Artist: Stagewar
Release Title: Killing Fast
Year: 2016
Label: Bacillus Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Living Hell
2.Trapped in Life
3.No Place to Go
4.Isolated
5.Multiple Murder Death Killer
6.The Song I Wrote for You
7.My Place My Rules
8.No Fucks Given
9.Still Alive
10.Waste of Time
11.Inside Your Head
12.Crash Course
13.Killing Fast
With a fine set-up within their style, German thrashers Stagewar have built a fine following with a strong dedication to the live format which has made their tight, short and to-the-point thrash stylings all the more potent and devastating. With the quartet taking a five-year break from releases to hone this style, the groups’ second full-length effort was originally released October 28, 2016 on Bacillus Records.
While at first glance the band is clearly influenced by the shorter, raging punk-influenced end of the thrash genre, there’s more at work within this one. While the riff-work is definitely fiery and engaging as is to be expected with the punk influences shining through, there’s also a prominent crossover theme running in here with the penchant for tight, confined swirling rhythms played in simplistic, straightforward manners here. There’s little time to get bogged down in completely irrelevant areas like rhythm changes or tempo dynamics, as the band instead chooses to fly through the vicious material with a straight-laced intensity that comes off with very few moments without that let-up and lack of aggression, which is a lot of fun throughout here. That does end up making this feel incredibly one-note and quite bland for the later parts here as once this one gets a few tracks in it’s already signaled its intentions and tricks by then and the realization that it’s not going to really deviate much from this style throughout here does undo some of the good will and enthusiasm featured as it’s not going to get much different from what’s on display there and that ends up causing this one to feel somewhat overlong despite the tight, confined rhythms here. Still, that this is quite fun and energetic at this style anyway does serve this one quite nicely anyway.
Despite the fact that there’s not a whole lot of original or variation within this one, there’s just not much really wrong here with the energy and intensity of their attack which is much more important in this regard so that those hardcore/crossover thrash fans or like the punk-infused thrash will find more to like here while more traditionally-minded thrashers should heed caution.
Artist: Pessimist (Gr)
Release Title: Call to War
Year: 2010 (2016 reissue)
Label: Self-Released/Independent (MDD Records reissue)
Genre: German Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Trommelfeuer
2.The Massacre of Nanking
3.Infernal Death
4.Prelude (Arm for War)
5.Call to War
6.Son of Satan
7.It's Time to Fuck (with Hate)
8.Death by Torture
9.Another Day in Mania
Formed in late 2006, the German thrash band Pessimist established the ability to perform spirited old-school German-styled thrash and shows plenty of signs of becoming one to watch in the future with an immensely enjoyable and polished effort from a band this young. Following several quickly-released demos and an EP, the prepares this debut full-length independently March 27, 2010 with CD reissue December 10, 2010 on Firefield Records and a new reissue September 23, 2016 from MDD Records.
For the most part, this is a pretty impressive debut from a band that’s a lot better than it should to be this devastating and destructive this early in their career. A running feature throughout the album is the absolutely devastating guitar riffs employed here, which are tinged with that dirty, grimy sound that signals prime 80s-era German thrash to the fullest in the heavy, crunchy flavor. Filled with a destructive attitude, the riffing onslaught on display is a true assault managing to stuff the songs with an impressive array of riffs that are downright memorable as well as being virtuosic solo displays. Complete with thunderous double-bass drumming and a groovy, slinky set of bass-lines this here is some primo thrash that’s far better than expected to come from a band this early in the game. Now, stylistically, the second half here isn’t all that much different from the first half and features a majority of the same features, but there’s a minor flaw that does erupt from this set-up. The biggest difference in the two halves is the quality of the songwriting, with a clear and discernible ability to tell that the better songs are placed up at the top of the album while the weaker and clearly-less-interesting efforts are on the back half. Most of this is due to the songwriting rather than the performances, as the songs in and of themselves lack the spark of their preceding songs, coming off more like rehashes rather than being individual, unique tracks as the repetitive nature of the songs becomes apparent. This is certainly not a true flaw in the album, as the tracks can be enjoyable for some, but the somewhat subpar writing is apparent and drags it down rather than any sort of issue within the record. Still, it’s really the only thing really wrong with this one.
While the second half here is of somewhat lesser quality than the first in the songwriting department that leaves them without the bite of the top half, sonically this is purely enjoyable and competent thrash that follows along the German template quite accurately and is heartily recommended to aficionados of German thrash or just plain pure thrash fans in general.
Artist: Untimely Demise
Release Title; Black Widow
Year: 2016
Label: Self-Released/Independent
Genre: German Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Forgotten in Time
2.Enslaver
3.Black Widow
4.Cancer of the Heart
5.Anticolonizer
6.Calling Me Back from the Light
7.Sickening Repression
8.Holy Man
9.Anticolonizer (Shawn Drover Drums)
Advancing their style with every release, Canadian thrashers Untimely Demise have certainly advanced quite rapidly towards their chosen style of homaging the German style of old-school thrash while spicing up the pot with plenty of other extreme elements. With powerhouse drummer Bryan Newbury joining the group, the trio prepares it’s third full-length effort was independently released May 28, 2016.
As has been the case for their career, the main element present here is the bands’ celebration and admiration of the German school of thrash as they manage to whip through plenty of frantic and ravenous patterns here that take that to heart. Full of tight, stylish and heavy thumping patterns that are graced nicely by frantic technical rhythms in their patterns that are far more challenging and complex than anything they’ve done before which adds to the album’s overall sense of dynamic heavy thrashing that is straight from that overall mode of attack. By accompanying these rabid, technical thrashing with an utterly explosive sense of melodic prowess by not only sprinkling in melody-driven soloing and plenty of harmonic accents to the tracks but also managing to add to the driving main rhythm itself there’s such an overall sense of melodic firepower displayed alongside a ravenous full-throttle approach to the tracks here that makes up the majority of the tracks here. It’s such a thumping, heavy-handed approach that treads the fine line between brutalising with it’s attack and overdosing on melodic accents that it hits hard, charges forward with utter impunity and offers the perfect breathing room in their rhythms which is such a devastating impact that it’s simply overpowering on nearly all fronts and becomes a nearly-perfect sonic assault. The only effort that holds this from being utterly perfect is the re-recorded track at the end which features a different drummer, and while being one of the album's highlight tracks originally the change in tone is noticeable and does affect the momentum of the rest of the album. It's so minute, though, that it barely registers against the blistering rest of the album.
With such a powerful and utterly dominating effort that it creates a near-perfect blend of ravenous full-throttle thrash German with plenty of strong melodic accents, they make this an essential release for those into any form of old-school or German thrash in particular, but it’s really hard not to find any thrasher that won’t find something to utterly love here.
Artist: Assassin (Gr)
Release Title: Combat Cathedral
Year: 2016
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: Old-School Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Back from the Dead
2.Frozen Before Impact
3.Undying Mortality
4.Servant of Fear
5.Slave of Time
6.Whoremonger
7.Cross the Line
8.What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger
9.Ambush
10.Word
11.Sanity from the Insane
12.Red Alert
Still one of the scene’s most underappreciated groups, German thrashers Assassin have certainly carved a niche in their scene with plenty of strong releases that has continued throughout their three-decade-plus career. With the four-year gap between releases seeing vocalist Robert Gonnella depart for Ingo “Crowzak” Bajonczak and guitarist Michael Hoffman leaving after recordings to be replaced by Frank Blackfire, the groups’ fifth full-length overall was released May 20th, 2016 on Steamhammer.
As was their style from the beginning, this here was quite the impressive and enjoyable burst of old-school thrash that opts for a strong blend of the Bay Area style and the German breed. The dark, simplistic riffing is a straight-up German style influenced by their homeland, but fuses them with the choppy rhythms and crunchy patterns favored by the Bay Area style which creates a rather intriguing and explosive mix between these two scenes which explores the best virtues of each. Flowing freely with the explosive churning patterns and straightforward riff-work of their German forebearers which carries the intensity and extremity of those acts while still managing to go for the pounding rhythms, dexterity in their rhythms and the type of swarming patterns that comes along with the type of intensity afforded to the band with their Bay Area styled attack. The end result is tight, vicious and thoroughly fiery attack which doesn’t really offer up any real down-points at all in the album, and it’s only dragged down by the fact that it’s a bit bloated here with a few too many songs here. The attack does loose some of it’s luster as it goes on with it’s battering attack, but for the most part this doesn’t affect it all that much.
There’s quite a lot to really dislike with this one which has only a few minor problems stemming from an overabundance of tracks to push the running list past a more suitable length which does offer up more opportunities to get pummeled by their attack which makes this a prime choice for any fan of German or Bay-Area old-school thrash metal.
Artist: Reactory
Release Title: High on Radiation
Year: 2014
Label: Iron Shield Records
Genre: German Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Shell Shock
2.Spreading Brutality
3.Viral Overdrive
4.Kingdom of Sin
5.The Raid
6.Metal Invasion
7.A.B.C. Warfare
8.Orbit of Theia
9.Blasphemous Attitude
Initially formed in 2010, German thrashers Reactory quickly took their influences of American and European thrash acts from the 80s and have used those influences to carve a feral, rabid path of destruction through the underground. Following the replacement of original drummer Stachu Crash with Cauê Santos, the group prepares it’s full-length debut released March 14, 2014 on Iron Shield Records.
As is expected on an album as this, there’s the fact that the band is going through the rabid riff-work and charging patterns typically found in the German variety of thrash metal. The deep, jagged riffing and angular arrangements that often-times recall primitive black metal with their heavy churning patterns yet are still able to maintain the type of furious intensity in the main rhythms that became popular in the country’s acts in the first place. This produces a far more vicious and engaging energy here with the chugging patterns typified by this type of simplistic and hard-hitting brand of thrashing that goes for the more one-note approach than what is usually featured in the genre. By going for this strong mixture of churning ferocious thrash off-set by the more one-note chug-heavy secondary tactic there’s a rather impressive tight, confined atmosphere here that works incredibly well at displaying the old-school German wave of the genre while still opting for a more traditional style of dexterous, dynamic soloing that recalls the US school of attack. It’s all competent and engaging as a whole with this type of rabid approach yet the album runs into a sense of familiar far too often here as the band does go for the old-school German approach without much deviation and that tends to make this a wholly familiar and one-note effort. This is all typically well-played German-style worship for the most part, and doesn’t really offer up enough variety in this approach to really give itself much of a voice in the crowded field of imitators utilizing these elements. This is what tends to bring this one down somewhat.
Though there’s a few minor elements of identity crises to be found here which is to be expected with a band’s debut offering, there’s still enough to find engaging here with the powerful, competent performances and infectious enthusiasm managing to overrule the familiarity and make this a solid choice for German thrash aficionados or any fan of old-school or revivalist thrash in general.
Artist; Sodom
Release Title: Decision Day
Year: 2016
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: German Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.In Retribution
2.Rolling Thunder
3.Decision Day
4.Caligula
5.Who Is God?
6.Strange Lost World
7.Vaginal Born Evil
8.Belligerence
9.Blood Lions
10.Sacred Warpath
11.Refused to Die
Charging forward with utter impunity, German thrash legends Sodom have truly cemented their legacy as one of the ‘Big Teutonic Four’ long ago while have rarely let themselves rest off those laurels with plenty of solid albums afterward. As the three piece’s now worked together enough to form a well-oiled machine, they prepare their fourteenth album to be released on Steamhammer August 26, 2016 as a half-concept album about the landing on Normandy in WW II.
For a band of their stature, there’s almost little surprise to be found here in terms of the music, which is what’s the case here. Tried-and-tested German tinged thrash is what’s on store here, ranging from the prototypical darker thrash rhythms that carry on with the kind of sprawling tremolo patterns recalling early black metal aesthetics while charging forward with the up-tempo thrash crunch, to the bands’ more modern sound of a straightforward groove-influenced approach which carries somewhat more of a melodic accent to their riff-work which manages to go for the slower, more relaxed tempos and sprawling sections that really bring about a more matured and nuanced action against the tight thrashing. In keeping with their past styles as well this even generates the kind of extended instrumental interludes found here that lets the group go for the extravagant sections letting their killer thrash riff really pick up a ton of extra room to really let loose and focus on working out the most mileage it can from these rhythms. As can be told from this, it’s all par for the course with the band here as they manage to once again work their classic sound to a tee, and that is pretty much the album’s greatest positive and biggest strike against it. While some would think that a band with a legacy as deep and rich as they have would think that a stylistic departure or experimental album would be a huge drawback, there’s a small section of the bands’ career just before here that managed to introduce new elements to their sound and it was quite well-done so the idea of continuing to incrementally introduce new material to play with wouldn’t be a big change for them, though as it’s the only flaw here this isn’t all that detrimental at all.
Once again, the band offers definitive proof of their legendary status with a wholly enjoyable and solid effort that continues to be really evocative of what they’re about as long as you’re not expecting this to try anything new which makes this a wholly worthwhile choice for fans of the band, the German thrash scene in general or simply old-school thrash aficionados.
Artist: Deathstorm (Aus)
Release Title: Blood Beneath the Crypts
Year: 2016
Label: High Roller Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Deathblow
2. Splendid Mutilation
3. Murder of a Faceless Victim
4. Immortalized Sinner
5. I Conquer
6. Enter the Void/Dunwich
7. Verdunkeln
8. I Saw the Devil
Following a three-year stint as Damage, Austrian thrashers undertook a name-change to Deathstorm in 2010 and have so far released several EPs as well as what’s to become their second full-length under this banner. Hammering out truly vicious and pummeling Teutonic-flavored thrash with a vengeance, this effort was released May 27, 2016 on High Roller Records.
This here gets going right from the onset as there’s a rather enjoyable sense of dynamics present here with the work displayed, which is presented in two roughly similar-but-still-dramatic styles. The main work is tightly-wound, frenzied riffing with plenty of energetic rhythms to create frenzied blistering thrashers which manage to work along quite familiar strains of old-school German-tinged efforts from their prominent era back in the 80s. Likewise, the fact that there’s also a deep, churning mid-tempo charge with plenty of solid heavy rhythms and churning guitar-work gives a wholly darkened feel as those tracks manage to take those blinding patterns along a more focused and restrained sensibility quite nicely with the rabid intensity. It does have one absolutely obvious and rather detrimental flaw here in that it seems a little short with only eight tracks and barely a half-hour’s work of music due to that, but overall there’s still plenty to like here especially when the band runs through the more frenzied patterns. It really could’ve used a few extra tracks here to make the music seem a little more explosive and dynamic, even with it being this enjoyable from the onset.
Though this one does tend to fall into a minor trap with the overall brevity hurting its execution, there’s more than enough truly gripping and vicious old-school flavored thrash to appeal to just about any fan of this German-flavored take on the style as well as fans of their previous work or just thrash in general.
Artist: Dust Bolt
Release Title: Mass Confusion
Year: 2015
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Retro Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.SickxBrain
2.Mass Confusion
3.Allergy
4.Turned to Grey
5.Blind to Art
6.Mind the Gap
7.Exit
8.Empty Faces
9.Taking Your Last Breath
10.Portraits of Decay
11.Masters of War
From the outset, German thrashers Dust Bolt have been all about worshipping the old-school Bay Area thrash scene, and have from the start utilized that form of attack to create their signature style. Released July 8, 2016 from Napalm Records, this is yet another in the band’s fast-growing brand of hyper-speed old-school thrash worship.
For the most part here that old-school thrash assault is the main basis for their music. The tight, choppy mid-tempo rhythms and utterly blistering full-throttle thrash sections fired by the sort of manic rhythms that were featured prominently in the Bay-Area school causes the vast majority of the album comes off with the sort of ripping attitude that was evocative of that movement. As well, those choppy mid-tempo sections balance out the aggression and intensity by acting as natural buffer-sections against the more raging, blistering sections featured throughout here, and the whole exercise is given a suitably competent old-school sheen. This is neither technical enough or varied enough to really stand-out and be all that original, though, which tends to be the main running theme with bands in that style which is again repeated here. This is the sort of band that really only takes a few tracks to make the impression of whether or not they’re worthwhile as they’re so blatantly and fervently old-school that it can reek of plagiarism at times rather than being part of their own identity, but on the whole it’s competence is what really holds it up.
Much like the majority of bands in their style, this isn’t the most original band in the genre but are certainly one of the more energetic and intense which certainly helps this one out tremendously in that it will undoubtedly appeal to ravenous revivalists looking for more or other thrash aficionados who can overlook their flaws and idolize their positives.
Artist: Destruction
Release Title: Under Attack
Year: 2016
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Under Attack
2.Generation Nevermore
3.Dethroned
4.Getting Used to the Evil
5.Pathogenic
6.Elegant Pigs
7.Second to None
8.Stand Up for What You Deliver
9.Conductor of the Void
10.Stigmatized
Few bands make it to 30 years of activity, but Destruction have managed that feat with a slew of quality EPs, some fine live albums and numerous compilations gathering their releases together to help bide that time. Now on album fourteen and their eighth post-reunion effort, the long-running German thrashers carry on their Teutonic leanings with a stellar effort from Nuclear Blast Records on May 13th, 2016.
Utilizing the same rabid rhythms and rattling thrash riff-work it has plenty of enjoyable nods to their classics without offering much deviation being given the rather those same galloping rhythms being full of fiery performances that are like more modern versions of their late-80s work. Balanced out with some stylish mid-tempo chugging and it manages to get close a lot of times to their classic sound while being balanced out with the occasional mid-tempo plodding chug-style rhythm that gets utilized here. Though this one manages to sound relatively similar to the type of work featured in their discography, that inherently is the album’s lone downfall. As ravenous and aggressive as the majority of the material is, there’s never any sense of the group expanding or broadening it’s horizons to really give us something new or interesting. It’s all pretty much by-the-numbers style riffing and rhythm patterns which is fun by going along through the motions of fast-paced old-school thrash but doesn’t really offer up the feral energy of their early work or the relentless aggression of their earliest post-reunion work that remain their best efforts. It isn’t detrimental to the album as a whole but does manage to stick out somewhat, especially on a group this deep into their catalog.
Though it’s got a familiar ring of the past running throughout this one, it’s simply a matter of not really distancing itself enough to really take on the classics even with enough to like here that it instead becomes recommended more for nostalgic fans of the band who’ve come this far already or just the most complete connoisseur of old-school thrash.
Artist: Mortal Infinity
Release Title: Final Death Denied
Year: 2015
Label: Red Dagger Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Grid Specter
2.Cult of the Dead
3.Revived by Surgery
4.Under the Serpent Tree
5.Hell Is a Crematory
6.Body Collector
7.Haunted Mental Asylum
8.Sleep Paralysis
9.Neurotoxic Fire
10.Dystopia
The second full-length from German thrashers Mortal Infinity offers up a rather enjoyable if slightly faulty attempt at a more American styled thrash attack than their German counterparts. In their thrashing modes, the band here is far more intent on utilizing the traditional Bay Area-styled attack here for the majority of their work. Utilizing tight, crunchy, mid-tempo chugging as the basis for this one, this one really puts those rhythms to great use in generating the kind of up-tempo, frantic paces that work best with this style of attack. Alongside the faster, blistering tempos this one really manages to get out a lot of the more mid-tempo work on display where the chugging patterns and tight, steady drumming tend to work over even more of the tracks here for what’s the most prominent style featured on the album. While this effort does get plenty of mileage out of those chugging rhythms, it does crop up as one of the main points against this one. With the group relying on that mid-tempo pace here without much deviation here within their patterns and arrangements, the tempos on so many songs seem to mostly plod along to the finish line without really generating the kind of vicious streak mostly associated with so many thrash acts. Likewise, beyond this problem with the main rhythms, another problem emerges here in the fact that this one ends up being far longer than it really should’ve been. While some of this comes from the plodding riff-work, others are far more curious as to why it’s so overlong where it certainly builds up to a ripping, full-speed thrasher only in the later half after most of the track has been a plodding mid-tempo series of crunchy riffing without a lot of energy. That’s understandable, but the epic isn’t graced with such excuses as it just wears on with the same riffing for nearly ten minutes without let-up as it winds on through it’s paces seemingly endlessly which results in a gaudy, overlong effort that stretches this out needlessly. It really is a problem moreso for being the closer, and it leaves a disappointing lasting impression that way.
The first half here sets this one up quite nicely. Opener ‘Grid Specter’ features tight, twisting riff-work and pounding drumming along a steady furious pace with plenty of twisting technical patterns within the mid-tempo charge with thumping rhythms driving the frantic riffing through the blistering solo section and on through the winding final half for a solid, raging opener. ‘Cult of the Dead’ uses a tight, crunchy series of riffing against utterly blistering, frantic drumming into a steady, solid mid-tempo charge with plenty of blistering rhythms working into a frenzied pace holding the main rhythms into the melodic solo section leading the discordant rhythms to carry into the finale for another strong effort. ‘Revived by Surgery’ takes a stuttering series of start/stop swirling riffing and tight drumming into a plodding mid-tempo series of riff-work that turns into a rather frantic series of blazing riff-work and frenzied drumming leading into the fade-out final half for a wholly unappealing and rather disappointing track. ‘Under the Serpent Tree’ uses a steady, gradual build-up that turns into a bouncy up-tempo series of crunchy riffing and plenty of pounding drumming that manages to bring the explosive patterns to thrash along to the strong swirling riffing stuttering into the solo section and carrying along into the finale for a more enjoyable effort. ‘Hell Is a Crematory’ features steady, mid-tempo charging riff-work with plenty of crunchy riff-work along through the plodding rhythms that work alongside the squealing leads with the plodding chug riffing before kicking up the energy with furious riffing and pounding drumming in the solo section and carrying that through the final half for a better track in the later half.
The second half here isn’t as enjoyable here and really shows off the album’s flaws. ‘Body Collector’ uses the sampled squished-meat intro to lead into a steady mid-tempo rhythms with the occasional blast into raging up-tempo drumming that manages to bring the riffing out of the plodding paces into tight, crunchy chugging into the solo section and carrying into the finale for a decent if not all that impressive effort. ‘Haunted Mental Asylum’ takes rocking drum-work and stylized riffing on through a bouncy mid-tempo pace with a steady crunch from the riffing holding the main series of thrashing riff-work running along throughout the raging solo section and keeping the blistering paces throughout the final half for a stellar highlight. ‘Sleep Paralysis’ features crunchy mid-tempo riffing chugging along to mid-tempo drum-work that settles nicely into mid-tempo thumping rhythms with stylish, fiery riffing keeping the steady pace along through the atmospheric melodies before kicking back into the frantic rhythms in the finale for a solid and enjoyable effort. ‘Neurotoxic Fire’ features simple swirling riffing with steady, mid-tempo pounding drumming keeping the rumbling chugging patterns holding along at an unchanging tempo with a sweeping series of crunchy chug-patterns throughout the solo section and keeping hold until the final half for a wholly solid and enjoyable effort. Finally, the epic album-closer ‘Dystopia’ uses an extended fade-in intro as the scratchy sampled voices gradually give way to ripping drumming and crushing mid-tempo chugging riff-work keeping a steady stream of thrashing rhythms along at a straightforward pace that lets the series of solo sections work through the varying tempos utilized with the straightforward tempos working along into the mid-tempo finale for a solid and decent if entirely overlong effort for a somewhat disappointing lasting impression.
While it’s a fine enough listen on its own right, the fact that this one here hardly ever seems to go for the kill in regards to it’s intensity and ferocity does hold it back to the point that it’s really more for the most undiscriminating thrash aficionados or German metal connoisseurs who will find the most to enjoy here as others will undoubtedly approve of more vicious acts out there.
Artist: Protector
Release Title: Cursed and Coronated
Year: 2016
Label: High Roller Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Intro
2.Xenophobia
3.Selfdesdrugtion
4.Crosses in Carelia
5.Cursed and Coronated
6.Six Hours on the Cross
7.Base 104
8.The Dimholt
9.To Serve and Protect
10.Terra Mater
11.The Old Boil
The sixth full-length from legendary German thrashers Protector carries on their legacy incredibly well with another strong effort to prove their reunion wasn’t in vain. Indeed, it seems as though the band never actually left in the first place with their tight, intense thrashing a part of the sound here which brings back the tight, thumping riff-work and stylish, technical punk-laced riffing all augmented by a darkened, black metal aesthetic that’s been at the forefront of the German style of thrash from the get-go. As this set-up allows for the inclusion of raging speedsters as well as energetic mid-tempo gallops, this makes for a slightly varied attack that still comes off incredibly focused and coherent with each other and gives this an even better feel throughout here as the tracks all logically flow through each other rather than just making a series of different-sounding tracks simply to show off the diversity of their skills. Even when it goes for that route, as in the slightly doom-filled sections or even sprawling melodic interludes there’s still a connection between it all and it makes for an even more engaging listen that all goes together like they did in the band’s heyday.
The first half gives this a strong idea of what’s on display here. The instrumental ‘Intro’ features tribal chanting and rather simplistic beats throughout with a rather driving atmosphere that sets up proper first track ‘Xenophobia’ that blisters through frantic up-tempo riffing and plenty of complex, twisting drumming that works along that savage pounding thrashing framework with plenty of frenzied thrashing along with the urgent pounding rhythms continuing through the final half for an utterly impressive start here. ‘Selfdesdrugtion’ brings along thumping drumming and plenty of swirling riffing with the rumbling bass-lines bringing along the thumping mid-tempo thrashing carrying through the steady paces as the rumbling patterns continue through the solo section into the finale for a fun effort. ‘Crosses in Carelia’ takes stellar mid-tempo thumping with tight mid-tempo riffing taking on sprawling, darkened arrangements with the blasting drumming holding the rhythms for the frantic blasting and urgent thrashing interludes leading through the final half for a spectacular highlight. The title track begins with a swirling melodic riff that turns into a sprawling mid-tempo rhythms with plenty of crushing, heavy doom-styled riffing swirling along to the thumping drumming within the darker atmosphere into the solo section and on through the finale for the weakest track thus far but still has a lot to like about it.‘Six Hours on the Cross’ opens with swarming dive-bombing riffing and rocking drumming holding the blistering rhythms along through the thumping thrash paces with the tight, thumping sections carrying the sweeping riffing along through the charging final half for another solid, enjoyable effort.
The second half here is stronger than the first half in the same style. ‘Base 104’ blasts through utterly intense drumming alongside furious thrashing rhythms with plenty of up-tempo riff-work bringing the darkened atmosphere along into an extended sprawling mid-section before bringing back the blistering thrash rhythms and sweeping riffing in the finale for a stand-out highlight. ‘The Dimholt’ takes a stylish up-tempo series of swirling thrash rhythms charging along through the utterly frantic blistering drumming carrying the ravenous riffing careening through the thumping, full-throttle rhythms carrying on through the solo section and into the final half for back-to-back highlights. ‘To Serve and Protect’ features tight mid-tempo thumping rhythms and a stellar series of pounding drumming that carries the thrashing rhythms along through the extended instrumental interludes carrying the riffing along into fiery solo section and on into the thumping finale for an enjoyable enough effort. ‘Terra Mater’ takes utterly explosive and frenzied drumming along through the explosive thrashing riff-work charging along through the series of thumping thrash rhythms carrying on through the fiery solo section and into the charging final half for another enjoyable effort. Lastly, ‘The Old Boil’ takes a rocking series of mid-tempo drumming and rather exciting thrashing riffing with rather exciting and explosive patterns keeping the stylish rhythms intact through the up-tempo raging throughout the tight finale to end this on a strong note.
It seems the reunion is certainly a worthwhile endeavor now as this is two stellar releases in their catalog now for the group and comes off just like their glory days in the late 80s, making this an essential choice for old-school thrash fanatics, fans of the darker German sound in general or even those looking for a solid, consistent outing in the genre.
