought-out progressive thrash, quite speedy at times as well, the latter tendencies creating a very nice contrast to the dreamy semi-balladic passages. The singer is not bad at all, singing in a calm mid-paced tone, seldom changing the pitch, but sounding well attached and emotional recalling the last Hexenhaus vocalist Thomas Lyon.

Labyrinth Full-Length, 1997

SIDEBLAST (FRANCE)

A fast and aggressive blend of thrash and death metal staying closer to death metal most of the time; there are quite a few cool thrashy riffs, but they get mixed with even more blast-beats (maybe to justify the band name?), and this might pull back the regular thrash fan. Some clever, technical play ala Morbid Angel could be heard here and there, but the guys' desire to play as fast as possible leave the technical attempts somewhat unfinished, although some of them deliver the goods: "Flight of a Moth". The bonus track is an interesting semi-technical death metal cover version of Sepultura's "Arise".

Flight of a Moth Full-length, 2007

SIDIUS (HOLLAND)

Based on the single, this is cool technical thrash/death metal of the modern type. At their best the guys reach Morbid Angel and even Suffocation, but their willingness to insert as many super-fast blast-beating sections as possible ruins the impression a bit. Still tracks like the jumpy twisting "Thrown Back" and the excellent longer technical death/thrasher at the end "The Unexpected" are nice takes on quality aggressive technical metal.

Obsessed By Darkness Demo, 2002
The Devourment Single, 2005

SIEGED MIND (RUSSIA)

Based on the "Restless" demo: these guys pull out first-class technical power/thrash/death metal along the lines of late period Death and Chuck Schuldiner's (R.I.P.) side-project Control Denied. The vocals are strictly in the death metal camp (with rare inclusions of semi-clean, doomy ones), but the music is closer to thrash, and even power/speed at times. The guitar melodies are quite nice, and slightly overshadow the technical riffage, but this is hardly a complaint. There is no much aggression involved, but the tempo is energetic, interrupted by slower, atmospheric passages, graced by great lead guitar work. "Restless Time" will remind you of Death's "Destiny" from "Individual Thought Patterns". "My Way" is a cool, more quiet instrumental with power/epic sections, after which the demo loses its both aggressive and technical edge, ending with the cool melodic, progressive power/thrash metal opus "Edge of Pain".

"Emptiness" is a brilliant debut in the best tradition of later period Death. The sound quality is muddier than the one on "Restless" (surprisingly!; that same demo was later re-released as the full-length "Eternal" in 2005)), but this is not a big detraction for one to hear some great technical riffs and nice melodic hooks. The guys try to keep an energetic tempo throughout, and admirably succeed. The singer does a good job with his gruff delivery, similar to the early Schuldiner (R.I.P.) vocals. The lead work is also good, but is a bit uneven, on some songs hitting the top ("Thoghts Of Wisemen", "Revelation"), on others shorter, and not that striking. Watch out for the technical masterpiece "Emptiness", which apart from the smashing technical riffs is graced by a marvellous balladic interlude. The closing "Revelation" is a more ambitious turn to progressive song-writing, and here one can hear superb more melodic hooks, as well as Gothenburg-styled guitar "duels" ala Dark Tranquillity.
"Lost Life In Evidence" is vintage Death again, but sounds surprisingly aggressive and closer to the Americans' earlier period citing "Human" in terms of both music and lyrical content. The opening "It Became an Evernight Sensation" is an aggressive slab of abrasive technicality also coming from the slightly thin guitar sound, followed by the short lead instrumental "...In Evidence". The leads are in top form for the next "Lost Life" which is a fine speedster of a more straight-forward nature. "Mortal Illusions" is a return to a more technical ground by preserving the speed, but the technical prowess reaches the top on the hallucinogenic "Drowning in Madness" which is a sweeping labyrinthine piece with a nice doomy ending. "A Matter of Principle" is not too far behind relying more on stylish semi-Oriental melodic hooks, speedy passages and escalating dramatic sections in a way not far from "Low Life" from "Spiritual Healing". The end is another delight for the Death fans: a very cool cover of "Leprosy" with an added technical boost.
The band members are keeping themselves busier with their other project: the gothic/doom metal act Forgive-Me-Not with whom they already have 6 full-lengths released.

Emptiness Full-length, 1995
Restless Demo, 1998
Lost Life In Evidence Full-length, 2000
Eternal... Full-length, 2005

SIEGES EVEN (GERMANY)

This Sieges Even album would be of only interest to thrash metal fans. "Life Cycle" up to this point remains the best Watchtower-worship, even surpassing the Americans at times, and is a masterpiece of progressive/thrash metal. There is a lot to hear here, the riffs swirl and turn in the most unexpected directions, bordering on absurdity on the most twisted sections, interrupted by great atmospheric, quiet passages. The guys do not forget to throw more straight-forward moments for the headbangers, and here come the blistering "Apocalyptic Disposition", which is still accompanied by more complex riffage, and great melodic leads. "The Roads to Iliad" is one of the greatest instrumentals in metal history, a feast of technical guitar wizardry seldom equalled even by the best Shrapnel performers. With this one actually ends the lighter part of the album, as the next two songs are longer, and more elaborate, with more loose, almost jazz-like structures, especially the multi-layered, 13-min long magnum opus "Straggler From Atlantis", which is a small album in itself, with the many time changes and numerous melodies and riffs included. The clean, high vocals are an acquired taste, although they never go for the very high tones, and sound as a mix between Alan Tecchio and John Arch. This phenomenal album, along with same year's Deathrow's "Deception Ignored", put technical/progressive thrash on a very high level, and has been a big influence on later practitioners of the genre: Helstar ("Nosferatu", James Rivera's Vigilante), Psychotic Waltz, Skeptic Sense, Mind-Ashes, etc. Having reached their creative peak with their very first effort, Sieges Even could do nothing else, but change their style, in their case into progressive rock/metal, still quite good, but of no interest to thrash metal fans.

Life Cycle Full-length, 1988

SIFILIS (PORTUGAL)

Playful modern post-thrash borrowing heavily from Flotsam & Jetsam's mid-90's period, finished with an entertaining crossover cover of the Megadeth hit "Pece Sells...", done in a more optimistic melodic manner, with the bad punky vocals an obstruction to the jolly uplifting riffs.

The Slay Begins Demo, 1997

SIGHTLESS (FINLAND)

A good mixture of brutal classic death metal and thrash with a two-vocal assault: one a deep growl, the other higher-pitched, resembling a more hysterical Mille Petrozza. Probably to increase their appeal, the guys insert melodic guitar lines from the Swedish school from time to time.

Withered Garden Demo, 2001
Promo Demo, 2004
Recrucify Demo, 2005

SIGHTS SET AT MIDNIGHT (USA)

Based on the full-length, this is typical modern thrash/death metal which, when fast, is a decent slab of headbanging music, but there are numerous slower metalcore breaks, some of them accompanied by weak clean vocals, which still are better than the even weaker shouty hardcore main ones.

Sights Set at Midnight EP, 2008
Bloodlines Full-length, 2009

SIGMA (CHILE)

Based on "Mortales Moshers", these Chileans play classic thrash/crossover with more concentration on the thrashy aspect, also offering slower heavy tracks ("Humanidad Caotica", "Cambio De Sistema"), but the odd grindcore number is just around the corner: "Fuck Cop", as well as the hardcore joy "Slam More". The rest is heads-down thrash, partially ruined by the fuzzy guitar sound, and the slightly strained hardcore vocals.
"Viene En Mascre" clings between the more aggressive approach of early Prong and Cryptic Slaughter, and the more playful delivery of early Ratos de Porao. Some thrash heights are reached on the cool headbanger "You Are A Worm (Cover Betrayed)", which betrays the band's formula of short direct tracks, and boldly thrashes for more than 6-min, mostly in mid-tempo, with heavy crushing riffs.

Mortales Moshers Full-Length, 2001
Viene En Mascre Full-Length, 2002

SIGN OF EVIL (ITALY)

"Venom Metal" this is indeed, although the guys speed up to thrash/crossover dimensions at times ("Rape Me In Hell (With Werewolf From Kult)"), but for most of the time this is a competently done Venom-worship sustained in a more energetic manner, kind of recalling the Brits' more expressively thrashy period ("Prime Evil", "Temples of Ice"), topped by very cool high-strung clean vocals with a dramatic gruff blend.

Venom Metal EP, 2010

SIGNUM (ARGENTINA)

Decent modern power/thrash with unsuitable growling death metal vocals; the music is mid-paced and peaceful with shades of gothic, but a lot of energy occasionally emits from speedsters like "Burn This Place", which are not a very frequent phenomenon. This is professioanlly done and all, but will hardly make anyone fall in love with it.

Burn This Place Full-Length, 2010

SIGNUM MORTIS (CHILE)

Retro speed/thrash with gruff death metal vocals: some tracks come decorated with more intense death metal blasting riffs, and generally there is no lack of energy here, with only one composition descending to mid-pace: the cool melodic galloper "Libertad", which also brings the winds of modernism for a while. The rest is pretty fast stuff featuring nice sharp riffs and the odd tinge of melody akin to Rigor Mortis and early Agressor.

Sangrienta Humanidad EP, 2010

SIHIRATOR (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA)

The "Moshus Pejgamberov" EP is 5 tracks of pretty good retro thrash with sharp vivid riffs, fast pace, and slightly unsuitable gruff death metal vocals. The guys thrash with gusto and competence coming close to the "merciless" approach of the Swedes Merciless at times except for the several stomping moments ("Egzekucija Hod�e") which are also quite good as well as the melodic leads, which are short, but deliver. This is a promising start which should further be extended into a full-length to finally put this European country on the metal map.
The "Mracna Strana Svjetlosti" EP is another commendable short effort, the band now seeming fully prepared to hit with a longer offering soon. This is awesome speed/thrash with rough, subdued death metal vocals and very cool melodic undercurrents which are supported by a strong bass bottom. "Snovi Jednog Nevjernika" slows down with formidable pounding riffs, before turning into another raging speed/thrashy crescendo with great techical death metal shades at the end. "Udji U Moj Dzennet" is again not the fastest number in the world, at least not in the beginning, but later on develops in a merciless speedy fashion, reaching early Angel Dust heights with ease, and not without the help of more clever technical decisions, where the bass again plays an important role. The closing "Gdje Vjecno Odzvanja Tisina" starts in an imposing gothic/doomy fashion ala early Nightfall, but expect the obligatory faster sections later on, which turn into another nod to Angel Dust and all the other good speed/thrash metal practitioners from the 80's. The band shouldn't hesitate, and continue testing the soil: the time is right for a more ambitious undertaking...

A.S. Demo, 2010
Moshus Pejgamberov EP, 2010
Mracna Strana Svjetlosti EP, 2011

SIL KHANNAZ (MALAYSIA)

Based on "Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji", these guys come up with good technical thrash/death metal which owes something to later period Death, although here the focus is more on melody rather than technicality. Still the riffs cut with technical precision on quite a few moments, and the approach in general is not fast. Swedish-styled guitars can be heard here and there, and the complexity takes bigger proportions ("Santapan Campa") here and there producing fine progressive moments. "Al-hulm Al-Araq" offers more up-tempo riffage, and "Mastica Ibni Israel" hits the top with some furious sections. After that the music takes calmer directions, but keeps the technicality on a high level. The closing "Teras Besi" is a melodic gothic track with nice soaring melodies followed by the real closer "Airmata Palastine", a short acoustic instrumental.
The debut shows the band not yet fully perfected the technical thrash/death metal formula with a sound much closer to death metal. Still this is a good effort, slightly hinting at the guys' bigger potential, on more technical tracks like "Sinner Burning...", or the excellent Pestilence-like "Legion of Damned". There is a variety here, not all songs are fast and aggressive; "Frantical Scream" is a cool mid-paced number with a gothic atmosphere. On the other hand we have short blasting tracks, like "Debauch Absorption" and "Beyond My Darkest Moment" which may cause you a headache with their ultra-fast chaotic riffs. The guitar work is on a quite high level all over, especially on the two aforementioned technical numbers, and the closing "Conception of Madness", which is a fine mix of speedy and heavy pounding riffs.
"Gerbang Kayangan" comes as a disappointment after the debut with less technical and much less aggressive guitars without many fast-paced moments. Actually the tempo is seldom really dynamic ("Debauch Absortion" is the exception), and most of the tracks evolve around atmospheric gothic moments with sparce more intense outbursts ("Pendita Gila" is the other thrashy delight, but it comes too late to correct the impression).
"Bara Pawaka" is more proficient music-wise than its predecessors, but hasn't yet acquired the technical tendencies fully. So we have more standard modern thrash/death metal which livens up with the occasional highly-charged technical masterpiece: "One`s Mind", which comes in the middle, and would possibly make you go back to the beginning, just to check whether you have missed something more of the same previously; no kidding, this is perfectly crafted late-period Death worship. The Death influence is further accentuated with the Death cover "Within the Mind", very well made, followed by another nice cover version: King Diamond's "The Candle"; the vocals try at times to resemble the King, and admirably succeed. The cover version mania carries on, with a faithful interpretation of the Judas Priest's immortal hit "The Ripper"; the singer here tries to imitate the Metal God, but gives up at some point, and starts growling. The Celtic Frost's "Usurper" comes next, to crush your skull. The end is preserved for a great melodic speed/thrash/epic metal anthem, called "Samarkhand", which could be another cover, but to these ears it sounds pretty new. As a whole the guys have given us quite an amalgam, which has its good moments, albeit being in the form of songs already heard before; hey, and don't forget "One's Mind": this song alone will make you cry.

Conception of Madness Full-length, 1993
Pendita Gila EP, 1995
Gerbang Kayangan Full-length, 1997
Bara Pawaka Full-length, 2000
Darah Muda Full-length, 2003
Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji Full-length, 2006

SILA UDARA (RUSSIA)

Pretty decent classic thrash/crossover with a few more modern gimmicks inserted, as well as several more frank hardcore sections. The tempo moves from mid to up the whole time, and the songs' length increases with the passage of time, reaching much more complex, almost progressive, dimensions towards the end with a certain number of laid-back, balladic passages present, and the album consequently losing its crossover spirit, with only the hoarse, but clean and froceful, vocals reminding of it.

Sila Udara Full-Length, 2011

SILENCE (FRANCE)

This progressive rock outfit started their career with this excellent slab of power/thrash-oriented, all-instrumental shred which mixes hard, razor-sharp riffs with beautiful atmospheric passages, and the obligatory lead parts, the latter carrying a lot of melody, producing some of the most addictive tunes of recent times, comprising brilliant spiral-like cuts recalling the great Tom Scholz (Boston) with its characteristic blend of melody and technicality. There is a fair balance achieved between the riff and lead sections, the former being really sharp and intense with a shade of industrial at times, except on the several short balladic pieces, where the influence of Yngwie Malmsteen is pretty obvious (remember "Crying" from "Trilogy") in a good way. There are not any show-offy sections, and the compositions are not very long, all wrappped in a calming atmospheric "veil", which is aptly supported by the cool, unobtrusive keyboard background. Later the band took a much more melodic direction, releasing 4 more albums of solid progressive metal/AOR.

The Fifth Season Full-length 1997

SILENCE (USA)

In the early 90's quality albums like this probably made people think that thrash metal would never fall from grace. The music on display is both stomping and fast, more on the faster side, the songs are long, the highlight being the 10-min very diverse "Necromantic", but the band manage to keep them interesting, not without the help of some interesting leads: check out the opener "Vision". "Voice of the Pariah" starts as a ballad, and one wouldn't bother too much, if it had stayed this way, since it's really good, but the guys have other plans, and what follows is some stupendous fast-paced thrash which will keep you headbanging throughout the whole 6-min. Late 80's Metallica might be a good reference point, as well as Anthrax's best period (1986-1990). The band spice things up with some shorter, more immediate thrashers, too ("Pitbull", "Death by Womba").

Vision Full-length, 1990

SILENCER (USA)

The compilation "Found On The Sun" features a fine multi-faced collection of tracks; the 1st half provides good headbanging thrash, with tracks like "Apollocide" and "The Bruising Beast" being sure-handed thrash winners. "Structures" is a fine, Paradox-like speed/thrasher; "This Mystic Image" is a cool mid-paced power metal number, suggesting at the other side of the band's style to come soon. "Cold War" is a long track, with an epic flair, mixing power, speed and thrash in a way no worse than the Danes Manticora. "Megalith" brings back the intense thrashing, but this time with a genuine technical edge. "Wrathchild" is, yes-you guessed right, an Iron Maiden cover, which is followed by a couple of live songs, which are clearly in the power/speed metal camp, with no traces of thrash. "Kozmos" comes with full force, being another smashing thrash metal number, with some stupendous leads. "Missing Hope" is a heavy ballad, followed by another speed/thrash assault: "Industrial Command" (no traces of industrial here). The last song "Morning Star" is a cool mid-paced power/thrasher, stylishly ending this cool diverse compilation.
Their last (and present) period is the most disappointing: "Death Of Awe" is unimpressive modern death/thrash metal sounding like anyone else out there.
"Divisions" is again your pretty average modern thrash, this time containing no shades of death metal, except for the gruff vocals. The tempo is not as dynamic, and there are just a few more up-tempo moments (the dry "D.E.A.T.H.R.A.Y."; the cool headbangers "Betrayal and Massacre: An Overture to Germania" and "Suppressor"). The rest is uneventful proto-groovy stuff with no highlights whatsoever.

Kozmos EP, 2000
Black Flames And Burning Worlds Split, 2001
Structures EP, 2002
Found On The Sun Best of/Compilation, 2003
Death Of Awe Full-length, 2005
Divisions Full-length, 2009

SILENT AVENGER (CZECH)

This is melodic thrash with epic overtones; the sound clings between the classic and the modern school, and develops in a peaceful calm tone with numerous melodic "ornamentations" and the odd galloping rhythm the latter "killed" by the several balladic interludes which are not bad, by the way, and are assisted by very good lead guitar work. The main problem is that the music may tire the listener with its reluctance to speed up and its somewhat repetitive nature, a situation partly saved by the stylish keyboard insertions which should have been more. The singer merges with the music singing in a sleepy one-dimensional fashion without ever breaking his clean mid-ranged tone.

Ke Hvezd�m Full-length, 2010

SILENT CIVILIAN (USA)

Modern thrash, not miles away from Trivium and the likes; these guys here adhere more often to other genres, breaking the otherwise biting, energetic sound of the guitars, and the clean vocal interruptions are not as appropriate as the ones on the works of the aforementioned band.

Rebirth of the Temple Full-length, 2006

SILENT DECAY (GERMANY)

Modern power/thrash metal which has it all: catchy melodic guitar lines, groove, balladic passages, even smells metalcore at times. The classic thrash metal fan will not be fascinated, especially when he hears that there is this annoying mixture of hardcore-ish and clean vocals, which every third contemporary metal act uses.

The Pain Of Creation Full-Length, 2007

SILENT DISASTER (TURKEY)

Cool modern power/thrash with a heavy crushing rhythm section, good mid-pace, and two nice attempts at more classic-sounding headbanging stuff: "Fight In My Mind" and "Red and Gold". The leads are really good, but the vocals are not very suitable, being gruff semi-death metal ones.

And The Earth Is Blind EP, 2009

SILENT EYE (SOUTH KOREA)

Based on "Hell Hound", these guys pull out good power/thrash of the old school. "Golgotha" is a nice headbanging opener, followed by the more melodic, but faster "Hell Hound", where cool melodic guitars are thrown in. The melody takes the upper hand later on, but the thrashy riffs remain on most of the songs, like the excellent machine gun-like "Crush Into The Fate", the killing intense technical thrasher "Anubis": a riff-fest at its absolute finest, the highlight of the whole album. The peak being reached with this one, the band settle for a more laid-back power/speed/thrash metal mix which still produces very good results: the keyboard-driven speed metal bomb "Tears", and the great closing "Nll": another speed metal track graced by great leads and a nice chorus.
The debut is closer related to thrash, and is the better work, displayed early with the smashing opener "Fear Of Abyss". "Buried Soul In The Castle Wall" is a slower stomping power/thrasher, followed by a very good original cover of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", including nice angelic female vocals in the beginning. The better is yet to come, though, with "Land Of Dead": a brilliant speed/thrashing number, the speed metal killer "Suicide By Illusion", which boasts great leads, and the magnificent intense technical thrashterpiece "Grievance". "World Of Thousand Years" starts like black metal ala Dimmu Borgir, but later the guys serve another technical thrash delight finished with a great balladic passage. "Darkness Walking Through The Hallway" starts with a long-ish bass intro, but later doesn't betray the gained technical inertia, adding more aggressive faster riffs to the proceedings, which suddenly flow into a very cool melodic quiet interlude, before speeding up admirably near the end. "Dear Jane" again misleads in the beginning starting with soaring black metal melodies, although it never switches onto thrash metal which shouldn't be a complaint, as up to this point the guys have managed to satisfy even the most capricious thrash fans, but evolves into a majestic gothic number with a symphonic touch ala Bal-Sagoth. This album could be considered one of the finest achievement of the South Korean thrash metal scene, and is also a sign that Japan might soon be overtaken by its smaller neighbour as the leading metal force in the Far East.
The self-titled EP is another strong offering, featuring 4 tracks of blistering speed/thrash, this time more melodic, staying closer to speed metal, infused with a big doze of happy keyboard melodies. The guitarists give themselves a lot of freedom in the melodic sector producing overwhelming passages, which would not have been too appropriate on the other, more riff-oriented works. The vocals are higher, quite soaring, but are well fitting into the overall more laid-back picture. This is a short lesson on how modern speed metal should sound which comes as a break for the guys between the more aggressive thrashy full-lengths.

Buried Soul In The Castle Wall Full-length, 2001
Silent Eye EP, 2003
Hell Hound Full-length, 2006

SILENT OVERDRIVE (GERMANY)

Based on the full-length: ordinary modern post-thrash with a lot of groove, clean vocals, angry basic ones, etc.; there are cool headbanging moments ("Lost Your Belief"), but they could hardly be distinguished among the much less inspired rest, unless you pay serious attention, to which the music won't lead you.

Babylon Nation EP, 2005
Disease Full-length, 2006

SILENT SCREAM (GERMANY)

Based on the debut: interesting power/thrash with an alternative edge, a distant echo from Depressive Edge and Lost Century; the music here is less adventurous, seldom relying on speed, which is a shame, since when it's on full throttle, the results are impressive: the speed metal delight "Fallen Angel". Later on the sound favours power metal more, in a way not too dissimilar to mid-period Squealer. Near the end the guys remember to insert more intense numbers for a change: "This Is Life", and the cool varied closer "Silent Scream".

Bow Down and Pray Full-length, 1998
Serenades of Fear Full-length, 2004

SILENT SCREAM (USA)

The album title betrays the Slayer-influence, but this is more of a death metal album mixed with thrash. The music is pounding and heavy with a strong bass-bottom and aggressive death metal vocals which come as a mix between Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) and John Tardy. The sound also recalls Death at times, especially when it introduces more melody ("From The Darkest Depths Of The Imagination"). The album has its pure direct headbanging thrashers ("Open Season"), and those which come longer, decorated with more stylish moments ("Theatre Of The Depraved"). The leads are short, and often ignored, which is a shame, since they are proficient, and are a welcome contrast to the punishing rhythm section. Near the end the guys try something more complex with the last two compositions being longer with cool semi-technical riffs, but those moments are kind of unfinished, with the band again relying more on their trade mark heavy guitar work.

From the Darkest Depths of the Imagination Full Length,1992

SILENT SCYTHE (SWEDEN)

A good power/thrash metal band whose sound is modern-ish, and at times comes quite close to Iced Earth and Mystic Prophecy, ably supported by good vocals which sound like a cross between Matt Barlow and Tim "Ripper" Owens. "Longing For Sorrow" opens like a typical modern Swedish album, with "Longing", featuring all the staples of the genre, if we exclude the very catchy chorus. "Old World Disorder" adds some groove, mixed with melodic interludes, recalling Nevermore and Iced Earth. "My Only Family (My Only Enemy)" carries on in the same vein, but is more simplistic and softer, but this is the predominant style from now on. The last song ("To Each His Own") is much longer than the rest, but doesn't betray the mid-paced power/thrash metal style witnessed previously; more intricate technical sections can be heard as well as quiet acoustic ones, but there's nothing progressive here. The actual final number is an acoustic live version of an older composition of the band ("Unknown").

Longing For Sorrow Full-length, 2003
Suffer In Silence Full-length, 2004

SILENT STORM (RUSSIA)

The debut demo: modern thrash with atmospheric gothic overtones, with a few more aggressive outbreaks ("Psycho", which also contains a couple of more twisted technical riffs); otherwise the music is mid-paced at best with the guitars having a mechanical fuzzy sound, and the singer is hardly intelligible with his brutal low-tuned tember.
The "Blood Red" demo is a major improvement over the debut one being quite good technical/progressive thrash/death ala late-period Death and the Czechs Scenery. A couple of more aggressive blasting moments are scattered around, but the concentration is clearly on complex intriguing arrangements, clever technical riffs, varied tempos, all this nicely summed up on the good cover of Death's "Crystal Mountain" at the end.

Mental Nails Demo, 2009
Blood Red Demo, 2010

SILENT STRAIN (CANADA)

This is the band where Dave Padden (Annihilator) tries to do something outside the shadow of Mr. Jeff Waters. Whether you will like this act or not depends to a certain extent on how you feel towards Padden who is largely considered one of the weakest (if not the weakest) singers ever recruited by Waters. The music has nothing to do with Annihilator being generic modern groovy thrash mixed with some Swedish death metal elements. The musicianship is below par, and Padden doesn't do much to save the day: he tries to give a more brutal edge to his voice to better suit the music reaching hardcore-heights at quite a few times, but when he unleashes the vocals he used to use on the Annihilator albums, plus more melodic ones, the final mixture is not really striking. Listening to this, one would probaly advise Padden to take it easy for the time being feeling more comfortable under the "cloak" of Annihilator.

Demo Demo, 2006

SILENT TERROR (GERMANY)

First-class technical thrash, quite unique and original; the band alternate moody, slower, but very technical passages (think the Germans Of Rytes and Coroner's "Grin" (but more aggressive)), with a few very fast moments ala Necrodeath and Atheist. The tracks are long-ish, one of them even almost hitting the 10-min mark, but there is so much happening inside that you would hardly notice that, and it definitely requires a few listens before you start fully appreciating this very complex stuff. There are also great atmospheric, acoustic sections, as well as really abstract ones (fans of Cynic's "Focus" and Pestilence's "Spheres", beware!), but the concentration is clearly on the more up-tempo, hard-hitting side. The vocals are similar to the vicious, mean snarls of Kelly Shaeffer (Atheist) (these are probably a bit more vicious); a very obscure, but highly recommended effort.

Humanity...Sold Out Demo, 1991

SILENXCE (HOL)

This album is obviously a compilation of the band's demos, the last one dating back from 1990. "Better Late Than Never", as the saying goes. Never late, though, for some more classic speed/thrash metal, and this is exactly the case here: for fans of early Angel Dust and Paradox these guys are a must. The album starts in a blistering, speedy way, with "Crucial Incision", a smashing speed/thrasher. "Agent Orange", which is not a Sodom cover, blasts in a similar fashion, as well as most of the other tracks which follow suit. Especially interesting is "Respect the Act", which breaks the pattern by adding some really cool Oriental hooks. The only time when the guys take a break from this intense thrashing is on the intro, and on the short melodic interlude in the middle "Infernal Ending".

Search For Distant Lights... Full-length, 2003

SILICON HEAD (HOLLAND)

Some of the guys from the death/gothic/doom metal masters Orphanage have decided here to mix the sound of their previous band with the trendy groovy approach of the time. As a result we have the 90's post-thrash style served with a heavy pinch of a heavy/doomy twist. Not bad, but the tracks are divided: some of them belong to the groovy genre, whereas others are a direct take on the Orphanage sound. Seldom do the band try to put the two sides together (the very good intense "The Conversation", the jumpy "No Direction"), which is a pity, since when that happens the album is very close to taking off. "Hear" is a masterful acoustic ballad, something which Orphanage can do better than anyone else, with a fine female vocal participation.

Bash Full-length, 1997

SILMERIA (FRANCE)

This French act offers modern thrash with a slight progressive twist, a nd a few more intense death metal moments (including the brutal low-tuned vocals). Except for those death metal moments, which speed up quite a bit, the rest develops in a predictable mid-pace with more quiet balladic sections springing up from time to time. There is a lot of atmosphere present in a way not far from their peers and compatriots Misanthrope, but here one will come across slower, doomy cuts ("Watchtower", the dark crusher "Quadruple Degats"). "A Lampoon To God" is a merrier hardcore-ish piece, and "Kamikazee" is an energetic modern thrasher, which influences the closing "Chtulhu F'Taghn", an aggressive death metal-laced piece with a nice balladic interlude. There are by all emans attempts at a more serious song-writing, but it seems as though the guys can't be bothered complicating their approach too much at this stage.

The Triumph Of Death (Metal?) Full-Length, 2011

SILVER CYPHER (USA)

A cool power/thrash metal debut with a dark, moody atmosphere; the music is mid-paced to up-tempo with some off-beat moments, like the 10-min epic track "Conflict In Tristram", the 1-min lead guitar performance "The Fall Of Man", and the last song with the strange title "1d3r", which has a strong alternative vibe.

Yesterday's Tomorrow Full-length, 2007

SIMERIANS (ARGENTINA)

Decent classic thrash metal with with gruffer proto-death moments; first the lead guitarist shows his talents on the excellent atmospheric intro "Lugubres Presagios", before the others get involved on the varied energetic mosher "Inpolitica" which also introduces a couple of more stylish decisions, the latter further developed on the fine technical speedster "Tiempos De Guerra". "Persiguiendo a La Muerte" is a diverse 10-min opus the guys thrashing there in a more conventional mid-tempo leaving the final "damage" to an overlong balladic outro. The singer is a suitable rough death metal growler similar to Mike Browning (Nocturnus).

Tiempos De Guerra Demo, 2009

SIMPLE AGGRESSION (USA)

This band's debut is one of the better thrash/funk albums around. It leaves behind the attepmts made in the genre from Re-Animator and Mordred, for example. The important thing is that these guys never forget that they are a thrash metal act above all, and the thrashy guitar dominates although the funky moments are also quite a few, but they are not annoying, and are not left without a thrash "company" like it had happened on lesser works. The music is ably supported by very good vocals, melodic ones, fitting the band's style very well; might remind you of a more hoarse version of Faith No More's Mike Patton. It is nice to hear an album in the mid-90's "stripped" from the typical for the time groove with a nice fresh take on thrash metal.
"Gravity" "gravitates" too much towards the modern 90's trends, and has almost nothing to do with the debut music-wise being a slightly more complex version of the modern groovy metal.

Formulations in Black Full-length, 1993
Gravity Full-length, 1996

SIMULACRA (GREECE)

The line-up features Fotis: the guitarist who later joined another fine Greek act, Utmost Contempt. This is stylish dark technical thrash of the modern type, quite close to Coroner's "Grin" and Aftermath's "Eyes of Tomorrow". The riffs are quite complex and creepy, and although the band seldom speeds up, in the end one can not help, but be moved by this unique approach. The singer is not an asset, and his rending hardcore-ish shouts could be a serious obstacle to some. "Forever Angel" is quite an interesting composition, which starts in an expected sleepy very complex mode, but suddenly bursts into a fast passage, which flows into a melodic, almost crossover deviation, before it settles for the technical arrangements from the beginning. "Second God" is a minimalistic technical thrash masterpiece, also adding some more dynamic guitar work ala Coroner's "Mental Vortex". "Rapture" lasts for more than 9-min, and may be considered the downpoint here, since the band's delivery is hardly suitable for such a long song, and despite a few lively moments here and there, it ends up sounding a bit boring, and on top of that the bad singer has decided here to participate more actively, worsening things even further. As a whole this is quite an unusual read of the modern technical thrash genre, and an obvious influence later on Utmost Contempt.

...Towards Rapture? Demo, 2000

SINATE (NEW ZEALAND)

Based on "Beyond Human", this act plays intense crunchy death/thrash metal of the modern type, a dynamic affair despite the frequent nods towards the groovy scene. There is a lot of headbanging thrash to be encountered some of which comes with twisting technical sections ("One Day Closer"), some with jumpy steam-roller riffs ("Final Vision"), some with an open old school attitude ("Waiting To Die"). "Psycho Society" is a nice combination of heavy groovy and sharp speedy riffs summing up the album's influences quite well near the end, and the closer "The Last War" will rip you apart with a violent grinding break in the middle.

Beyond Human Full-length, 2005
Violent Ambitions Full-length, 2006

SINDONE (ITALY)

Based on the "Multiverse" EP, Sindone play an interesting brand of power/thrash metal; the sound is definitely modern, but is rich in atmosphere which brings them at times close to the gothic metal acts. The vocals are also worth mentioning: on one side we have semi-death metal ones, on the other one come the more traditional ones which sound like a more hoarse and angrier Kai Hansen. The music is mostly heavy and mid-paced, but "System Failure" speeds up respectably showing that, when necessary, these guys can thrash along with the best out there. "Proton" comes as a complete surprise, though, near the end, being a complete ambient track with no guitars or vocals, also atmospheric, but scarily non-metal. Hopefully this is just the casual offbeat song, but not a hint at some future direction taken?

Time Leave My Life Demo, 1995
A Symbol Of Power EP, 2000
Multiverse EP, 2004

SINDROME (ARGENTINA)

Argentinian thrash metal has been witnessing a revival in the past few years with the coming of bands like Serpentor, Malicia and this one. Sindrome are the most modern sounding of the lot, with riffage not too far from the later works of the Argentinian thrash metal legends from the not so distant past Lethal. The band's music is mostly heavy and mid-paced with occasional sparkles of modern groovy post-thrash which are quickly buried in the predominant classic riffs. When the guys decide to speed up, they thrash with force ("Fuera De Lin", the aggressive Bay-Area-esque "Desata Tu Lo"), no worse than any other big name out there.

Sindrome Full-Length, 2006

SINDROME (USA)

This band should have had a big influence on the spawning death metal genre: their 1st demo is relentless, aggressive proto-death metal drawing comparisons to Possessed's "Seven Churches" or Slaughter's "Strappado".

Into The Halls Of Extermination Demo, 1987
Vault Of Inner Conscience Demo, 1991

SINGLE BULLET SOLUTION (USA)

Modern thrash/death metal ala Terror 2000 and Corporation 187. This fast energetic music with a good sense of melody ruined by the very deep death metal growls, and the several shifts into metalcore.

EP EP, 2009

SINGLE BULLET THEORY (USA)

Based on "IV", this band plays modern thrash with more thought-out progressive tendencies breaking the intesne approach, which relies on heavy sharp riffs and sparce metalcore breaks. The longer compositions are too varied, the leads stealing the show completely there, as well as the more aggressive deathy sections ("Hands of the Wicked"). Still, the musical prowess on the 10-min instrumental "saga" "Auctioneer of Souls" should be noted, the major damage done by the very good leads again, on top of contrasting tempos and more atmospheric dramatism. "Samsara" is another more ambitious piece, combining melo-death/thrash with more moderate progressive leanings. This is not completely without merits, actually, fitting well into the already depleted NWOAHM catalogue (think Suidakra, God Forbid, Trivium).
"Route 666" is more ordinary, with an agrier and more conventional delivery, owing much to Machine Head's "The More Things Change...", consequently adhering to heavy, a bit repetitive, riff patterns with the casual faster piece ("Automatic Impulse") thrown in. "Imperfect Fit" is a more stylish technical cut, with the next "Revamp/Rebuild" sharing some of its flair with slower, almost doomy, guitars. The 2nd half as a whole is more diverse, with the more energetic melo-thrasher "Route 666", and the laid-back alternative closer "Bone Machine". The shouty vocals are an expected addition, as well as the sparce metalcore leanings.

The Anatomy of Being EP, 2000
Route 666 Full-length, 2003
Behind Eyes of Hatred Full-length, 2004
On Broken Wings Full-length, 2007
IV Full-Length, 2011

SINISTER (USA, OH)

This band's line-up included musicians who later took part in other thrash metal acts: Mystik, Metalourd, Wretch. If these guys had continued with this band, they would have probably done a better job than the one with the aforementioned ones; this is awesome speed/thrash which manages to sound quite fast, but it's in the heavy, slower numbers where the band really show their class ("The Kill", "Feeding Ground"). This is great music which will remind you of many 80's heroes: Griffin, Agent Steel, Aftermath, Helstar, Savage Grace, etc.

Demo Demo, 1988
Demo Demo, 1989

SINISTER (USA, WI)

Two demos of first-class energetic technical thrash; the guys manage to combine the intensity of Vio-lence's "Eternal Nightmare" ("The Pawn", "Sentence of Fear") with the complex riffage of bands like their compatriots Wrath, or the Dutch Mandator ("The Witch", or the brilliant technical feast "Distortions of Reality"). Everything is very well-executed here: the razor-sharp riffs, the great bass bottom, and the excellent vocals which are more forceful and aggressive on the first demo, and more melodic and higher-pitched on the second one.

Up From the Abyss Demo, 1988
Last Hope Cemetary Demo, 1989

SINISTER BLACK (USA)

A late comer on the classic 90's thrash metal scene pulling out energetic music sounding close to the Forbidden debut and even Rigor Mortis on the faster moments, but there are quite a few slower pounding sections, some of them even sounding proto-groovy at times, as well as one bland heavy rocker: "Footstep from Hell". "Roadkill" at the end will smash you with brutal proto-death riffage as though the guys were preparing for entering the death metal arena which never happened.

Court of Corruption Demo, 1990

SINISTER REFLECTION (USA)

An obsure US trio providing bland insipid 90's post-thrash with hardcore, grunge, and even electronics meshed in.

Sinister Reflection Demo, 1994

SINISTRAL (USA)

Interesting progressive power/thrash which will engage you from the very first chords (the ones after the short acoustic intro) of the opening isntrumental "The Lucifer Effect", which is a labyrinth of moods and complex music on a sterile, mechanical base, reminiscent of the Dutch avantgardists Kong and the Americans Odyssey. "The Minimalist" would be a pullback to some: first, introducing the bad deathy, semi-shouty vocals; and second, decreasing the technical delivery almost to the point of disappearance. But then comes the vortex-like instrumental piece "Home Sickness", and things get back on track delivering with complex arrangements and very cool technical leads. The unimpressive vocal performance continues on the creepy dry shredder "Distancing", which works music-wise with stylish minimalistic riffs in a doomy, slow-ish pace, creating a lot of macabre atmosphere. Then arrives another all-instrumental composition, "The Letter", which is abstract modern thrash with industrial undercurrents and very good leads. "Jester" wraps it up nicely in the end, another vocal track, which is vintage early-90's Coroner, a great technical cut with serpentine swirling guitars and a few faster sections (speed is never dominant here), a dramatic number with the standout musicianship. if we exclude the not very convincing vocal delivery, the rest is top-notch technical metal which only benefits from the bigger space taken by the music.

The Lucifer Effect Demo, 2011

SINKING (FINLAND)

Groovy post-thrash quite close to the works of Machine Head mixing heavy riffage ala "Burn My Eyes" with their more melodic period. There is the obligatory "duel" between the angry vocals ala Phil Anselmo and semi-clean ones, which are not bad, by the way, and somehow remind me of a more aggressive version of Peter Steele (Carnivore, Type-O-Negative). Some up-tempo thrashers stir the mood here: "This Could Get Burned", "Bowls For Bowling", but the rest is average at best.

New Trinity Full-length, 2006

SINN (FRANCE)

Modern thrash metal which sounds quite fast and cool ("Kill Your Idol", "No Heaven Beyond") at times, but the rest of the songs are slower and far less hard-hitting.

The 666 X Murder Project EP, 2003

SINNING IS OUR SAVIOUR (USA)

On their full-length debut this band come up with a fairly good blend of melodic death metal slightly influenced by the Gothenburg school, and thrash. The music is not always fast with frequently changing tempos and nice technical touches. The sound might remind you of the Canadians Quo Vadis, especially the more technical guitar work.

Recording Session Demo 2003 Demo, 2003
Painted With Utter Desolation Full-length, 2004
Sinning Is Our Savior Demo, 2004

SINOPSIS (CHILE)

This band play thrash/crossover with cool fast thrashy guitars, not too far from the Brazilians Ratos de Porao, clinging between their more hardcore-based and their more thrashy period.

Speedcore Overdose Demo, 2005

SINS OF THE FATHER (AUSTRALIA)

Intense crushing modern thrash with steam-roller riffs which at times transform into cool energetic headbanging moments ("Fear Of Reality"), but the more clumsy groovy moments are also around ("Black Cat"). The singer growls in a harsh semi-shouty manner recalling a more deathy version of Kirk Windstein (Crowbar).

Sins of the Father Full-length, 2011

SINS OF THE FLESH (USA)

Based on the full-length, this act pulls out thrashcore not far from the Cerebral Fix debut and the early efforts of Hellbastard. Expect fast music, short tracks and raw semi-shouty vocals, plus a few nods to doom near the end reflected in separate parts from certain songs.
The EP is 3 tracks of more serious thrash with more brutal, now clearly death metal, vocals. A pull back might be the loss of speed, the sound now sticking to repetitive mid-paced riffs, which are certainly missing on the 1.5-min exploder "Skip Skool", which is stripped-down hardcore ala the debut.

Greed Full-length, 1988
Know Your Enemy EP, 1989

SINTANIC (USA)

Melodic post-thrash with groovy and stoner/doom borrowings; at their best the guys slightly touch the alternative twists of Tool, but the material on offer is too soft to hold the thrash metal fans' attention, except if they are also big lovers of Metallica's "Load" and "Reload" which can also be cited as soundalikes.

Sintanic EP, 2010

SINTILLION (USA)

Based on the "Nation in Pain" demo (which is 8 songs long, and could easily pass for a full-length with its very good sound quality), this band mix genuine technical moments with more conventional, headbanging ones, in a way not too far from Living Death's "World Neurosis", or even Megadeth's "Rust in Peace". Both styles are mixed in equal dozes, so just when you think that the music has become too complex, here comes a cool straight riff which will make you jump around; but you have to know that very soon you'll have to stop, because the next technical part is very nearby. As a matter of fact, the technical play is more concentrated on, but is never of a very elaborate nature; there are speedy parts, there are mid-paced as well as slower ones, all nicely blended together. With their music firmly rooted in 80's thrash with the coming of the new trends in metal, it's understandable why these very talented musicians never made it to the first division, although they richly deserved that.

Nation in Pain Demo, 1990
Cripsy Elevator Crunch Demo, 1993

SISTHEMA (ITALY)

Based on "Bioelectric Violent Sisthem", these Italians pull out mechanized industrial post-thrash quite close to the Danes Grope, maybe a tad more dynamic ("Naked Skin" is a cool robotic headbanger). Still, the monotony is hard to get by, especially on heavy doomy exercises like "Sickman". The band shifted their style towards the gothic sector on subsequent releases, preserving some of the dryness of the guitars, plus adding nice female vocals to support the not very starking main shouty hardcore ones.

Bioelectric Violent Sisthem Full-length, 1998
The Fourth Discontinuity Full-length, 2001
Black Leaves Falling Full-length, 2008

SITHLORD (AUSTRALIA)

A thrash/black/death metal band; the base is the German school- Destruction, Kreator, but there are more brutal parts on both works which will remind you of Darkthrone, early Bathory, Satyricon, Necrodeath, among others ("Holy Virgin's Demise"). You can even hear the Australian National Anthem performed with a thrash metal intensity as an introduction to the EP; might serve as the opening of some major event there...

Labyrinth To The Gods EP, 2000
The Return to Godless Times Full-length, 2002

SITUACION HOSTIL (PERU)

Based on the demo, this band plays abrasive thrash/crossover of the classic type. There is hardcore, punk, and harsh semi-death metal vocals, but the speed is not so much accentuated on the overall approach leaning towards the heavy mid-paced side also reminding of the Germans Warpath on the more intense moments.

Abracadabra Demo, 1989
Situaci�n General Split album, 1999

SIX BEER (MEXICO)

Based on the debut: cool thrash mixed with heavy/power metal; will appeal to fans of both genres. The music is mid to up-tempo, with slightly rough semi-clean vocals. Don't expect to hear a full-fledged thrasher: all songs mix the aforementioned styles, some sounding more intense, some clinging more towards the heavy/power metal side.
"Vida Futura" is more aggressive, with the band thrashing with force on a few tracks. The songs are longer, but those ones are the lesser achievements, where the guys let themselves loose more than necessary, often ruining the preceding thrashy passage with bland, insipid hard'n heavy rhythms. However, the shorter, more direct numbers could make a few thrash heads turn, although the end is quite dull, preserved for two long boring ballads.

Lengua de Serpiente Full-length, 1989
Vida Futura Full-length, 1993
Mentes Perdidas Full-length, 2002

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION (CZECH)

Based on "Triotus, Tricephalus and Tribadism", this band plays a cool mix of doom and thrash, more on the melodic and modern side, but edgy enough to keep the fans interested. The music is mid-tempo for most of the time, but sudden very fast proto-death outbreaks are quite frequent as well, albeit short. There are nice balladic moments, too, where the otherwise good emotional semi-clean singer takes a mellower direction.
"Moon 2002: Nocturnal Breed" is a similar mixture, probably a bit more melodic with more concentration on power and doom metal, and the vocal performance is more diverse this time also featuring cool female ones. A wide gamut of moods and emotions has been covered well supported by catchy choruses, melodic hooks, keyboard implements, and a few blast-beat passages.
"Of Us" continues the diversity of the previous works, but its concentration on thrash is bigger, and as such it would be of a bigger interest to fans of the genre. The delivery is melodic and modern with touches of power metal, mid-paced with sparce blasting outbursts. "Of Common Guilt" is a nice exception to the formula thrashing hard and fast, but the middle is occupied by much slower compositions with adherence to doom, a situation livened up by the last three numbers: the edgier, but still more mid-tempo "For John", the more dynamic proto-death metal-laced "Felicitas", and the speed/thrashing closer "For Jack".

Moon 2002: Nocturnal Breed Full-length, 2002
Triotus, Tricephalus and Tribadism Full-length, 2005
Chain-driven Sunset Full-length, 2007
Of Us Full-length, 2010

SIX REASONS TO KILL (GERMANY)

Based on "Another Horizon": this band offers run-of-the-mill Swedish thrash/death metal which doesn't lack energy and dynamics, but all the annoying gimmicks are here as well: the recently acquired by the genre practitioners metalcore breaks, the very melodic hooks, the clean vocals, etc. Still the guys have an idea of what cool headbanging thrash is, as is evident from songs like "Another Horizon" and "Weak In Darkening". The pure aggressive death metal attacks are not too bad, either: "Massgrave Memorial", and could have been more.

Kiss the Demon Full-length, 2000
Reborn Full-length, 2005
Another Horizon Full-length, 2008

SIX STRING SUICIDE (GREECE)

There is only one person responsible for this, going under the name Tasos Kiliaras. This guy comes up with an energetic mixture of thrash and hardcore, and gives an additional aggressive edge to the music with his gruff, but effective, semi-death metal vocals. He does a particularly good job on the leads, which are short, but proficient, with a cool melodic blend at times. The music actually stays closer to thrash, and is mostly up-tempo, with the exception of the groovy doomy "King of the World", and the stomping heavy instrumental at the end "Sick Society". The other songs are quite good intense thrashy pieces with hard headbanging riffs.

Piss Around the World Full-length, 1998

SIXGUNS OVER TOMBSTONE (CANADA)

These are the same guys who also play in the folk metallers Shadowblade. Here the music is harder and better being a mix of power, speed and thrash ("Anti-Photon" is a major heavy galloping thrasher; and "Boot Hill" is great heavy riffy thrash in mid-tempo) metal with excellent dual guitar melodies (as well as leads) and a pinch of folk on the slower material, which is not very frequent. The singer is a nice addition with his melodic, but also forceful tember, covering all ranges with dexterity, even gruffing at times wherever needed. "Solar" is a pleasant surprise towards the end thrashing with a certain doze of technicality, with a brilliant twisted speedy ending. More galloping riffs follow on the energetic speedsters "Fire from the Sky" and "Hallows Eve" which close the album in a fine brisk fashion making a really satisfying cross over the major metal genres from the 80's.

Sixguns Over Tombstone EP, 2007
Putting Revenge on the Map Full-length, 2009

SIXKILLER ZERO (UK)

Based on the 1st EP, this band plays an atmospheric brand of the 90's post-thrash, the mood marred by the throaty semi-death metal vocalist. The dynamic moments are not too many ("Say What You See"; the surprising headbanger at the end "My Da Could Beat Your Da In A Fight"), and despite the not very usual approach to the style, it all wears thin, even on an EP.

The Rise of the Robot of Satan EP 2006
Battle Royale EP 2008

SIXTY NINE (BELGIUM)

Thrash/crossover similar to D.R.I.; Sixty Nine are more aggressive and vary things a bit more with sudden slower breaks and interesting riffs, but the general mood is pretty much the same.

Just For The Fun Full-length, 1988

Vibrations of Doom

SIZED (BRAZIL)

A capable emulation of mid-period Sepultura borrowing both from the more classic spirit of "Arise" and the heavy more modern sound of "Chaos AD". As a result we have an alternation between fast and slower numbers with more carefree crossover tracks ("Way to It All", well sustained in the spirit of the Sepultura cover of New Model Army's "The Hunt") thrown in. The guitars are a bit noisy, but this is hardly a hindrance for major crushers, like "Insufficient", to sound aggressive and moshy. Still, the buzz favours the heavier songs more, the latter also boosted by the angry semi-shouty singer.

Confronting The Mirror Full-length 2010

SJK (BULGARIA)

Based on "The Metal Chronicles Part I", these Bulgarians play cool modern power/thrash metal quite reminiscent of both Judas Priest's "Jugulator" and Fight's "War of Words" with a capable singer who pulls out pretty cool high-pitched performance, as opposed to his equally as impressive dominant mid-ranged one, very close to the antics of the Metal God spiced with the less piercing semi-screams of Tim "Ripper" Owens. The band is skilful in delivering heavy, mostly mid-tempo, tracks with crushing riffs, screaming leads, and a good sense of melody (check out "Worm In A Brain"). "Venom Grace" is a vivid headbanging number, but "Crossroad" is the compulsory ballad. "House of Cards" is a dramatic power/thrasher with intense rhythms, but "Clouds Of Doubt" goes away with all the laurels being the highlight here: a compelling 8-min progressive song with jumpy riffs and engaging melodic decisions. The final "Eternity" is an edgy thrasher with lashing guitars in a galloping pace finishig this stylish effort with aplomb. Although Tim Owens tries to keep this particular breed of metal alive with his projects Beyond Fear and Charred Walls of the Damned, these guys seem to pull it out in a better, more inspired, way, and it would be interesting to check whether this style has been established from the beginning.
The debut is already a sure-handed heavy affair, epitomizing the guys' staple sound quite well, maybe slower and heavier with a crushing rhythm section, and stylish technical/jazzy insertions ("Smokejack") here and there. More classic-sounding power/thrash metal can be heard on "Seeker", but this leads to the loss of dynamics near the end where the guys indulge in doomy/bluesy explorations, the biggest embarrassment being the remake of the opening "Euthanasia", turned into a dancey industrial KMFDM-like anthem to a not very positive effect.

Euthanasia Full-length 1999
Worm in a Brain Full-length 2002
The Metal Chronicles Part I Full-length 2005

SKAFFOLD (RUSSIA)

Melodic thrash/death metal with sparce blast-beats and a dual vocal attack: low growls versus screechy hysterical ones. The music is closer to death metal, and is graced by stylish technical "decorations" ruined by the hollowly-sounding drums. The At the Gates influence is pretty obvious although on the slower tracks ("Jizh Navsegda" (Life Forever)) the band run away from it going into a doom/death metal direction. The progressive pretensions are not very well grounded despite the beauty of the several balladic moments ("Kazn" (Prison)) which smell Opeth quite a bit.

Ia Znaiu Pravdu (I Know the Truth) Full-Length, 2010

SKELETAL AUGURY (CHINA)

Black/thrash metal maniacs from China who after the insane blasting opener "Skeletal Augury" settle for cool up-tempo thrash by preserving the husky sinister croaky vocals. The thrash attack carries on until another black metal madness ("Funeral Mutilate") in the middle. More speedy thrash comes after that with a shade of Impaled Nazarene on "Total Maniac" and a couple of other tracks before "Temple of Blood" closes the album in a heavy doomy manner. The guys insert film sample dialogues in the beginning of almost every track, sometimes getting carried away with this touch, forgetting to stop it before it starts to annoy.

Victory of the Holocaust Full-length, 2009

SKELETAL DAMAGE (UK)

This UK trio specializes in not very exciting or eventful modern thrash which breaks the proto-groovy monotony at times with the odd brutal death metal inclusion. Rare displays of style (the long engaging "The Dogs of War") are not excluded, neither are more energetic, jumpy riffs ("Blue on Blue"). Te 2nd half is actually more interesting, featuring the cool diverse "Of False Hope", which boasts great melodic leads and several breathtaking balladic interludes. The closing "Night Turns to Day" is a surprising deathster of the semi-blasting type, and delivers to produce the final headbanging portion, this time spiced with a few more technical decisions. The singer is a not very impressive semi-shouter, but suits the not very demanding musical approach.

Fire and Forget Full-length, 2011

SKELETAL EARTH (USA)

Based on the EP, these guys come up with classic sounding thrashy death metal, which combines the groovy steam roller-like sound of Obituary with the grinding aggression of Morbid Angel, plus more light-hearted crossover moments. There is even one attempt at semi-technical performance ("Sybil"), which could have reached somewhere, if it were longer.
"Eulogy For A Dying Fetus" is a frenetic, wild mix of thrash and death, quite chaotic at times, but strangely listenable and compelling, and even technical ("Psych"). The tracks are short, within the 2-3min range, and the music packs a punch all the time with good aggressive riffage. If you listen carefully, there's no way you will miss the cool cover version of Van Halen's "You Really Got Me".
"De.Ev' O.Lu' Shun" offers a more serious attitude with slower longer compositions and added modern 90's elements ("Dreamscape", which also serves straight headbanging thrashy riffs at some point). The sound is considerably softer, and tracks like the slower groovy "Hypochrist", or crossover delights like the closing "Dr. Love", are not a rarity, taking turns with old school headbangers ("Absence Of Intimidation"). As a whole this album is inferior to the strong debut showing the guys more mature and more diverse, but not better.

Eulogy For A Dying Fetus Full-length, 1991
Dreighphuck EP, 1993
De.ev' o.lu' shun Full-length, 1994

SKELETON (USA)

Based on the "Never Slow Down" demo, this is excellent power/thrash metal (which actually slows down) with a more aggressive edge than the one which usually goes with the style. The vocals are melodic, resembling Michael Coons from Laaz Rockit (the ones he used on the first two albums). The music is not far from Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy" and Helstar's "Remnants of War".
The "Requiem" demo is just 2 songs: "Requiem" is a nice soulful ballad, but "Hammerhead of Fury" is blistering speed/thrash metal with ripping riffs in the good old Bay-Area style.
The "Happy World" demo contains 2 songs which have embraced the 90's modern post-thrash idea, and 2 others to oppose to them: "Blood of Life", which is a smashing mosher ala Anthrax with a few slower mid-tempo moments, and the final "Opposites Attract" which is a wild speed/thrasher with fine technical implements.

Never Slow Down Demo, 1988
Requiem Demo, 1990
Happy World Demo, 1992

SKELETON CREW (FRANCE)

Based on the full-length: one of the finest moments from the French metal scene of the new millennium: stylish, quite technical at times, atmospheric dark/gothic thrash. The tempo is mostly mid-paced, but the riffs crush admirably, with nods to both the modern and the classic school, with several quite intense shredding sections on the opening tracks which are also the fastest. Some of the songs are quite complex with different time and tempo changes alternating, but not in an annnoying way, and the dark-sounding guitars create quite a dramatic environment. The thing that may annoy, though, is the two vocal styles used: one is in the gothic/death metal-camp being subdued semi-whispered, but it's the other one which does the damage being from the clean gothic/alternative variety, and could be skipped for the future; what could be another pullback is that on the moments with those vocals the sound gets a bit more melodic, with a more clear shade of gothic.

Shining Blood EP, 2000
Unmuted System Full-length, 2005

SKELETON PROOF TANKS (USA)

Based on "Grief", this is heavy old school thrash/death metal akin to late-period Protector with grindcore breaks ("Surgery Of Fecal Sores").

Out of the Hydra's Teeth EP, 2005
Conflagration Full-length, 2005
Grief Full-length, 2006

SKELETONWITCH (USA)

Melodic death meets thrash, and somewhere along the way a black metal singer. The black metal vocals are one side of the show; on the other one we have low death growls. The solos on the band's debut are from the classic heavy metal school. So, as a whole, we have a fusion of styles which would make this band appealing to fans from several sides of the metal circuit.
"Beyond the Permafrost" is the band's finest hour so far with a stronger concentration on thrash, excellent melodic guitar lines and cool speedy riffs. The sound is definitely classic if we exclude sparce touches from the Gothenburg school. "Baptized in Flames" is probably the only track which could be classified as melodic death metal; the rest is nice classic thrash of the more melodic variety.
"Breathing The Fire" follows on the steps of its predecessor quite closely, serving decent retro thrash in an energetic tempo, with distant echoes of melo-death ("Released from the Catacombs" and parts of other songs) at times. The fast pace for most of the time makes the atmospheric mid-paced sleeper near the end "Strangled by Unseen Hands" the highlight of the album, with the closing raging more modern-sounding thrasher "...And Into The Flame" a close second.
"Forever Abomination" is another decent offering crossing thrash with melo-death again, keeping the energy high with short (2.5-3min) vivid tracks, although the guitars lack an edge, a slight compensation offered in the more technical sector ("Choke Beyond Betrayal"). Black metal spings up timidly on the more extreme cut "Shredding Sacred Flesh", suiting the expressively raven-like black metal vocals, and the closing "My Skin Of Deceit" also keeps the intensity high, relying on purer death metal riffage as a finishing touch. The band have found their own niche, and stick to it without too many deviations, but one more album of the same may just remain unnoticed.

At One with the Shadows Full-length, 2004
Worship the Witch EP, 2006
Beyond the Permafrost Full-Length, 2007
Breathing The Fire Full-length, 2009
Forever Abomination Full-length 2011

SKELETOR (USA)

Melodic thrash with a modern edge and dual vocals: one clean, the other from the death metal type. The last track is a surprisingly nice touch, being a take on some popular evergreens ("Green Sleeves" and the likes).

Baked Alaskans Demo, 2000

SKEPTIC SENSE (GERMANY)

One of the few bands who managed to impersonate Watchtower without sounding ridiculous; even the vocals are quite close to Mike Soliz, but are more controlled in the higher tones. This is really good progressive thrash rubbing shoulders with other groups from the genre, like Sieges Even and even Mekong Delta. The guys like to keep things simple with short, but eventful songs (tempo changes and riffs, I mean, not off-beat non-metal elements). The tempo changes all the time, and this creates a somewhat chaotic feeling, but on every subsequent listen you'll find that there is nothing out-of-hand here, and everything is logical and coherent. "Human Indulgence" is the band's tribute to the faster, more aggressive side of thrash, and could be well placed on Toxik's "World Circus", or Forbidden's "Forbidden Evil", for example. The music is not very easy to get into at first, but you'll be rewarded for the invested time. One of the members of the progressive/technical thrash metal wave which started in Germany in the early 90's, and one of the best.

Presence Of Mind Full-length, 1994

SKIN RIPPER (COLOMBIA)

Cool retro thrash which comes in various tempos, with a characteristic dark sound, which may remind of Deathwish and Hallows' Eve's better moments. The musicianship is clever, with a few serious attempts at a more complex song-writing (don't read progressive here): check out the diverse opus "March of Fallen Souls", but the jollier, crossover, side of the genre hasn't been completely ignored, either: the closing punky hymn "Jail Breakers".

Jail Breakers EP, 2011

SKIN SLICER (CANADA)

A new Canadian trio from hell unleashes straight retro speed/thrash with apocalyptic black-ish vocals. The music is very close to the works of the Portuguese Alastor and the Japanese acts Abigail and Barbatos. So expect mostly up-tempo riffs ("Born In Hell" is the only slower doomy heavy track) with short leads, lighter heavy metal anthems ("Metal Warriors") and a few short thrash/crossover happiness-es ("Heavend Is Destroyed").

Made in Hell Full-length, 2008

SKIPTOE (USA)

Based on the "Throwing Dirt" demo, Skiptoe play thrash/crossover with no borrowings from the groovy 90's post-thrash scene having in mind the time of release; this is old school music, not really heavy, recalling Excel and C.I.A.

Throwing Dirt Demo, 1994
Mortal Lies Demo, 1994
Live at WREK Live album, 1996
Mortal Lies - The Demos Best of/Compilation, 1997

SKIRMISH (FINLAND)

Based on the full-lenngth: prepare for a constant "skirmish" of modern melo-death/thrash riffs along the lines of Carnal Forge and Maze of Torment. A few more abstract, Meshuggah-sque ("Insurgency") can be felt, as well as nice epic pounding rhythms ("Mystery in a Blazing Dream") ala Amon Amarth, but overall the established formula is seldom broken, coming with guttural, low-tuned death metal vocals.

Four Devouring Pieces EP 2006
Undefined Phobias EP 2008
Skirmish EP EP 2010
Through The Abacinated Eyes Full-length 2011

SKITZO (USA, NJ)

An excellent 3-song demo of technical power/thrash metal; the band has an approach which is based both on the more complex style of Sieges Even and Watchtower and the more aggressive lashing one of Helstar and the Dutch Paralysis. "Progressive Psychosis", a very appropriately-titled song, by the way, is a great example of mixing the two sides sounding both energetic and galloping, and twisting and meandering the latter accompanied by an unobtrusive keyboard background; there is a lot to hear here: sharp hitting riffs, sparce acoustic implements, faster headbanging sections, labyrinthine passages, etc. "The Killer Instinct" is an aggressive mid-paced smasher which loosens up a bit on the technical side in the 1st half, but wait till you hear the super-twisted riffage near the end: exemplary technical thrash ala Coroner's "Mental Vortex" in a creepy doomy pace. "Too Late For Repentance" is the ultimate technical/progressive thrasher: a surreal hallucinogenic composition with great bass support; precise technical, at times quite abstract, riffing; brilliant fast technical leads; a nice speedy mid-passage, and more. The singer is a cool addition with his attached clean, at times quite high-strung, tone trying to capture the inimitable blend of Mike Soliz (Watchtower) on a few times. It's a pity that acts like this never managed to produce an official release: this small gem could have been the backbone of a full-length masterpiece...

Progressive Psychosis Demo, 1990

SKITZO (USA, CA)

You might find it hard to believe, but Skitzo are one of the oldest metal bands in the USA: their first demos date back from the distant 1985. Their predominant style is aggressive, well-constructed thrash mixing both the classic and the modern sound throughout the different periods of their career. "Synusar'Sukus" is probably the band's best effort, still closer to the classic sound; this is very aggressive stuff with nods to death metal ("Leatherface"), and the best parts are where the band don't play very fast, but crush impressively with heavy doom-laden riffage ("Grinding Gears"). Such intense stuff could wear down both musicians and listeners quickly, and this is the reason why the last three tracks are nothing more than senseless joke-songs with not much music involved.

Derragerous EP, 1989
The Skulling EP, 1991
Evilution Full-length, 1992
Synusar'sukus Full-length, 1994
Psychobabble Full-length, 1996
Got Sick! Full-length, 2000
Hellavator Musick Full-length, 2002
Heavy Shit Full-length, 2005
Five Point Containment Full-length, 2007

SKLEPMASTER (CZECH)

This is modern thrash/death metal which comes served with brutal, low-tuned, ultimately incomprehensive vocals, running from the Gothenburg patterns by sticking to darker, more brooding riffage. The guys try to mix things up, alternating fast and slow sections on almost every track, the later kind fo working better, coming with a nice doomy shade ("Devil In My Face").

The Unforgiven Sin EP, 2011

SKOLOPENDRIA (RUSSIA)

3 songs of energetic classic thrash with a boosted modern production; the guys shred well sticking to energetic, a bit jumpy crossover-ish rhythms, "Rojdenie" being the exception: a groovy, sleepy cut with abrasive riffs. The singer is all right with a not very attached clean tone shouting unpleasantly with a synthesized blend at times (the aforementioned "Rojdenie").

Bejat Demo, 2011

SKRAMASAX (CZECH)

An early incarnation of this band included future members of quality thrash metal acts like Calibos and Section Brain, who did not survive long ehough in the band to take part in the recordings of this album. But even without them the guys manage to pull out worthy speed/thrash metal along the lines of Iron Angel and Toxis Shock. The first part is more melodic with a certain power/thrash metal flavour, but the second half picks up speed admirably, still finding time for one long (7-min), heavy, almost doomy number: "Smrtici Znameni", followed by the smashing Slayer-esque thrasher "Lovec Lidi". This was a promising debut, and considering that the Czech metal scene had become active a bit later than the major ones, this band could have perfectly served as one of its backbones through the 90's (if, of course, they had continued in the same vein).

Dark Powers Full-length, 1991

SKREW (USA)

This great band was formed by Adam Grossman, one of the legends of industrial metal, after he put an end to his previous formation Angkor Wat. The band came on the scene with a splash with their excellent debut of sharp, riff-oriented thrash (there is a three guitar attack present on every album), "decorated" with industrial elements which have started to turn into a trend in the early 90's. "Dusted" continued in the same uncompromising fashion, being another stellar work, this time with an increased presence of industrial. "Shadow of a Doubt" threw a certain "shadow of a doubt" over the band with its less aggressive, slower, groovy and choppy sound, sounding like a not very convincing attempt at a more technical and interesting play, which misused the triple guitar support quite a bit. "Angel Seed XXIII" followed on the steps of its predecessor, speeding up a bit, and generally containing a more thrashy and heavier material. As a matter of fact, if you give the last two albums a few more spins, you might find that they are not too bad; they have their moments as well, and show that the guys have moved on, although in a less impressive way compared to the beginning.

Burning in Water, Drowning In Flames Full-length, 1991
Dusted Full-length, 1994
Shadow of a Doubt Full-length, 1996
Angel Seed XXIII Full-length, 1997

SKULL (COLOMBIA)

A Colombian trio whose vocalist and bassist looks like Lemmy kilmister quite a lot, but the resemblances with the Brits end here, since the music on offer here is nice classic speed/thrash metal with early Metallica and the Whiplash debut being the main influences. The guys spare no speed on the first 2 songs, before they decide to come up with "Ferro", which sounds too crossover-ish in the beginning, but later on turns into a major headbanger again. After another fast-paced song ("Lonely Wolf") the sound quality drops for the remaining 4 ones, which are apparently leftovers from the band's earlier days, although the style is the same, with a Bulldozer cover coming up at the end ("Cut Throat").

A Night Of The Battle City EP, 2009

SKULL CRUSHER (HOLLAND)

Although present on the same tape with Second Hell, this band are not as brutal and intense. Their music is more along the lines of bands like Warrant (Germany) and Tyrant (Germany): speed metal mixed with melodic thrash; music which will definitely not crush your skull (pun intended).

Metal Deadness Split, 1986
No Boundary for Hell Demo, 1986

SKULL CRUSHER (THAILAND)

Cool intense retro speed/thrash metal with vicious black metal vocals which are more on the hysterical screamy side, but are not very annoying. Shades of black in the musical department can also be felt ("Order from Hell"), of the blasting type, but the rest is cool energetic stuff with Alastor and Iron Angel's debut the closest soundalikes.

In the Name of War Demo, 2010

SKULL HAMMER (USA)

This US trio plays typical 80's American power/thrash metal mixing the heavy dark sound of the Nasty Savage debut ("Fear The Truth") with more intense riffage ala Blessed Death and Destructor ("Demons Roulette").
"Pay It In Blood" is an elaboration on the EP offering a similar mix between faster and slower numbers as both sides deliver as the preferences would probably go towards the former where the approach again recalls Destructor, and early Whiplash on the more intense moments. In the middle the album loses steam quite a bit with a string of mild toothless heavy/power metal hymns ("The Gladiator", "Blasphemy", etc.), but near the end a hefty compensation is provided, first with the furious thrasher "Born Evil", and then with the sinister galloper "Convicted of Conviction". The closing "Hit By God" is a doomy unfocused affair again "courting" power metal more. The singer is not a detriment although his mid-levelled gruff semi-clean delvery is not very expressive lacking the necessary emotional blend to these ears sounding not far from the old Omen vocalist J.D. Kimball (R.I.P.).

Fear the Truth EP, 2008
Pay It In Blood Full-length, 2010

SKULL HARVEST (GERMANY)

Well done: a live album right after just one demo; this is a feat. Otherwise this is heavy mid-paced thrash with hoarse semi-death metal vocals. At times the music slows down to a doom/death pace ("Harvest Desire") which sounds like a hesitation as to what direction the band should go, rather than an intentional variation.

Demo Demo, 2001
Live At K1, Elmshorn 24.02.01 Live album, 2001

SKULLBREAKER (GERMANY)

German thrash metal mixing classic and modern elements, with Dew-Scented being a close soundalike; nothing to lose your sleep over: fast one-dimensional thrash with no hooks or technical riffs whatsoever.

Total Thrash Terror Full-length, 2005

SKULLCRUSHER (COLOMBIA)

These Colombians had concentrated on the