Copyright (c) 2007-2024 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 1000 BOMBS (CZECH)
The debut: "Peace is dead" on this otherwise cool thrash/crossover offering which develops in a more laid-back up-tempo fashion without any speedy extremes. Some of the material comes as a more dynamic Motorhead ("Zombie Syndrome"), but the highlight seems to be the inspired galloper "Airstrike" at the end. The singer shouts in an angry passionate way with an open hardcore flair. Some of the musicians are more active with the pagan black metallers Trollech.
Peace Is Dead Full-Length, 2014 Official Site 1000 BONE CYLINDER (USA)
This US duo indulge in classic speed/black/thrash topped by vicious mean black metal vocals. The music is pretty ripping, the lads moshing with the odd verve of technicality (“Continue”) as well, the spastic semi-technical “Ice Cream” toning down the aggression, adding an ethereal choral presence. There’s no slouching elsewhere, though, the band moshing with the requisite amount of sophistication and melody: check out the brutal but fairly proficient shredder “Dream of Floating”, or the superb diverse odyssey “A Table in the Middle of the Room”, a thrilling multifarious ride which also adds a pinch of death metal to the proceedings. “Aporia” is a short epic/symphonic tractate, and “Pillars” is a goofy take on the doom/stoner idea with a fervent fast-paced second half. The lads are also occupied with the progressive black/thrashers Botis, and the epic folk metal squad Lor.
Bind Full-length, 2021 Official Site 1000 ODIOS (ARGENTINA)
The debut EP: thrash/death metal of the modern type with hellish female vocals which might scare even Angela Kossoff at times. Music-wise the band have a long way to go, before they reach Arch Enemy, although the guitar work isn't bad at all with numerous melodic hooks, which are the driving force, overshadowing the sharper riffs, which are actually not too many; the problem is that there is no speed, the tempo is mid-paced with slow-ish gothic passages. "Phobos" shows signs of life, but it soon gives up for the sake of the heavy stomping riffage.
1000.Odios EP, 2008 My Space 1000 SCARS (UK)
Ripping retro/modern death/thrash with a more melodic string running underneath at times ("Tower of Ruin"); the singer by all means accommodates the
deathly side of this blend, his venomous apocalyptic shouts making cuts like "Butchered" and "Sodomised" pure death metal joys. Elsewhere the band
steam-roll with badly disguise thrashy glee ("Kill Everything"), or stomp the neighbourhood with unmitigated groovy stomps ("New Rebellion"), "Biggest
Regret" attempting something stomping and covertly technical at the end.
Tower of Ruin Full-Length, 2021 Youtube 12 GAUGE OUTRAGE (IRELAND)
Based on the full-length, this act offer a more dynamic take on the good old groovy post-thrash which boasts a couple of cool
vigorous cuts ("Wrath-Bleed for Us") plus more serious pieces with a more imposing power metal edge ("Pride-Deadly Sins"; the
hard-hitting shredder "Greed-Drag Me to Hell"). The vocalist is a cool semi-cleaner and is the perfect match for this conceptual
work based around the Seven Deadly Sins.
About Time EP, 2014 Official Site 12 TON SLEDGE (USA)
Modern groovy post-thrash (make no mistakes, folks- once you see numbers in the band bame, you have to know that this is going to be groove all over, in most cases), with a heavy, steam-rolling sound, which never speeds up a lot, seldom coming with some more choppy riffs ala Prong: "Slingin' Ink".
Nothing to Gain Full-length, 2005 Official Site 17.XII (BULGARIA)
A decent attempt at more classic-sounding thrash metal which develops on an uneven semi-technical/semi-progressive background with good bass support, but awful hysterical shouty vocals, and noisy guitars. The fast pace, which dominates at leats in the beginning, is frequently interrupted by much more quiet balladic passages, which never turn into a full-blooded composition, but are too many to make this album a more engaging listen. In the 2nd half the album loses steam completely the guys settling down for a calm power/thrashy delivery without any highlights.
Capitis Deminutio Full-length 1995 My Space 18 WHEELS OF JUSTICE (USA)
Based on "Execution", this band play dry mechanical modern thrash with dispassionate guitars and attached aggressive death metal vocals. The music changes tempos although the dominant one remains mid with sparse adherences to stoner/doom and hardcore. This would hardly be the headbanger's paradise with the exception of a couple of more intense cuts ("Idolatry"; the more brutal shredder "Apocalypse") which may remind you of mid-period Carcass with their casual twisted nature. The closer "Execution (The Sword Of Justice)" is an exemplary piece of more technical thrash/death also boasting the most melodic catchy hooks on the album on which the band should concentrate more in the future.
18 Wheels of Justice EP, 2005 Official Site 19 A.D.D. (USA)
This is purely instrumental stuff: good elaborate music, quite hectic in a positive way and very technical modern thrash affair, although music of so many nuances and shades is not easy to categorize as modern or classic. The riffs jump into all directions, sometimes unpredictably, never being too fast or brutal, constantly changing tempos and pace disorienting the listener quite a bit who will be actually entertained for most of the time moving through this complex landscape of moods and hooks where the bass plays a very big role touching Cynic and Atheist; the riffage is mostly dispassionate and precise with the casual melodic addition. Every instrumental piece is preceded by a short introduction based on a film/news sample or industrial/ambient noise, to these ears a not very necessary inclusion. A couple of more direct headbanging sections can also be heard, and they're very well embedded into the much harder to swallow rest. The guys' genius reaches the top towards the end, on the brilliant twisted technical thrasher "Saudade" which is relatively conventional compared to the other longer and more complex numbers. To name a soundalike would be a difficult task: a more moderate, less aggressive, Electro Quarterstaff or a more intense thrashy Canvas Solaris may come not too far, but this "animal" is truly of a less ordinary breed.
19 Minute Attention Span EP, 2003 Official Site 2BLACK (SWITZERLAND)
Another addition to the burgeoning classic thrash revival of recent years, this time coming form the not very prolific Swiss metal scene. These guys (and a girl, the bassist) deliver energetic roller-coaster speed/thrash which is varied without sticking to speed the whole time. The problem is that the unbridled intensity of the opening "Falling Into Black" is not very often encountered in the 1st half the band revealing the heavier epic side of their repertoire particularly reflected on the officiant proto-doomster "Desolation-Desperation" in the middle. "Guilty Angel, Innocent Devil" arrives right after to wake up the listener with brisk vigorous guitars, and a couple of cuts later retain the energy which again gets lost on the short lead-driven instrumental "Shadow" and the longer more ambitious opus "Colours of the Enemy". The singer is not a waste although his gruff semi-clean timbre could have used more emotion especially on those more epic numbers in the middle.
Mind Infect Full-Length, 2013 Official Site 2 HEADED CHANG (USA)
Based on "Deliver Us...": this band come up with pedestrian groovy thrash, occasionally graced by more melodic, Swedish style leanings ("The Inner Workings Of A Perpetual Victim"), which put more vitality into the album. The other surprise is "Bonded With Vengeance", which thrashes with intensity and sharp riffs, which overshadow the clumsy groovy section near the end.
Dead City Rodeo Full-length, 2003 Official Site 2 TON PREDATOR (SWEDEN)
Based on the first two albums, this band try to keep 90's groovy thrash alive, and as such manage to come up with a decent sound, which might not be as hard-hitting as early Pantera, and at times could degenerate into some stoner/doom ala Down, but fans of this style will be happy all over.
In the Shallow Waters Full-length, 1999 Official Site 21ST CENTURY SIN (USA)
This band offers a heavy mostly mid-tempo thrash/death of the groovy variety, sounding quite close to mid-period Gorefest (circa "False"), including in the vocal department. "Mutations" speeds up near the end, showing the guys well able to thrash along with the best when necessary, and they should have provided a few more speedy "surprises" like these earlier. Some of the band members play similar music in Tempestuous.
21st Century Sin Full-length, 1998 Official Site 237 (USA)
Modern edgy thrash which suffers a lot from the awful synthesized declamatory vocals; otherwise the music isn't a total waste keeping a good tempo throughout, with the inclusion of a couple of vigorous headbanging numbers which contrast well with the heavy doom-laden delivery on at least half of the other tracks.
Dead Risen Full-length, 2008 23RD GRADE OF EVIL (SWITZERLAND)
The debut: a blend of modern and retro (not as much) thrash which doesn't lack the necessary amount of energy without being played on all-out speed the whole time. The band accelerates to a proto-death intensity ("Lost In The Void") at times, but overall this is laid-back stuff with hardcore and groovy touches. "Ashes To Ashes" is a surprisingly invigorating headbanger near the end, followed by the similarly-styled closer "Something Will (Get You In The End)" which unleashes another portion of fast-paced riffs topped by the subdued aggro-vocals which don't try the high registers too much, but pull out a confident detached performance.
What Will Remain When We Are Gone Full-length, 2009 Official Site 23 ROADKILL (USA)
This act were one of the first to jump on the still at the time meagre groovy post-thrash wagon. Their progressive bluesy/stoner take on the upcoming genre may not impress the Pantera and Machine Head fans, and their lengthy for the style compositions require a more careful listen for one to really savour those sprawling heavy riff-patterns which may also remind of the more recent Mastodon metamorphosis. "The Ledge" is a cool intense number which again preserves the quirkiness of the other material, and could have grown into something more substantial if the band had laster longer. The singer is another positive addition with his levelled meditative clean croon.
23 Roadkill Demo, 1992 26 BEERS
Good, speedy thrash/crossover with some really aggressive riffage ("27 Beers", "Nobody's Safe") and genuine technical moments ("Hit the Marc", "The Mexican Drinking Song"). The style isn't miles away from Wehrmacht and Cryptic Slaughter. This is really an intense listening experience which also provides relative "pauses" for a break: the punk joy "Dermaine (Two-Step N' Thrash)" (there's nothing thrashy here, despite the title), and the slower, melodic crossover piece "How to Make A Little Girl Cry Twice".
26 Beers Full-Length, 2007 Official Site 3.3.3. (ECUADOR)
Groovy doomy modern thrash, mid-paced to slow, with a few speedy surprises: the quite classic-sounding "Tirano", and the pure 90's power/speed metal piece "Tus Falsas Verdades".
Semana de Pecado Full-length, 2006 3000AD (NEW ZEALAND)
Modern thrash/post-thrash which hesitates between short headbanging proclivities ("Cell") and longer more elaborate walkabouts ("Who’s Watching"). The whole package comes wrapped in a noisy abrasive veneer which industrializes the environment, but still lets through a few more vigorous headbangers ("The World We Knew"). "Journeys" comes as a more entangled Rammstein, and the closing "Born Under a Black Sun" is a consistent mid-paced shredder with a couple of intricate jilts and jolts, this one largely missing the otherwise capable shouty semi-clean vocals. Some of the musicians are also active with the hardcore formation Sounds of Vengeance.
The Void Full-length, 2020 Official Site 3B ASYLUM (USA)
A 4-song EP of really good classic thrash with a genuine technical twist; "Black Monday" is all-out headbanging thrash, but "Suicide Slide" switches onto more thought-out music, providing smashing riffage and various tempos. "Eternal Rite" thrashes with full force once again, but "Kobb" comes with all the gimmicks of progressive/technical thrash: a wide gamut of time and tempo changes, all this on a very heavy base, with sudden faster outbursts, very good bass support, and a slightly annoying noisy outro.
3B Asylum EP, 2008 3 MILE SCREAM (CANADA)
Laid-back melodic metalcore-ish/thrashy music which still contains enough hard-hitting riffs to pull it through although there aren't many fast-paced surprises the guys settling for the expected vivid mid-pace only breaking it on the fierce death metal-esque "Shadowed Existence", and partially on the "eagle fly free" closer "Redefine Tomorrow". The vocal variety is really big: clean, semi-clean, shouty, semi-shouty, death metal grunts, etc. Some of the band members play more aggressive stuff with the death metal outfit The Catalyst.
"Sentenced to War" is a more aggressive entry, also thanks to then newly-epitomized guttural death metal baritone by the vocalist, the music still on the bashing side ("Around the Barbed Wire Fences"), the death-oriented "Sentenced to War" leading a more deathly pack behind it, with sprightly headbangers ("Towards a Living Hell", the crossover remnant from the preceding saga "Pilsner Thrashquell") amply provided all over, with death metal taking over completely on "Revelation of the Fallen", before everything gets gets wrapped on with peace and tranquillity on the closing etude "Memoriae".
Sentenced to War Full-length, 2023
The "Vol. 2" EP offers heavy doom/thrash/death of the classic type, a bit one-dimensional with quite a few melodic hooks.
The full-length is a melodic, slower affair the beautiful soulful leads leading the pack and remain the highlight on this relaxed effort which only strife at aggression are the headbanging mechanizers "Crimen y Sentencia" and "Automata".
"Placebo &Terror" is easily the band's finest hour, a crisp brisk affair with numerous delights like the technical/progressive jump-arounder "Aquel Ser Inmenso", or the dramatic doom saga "Nefasto". There isn't much speed applied again, another exception being the lively thrash/crossover piece "Santos", but levelled mid-tempo consistency of cuts like "El Ilusor" and the bouncier "Contradiccion" contain few pitfalls, not to mention the really tasteful melodic lead guitars on the latter.
Vol. 2 EP, 2009
Te Detesto Full-Length, 2016
Placebo & Terror Full-length, 2021
Deadly Sins Full-length, 2016
"Where The Shadows Lie" is a pretty decent slab of modern semi-technical thrash, the mid-paced deviations of "Pillars of Isis" nicely interlaced with the hectic up-tempo shenanigans of "Blade", the eventful progressive pretensions of both "Judgment" and "Freedom Lies" well justified, the band accumulating energetic volatile riffs on a steady heavy base.
Deceive Them All Full-length, 2007
Execution Full-length, 2011
Where The Shadows Lie Full-length, 2020
Elements of Emptiness Full-length, 2006
"Dead City Rodeo" is worse offering rhythmic almost rappy post-thrash "stifled" by heavy groovy passages which are the better side of the album managing to capture some of the early Pantera intensity ("The Devil Never Goes Away"). Like in the other effort, there are a couple of more vigorous thrashers ("Fight"), but here they really have to try hard to keep the listener entertained.
Deliver Us... Full-length, 2007
Boogie Full-length, 2001
Checkpoint # 4 Split, 2003
Demon Dealer Full-length, 2003
Untitled Full-length, 2005
"Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream" will overflow you with heaps of catchy infectious modern thrash rhythms which would be nothing new, even to the ear of the less trained fan, but is full of memorable hooks of the playful type which aren't devoid of more intense headbanging moments ("Lullaby For The Weak", "For Better Or Worse"). Otheriwse, this is a varied effort with a big doze of calmer numbers sustained in the predictable mid-tempo with the odd groovy flavour ("Get Out Of My Way") thrown in here and there.
Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream Full-length, 2012