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 BLAAKYUM (LEBANON)
Based on "Line of Fear", this act play competent retro thrash with dissipations from the modern school both sides seldom leaving the mid-pace the eventful Oriental shredder "Baal-Adon" being the highlight with its more dynamic decisions, the dramatic stomper "Religion of Peace" a close second. The good semi-clean, hoarse singer is another positive addition with his assured, not very adventurous, blend.
Lord of the Night Full-length, 2012
Official Site BLACK (USA)
This trio straddles the line between the 90's post-thrash trends and the dancy industrial of White Zombie. Still the tempo changes, sometimes offering dynamic up-tempo riffage (the cool crossover-tinged "F.B.I."), although before its coming one may get a headache from the pounding one-dimensional riffage. The approach is broken again for "Strange 48", which is an abstract acoustic/ambient ballad. A year later the band changed their name to Substance D, and released another album of exactly the same sound, maybe more industrialized and mellower.
Black Full-length, 1997 BLACK ABSENCE (GERMANY)
Based on the full-length, this act serve a blend of power and thrash, mostly on a modern base, but with a few references towards the
classic area as well. The pace isn't very dynamic, but "I Know Places" starts moving things around and the following "Still I" is
already a cool melodic headbanger with Iron Maiden-esque guitar duels. "Hell Was Full" is another razor-sharp shredder leaving the
more melodic exploits for "Revolution" and the progressive semi-ballad "Lost Soul" that influences the remaining cuts which cling
towards the doomy side, the final "Insanity" excelling in the lead department. The singer isn't very striking with a mean-ish
semi-clean/semi-shouty baritone reminiscent of Kerrmit (Tyrant, Germany).
Call of the Void EP, 2013
Official Site BLACK ABSINTHE (CANADA)
Based on “On Earth or in Hell”, this outfit provide mellow friendly modern power/speed/thrash that gets rowdier on the vivacious semi-headbanger “Dead Queen”, the proto-deathy “Call of the Void” an unheralded more aggressive showing. The title-track is a decent speed metal tune, and “Essentially Fucked” is an intriguing belligerent cut with alluring Oriental licks. The singer is quite diverse, but his gruff semi-deathly antics seem to occupy the biggest space as opposed to his more acceptable cleaner croons.
Augusta EP, 2012
Official Site BLACK ABYSS (GERMANY)
Based on "Possessed", this German formation indulge in pure old school power/speed/thrash not far from New Eden and their
compatriots from Psychotron, maybe not as progressive-oriented as the latter. The guys don't aim at breaking any speed records,
but expect numerous thrashy breaks scattered around some of them served with galloping rhythms ("The Final Call"), some with spasmodic semi-blasts ("Possessed By Hate"), others with dramatic heavy shreds ("Human Machine"). There are also occasional nods to the 90's power/speed metal school ("Streams Of Sorrow"), but overall this is crunchy biting stuff with good emotional clean vocals.
Why Full-length, 1998 BLACK AGGRESSOR (FRANCE)
Apart from one of the worst sound qualities ever offered in the underground, this demo "boasts" evil brutal thrash/proto-death which is way more aggressive than Possessed's same year's "Seven Churches". But sound-wise this is so bad that it should be no surprise that this recording has remained completely unknown all these years even to the bigger connoisseurs out there. This is a messy wall of sound topped by indifferent declamatory "vocals" which could pass for a cross between death metal and hardcore. This is plainly "noise metal", like the title of the closer sums it up so well in the end; worth hearing just out of curiosity.
Demo Demo, 1985 BLACK ANVIL (USA)
An aggressive mix of thrash, black and death metal; the vocals are the prototypical black metal rasps, but the music acquires nice death/thrash tendencies with a cool melodic edge ("Ten Talons Deep"). Well, rest assured that the ultra-blasting black metal composition is juts around the corner: "On This Day Death" although "shocks" of the kind are not many at all. Pure thrashers roam around ("Release The Kraken", "And You Thought You Know Pain!" which, despite the very brutal black metal beginning, is a nice thrashing mid-paced piece). "Dethroned Emperor" at the end is a cover of... did someone say "Celtic Frost"? The singer, if that's the same one, abandons his awful rasps on this one, and impersonates Tom G. Warrior down to the -T-.
Time Insults the Mind Full-Length, 2008 My Space BLACK APRIL (USA)
The demo: this new formation pull out heavy old school black(april)/thrash which is a bit marred by the fuzzy sound quality, but
delivers in the music department with seismic Celtic Frost-like riffs on the gloomy "Archwing (Political Warfare and Damned)";
and with more vivid speedy guitars on "Balls Deep" which is a crisp speed/proto-thrasher also introducing quite nice melodic leads
near the end which are a fair contrast to the brutal low-tuned death metal vocals.
Lunitics Demo, 2014 Facebook BLACK ART (USA)
The bass authority Bob Mayo (Meliah Rage, Wargasm, Maniac. etc.) is here, but the music is just plain ordinary modern post-thrash
with hardcore and groove alternating awkwardly on a buzzy, messy background which is often just noise except on the more
comprehensive closer "Self", is a cool more intense piece with classic reverberations.
Black Art Demo, 1995 BLACK ASYLUM (AUSTRALIA)
Based on the full-length debut: these guys offer modern thrash ala Dew-Scented and early The Haunted, seldom spiced with more
aggressive death metal elements. The music flows in a predictable manner, without surprises, suddenly jumping from calm balladic
pieces ("Bleeding Away", "Dawn of No Difference") to explosive thrashers ("12 Gauge Judas", "My War"), and vice versa. Those transitions are far from smooth, and hardly carry out their function properly, and not only because they are too many to make this a pleasant listen for thrash metal fans, who might lose their nerves a bit with the unexpected mood and tempo changes.
Victims Of The Fall EP, 2006 Official Site BLACK BARREL SMOKE (SWEDEN)
This is modern thrash/death quite close to the so well established rules of the Gothenburg sound, only that the approach here is more melodic courting more recent The Haunted and the last Raise Hell effort. So don't expect too much speed and aggression here except the throaty forceful vocals which are the most brutal ingredient on this relatively peaceful mid-tempo piece of art. All the musicians involved here are also busy with the another modern death metal band: Age of Fury where the style is a bit more aggressive and faster.
Black Barrel Smoke Demo, 2011 Official Site BLACK BLADE (GREECE)
Three songs of doom/stoner/post-thrash, emitting both heaviness and melody in equal dozes, the major detraction being the subdued, semi-whispered vocals which simply don't stand well alongside the melodic riffs.
Welcome Into The Warfield Demo, 2011 BLACK BREATH (USA)
The EP: four tracks of heavy abrasive thrashcore, still up-tempo for most of the time with throaty shouty vocals not far from the ones of Lars G. Petrov (Entombed). "Heavy Breathing" is an elaboration on the EP, dynamic headbanging music with fast simplistic riffs clinging between hardcore and thrash the whole time in a way akin to Helllbastard's early period. "Unholy Virgin" is a welcome shift at the end towards pounding doom, a tendency continued on the final "Wewhocannotbenamed", but in a less pleasant heavier industrialized manner.
Razor to Oblivion EP, 2008 My Space BLACK BURN (GERMANY)
This German outfit indulge in playful roller-coaster speed/proto-thrash which is at its best when it emits darkness and mood
(check out the creepy opener "Skylla"), but overall the musicianship isn't on a very high level the guitars having a strong abrasive
edge which isn't very appropriate for the slower material, like the fairly good ballad "Black Burn", the highlight here showing the
lead guitarist in a brighter light. The singer delivers a very guttural death metal timbre, and most likely he's been replaced on
the aforementioned ballad since the vocals on that one are of the high dramatic clean variety. Some of the band members had started
it all in the distant 1980's under the name Ballantinez when they tried to find a place under the sun playing classic heavy metal.
The Invocation Full-Length, 2012 BLACK BURN (ITALY)
Based on the "Lands of Eternity" demo, these Italians pull out cool progressive power/thrash accentuated by good high-strung
dramatic clean vocals. The music is mostly mid-tempo to galloping ("King Of War") with an excellent thundering bass bottom.
"Free Existentialism" is a relative drawback being an overlong (7.5-min) ballad, but rousing "horse riding" anthems like
"Slave Of Death" and "Star Of Fortune" keep the mood high with their frolic rhythms and infectious tunes. The closing "Evil Prophecy" is more "evil" with more aggressive thrash riffs, and the mid-break in the face of a nice screamy lead "exploit" is quite
admirable although the bad sound quality stifles the guitars' edge quite a bit. The guys later managed to reach the official
release stage under the name Wrest with a more power metal-fixated album ("Livin' in a Cage") in 1989.
Iron Words Demo, 1985 BLACK CANVAS (NORWAY)
Heavy doomy thrash/death with deep low-tuned vocals; good music, quite atmospheric, with nice guitar work, especially the leads,
but there's seldom a moment to reach the mid-pace, and fans of later-period Bolt Thrower and the Dutch Beyond Belief will probably be happier with this.
Emergence EP, 2009 My Space BLACK CHAMBER (USA)
This outfit specialize in stomping epic thrash/death which clings between infectious melodies (the title-track) and pleasant twisted
technicality ("Convergence Disturbance"). "Bloodied Bathory" is a rousing thrash/deathster in a fast vigorous pace, and "Pit of Sorrow" is the doomy revelation. Blazing virtuous leads will one come across on the raging speedster "Skullfucker" which optimistic immediacy is completely cancelled by the officiant progressive doom/thrash closer "Vanquished Dishonor". Some of the musicians are also active with the black/death metallers Goatflesh.
Wormhole Full-Length, 2017 Official Site BLACK CLOUD (CANADA)
This formation was summoned by Blacky- the Voivod member, just for one live performance. These are cover versions of thrash metal titans, like Metallica (honoured with two covers- "Whiplash" and "Fight Fire with Fire"), Exodus ("Piranha"), Celtic Frost ("Circle of the Tyrants"), Destruction ("Mad Butcher"), Kreator ("Betrayer"), Possessed ("The Exorcist"), etc. The sound quality isn't very good (it's a live recording, after all), but the versions aren't very hard to recognize; well, if nothing else, the singer announces them very clearly in the beginning.
Le Medley Montreal Live, 2002 BLACK COMEDY (NORWAY)
Based on "Crawl To Exceed", this is modern industrial thrash which contains really hard-hitting guitars, bringing it close to acts like Skrew and Die Krupps, but the use of melodic alternative vocals in the vein of Burton Bell (Fear Factory), and keyboards, spoils things considerably. Fans of Fear Factory again, and Puncture, should give this band a listen as well.
Crawl To Exceed Full-length, 2001 Official Site BLACK CYCLONE (SWEDEN)
Brisk energetic old school speed/thrash which resembles the Metallica debut at times (the opening title-track, "Death by Crushing"), at others it follows its own path by moshing harder ("Black Cyclone") with more violent shades of proto-death; or tries something epic ("Beast Battalion", the heavy pounder "IAH") with overt power metal overtones. The singer fits all nuances with his high-strung emotional tenor recalling Bobby Ellsworth (Overkill).
Death Is King Full-length, 2018 Official Site BLACK DAWN (USA)
Based on "Absence of Time", this act specialize in generally friendly post-thrash which only occasionally gets angrier ("February")
although the guitars do have an edge for most of the time, trying to match the forceful inebriate timbre of the singer who actually does a good job on the bouncy groovy background.
Absence of Time Full-length, 1999 Official Site BLACK DEAL (ITALY)
An early mix of power, speed and thrash metal along the lines of the Germans Tyrant, Savage Grace, and early Helstar; the music is quite simplistic with the exception of several quite good leads (the excellent instrumental "Black Deal").
Line of Fear Full-length, 2016
Voyager: Record Full-length, 2016
Noise Complaint EP, 2014
Early Signs of Denial Full-length, 2016
On Earth or in Hell Full-length, 2024
Land of Darkness Full-length, 2000
Angels Wear Black Full-length, 2004
Possessed Full-length, 2012
The hellish trio is back again, and "Triumvirate" won't disappoint although it's much more black/death metal-fixated, both of the more technical and the blasting more brutal kind, with doom metal sneaked in stealing the two mentioned styles' thunder big time. "Ultimate Reality" is nice atmospheric minimalistic black metal followed by the cool much more dynamic "Angels to Dust": epic heroic black metal ala early Dimmu Borgir with a great doom twist at the end, the latter transforming into a full-fledged doomster a couple of tracks ahead, in the form of the creepy moody masterpiece "Dead and Left", the highlight of the album with brilliant hooks
and tunes flowing within. The closer "Veadtuck" is another hit in the doom target, an excellent instrumental piece with addictive hypnotic riffs and a furious raging exit. Thrash metal is almost nowhere to be heard here, but this effort is a commendable mix of black, death and doom metal which would please not only fans of those three genres, but every regular fan of high quality metal.
"Hail Death" is again in the black, doom, and death blend field with thrash humbly present on a few isolated passages. The
compositions are lengthy, and there's much happening the band changing the mood and the pace at will also providing the nice
power/doom metal anthem "Until The End", a catchy sing-along number which is the borderline in the album: after it the sound becomes
strictly doomy, the Kiss cover of "Under The Rose" at the end sealing its bluesy fate. As a whole this opus isn't anything too
striking by any standards seeing an act randomly mixing styles without bringing the best out of such amalgams.
"Regenesis" is a more brutal showing, the guys favouring the black metal idea way more this time, the timid doomy "8-Bit Terror" an awkward phenomenon, if we also exclude the peaceful semi-balladic "Silver & Steele" and the moody anti-climactic "NYC Nightmares". For the rest one has to have the endurance of a hardened beyond-headbanger in order to pass through it.
Triumvirate Full-length, 2010
Hail Death Full-Length, 2014
As Was Full-length, 2017
Miles EP, 2019
Regenesis Full-length, 2022
The full-length boasts a better sound quality although the delivery remains the same, dark heavy retro thrash with seismic guitars
and brooding, mostly mid-tempo compositions. On "Take Out The Thrash" thrash has indeed been taken out this cut being a sleepy
quasi-doomster, not much to do with thrash. The latter, however, returns for the closing "The Metallic Deth" which is a prime
headbanger with intense rhythms and an imposing doom outro. Some of the musicians are much more active with the black metal
formation Benighten Empire.
Rise and Rot Full-Length, 2015
The "Anthem of Disorder" EP offers pretty much the same; more melodic elements have been thrown in, in the vein of more recent
The Haunted including the sparse clean vocals.
Truths Of The Blood Full-length, 2008
Anthem Of Disorder EP, 2009
"Sentenced to Life" is such a good nod to the early-90's Swedish death metal school (Unleashed, Entombed, Dismember, etc.) that some of you may not be sure whether this is the same band who pulled out such a simplistic material a few years back. Still, some of the hardcore easthetics shows up on the shorter pieces, but overall this is classic thrash/death sustained in a consistent up-pace moving towards the fuller-fledged death metal field ("Endless Corpse", the blasting rager "Of Flesh") at times. The guys cut themselves some slack at the end with "The Flame" which is a creepy mid-paced thrasher ala late-80's Slayer with some cool, catchy hooks; and the officiant atmospheric closer "Obey" which is a pensive doom composition with very good lead guitar work. This is a pleasant surprise sitting well next to the last Unleashed release, to name one, which age is only shown by the slightly fuzzy sound of the guitars.
"Slaves Beyond Death" is the next steam-rolling instalment although the opening "Pleasure, Pain, Disease" provides a few more
fast-paced riffs which are later encountered on several other pieces reaching blast-beating extremes on "Reaping Flesh". Generally
the approach this time is more dynamic the more doom-laden tracks occupying the second half. Still, "Burning Hate" near the end death/thrashes with force and will please the moshers who may not have a lot of fun on the elegiac closing instrumental "Chains of the Afterlife".
Heavy Breathing Full-length, 2010
Sentenced to Life Full-length, 2012
Slaves Beyond Death Full-Length, 2015
Lands of Eternity Demo, 1987
Synthesis EP, 2002
Instigator Full-length, 2008
Age of Reason Full-length, 2004
Until We Meet EP, 2014