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 Z-SECT (JAPAN)
This is another band to enjoy the vocal abilities of one of the most prominent Japanese metal voices: Nov (also Volcano, Aion). This band plays good speed/thrash of the more melodic variety, resembling the Aion debut album. The EP boasts really cool heavy thrashers ("Emergency") and nice speed metal pieces ("Inori"). The guitar sound, however, is too buzzy, and might annoy a bit.
N.O.V. EP, 1989 ZADKIEL (JAPAN)
Based on the debut EP, Zadkiel brought first in Japan the black/thrash metal sound of bands like Venom and Celtic Frost. The music is actually quite energetic, sounding like a mix of Venom and Exciter, with only "Hell's Bomber" carrying the dark, brooding character of the Celtic Frost sound.
Hell's Bomber EP, 1986 Vibrations of Doom ZADOK (GERMANY)
A heavy-handed, clumsy attempt at more complex power metal with timid touches of thrash; this is seriously bad, by the way, with unimaginative guitar work, repetitive song-structures, awful very flat vocal performance... stay away as far as possible; it could kill you (kidding, of course, but... don't push your luck too hard).
The Sign Full-length, 1995 Official Site ZAKLANA CELJAD (SERBIA)
Amateurish raw thrash/death; there is not much speed involved: this is very heavy, almost doomy at times stuff, coming close to the "atrocities" of Hellhammer and early Messiah with very brutal low death vocals and exits from the pattern in the form of short punk/funk breaks.
Ni Sam Ne Znam Kako Sam Osnovnu Školu Završio EP, 2003 ZAQUEO (ARGENTINA)
Based on the debut, this band pulls out modern thrash with brutal low-tuned death metal vocals. The music is close to the new American school (God Forbid, Lamb of God, Chimaira, etc.), but is more complex and more aggressive moving into the death metal fields at times. So the music has energy despite the few slower doom/gothic throw-ins. the guitar work is not bad relying more on melody rather than sharpness, and that's why those afster more brutal passages are more than welcome even when they rudely interrupt a more peaceful Cemetary/Sentenced-like moment.
Inquietante Extrañeza Full-length, 2005 My Space ZARATHUSTRA (GERMANY)
With an intelligent name like this (I guess you know who Zarathustra is, if not-check it out) one might expect that this would be a progressive metal band or something at least more technical. Well, the truth is that we have mostly black metal not too far from Darkthrone, but mixed with a fair amount of thrash riffs (mostly on their last work) with a slightly dragging and monotonous feeling; would be of bigger interest to black metal fans.
Dogma Antichrist Full-length, 2000 Official Site ZATARRAS VENGEANCE (AUSTRALIA)
Modern groovy thrash with less conventional guitar work offering more energetic moments ("Wasted Youth") which come with good melodic hooks.
Demo Demo, 2008 ZATMENIE (RUSSIA)
Melodic thrash mixed with more traditional heavy metal tunes; there are the obligatory for such mixtures balladic moments, but when the guys thrash, they pull out awesome heavy riffs: the 8-min monster epic thrasher "Lubov".
Hatred (Nenavist') Full-length, 2004 Official Site ZEITGEIST (UK)
Despite the relative length of the songs (some are 5-7min long, and there is one monstrous track-"Paradise Lost", which is almost 10-min long), this is nothing more than pure thrash/crossover, the way it was played by more famous representatives of the genre like D.R.I., Rumble Militia, Lawnmower Deth. There is nothing technical here, and the music is not very heavy, but delivers the goods; "Suspended Animation" is a fairly good attempt at crossing crossover with a ballad, highlighted by the excellent lead guitar. The aforementioned "Paradise Lost" offers a different deviation from the formula, this time crossing doom metal with crossover, and surprisingly, this also works well.
Mindstorm Demo, 1989 ZENITHAL (UK)
This new British act are a fairly interesting listen, offering on their debut more complex thrash which owes to their compatriots and peers Seventh Angel, with thought-out compositions with a dark/gothic edge, which would bring another veteran from the British scene to mind: Deathwish. It would be safe enough to label their approach as progressive thrash; the tempo is mid-paced to slower, but doom metal is just barely touched on some tracks. On the other hand we have straight passages with a clear modern groovy edge, rubbing shoulders with the exploits of Pantera and Exhorder in the early 90's, which are an acquired taste, since some fans might find them detracting from the much less immediate rest.
Mad Shadows EP EP, 2006 Official Site ZERBER (RUSSIA)
One of the lesser achievements from the prolific Russian scene, this band come up with a raw, undeveloped thrash/death mixture, which sounds much more appealing when it's fast, and these are the moments when it makes more sense, even acquiring some progressive edge. The problem is that this musicianship is not sustained throughout the whole album, and some parts are clumsy, with a thin sound and repetitive riffs. On top of that come the gruff, low amateurish vocals. Their style is by no means without merits, and a follow-up could have honed their approach.
Gates of the Abyss Full-Length, 1992 ZERO HOUR (USA)
This is by far one of the finest progressive metal acts for the past 10 years. The guys have been playing quite heavily and hard from the very beginning, with frequent nods to thrash on every album, producing some of the most complex, intense technical moments on the whole scene. The debut, which was later re-recorded under the name "Metamorphosis" in 2003, is the band's most melodic, but by no means less impressive, work. The aggressive shredding starts on the colossal "The Towers of Avarice"- a progressive metal masterpiece, which can only be compared to the output of the mighty Watchtower ("Control & Resistance", in particular); riff after riff overwhelm you, bringing constantly changing tempos and moods to a surreal, hallucinogenic effect.
Zero Hour Full-length, 1999 Official Site ZERO OPTION (CANADA)
Melodic thrash meets power metal on this album. The music is surprisingly modern for this early stage of the decade, and is quite heavy at times, but the bad news is that thrash metal is only used sparingly, and is never of the exciting, energetic variety; comes close to the future Flotsam & Jetsam transformation during the 90's, but less original and memorable.
Gates Of Utopia Full-length, 1991 ZERO POINT (FRANCE)
Gothic thrash/death in mid-pace, with nice female vocals taking part from time to time; "Infinite Republication" breaks the "idyll" in the middle with more aggressive riffs, and "Failed Machinegun" tries to justify the "machinegun" part of its title, and actually succeeds rather than fails, speeding up quite a bit, but the rest is morose, smelling gothic/doom ("Earth Illusion", "Evolve Or Die") more than occasionally.
Prototype EP, 2009 My Space ZERO TO BALLISTIC (USA)
This band is actually only one man: Ali Sugerman. He does a fairly good job, offering progressive metal, with certain nods to thrash, not miles away from Zero Hour (see the review above). The opening "...Bring on the Pain" is a marvellous progressive thrasher, which will keep you fairly entertained within its 8-min, hitting both with force and technicality in almost equal dozes. "Epiphany in Black" is another masterpiece of technically-minded music, concentrating on the complex side, coming up with some the most head-spinning riffs one might encounter on the contemporary metal scene. "Hope Springs Eternal" is a nice piece, mixing slow, atmospheric sections with more aggressive ones, ably supported by brilliant technical, melodic guitars. "Indomitable" is a very eclectic, anantgarde number, with no ties to thrash, but is very enjoyable as well, maybe a bit too long (12-min). After that the album loses its edge almost completely, following the example of this "monster", coming with a couple of abstract, "out there" progressive tracks, permeated by brilliant genuine Oriental atmosphere, which even the best Middle East acts could only dream of. "Nails in Your Coffin" returns to the thrashy patterns from the beginning, and is a great intense technical song, reminiscent of Mekong Delta even. "The Guns Fall Silent" is in the same vein: an aggressive thrashing piece of complex stuff, followed by the fine balladic closing "The Plains of Abaddon". Although the middle of this album might stretch the thrash fan's nerves a bit with the sudden and lasting exit from the more hard-hitting side of metal, it is by all means a satisfying work of complex metal, with enough intense moments to please the hard-boiled audience.
Idiom Full-length, 2006 Official Site ZERO VISION (BRAZIL)
Based on the "Ultimate Encore" demo, this band play modern thrash, with an industrial edge, but with a strong presence of the authentic guitar sound, mostly mid-tempo, and sligtly monotonous. Some expected groovy sections are also present ("Worms"), but they are of the more dynamic, Pantera-like type. This is actually cool stuff, especially to those who are fans of the modern, industrial 90's trends.
Under Confusion Demo, 1991 ZERO TOLERANCE (FRANCE)
This act is the somewhat logical continuation of the death/thrashers Massacra, who on their last two albums have surrendered to the modern 90's tastes. Instead of frustrating their hard-core fans even further, the guys decided to change their name. The music is an almost direct follow-up to "Humanize Human": industrialzed groovy post-thrash with heavy mechanical riffs, atmospheric non-metal elements, plodding moments, and more. One will have big problems recognizing the mighty Massacra here, but the lovers of the 90's side of thrash will definitely be entertained.
Zero for All Full-Length, 1996 ZEROED (GERMANY)
Thrash/death metal with the classic and the modern sound mixed well together; there are stomping numbers which will remind you of Bolt Thrower and Benediction, but the thrash assaults are predominant, having the aggressive Devastation, Sepultura-flavour.
Death Notes Full-length, 2002 Official Site ZEROFOUR (AUSTRIA)
Based on "The Downfall of Humanity": this band play cool modern thrash with classic insertions and hoarse death-ish vocals. The music packs a punch, offering really cool headbangers: "Dishumanized Society". "Warfaith", but the slower, heavy numbers are by no means less worthy: the atmospheric, doomy "Where Is Your God Now?", which boasts nice Oriental hooks, and really brutal, low-tuned growls; the balladic "Zeronation", which again comes with a nice melodic guitar work, and more melodic, semi-clean vocals. The last song "The Dreadful Genocide" is a 12-min progressive opus, which begins like a gothic track with atmospheric melodic passages and female vocals, before it switches onto full-blooded intense thrash in the middle, and carries on like that for a while, giving place to the great acoustic outro. Bands from Austria are a rarity, especially those playing thrash (there is a big gothic/doom scene out there), but this one is more than worth checking out, providing good diverse stuff which would appeal to a wider range of metal fans.
The Desert of Reality Full-length, 2006 Official Site ZEROZONIC (SWEDEN)
This is a side project of the mastermind behind Scariot Daniel Olaisen. The style here is nothing like the technically-exuberant one of the other band; this is modern, groovy thrash with a slight alternative twist, which owes a lot to bands like Pantera, Machine Head and GZR.
Demo Demo, 2005 Official Site ZERSTÖRER (GERMANY)
This band is a side-project of the guys from the black metal act Hailstorm. The music here is not miles away from the one heard on the Hailstorm releases, with a slight pinch of thrash thrown in, up-tempo, but never very fast or brutal. More atmosphere comes served with more laid-back pieces, like "Slaughter of Divinity", which carry the late 80's Bathory spirit. "Total Frost" is a pure Hellhammer, early Celtic Frost-worship, but make sure not to miss the following "Infernal Warfare": less than 2-min of blasting black/thrash. Certainly the black metal fans will be happier with this one, and possibly even the doom metal ones, after hearing the closing gloomy apocalyptic "Shattering Universe", which may not "shatter" the Universe, but will surely "shatter" (or ultimately depress) you.
Panzer Metal Full-length, 2002 Official Site ZHELEZNY POTOK (RUSSIA)
A noteworthy thrash metal band from Russia who, unlike the majority of the Russian bands who appeared at around the same time (Aspid, Koma, Valkyria, Mafia, Mortifer), didn't change radically their sound, or split up after just one album. Their first two releases were energetic, but not very skillful, Bay Area-influenced thrashers, maybe longer for the style, graced by cool melodic leads.
Black Force (Chernaya Sila) Full-length, 1988 ZIDIZ (EQUADOR)
Look no further than the Swedes Cranium judging by the title, and you will be correct half the way through; the surprises come in the form of very brutal low-tuned death metal vocals, and the husky black-ish rasps which acompany them from time to time. Otherwise the music is right as rain being the good old speed/thrash metal ala early Whiplash and Piledriver's "Stay Ugly" the latter being honoured with a cool cover of "The Fire God" of the same album. Towards the end the sound becomes very bad, and little can be enjoyed from the last 4 songs; apart from a constant guitar buzz and noisy audience (the songs are apparently recorded live) not much else can be distinguished leaving these guys to discover their full potential at some later stage.
Ecuadorian Satan Speed Metal Demo, 2009 My Space ZIMMER'S HOLE (USA)
This is thrash metal played strictly for laughs. A side project of two members from Strapping Young Lad, with the great Gene Hoglan on drums, Zimmer's Hole mix many styles on their efforts, covering almost anything you can think of from the metal spectre. Thrash is the most consistent style, but there is also death, gothic, classic heavy, doom: you name it. The tracks are very short, in the 1-2 min-range, with almost everyone being dedicated to a different style; could be enjoyable, if not taken too seriously.
Bound by Fire Full-length, 1997 Official Site ZIONS ABYSS (CANADA)
An interesting one-album wonder mixing doom with thrash metal: imagine early Solitude Aeturnus with a more thrashy approach to song-writing, and you'll know what Zions Abyss sound like. The concentration is more on doom; that's why some thrash metal fans might find it too slow for their taste, but this is a worthy effort from the less ordinary side of the genre.
T.A.L.E.S. Full-length, 1991 Official Site ZNÖWHITE (USA)
A speed/thrash metal band with a girl behind the mike (Debbie Gunn is the name- the same one who also sang for Ice Age, Sentinel Beast, and Brutal Groove; quite a career, isn't it!). She does a very good job, and seldom have I heard such good female vocals in metal. The music is just great, especially the full-length which is one of the summits of the whole American speed/thrash metal scene: fast, intense riffs with nice, memorable choruses which you might find addictive. This is so essential that I don't think that there is even a handful of fans out there who don't know this masterpiece by heart... Later some of the band members formed another good, but less interesting band: Cyclone Temple.
All Hail To Thee EP, 1984 Vibrations of Doom ZOETROPE (USA)
Another fine band who never made a breakthrough; their debut is a solid speed/thrash effort similar to Exodus' "Bonded By Blood". The second one follows in the same direction, but is a kind of less interesting. The band got lost for six years, before resurfacing again with the excellent "Mind Over Splatter", where, among the heavy Slayer-esque riffs, one could hear more-light hearted ones with a speedier, Exciter flavour ("New World Order"), as well as some with a cool crossover spirit ("It's My Life"): a diverse and enjoyable listen, which tries to be even technical at times, and succeeds ("Spilling on Blood", which, apart from the more clever guitar work, features the most aggressive riffs as well).
Amnesty Full-length, 1985 Vibrations of Doom ZOLDIER NOIZ (FRANCE)
Retro thrash with shades of hardcore along the lines of Hellbastard's "Natural Order", and early Celtic Frost and even Hellhammer on the slower passages; the French experiment more adding both more melodic (the laid-back punkcore "Outcast Thrasher" which can not pass even for an "outcast thrasher") and more aggressive elements (the brutal proto-death madness "Flesh for Whip" which also crushes at some point with bloody doomy riffs). The gruff death metal vocals are not a hindrance for the listener to enjoy abrasive heavy thrashers like "Remnants of Blitz" and "The Truth" the later recalling the Canadians Slaughter.
Schizoid Reject Full-length, 2009 My Space ZOLTAR (BRAZIL)
Aggressive thrash with shades of death metal, especially in the vocal department; the tempo is quite fast most of the time with nice guitar work, both in the riff and the solo sector. This is classic stuff which was typical for the late 80's-early 90's (the French scene at that time, the Swedes Merciless (their debut in particular), even Massacre and Entombed could be heard on the more intense death-ish parts, and it's nice to hear this sound brought back with style.
Into The Dephts To Burn Full-length, 2002 ZOMBIE (USA)
Based on the Split, this is simplistic fast-paced thrash along the lines of early Slayer (before "Reign in Blood") and early Whiplash. The vocals are modelled on Tom Araya. The songs tend to be longer for the style (5-6min), but there is nothing complex going on, if we exclude some cool leads, not too typical for the aforementioned bands.
First Bite Demo, 2006 ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST (USA)
Hailing from the bay-Area, these guys steer away from the established style of their region, offering (based on the debut) fast relentless old school thrash with a shade of crossover coming as a cross between early Nuclear Assault and Rigor Mortis. This is really fast stuff also touching Slayer on the more intense moments ("Illegally Dead", the devastating short explosion "Psychological Torture"). "Massive Attack", despite its "massive" title, is the softest track here being pure hardcore ala early Prong. The singer is the perfect match to the aggressive music with his gruff, but clear and intelligible, semi-hardcore delivery.
Massive Attack EP, 2007 My Space ZOMBIE RITUAL (JAPAN)
A nice young band from Japan who play a mixture of classic thrash and death metal, similar to bands like Ghoul and Frightmare, with the obligatory "duel" between deep growls and vicious snarls in the vocal department. The Japanese are more thrash-inclined, with their sound moving at times towards Venom and Bathory ("Zombie Axe Massacre", "Zombie Party").
Night of the Zombie Party Full-length, 2004 Official Site ZONA MORTA (BRAZIL)
This band is a pleasant deviation from the brutal thrash/proto-death practiced by the horde of Brazilian metal acts at around the same time. The cool orchestral intro "Prelúdio Para Zona Morta" can not possibly be a prelude to some senseless bashing, and certainly this is not the case: the guys offer melodic power/thrash, which has both teeth and an edge: the up-tempo thrasher "Catedrais", the galloping power/thrash number "Nômades", with an American flavour. The singer is the weakling with his gruff, semi-death metal delivery which doesn't quite fit the much more melodic music. So there is, after all, something taken from Sarcofago and the likes...
N�mades EP, 1989 ZONA NEGRA (ARGENTINA)
Based on the full-length debut, this band is another fine addition to the growing Argentinian thrash metal scene. This is good classic thrash with slight nods to the Bay Area scene, but more along the lines of Viking's "Man of Straw" and their compatriots Nepal's debut album. The predominant pace is up-tempo, but there are quite a few sections where the music becomes more aggressive and faster, recalling Slayer. "HaBitat Enferma" is a cool power/thrasher which slows down, but only for a while, followed by the album's highlight: the excellent headbanger "Interiores Nuestros" which also shows the band's more technical side. The rest of the songs are by no means less impressive; easily one of the better thrash metal debuts of 2007.
Destino Estancado EP, 2004 Official Site ZOV (RUSSIA)
Classic thrash metal with good melodic guitar work and excellent bass performance; the singer has a nice powerful mid-ranged voice, something which can not be said about most of the Russian metal acts where the vocals have always been the weakest link. The band's style has something in common with the one-album wonder Mafia (from the same country), but often does the sound take a more melodic, slower turn, resulting in the demo's best moments: "Abyss", "Madness". Apart from those, there are enough faster numbers to satisfy the more aggressively-inclined fans. The Russian metal scene really needs talented bands like this one to put its name back on the metal map, and hopefully these guys would soon be given a chance by some label.
Highway Z Single, 1986
Siempre Guerras Full-length, 2009
Heroic Zarathustrian Heresy EP, 2000
Nihilistic Terror EP, 2003
Perpetual Black Force Full-length, 2003
Contempt EP, 2005
In Hora Mortis Full-length, 2006
Zatmenie (Eclipse) Full-length, 2005
Vendetta Full-length, 2008
"A Fragile Mind" carries on in the same vein: another dark complex gem, with more emphasis on techno-thrash on the shorter compositions, which are smashing riff-fests seldom achieved before or after, with the melodic vocal lines providing a great desirable contrast. "Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond" increases the complexity to the point that some parts are maybe just elaborate shredding done for its own sake, but most of the time it is exemplary technical thrash, which makes more sense as separate magnificent moments, rather than as whole songs. "Dark Deceiver" could be considered the band's magnum opus, which easily beats most of the competition on the progressive/technical power/thrash field of recent times, including offerings from acts like Nevermore, Scariot, Communic, and Chaoswave. In 2003 the guys found time to record an album under the name Death Machine (also reviewed here), and the guitarist Jasun Tipton (whose brother- Troy, also plays in both Death Machine and Zero Hour) has two solo albums released so far.
The Towers of Avarice Full-length, 2001
Metamorphosis Full-length, 2003
A Fragile Mind Full-length, 2005
Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond Full-length, 2006
Dark Deceiver Full-length, 2008
"Acrid Taste" is not miles away style-wise from the sound on the demo, being heavy modern 90's thrash with a shade of industrial, somewhere on the way from Sepultura's "Chaos AD" to Nailbomb. More up-tempo riff-monsters are present ("Daddy Gun", "Life Ends"), but speed is hardly the order of the day on this one. The end is preserved for a faithful, albeit industrialized cover version of the Black Sabbath's "Disturbing the Priest".
Ultimate Encore Split, 1994
Acrid Taste Full-length, 1994
War of Liberation Full-length, 2003
The Downfall of Humanity Full-length, 2008
Declaration Of War Full-length, 2009
"Infinite Pain" comes as a pleasant surprise, showing the band in a new light, with better musicianship displayed. "Bloody Rain" comes with smashing intense, technical riffs to show that this will be a different affair. Among the stylish delivery not very convincing, mellow tracks can still be found ("Don't Die"), although this is nicely compensated by the better moments. The guitars lose their technical edge here and there, going into straight speed/thrashing, and the jolly joke song at the end "Beer Passion" could have been more convincing, but this effort showed the band in another, better light, staying true to the classic patterns, with no hesitations towards the trends of the time.
It was interesting to see how long the guys would hold against the fashion of the day. "Callig Eternity" still sounded pretty classic for most of the time, and was even better (depending on the taste, of course): well executed technical thrash, which would remind you of Equinox, Voivod, and even a more accessible Mekong Delta. The guitar sound is thicker and heavier, but the fast sections have been reduced to a minimum, and there are two cool melodic instrumentals: one balladic with a good acoustic Latino guitar, accompanied by a sax; the other being a bit faster with nice leads, among other melodic, but interesting passages, scattered throughout the other tracks. The lack of many sharp guitars and the numerous more abstract moments might let the regular thrash metal fan down, but still more hard-hitting sections could be found. Seemingly having reached their creative peak, the band members scattered around the music field into bands with no relation to thrash.
Sign (Znamenie) Full-length, 1991
Infinite Pain (Beskonechnaya Bol') Full-length, 1993
Calling Eternity (Zovuschaya Vechnost') Full-length, 1995
"When You Were Shouting At The Devil..." is a very nice turn for the band to a more serious song-wtiring, stronger concentrated on thrash than the previous efforts. "When You Were Shouting At The Devil..." is an awesome energetic, complex (compared to the guys' previous output, and not only) opener, with great tempos, nice chorus, and sharp riffage. "We Rule The Fucking Land" is first-rate heads-down speed/thrash which, with its galloping guitars in the end, will remind you of "The Four Horsemen" (hello, Metallica!). "Flight Of The Knight Bat" is even more aggressive with cool grinding sections ala Strapping Young Lad and smashing heavy riffs. "1312" is thrashing madness at its best, accompanied by cool high-pitched vocal performance ala Rob Halford and Ralf Sheepers (the singer does a very good job on every track, as well the rough death metal growler, who helps him from time to time). "Devil's Mouth" ruins the impression, first because of the obnoxious intro and outro, featuring someone farting in the toilet, among other stuff, and second because of its mild 90's power metal nature, not far from Gamma Ray. "The Vowel Song" is 2-min of death/grind insanity, but is listenable and enjoyable. "Fista Corpse" is very heavy, with some of the most crushing riffage around, after which the speed returns with "Anonymous Escophagus": great speed/thrash with nice lead guitar work, and another notable display of high vocal talents. "Alright" is cool mid-paced, steam-rolling thrash, reminiscent of the Fight debut. "Hair Doesn't Grow On Steel" is laid-back, still containing a couple of hard-hitting riffs, but strictly belongs to the epic/power metal field, where it scores very high, not without the help of the singer again, and the nice soaring melodies. "What's My Name... Evil!" is a stylish closer, thrashing with force, with 10-ton tank-like guitars, and brutal death metal growls. If the band was not taken too seriously by the metal fraternity earlier, after hearing this album few will be those who would regard them as a joke from now on.
Legion of Flames Full-length, 2001
When You Were Shouting At The Devil...We Were In League With Satan Full-length, 2008
Kick 'em When They're Down EP, 1985
Live Suicide Live album, 1986
Act of God Full-length, 1988
A Life Of Crime Full-length, 1987
Mind Over Splatter Full-length, 1993
Sacrificial Blood/Zombie Split, 2006
Strike Force Full-length, 2009
Zombies from Tokyo EP, 2007
Por Tu Misma Patria Full-length, 2007