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 V.A.R. (CZECH)
Based on "Pod Vodou", these guys play melodic thrash, which for the time sounds quite retro, but also quite toothless and soft. The tempo is mid to up at
best, and somewhere towards the middle the music acquires the expected modern tendencies, which stay till the end, spoiling considerably the little
impression made previously from this pretty pedestrian effort. The last three tracks abandon the thrash metal idea, one of which is a cover version of Black Sabbath's early hit "Children of the Grave" sung in Czech, and done awfully.
Personal Destruction Full-length, 1992 Official Site V.I.C. ROYAL (GREECE)
A heavy mix of post-thrash and hardcore with echoes of mid-90's Sepultura, and Puncture on the more industrialized moments. There is absolutely no temptatuion at a faster play: everything is stomping and mid-paced at best, with a few alternative deviations (the cool ballad "Eternal", accompanied by a much better clean voice, compared to the harsh hardcore shouter on the rest). The guys lose it near the end, though, by epitomizing a mellower sound finished with another ballad ("Simply Alone Now"), this time too tender and not really relevant.
To Be Continued... Full-length 2003 V12 (PORTUGAL)
The debut demo is 4 songs of edgy energetic speed/thrash metal clinging more towards the American models, along the lines of mid-periiod Helstar and Savage Grace. The music is speedy with melodic and sharp hooks taking turns under a not very good sound quality. "Tales of Glory" is the oddity here being a calm epic power metal piece with a very good bass bottom.
Demo Demo, 1987 My Space V3H3M3NT
This is good modern power/thrash, an interesting diverse stuff with heavy meaty riffs which never stay stale, but move around constantly switching from one
tempo to another without ever reaching the very fast parameters. There are balladic instrumental inclusions ("Taurus"), excellent heavy atmospheric semi-
ballads ("D-Caf"), and playful funky variations ("Fragments Of Insanity"). The singer is low-tuned, and his semi-clean tember could be barely heard at
times. The problem is that there is not much speed here, and the monotonous riffs may tire the listener near the end where the longer and the more dragging
songs have been placed.
One More Fix Full-Length, 2000 VACANT GRAVE (USA)
This band offers cool thrash/proto-death metal akin to Funeral Nation and Revenant (in the more technical parts). The music is aggressive and quite fast,
bashing with full force at times, but leaves room for more technical exploits: the jumpy hectic "Room For 1 More", which comes served with nice, but short
leads; the excellent mid-paced instrumental "Graven Scripture", which is the most melodic (except for the wild frantic ending), but is truly one of the
best tracks. "Killer Instinct" starts as a ballad, and keeps it going for about 2-min, but after that the guys turn it into a stylish intense
death/thrasher, with another cool lead guitar work implemented later on. "Supernatural Force" is also worth mentioning, which uses the main theme from the
cult horror film "Halloween" in the beginning, but later evolves into a more aggressive thrasher, accompanied by a cool melodic section. The performance on
the whole album is actually above average, and even the more ordinary immediate tracks come with interesting riffs and tempo changes: check out the last
two jumpy, semi-chaotic numbers "Evil Deceiver" and "Vacant Grave". The band looked well set to give the fashionable at the time thrash/death metal mixture the desirable technical twist, but like Revenant they didn't last beyond the obligatory full-length debut.
Eternal Nightmare EP, 1989 My Space VAE VICTUS (CANADA)
Based on the demo: aggressive fast thrash which bears resemblances to Slayer's "Reign in Blood" and Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends", but the songs here
are longer, and at least the leads are more proficient. The problem is with the fuzzy guitar sound, which partially decreases the impact from this
otherwise very hard-hitting music. The vocals are quite good, sounding like a cleaner, and a higher-pitched version of Tom Araya, with a pinch of Russ
Anderson (Forbidden).
Demo Demo, 1987 VAGINATOR (CHILE)
This Chilean trio pulls out cool classic speed/thrash metal with touches of crossover; the music is quite fast, reaching a Wehrmacht-like intensity at times: "Masacre Vaginator". "Basura Callejera" is a nice aggressive speedy thrasher, followed by the drunken joke song "Demolicion (Los Saicos)", which is kind of underwhelming, breaking the monolithic brutal sound up to this point, although a big excuse is brought near the end, with a fast-paced thrashy exit. "Vaginas All Nite" is more moderate thrash/crossover, but "La Mataflaite" is brutal thrash at its best in the best spirit of the Swedes Merciless and early Pestilence.
Demo-lici˘n Demo, 2008 My Space
VALCYRIE (SWEDEN)
This obscure gem is a real keeper: very well-executed technical thrash, fast intense stuff with good intellgible semi-death metal vocals. "At The Mountain" is an ambitious encompassing opener thrashing in a clever, but also pretty intense, manner for about 7-min, recalling both Messiah and Death from around the same time, only more thrash-fixated. "Reborn Into Reincarnation" is a more immediate ripping thrasher with lashing sharp riffs and a few good melodic leads. Then the bigger complexity returns with "Prepare To Suffer" which will also remind you of late-80's Metallica and Testament being a fast technical Bay-Area piece. "Symptom Of Brutality" is another seismic technical number combining immediate speedy sections with elaborate twisting ones to a fairly positive effect. The sound quality is very good, and these talented musicians could have turned into something special if having managed to jump over their underground status.
Into the Questions of What? Demo, 1991 VALFIERNO (ARGENTINA)
Good edgy retro thrash flows from this 5-song demo which mixes hard riffs with soaring melodies no worse than early Paradox and Squealer, but there is harder thrashing to be heard on the Slayer-esque "Contrafuego", as well as heavier power/thrash on the closing "Escapando". The singer is a shouter of the expressive semi-clean type, and his antics suit well the intense musical delivery.
Sin Piedad Demo, 2009 My Space VALIENT THORR (USA)
Based on "Immortalizer", this band pull out decent melodic heavy/thrash metal which owes a lot to 90's Megadeth (circa "Countdown to Extinction"), and Exciter, when the music picks up more speed. Some songs are softer ("Tomorrow Police", "Nomadic Sacrifice") with a strong classic heavy metal spirit, but most of the time the guitars thrash with conviction and melody, and often with speed ("No Holds Barred", "Red Flag"). The sound is simplistic, but the guys nicely vary the tempos alternating more energetic tracks with heavier mid-paced ones. The lead guitar work is particularly good, but the leads are short, since the relatively short length of the songs (3-4min) hardly requires more.
Total Universe Man Full-Length, 2005 VALKYRIA (RUSSIA)
The band's self titled debut is outstanding progressive thrash metal rubbing shoulders with late-80's Living Death and Mekong Delta. The very first riffs from the opener "Ravens" will prepare you for a classical music-inspired guitar wizardry combined with fast sharp riffage. The tempos stray into all directions with some parts seeming discordant and too chaotic, also infused with keyboards, which are a bit overused at times; this touch and some fast sections will draw comparisons with the 90's power/speed metal scene, but just when the listener starts to get a bit disappointed, comes a brilliant complex technical passage to save the day. The music is fast-paced with quite a few straight headbanging moments, and some really aggressive riffs: the instrumental "Valkyria". The singer plays a secondary role here, and his mid-ranged levelled tone is not really exceptional making him sound like Wolfgang Borgmann (the first Mekong Delta singer).
Valkyria Full-length, 1993 My Space VALKYRIE (USA, NJ)
American power metal meets thrash; the American metal scene was full of similar demos back in the 80's: good, energetic music along the lines of Savage
Grace, Attacker, early Helstar, etc. with good, proficient solos and catchy, sing-along choruses.
Past, Present,... Demo, 1990 VALKYRIE (USA, TX)
A really good 3-song demo of blistering speed/thrash recalling Viking's "Man of Straw" and Helstar's "Distant Thunder" (please note that this demo precedes
both albums with a few years). This is great headbanging music, quite fast, and even technical at times, with vocals which reach for the high notes quite
often in a way not too dissimilar to Larry Portelli (Blessed Death). "Reign of Violence" starts with a very popular theme which I still have problems
recalling... (help here, please).
Choosers of the Slain Demo, 1986 VALKYRIE'S CRY (USA)
These Canadians are a very good reminder of the power/speed/thrash metal scene of the 80's, crossing quite a few influences, consequently sounding like
neither of the old timers, but are reminiscent of more recent practitioners like the Danes Manticora, the Polish Hellfire, the Germans Sacred Steel, and
the Finns Solitaire when they switch onto full speed. The album opens with the epic speed metal hymn "Iron Sword", but the cheesiness gradually fades away,
first with "Black Knight" which is a battle-like speed/thrasher, and later on on the intense thrashterpiece "Beserker", which even blast-beats for a while.
"Viking Warrior" adds a cool technical touch to the proceedings, plus mighty galloping riffs. "Blessed By The Mace" excels in the lead department, thrashing with force again, before "Ride Of Sleipnir" takes on the exuberant style of Helstar's "Nosferatu", by retaining the speed. "Vortigern" is a short technical speed/thrasher, again reminding of the Helstar magnum opus, but "Valkyrie's Cry" is direct speed metal with an epic atmosphere. "Headless Horseman" closes the album in a smashing speed/thrashing manner, despite the misleading doomy intro. The singer is a nice addition with his mid-ranged clean tember, sounding like a less emotional James Rivera who seldoms tries to scream. It's always good to hear a band fully dedicated to the roots of the genre by mixing all the basic styles so well without overdoing it.
Valkyrie's Cry Full-length, 2009 Official Site VALOR (USA)
A good band from the 80's who pull out power/speed/thrash along the lines of Destructor and Hallows Eve, among other representatives of the American scene.
These guys are better than both, bashing out quite aggressive pieces: the furious thrashers "Accept Him" and "Valor", the speed metal killers "Fight for
Your Life" and "Masquerade", the mid-paced heavy pounder "The Flesh is Weak". The rest of the songs are slower with "Empty Tomb" being an intense mixture
of doom and thrash. The singer has an original low-tuned semi-clean tone reminiscent of Jon Van Doorn (Deathwish).
Fight For Your Life Full-length, 1988 Fan Site VALUME NOB (USA)
Based on "Residue And Bones": an interesting but melodic mix of thrash/crossover with a groovy vibe, and stoner/doom; the music resembles a more thrashy
version of Phil Anselmo's Down. The bad news is that it stays closer to the doom side, and consequently doesn't create an enjoyable, headbanging atmosphere
for the thrash metal fan. Don't get misled by the title of the song "Brutal Attack": this is the softest track here, being an insipid doomy blues; the rest is just a little bit better.
The Most High EP, 2004 Official Site VAMPIRE (GERMANY)
Melodic modern thrash/death, mostly mid-paced with a gothic shade, occasionally blasting out (parts from "Ballad of the Two-Faced", which has nothing to do
with the ballad).
Crimson Dominion Demo, 1998 VANADIUM (AUSTRALIA)
Surprisingly good, and surprisingly classic-sounding for the time of release thrash with a heavy dark atmosphere, recalling the late 80's Metallica period,
among others. The guys mix heavy crushing riffs with faster more intense moments quite well, like on the opening "The Damage Done", but the better tracks
are mid-paced with a sharp razor-like sound, in a good headbanging tempo: "Preacher Of Hate", the dark menacing "Sabotage The System". "Fight" goes over
the top, starting like a ballad, before moving onto furious grinding passages, which in their turn are replaced by finally some cool thrash, and this mix
goes on until the end; quite unexpected, having in mind the consistent character of the previously heard material; could be considered the highlight by
some, or the awkward, offbeat track by others. The heavy ballad "Pain" is a winner, seeing the singer, whose delivery resembles a slightly higher-pitched
James Hetfield, and the lead guitarist do a very good job.
The Damage Done Full-length, 1995 VANISHER (USA)
Modern melodic thrash with happy power metal moments; this is optimistic stuff which seldom bites with ferocity on a couple of more aggressive tracks: the headbanger "Spiraling Downward", and the sure-handed speed metal hammer "Feverish Crimes" which comes with great melodic leads. Otherwise the approach is mid-paced to semi-balladic with good clean attached vocals which are at times interrupted by gruffer death metal-ish ones.
The History Of The Saints Full-Length, 2010 VANITY 4 (HOLLAND)
Based on "Zon Politicon", this band offer classic thrash with a more avantgarde, semi-technical twist. The songs vary from funky variations to energetic
thrash/crossover outbursts in the D.R.I., Nuclear Assault vein. Not bad, but the hectic approach, and the sudden, sometimes awkward switches from one style
to another, might make someone dizzy.
Zon Politicon Full-length, 1994 VANITY RUINS (GERMANY)
Modern Swedish thrash/death metal with a more brutal attitude, consequently staying closer to death metal; the pace is quite fast, with the odd cool
intense thrasher ("Wait") roaming around.
Demo Demo, 2008 My Space VAPULEADOR (ARGENTINA)
2 songs of classic aggressive thrash with screechy vocals and hollowly-sounding drums.
Thrash o Muerte Demo, 2008 VARGA (CANADA)
On "Prototype" the band play modern, groovy thrash with industrial touches along the lines of later period Skrew, or Prong; not anything special, with
several passages which have nothing to do with metal, let alone thrash. "Oxygen" takes a turn miles away from the thrash metal genre.
Prototype Full-length, 1993 VASTATOR (CHILE)
Vastator mix traditional metal with excellent speed/thrash, similar to Agent Steel's "Skeptic Apocalypse". The bass work is particularly striking: this guy
is one of the finest bass players in the world right now. "Guia Para Odiar a Tu Projimo" is actually a compilation of the band's older material, consisting
of demos mostly, and reveals fine speed/thrash metal with direct mighty sharp riffs, quite fast-paced, and a singer who sings gruffly, semi-cleanly most of
the time, recalling Mark Shelton from Manilla Road, but when he screams, he easily reaches John Cyriis, although this doesn't happen very often. Some of
the longer tracks have their quiet, slower sections, but the predominant sound is quite intense, spiced by more melodic hooks and strong bass support.
Guia Para Odiar a Tu Projimo, Antologia 1988-1998 Full-length, 1999 Official Site VAULT (MALAYSIA)
Speedy retro thrash, jolly and unpretentious, turning to pure speed metal on the roller-coaster "Heavy Metal Attack" which influences the next two tracks
leaving the thrash beginning a bit behind. The singer is gruff and low-tuned with a strong drunken shade. The guys also play similar, maybe a tad more
melodic, stuff with their other formation Antacid.
Fuck off and Die!!! EP, 2009 VECTOM (GERMANY)
"Speed Revolution" will hardly cause a "speed revolution", but is a fine slab of the mentioned in the title style. All songs impersonate the genre very well, and this album, along with the early works of Helloween and the Germans Warrant's debut EP, have done a lot to establish speed metal on the European metal scene. Vectom's style is more simplistic and direct, with a clear nod to thrash, and unlike the other two aforementioned acts, they never break the speedy pattern, adding slower, mid-paced numbers. Variety is hardly the key-word when talking about this album, but this is a good headbanging fun all the way.
Speed Revolution Full-length, 1985 Vibrations of Doom VEDONIST (POLAND)
Vedonist are one of the young hopes of the Polish metal scene, and the presence of two talented guitarists, who also take part in the speed/thrash masters
Hellfire, ensure plenty of memorable guitar hooks. The comparison between the two bands, however, ends here, since Vedonist are decidedly the more brutal
act, with their roots deep in the retro thrash/death metal camp. The music on the debut is brisk thrash/death metal with more nods to thrash, and very
brutal low-tuned death metal vocals. The guys stick to the conventional, not very fast approach, with quite a few technical moments, which produce fine
interesting numbers: "Host Of Human Desires", "Break The Disembodied Altar", which remind of Infernal Majesty's "Holier Than Thou". "A Moment Of
Reflection" is a really good "acoustic versus lead" instrumental, followed by the closing 9-min opus "Anhedonia Society", which surprisingly sounds too
conventional compared to the aforementioned much shorter tracks, and although the riffs are heavy and fast for most of the time, the slower, almost epic
passages, albeit not that frequent, seem to lack focus and edge.
Awaking to Immortality Full-length, 2005 Official Site VEHEMENT (ITALY)
Good retro thrash not miles away from the more recent Exodus efforts and the last Onslaught offering; so apart from the edgy retro guitars one will come
across several modern moments which alternate throughout the album, as more preference is given to the former. There is a good balance found between the
all-out fast thrashers, which touch the Bay Area more than occasionally, and the slower moody ones. Watch out for the excellent "No Reason To Fight For"
near the end, which seamlessly blends the two trends, finished with a magnificent melodic doomy outro, very close to the best one on the metal scene:
remember Candlemass's "Cry from the Crypt".
All That's Behind Full-length, 2008 Official Site VEHEMENT (USA, Illinois)
Cool heavy classic thrash crossing the Slayer-esque aggression with the stomping approach on Sacred Reich's "The American Way", adding the odd proto-death
riff ala Devastation from time to time (the excellent speedy thrash/deathster "Inhale The Mist"). The speed gets "lost" (but not "forever", thank god) on
the galloping thrasher "Forever Lost", and on the short acoustic instrumental "Creation", which is really a nice atmospheric "creation". "Intergalactic
Landmarks" jumps in mid-pace, too, but inserts cool technical licks which stay around for the next "Overtrolled" which is a fine blend of fast and heavy
sections. The headbangers will welcome "Prepare For War", and especially the raging death/thrash closer "Procrehatred". The singer has a gruff semi-death/semi-angry tember which gives the album a slight modern "colouring". Some of the band members also helped Carcass Chris from Usurper around the same time with his side-project Eternal Hatred where they played pure classic death metal. Later they changed their name to Conglomeratorz with which they have two albums released.
Unbalanced For Mankind Full-length, 1999 VEHEMENT (USA, Indiana)
An obscure trio who specializes in the typical for the time groovy post-thrash, the difference coming from the more brutal death-tinged vocals; the guitar work
is predictably heavy, but the pace seldom varies, being in the mid-parameters. Some cool leads can be heard, and generally the riffage is really heavy and
crushing, but 11 songs of the same heaviness are not very easy to carry, even by fans of Pantera and Puncture, to whom this album will most likely appeal.
Sour Ground Full-length, 1995 VEKTOR (USA)
Based on "Black Future", these guys pull out quite good technical/progressive speed/thrash metal sounding quite fast and aggressive for most of the time, a tendency clearly shown with the opening "Black Future" recalling late-80's/early-90's Kreator, among other acts. With each subsequent song things become more elaborate although the following "Oblivion" is also fast-paced incorporating elements from late-period Death and a couple of great melodic leads near the end. "Destroying the Cosmos" carries on in the same vein now recalling the speed metal scene of the 90's "decorating" the speedy approach with a nice balladic break and sparce blast-beats at the end. "Forests of Legend" is the first more serious take on a more progressive song-writing preserving the fast-paced riffage all over, also providing great balladic intro and outro. "Hunger for Violence" is exemplary speed/thrash with not much technicality, except for a short twisted Coroner-like riffage in the middle, racing with the speed of light. "Deoxyribonucleic Acid" is more controlled in the beginning resulting in more complexity, but also more melody in the lead department mostly; watch out for the second half where blasting death metal will reach your ears. "Asteroid" is all-out speed once again, no technical play here, even smelling crossover at times. The end will surprise even the most optimistic: two long compositions of exemplary progressive thrash combining fast headbanging sections, very technical guitars, mellower interludes, a bit of death metal, 90's power/speed, and more. This is quite a treat definitely reaching outside the thrash metal "box" to a wider gamut of fans, and can easily be classified
as "the fastest progressive metal act in the world" at the moment.
Demolition Full-length, 2006 My Space VELLOCET (GERMANY)
A blend of hardcore and thrash from the early days of the German thrash metal scene, but less impressive than the majority of the practitioners at the
time. Their second album has nothing to do with thrash, being melodic heavy/power metal.
Captive of Reality Full-length, 1986 Vibrations of Doom VELOCET (ARGENTINA)
Cool power/thrash with a classic edge; the album is a pretty decent mix of heavy, slower and speedy songs, featuring a nice ballad as well ("Almas
Negras"). The shorter tracks are direct, intense all-out thrashers ("Autoeliminaci˘n", "Como el Tirge"), whereas the longer ones are more laid-back, but
still deliver the goods with hard riffs and cool melodic hooks.
Cuando La Oscuridad Reine Full-length, 1999 Fan Site VELOCITY (UKRAINE)
Melodic speed/thrash of the classic variety, not miles away from their neighbours from Russia Master's debut; the guys do not conceal their infatuation
with the 90's power/speed metal scene as well, although full-blooded pieces of the kind are not that many. The guitar work is simplistic and direct with slight deviations into a more intriguing play mostly in the lead guitar department. The singer ruins things a bit with his harsh semi-death metal delivery, and some adjustment in this department for the future would be desirable.
Mir Ludei Pogriaz v Svete Demo, 2007 VENDETTA (BELGIUM)
A very buzzy guitar sound mars this otherwise energetic entry into the old school speed/thrash metal sector. The music is a lively roller-coaster slab with obvious nods towards the early German scene (Vectom, Iron Angel, etc.; but not Vendetta). Melodic slower deviations, like the clumsy "Changes Of Life", don't serve the band justice, despite the catchy leads; neither do mild heavy rockers like "Dragonfighters". An uneven effort as a whole trying to please too many fans with just 4 songs consequently ending up in the deep underground.
Season of the Witch Demo, 1987 VENDETTA (FINLAND)
Early speed/thrash metal along the lines of Vectom and Exciter, with a classic heavy metal number at the end: "Search In The Darkness".
"Personal Destruction" is a much harder offering, containing vigorous intense retro thrash with good speedy riffs and sinister semi-declamatory vocals, but
it is not exactly "Brutalni Chaos", like the opener's title tries to imply. There are whole 16 tracks here so expect a couple of more laid-back
power/thrash metal numbers which are also cool although the gruff vocals kind of don't suit them too well.
Z vislost Full-length, 1995
Pod Vodou Full-length, 1998
Rozdvojen ale schopen Full-length, 2001
(15 Years) Fast Like Bikila EP, 2003
Za pt minut po smrti Full-length, 2007
The only full-length the guys recorded only partially preserves the raw aggression of the demo settling for more moderate power/speed metal with not many shades of thrash: "Causa Perdida" is a good example of the latter being a cool semi-technical galloper. The sound quality is much better, and the musicianship has improved quite a bit (check the addictive leads on the excellent epic speedster "Negócio Das Almas", the highlight of the album), but as a whole this otherwise cool effort will fail to impress the thrash metal fan a lot.
Claustrofobia Single, 1990
V12 Full-length, 1990
Demo 93 Demo, 1993
Life Or Death Full-length, 1990
21 (wow, they're still alive?!) years later the band is back, and the album title shouldn't keep you guessing long what you will be listening to, although
the sound bears little resemblance to the one on the demo. This is indeed black/thrash metal, sounding closer to black metal, still serving cool fast
headbangers, more thrash-oriented. The constant blast-beats, however, ruin the impression, leaving little room for the thrash rhythms to develop, and often
does the album end up sounding closer to Impaled Nazarene, rather than, say, Aura Noir, or the Japanese trend in the genre. The singer now is a pure black
metal semi-shouter, and fits the music fine.
Black Fucking Thrash Metal Full-length, 2008
"Vaginadictos" is a less serious and an inferior for that matter offering featuring more melodic thrash/crossover with sincere punk references. There are a
few more brutal songs, but they are a little more than a mere aggressive bashing with very simplistic repetitive guitars.
The full-length relies on tracks from the demos to pull it through, so expect fast relentless thrash mixed with more laid-back crossover tunes all played in a carefree speedy manner. The surprise would be the new composition, the almost 10-min long "RockandRollicos", which is a rockish crossover delight of the merry unpretentious type despite its colossal length. This monstrous song influences the rest which is on the softer side with crossover reigning supreme seldom disturbed by the odd more aggressive thrashy break.
Vaginadictos Demo, 2009
Thrash & Roll... A Tu Culo! Full-length, 2010
The band's first two efforts have nothing to do with thrash, being pretty ordinary, uneventful blends of heavy, power and doom metal; have their moments,
but would be a total waste of time for the thrash metal fan.
Legend of the World Full-Length, 2006
Immortalizer Full-Length, 2008
Like most of the Russian bands at that time, they got lost, and were back 9 years later with a shocking industrial Rammstein-like sound (apparently the
guys were thinking carefully about their fans during that time as to what musical direction to follow- pun intended, the album title: "Thinking of You").
For the enormous relief to the metal world, "Mystical Mass" is a nice return to the progressive thrash of the debut. It is actually a remastered version of
the debut to a point that some tracks you might find hard to recognize, because they come with a better production and a tighter musicianship.
"Popolni Riadu" is a more aggressive, thrashy version of "Thinking of You"; no traces of progressive thrash metal; apparently the re-release of the debut was made just to add some effortless cash to the guys' pockets, but not intended as a warming-up for another progressive thrash opus. The industrial metal fans will be delighted once again, and even the thrash metal ones might find something to like, since the guitars are quite sharp, and the pace is fairly
dynamic, but it's obvious that the band have already moved on with no intentions to open pages long closed.
Thinking of You Full-length, 2002
Mystical Mass Full-length, 2005
Popolni Riadu Full-length, 2008
The EP is pretty close sound-wise to the full-length, but falls prey too often to the hardcore "traps", having a really hard time to recover after the
fall. The two live tracks at the end restore the faith, if there ever was any in the first place, with their simplistic, but heavy hammering riffs.
Residue And Bones Full-length, 2006
Unsolicited Material Full-length, 1997
Retina Full-Length, 2008
Oxygen Full-length, 1995
"The Night of San Juan" is more varied and considerably slower, with some songs carrying a certain epic element, recalling, again, mid-period Manilla Road,
and the concentration is not as much on speed anymore. The riffs are heavy, thrashy, but the lack of more energy makes them sound a bit forced. "Mongolian
Mea" is a cool reminder of the debut, but there are not too many of the kind; the other attempt in this vein "Avenger" is more of a nod to the 90's
power/speed metal scene.
"Hell Only Knows" is a fairly good comeback for the guys. The opening "Hell Only Knows" is explosive brutal speed/thrash/black, and the soaring hellish ala
Rob Halford (think the "Painkiller") vocals sound almost surreal on this background. The aggression goes on on the excellent "Inner Fury", where one hears
the previous Mark Shelton singing style coming back; this song is major intense thrash metal with a very good bass-bottom again. The epic sound is not too late to manifest itself on the excellent doomy "Soul Of Heroes". "Unbreakable" is 2-min of pounding power/thrash metal, but "Bloodline" keeps the album on doomy/epic fields for another while. "Pounding Hearts" is first-rate galloping power/speed metal ala Helstar, and "Evilution (The New Step)" rages on bringing forward brutal blast-beats: another surreal touch compared to the more controlled power/thrashy rest. "Mansi˘n En Llamas" provides a very desirable technical edge, and is very close to winning a place even on "Nosferatu". "Maxima Entropia" is a remastered version of an early track of theirs, with a more accentuated bass bottom, and the closing "Monse¤or" is glorious speed/thrash in the best tradition of Manticora and Hellfire. These guys are back indeed, and in a way better than many of the much more famous names from the 80's.
"Machine Hell" is another commendable release, although its relation to thrash metal is not very big the guys concentrating more on the power/speed metal side of the spectre, and the album comes as a capable blend of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" and mid-period Helstar (think "Remnants of War", above all). The band alternates fast tracks with slower epic ones, but it's on the 4th song, "X-Terminate", when they start thrashing with more power with the hellish Halford-esque screams brought to the fore again. Things don't get any faster from this one, though, and later on there is one tender semi-operatic ballad called "Reminiscense" lasting for whole 5-min. Energetic galloping riffs can be heard near the end ("Punado de Almas", and elsewhere), before another speed metal killer ("El Ultimo Grito en el Infierno") wraps it up nicely. Ha ha, this is not the end, however: it's the epic progressive opus "Caleuche" which closes on more than 11-min covering a wide range of moods and tempos. This effort definitely has its charm, and is not such a distant departure from the band's previous output, but still the thrash metal fan will not be highly amused by those softening tendencies.
The Night of San Juan Full-length, 2001
Hell Only Knows Full-length, 2007
Machine Hell Full-length, 2010
"Rules of Mystery", from a thrash metal point of view, is the lesser work; the speed is by all means here, but the guitar sound has become more proficient,
and nice melodic hooks can be heard here and there, plus improved bass performance. The style now resembles Helloween quite a bit, as well as Iron Angel's
"Winds of War", and "Why Am I Alive" finally pauses for a break, being a heavy/power metal number, not even half as fast as the rest of the songs. This is
not too bad, by the way, since there are later on definitely more diverse, interesting songs, like the excellent "Feelings of Freedom", which is a nice blend
of pounding, up-tempo riffage and very fast-paced one. When "Elixir or Death" comes with a more melodic and slower guitar sound one can't help, but frown a
bit, since the obligatory solitary deviation has already been introduced, and now a second one of the kind would diminish the impact; a situation, saved by
the much better speed/thrashing numbers "Caught by Insanity" and "Evil Run" at the end. The guys looked well set to join the forefront of the speed/thrash
metal movement in Europe, but this remained their swansong.
Rules of Mystery Full-length, 1986
"The World Of Reversed Decalogue" is a much superior companion to the debut, again sounding closer to thrash. The lead guitar work is better, courtesy of
the talented Xan (Hellfire), who overshadows the others on quite a few times, and the technical leanings are much more, producing the best songs from the
band's discography: the nice thrashy monster with the "smelly" title "Anus Mundi", the fine technical riff-fest "Dead Chimneys Monument", the twisted
symphony "Patients Of The Slaughterhouse", the 7-min of non-stop display of technical brilliance "Sonderkommando", and above all the closing "Lux In
Tenebris Lucet", with Xan in top form gain, ably supported by the rhythm section, which is quite jumpy and hectic, and more aggressive with a death metal
edge, which would make even their compatriots from Sceptic sit down and listen. This is a really cool album showing the guys more inspired playing with
confidence and proficiency making waves on the technical metal scene although their full potential is yet to be realised.
The World Of Reversed Decalogue Full-length, 2008
"Demolition" is a sure-handed debut starting with one of the most impressive intros of recent years: the technical instrumental shred "Spiral Galaxy" which
within less than 2-min will manage to warm you up in a way much better than many much longer songs, and to these ears remains the highlight of the album.
Then the guy's staple high-speed technical delivery steps in with "Oblivion" (later remastered and included in the follow-up, again as a second song) and
never steps down. If the former was a more conventional take on speed/thrash, "Fast Paced Society" puts the complexity on a much higher level, with the
mid-section being much slower than the rest albeit not bad at all with its meandering progressive structure. "Venus Project" begins in the most abstract
spacey way with weird clinging guitars, but soon after the guys start moshing pretty hard touching death metal as opposed to another peaceful mid-break
where the clinging weirdness comes back this time accompanied by great technical riffage. "Destroying the Cosmos" follows a similar pattern with a calm
surreal intro, but the speed here is more controlled, and the middle part is quite an experience bringing back the beginning supported by twisted illogical
riffs which may puzzle the listener quite a bit who will partly be saved by the lead-driven blast-beats at the end. "Moonbase" is a monstrous composition
lasting for nearly 13-min which breaks the "fast start-slow middle-fast end" pattern and is surprisingly laid-back in terms of speed creeping slowly
forward with technical mid-paced riffs that are not bad at all creating a hallucinational claustrophobic atmosphere; it's just that to listen to them for a
quarter of an hour without any more dynamic attempts made by the guys may prove a tiring experience to some. The closing "Tetrastructural Minds"
predictably switches onto a faster play, and is a satisfying piece of clever up-tempo technicality with frequent slower pasages which again score high in
the abstract twisted department.
Although the band's style may remind of several past and present practitioners, it clearly shows a tendency towards individuality and a more characteristic
approach rather than conscious emulation and sticking to safer already established patterns. While the follow-up sees an act with already well honed
"weapons" ready to do a damage on a wider scale, the debut is less convincing sticking to the aforementioned repeated formula for most of the time although
when the guys decide to break it, this "break" takes gigantic proportions ("Moonbase") sounding like it would never end. While this is hardly a major setback, here comes the singer whose hysterical high-pitched black-ish rasps are not exactly the most suitable choice for the music, but again add up nicely to the original interpretation the band gives to the more though-out side of metal.
"Outer Isolation" is the next chapter from the cyber-progressive speed/thrash metal saga, which now offers a less bridled death metal brutality on the eye-opener "Cosmic Cortex": 10-min of intense varied music which, except for those blasting death metal moments, develops in a more moderate, less speedy, fashion. "Echoless Chamber" could easily fit into the first 3 Destruction full-lengths with its fiery stylish riffs although the puzzling mid-break would betray it. "Dying World" is a mid-paced creeper which gradually becomes faster and faster until it becomes the staple for the band progressive speed/thrasher in the 2nd half. "Tetrastructural Minds" sounds like a more technical version of the Swedish melo-thrash wave and will remind of Darkane, who are a fairly close soundalike elsewhere, too. "Venus Project" is a really stylish technical piece with a great quiet interlude, a clever puzzler with Coroner overtones. "Dark Creations, Dead Creators" is a short technical thrasher packing sharp hectic riffs within 3.5-min. "Fast Paced Society" is another complex mix of Destruction and progressive, a compelling piece with fast technical guitars and a few more melodic licks, mostly in the lead department. The closing title-track is top-notch progressive speed/thrash, a textbook of immaculate technical riffage and abstract more temperate passages, including a surreal, spacey one at the end. There's nothing here which doesn't seem perfect, if we exclude the surprising death metal inclusions in the beginning, and perhaps the characteristic husky vocals, which witch-like black metal qualities may be a pullback to some. It's clear that these guys are not kidding, but have all the serious intentions to play a major role on the scene at present, and for a good reason.
Black Future Full-length, 2009
Outer Isolation Full-length, 2011
Welcome to Dimension Four Full-length, 1988