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DE LIRIUM'S ORDER (FINLAND)

"Victim No. 52" is a wild thrash/death metal shred with a few more technical decisions which remain undeveloped due to the guys' manic delivery which is full of high-speed antics on a more romantic melodic base. There is a certain Swedish influence in the guitar approach which disappears on the fine semi-technical thrasher "Dr. Lirium Orders: Suffering", and the more elaborate progressive semi-opus "Pathologist's Perverse Fantasies". The closing "The Sunrise" is the full-blooded opus here thrashing in a thought-out, less aggressive manner with tempo and mood changes galore.
"Diagnosis" is the band's most aggressive work where from the aforementioned genres it's only death and thrash metal that have been left. The speed has been increased quite a bit, and the guitar work has become much more technical drawing resemblances to Death, and even Atheist. The leads are simply stunning, some of the finest to grace these ears in the new millennium: both melodic and complex. The brutal parts might come as too much for the more technically-inclined fans, but this is simply too good to be ignored.
The debut is an ambitious undertaking, combining thrash, death and a bit of gothic metal (not much black metal here yet) on a complex progressive base which at its more stripped ("Termination In Surreal") comes close to later-period Death, bit there's a certain baroque aestheticism ala Bal-Sagoth ("Metempsykhosis") present which makes this effort a fairly multi-layered offering. Guitars and keyboards co-exist well on almost every song, and at this early stage the mix is more on the lyrical melodic side even acquiring optimistic crossover tendencies ("Too Drunk", the speed metal happiness "Convent Orgia"). The vocals remain in the brutal death metal camp, but suit the energetic delivery which gives a fair share to both styles with a few more leanings towards death metal.

"Veniversum" is the band's 4th effort, and it shows them in a fairly bright light shredding in an inspired fashion producing bombastic operatic semi-technical death metal with not much thrash present. This is eventful music which switches from one time change to another in no time, lashing out furious riffs all over which come accompanied by beautiful soaring melodies both in the lead and riff department. The subdued brutal death metal vocals are not the very suitable addition to the superior musical delivery, often semi-whispering in a forced harsh manner. The album has its slower moments which never stretch into a whole song (the exception being the elegiac, semi-balladic closer "The Aftermath"), but nicely interrupt the fast-paced passages on the appropriate places creating a complex, progressive atmosphere.

Termination In Surreal Full-length, 2002
Victim No. 52 Full-length, 2004
Diagnosis Full-length, 2007
Veniversum Full-length, 2012

Official Site

DE TVEKSAMMA (SWEDEN)

This is modern thrash with dark epic overtones sounding like a mixture between the Finns Gandalf and mid-period Cemetary. Overall this is melodic stuff sustained in a playful mid-tempo even with jocund funky sections present on "And You'll See". The singer is a gruff death metaller trying to emulate Mathias Lodmalm (Cemetary) and doing it quite well.

Perform Songs About Old Nick and Other Friends Full-Length, 2001

Official Site

DEAD (USA)

Based on the debut demo, which starts in a really annoying way with a noisy 5-min long intro which unsuccessfully tries to bring atmosphere from the very beginning, this act plays (this is really relative) utterly amateurish raw metal which even the most devoted connoisseur would find increasingly hard to get back to, simply because apart from a very impenetrable wall of buzzy sound, this effort offers nothing else; literally. It's viewed as one of the early entries into the death metal genre, but it could as well be considered an entry into any other extreme sub-genre since it can be interpreted in numerous ways depending on the listener's mood: it could be hardcore, grindcore, black, thrash, death metal; even NWOBHM-influenced heavy metal (ha ha- I'm kidding here!). So it's your choice, folks... The drummer Jim Coker later took part in Brutality and Nasty Savage (incredible, but a fact!).

Musical Abortions Demo, 1986
Raw Sewage Demo, 1988
Dead Demo, 1989
Dead EP, 1990

Official Site

DEAD & BLOATED (USA)

Hectic technical thrash, often quite aggressive; the music reminds of another one-album wonder: Terrahsphere, and is almost as good, albeit less aggressive and less jumpy. And if we add the vocals which are a wild mixture of Exodus' Steve Souza and Jeff Walker from Carcass, then the picture is close to complete. The bass work is brilliant, and is given quite a space, especially on technical masterpieces like the aggressive "You Don't", or the complex and diverse "Encopresis". Other tracks are more direct with a jolly crossover attitude: "Farewell, Life" and "Convulse". It might take time to get used to the band's style, but it would be well worth the time.

You Don't Full-length, 1992

DEAD ACID (GERMANY)

This is modern thrash/death reflected in brief to-the-point cuts where not much happens outside cold mechanistic mosh which seldom gets dispersed by slower, more academic exercises in steam-rolling groove like "Tonight" and "Busted". There's this noisy quasi-industrial flair that can also be detected, the vociferous shouty death metal vocals also making themselves heard prominently.

Fuck, I'm Dead Full-length, 2018

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DEAD ALIVE (USA)

The debut: this band pull out a classic mixture of thrash and death, decent simplistic stuff which raises the headbanging flag sky-high ("Triumph of the Dead", "Deadites"), the freighter stopping for the nice doom-laden "Gravestoned", picking inertia right after with the death metal-prone exploder "No Rest in Peace", the hoarse semi-shouty deathly vocals accommodating all stylistic swings .
"The Madness of Dr. Ludvig Von Brainmatter" is a more complex offering, the aggressive complexities of "From Beyond" raising some eyebrows, towering above simplistic unpretentious exercises in vicious bashing thrash/death like "Re-Agent" and "Volt", "No Signs of Life" calming the ball down to an extent with a more measured trot, and "Hollow Man" embracing a few doom-laden strokes for a militant Bolt Thrower-like journey.

Rise of the Skeleton Army Full-length, 2021
The Madness of Dr. Ludvig Von Brainmatter Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEAD ASYLUM (CANADA)

The debut: this Canadian outfit indulge in a modern mix of thrash and death metal with progressive undercurrents. The speed doesn't cross any sound barriers except on a few isolated sections ("Hate Evolution") where the guys tear it loose for a while with a portion of wild blast-beats. Such shortcomings aren't encountered too often, and the fan will enjoy the bridled aggression of pieces like "Machines" although the closing "Flames of Brutality" will try to engage you in a more careful listen with more serious formulas. The vocalist growls his way in a forceful but not very intelligible manner.
"Death Always Wins" has a more simplistic sound the overall approach now quite reminiscent of the Gothenburg school with virtuous melodies provided from all sides and several impetuous gallops ("Forgotten Sacrifice") disrupting the instilled idyll. "Bred to Die" is the other more aggressive disrupter giving the energetic boost this recording by all means needs, and something its predecessor was offering more readily.

General Carnage Full-Length, 2013
Death Always Wins Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DEAD AWAKEN (SWEDEN)

Based on the "The Noble Art Of Agitation" demo, this band pulls out brutal death metal with a few thrashy breaks inserted to take away some of the pressure. The sound is quite close to Morbid Angel, providing a couple of technical twists along the way as well as at least one more thrash-influenced number: "State Of Corrosion". Some of the band members also play in another act: Suffer, whose style is not dissimilar to the one displayed here.

Death Before Dishonour Demo, 2002
Instrument Of War Demo, 2003
..Tomorrow We Die.. Demo, 2004
Scar Graced Earth Demo, 2006
The Noble Art Of Agitation Demo, 2008

Official Site

DEAD BEAT (USA)

Two tracks of bashing, one dimensional mid-tempo thrash which is not very exciting trying to capture some of the magical atmosphere of early Celtic Frost, not very successfully, unfortunately despite the efforts put by the good expressive singer who is the only one coming close to their Swiss peers pulling out impressive forceful performance resembling indeed Tom G. Warrior sounding even more attached.

Sick Mind EP, 1992

My Space

DEAD BEFORE MOURNING (UK)

Based on the full-length, this band play pretty decent dark heavy retro speed/thrash the band covering a wider ground which also includes a couple of proto-doomsters ("Will We Ever Learn") amongst the impetuous galloping ("Black Sails") and the more intricately-woven Bay-Areasque pieces ("The Whip"). The latter side is also nicely reflected in the diverse Metallica-like roller-coaster "Blink" and the cool encompassing progressiver "Eye Spy" at the end which serves a fair range of moods and tempos. The singer is a valuable asset with his attached semi-clean/semi-shouty baritone, supervising the proceedings with authority. Some of the musicians were earlier active with another retro thrash formation, Enemy Unknown.

The Storm EP, 2015
Killing Time Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEAD BORN VISION (SWITZERLAND)

The "Reborn to Reign" EP: this is a side-project of two guys from the retro thrashers Braindead. Based on the "Reborn to Reign" EP, this act specialize in a brisk dynamic modern/classic thrash hybrid which even come served with a more dramatic deathly clout on the cool diverse "I See Dead People", the dark gothic-flavoured "Cut and Dried" a nice pulverizing thrasher as well, aptly utilizing the rough semi-declamatory deathly vocals a bit better.
The full-length serves modern quasi-groovy thrash/death which can be quite nervy and jumpy (“Don't Break Your Neck”), the thrashcore corrosiveness of “I Saw Them Die” bonding well with the thrashing intensity of “Religion”. Melody and seismicity come aptly blended on “Broken Life”, but watch out for the explosive shenanigans of “I Lose Control” and the melodious lyricisms of “Inside Your Head”, the latter the highlight ton this otherwise non-fussy bellicose slab which boasts curt mean semi-clean hardcore vocals.

Dead Born Vision EP, 2018
Reborn to Reign EP, 2022
Moving Through Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEAD CHILD (USA)

Based on the full-length, this band plays pretty decent power/thrash metal with a pounding, almost doomy guitar sound, mid-paced, with the obligatory nods to doom ("Twitch of the Death Nerve", "Rattlesnake Chalice", the heavy, Saint Vitus-influenced opus "The Coldest Hands"), but the more interesting side are the energetic power/thrashers ("Screaming Skull"). "Eye To The Brain" is a fairly interesting mixture of power, doom and thrash metal with even stylish semi-technical moments inserted. The end is disappointing, though, with "Angel of the Odd": an ordinary hard'n heavy track, and the even less impressive rock-ish closer "Wasp Riot".

Dead Child EP, 2007
Attack Full-length, 2008

Official Site

DEAD CHRIST CULT (UKRAINE)

Based on "Stigma", this band offers a potent blend of thrash and black metal which is often quite brutal, infused with hyper-blasts and other black metal gimmicks, but it will have its appeal to the thrash metal fan as well: there are quite a few thrashy riffs thrown in, although the full-fledged thrashers aren't too many: the epic mid-period Bathory worship "Hristos. Izrekayushchiy Nechistoty", the atmospheric black/thrasher "Golgofa. Put' Naverh", and the two short, but very cool intense outro/intros.

When It Begins to Remain Full-length, 2004
In Hell... Through Pain... And Death Split, 2005
Christdeath Full-length, 2005
Stigma Full-length, 2005

Official Site

DEAD CLAW (JAPAN)

A strange (after all they come from Japan: the land of eclecticism and avantgardism) obscure act who play an unusual mixture of power, thrash and crossover. The music is mid-tempo for most of the time supported by very good bass work. The riffs are jumpy and quite heavy at times speeding up on a couple of songs ("Ride The Guns", "After Mission", "Ashes to Ashes", which is a very cool speed/thrasher), recalling Exciter and the Germans Warrant. These numbers, however, are compensated by the rest which is mid-paced at best moving from one mood to another, creating a hallucinogenic effect without being technical, especially on the progressive closer "The Lone Horseman" which offers numerous gimmicks including sleepy dreamy interludes and the obligatory speed metal inclusions. This is by no means easy to swallow music, and at first listen it will not make much sense, but those who prefer to dig deeper with patience will surely find something to like.

Bombed and Blasted Full-length, 1990

Official Site

DEAD CLOWN INC. (GERMANY)

Laid-back thrash/death metal with melodic guitars, but quite fast at times as well, crossing awful death metal vocals with much better, but totally inappropriate, gothic female ones. There are couple of semi-technical ideas to be felt, but they hardly elevate this effort above the average for the style.

Clown Connected Demo, 2009

Official Site

DEAD CONSPIRACY (USA)

Based on the first demo, this band is one of the earliest entries in the death metal genre. The music is a mix between thrash and death, but surprisingly stays closer to death metal which puts it right next to Death's debut as the first genuine death metal releases. This is brutal and frequently very fast stuff including some of the first blast-beats ever used in metal which also boasts the first real "duel" between two extreme vocal styles: the prototypical low growling death metal vocals, and the higher-pitched snarls, more along the black metal "ravens", but equally as effective. With this very first demo this band had made major claims for a place in the death metal pantheon. Some of the band members are still active at present with the death/thrash/black metal formation Deathsaw.
The EP is a brutal concoction of thrash, death and black metal trying to give its fair share to all genres, but thrash seems to have been left behind its presence gracing the shorter material, like the intense rager "1971", or the abrasive Slaughter-esque ripper "Cessations". The second half of this effort consists of shorter faster pieces with a much worse sound quality; could have been a revision of some of their past works.
The self-titled is another piece of brutality with a more stripped-down hardcore flavour which branches out into less bridled grindcore even ("In the Wake of the Butcher") at times. Expect no sophistication whatsoever the incessant speedy crescendos exhausting the listener who may find some time to restore his breath on longer thrash/deathster "Antietam-Vultures Feeding" which reduces the speed considerably at times before the "carnage" continues on full-throttle a few notes later.

Demo #1 Demo, 1987
Demo #2 Demo, 1988
Demo #3 Demo, 1988
Gore Drenched Legacy Best of/Compilation, 2006
Abomination Underground EP, 2013
Abomination Underground Full-length, 2014
Dead Conspiracy Full-length, 2016

Official Site

DEAD COWBOY'S SLUTS (FRANCE)

The debut: the interesting band name doesn't presuppose any interesting music, though: this is dynamic post-thrash with more memorable riffage in the end mostly due to the the guys' good sense of technicality ("Lusk") which disappears on the longer material ("Must Be Broken") where the sound starts dragging a bit. The listener's attention would inevitably falter due to the album's length (14 tracks) especially in the second half where the speed gets lost the band grooving with not much emotion imitating the Metallica modern experimentations from the mid/late-90's.
"Obedience" is much more interesting opus with hard thrashing riffs nailing the listener from the get-go, and even the more laid-back tracks ("The Bitter Taste of Sin") carry a sense of menace. "Oak Trail" is a ripping Slayer-esque rager matched later by the title-track in the middle. The second half isn't as intense the band settling for a steam-rolling mid-tempo again recalling Slayer on the morose dark "Haunted" at the end.

The Hand of Death Full-Length, 2012
Obedience Full-Length,2016

Official Site

DEAD CROSS (USA)

This is a collaboration between two metal lumnaries: Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo. The debut is chaotic industrialized thrashcore the band generally sticking to the speedy execution seldom offering something more coherent (the friendly crossover hymn "Shillelagh"). "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a cool morose doom cut, and the final "Church of the Motherfuckers" is an interesting psychotic cut with numerous influences showing up reminiscent of early Strapping Young Lad.
The laconically-titled "II" opus is a decidedly more eclectic affair, the wild weird shredder "Love Without Love" already on the overtly apocalyptic side, the creepy quasi-industrial wonder "Animal Espionage" another offbeat decision, the frivolous hardcore-prone "Heart Reformer" lifting the spirit, its chaotic headbanging proclivities gleefully shared by the hectic hysterical "Strong and Wrong", the eccentric punker "Ants and Dragons" also working relatively well, contrasting with the straight-ahead bash on "Nightclub Canary" and the brief maddening breezer "Reign Of Error".

Dead Cross Full-Length, 2017
II Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEAD EARTH (USA)

Based on "From the Ruins", this act serve modern thrashcore that has its more lyrical melodic side ("Monster", "Discharge"), but the bulk of the album are relatively intense moshing cuts ("Hatred Is My Enemy", "Evolution of Evil"), the confrontational shouty vocals supporting the energetic cause, the latter partially lost on the meeker ballad/doom hybrid closer "Burn With Me". Some of the musicians are also engaged with the melo-deathsters 72 Legions.

Pollution EP, 2018
Truth Hammer Full-length, 2019
All Hail the Dark EP, 2021
From the Ruins Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEAD EARTH POLITICS (USA)

The full-length reveals a band playing groovy sludgy post-thrash not miles away from Acid Bath with heavy pounding guitars and several more dynamic up-tempo moments. The riffs are more on the melodic side, and as a whole the album is full of catchy memorable tunes with an epic shade which retouch the sharpness, but give this effort a characteristic individual spirit. The main singer is a gruff death metal grunter, but there is the inclusion of nice melodic vocals in a way again similar to Acid Bath, and those inclusions should have been more.

Mark the Resistance EP, 2008
The Weight of Poseidon Full-length, 2010

My Space

DEAD END (SWEDEN)

Based on the "Infinite" demo, these guys offer pure classic thrash entertainment to those who were not very happy with the "turn of the screw" in the 90's. This is aggressive music with a slight death metal edge, reminiscent of Torture's "Storm Alert" and Devastation's "Idolatry", with vocals sounding like a more vicious version of James Hetfield at times.
The debut demo is whole eight tracks long sticking to edgy dark riffs not far from Infernal Majesty the ominous quality of the effort strengthened by the forceful semi-death metal vocals. This is pretty good music, albeit not as aggressive as the one on the subsequent demo, the guys changing tempos at will without messing it up inserting the odd instrumental acoustic break. "The Art Of Dying" is an intense proto-deathster, but on the other material there's a cool alternation between several tempos which are surrounded by fine lead guitar work. The closing "The Edge" is a dramatic headbanger which echoes the Bay-Area movement with its Forbidden-esque gallops and an all-guns-blazing delivery. Alas, it was too late to try to keep the dying 80's movement alive, and the band folded quickly seeing the futility of their cause.

2 Minute Warning Demo, 1991
Infinite Demo, 1992

DEAD END FUTURE (GERMANY)

This is "surgical" semi-technical modern thrash which relies on both speed and more quiet atmospheric moments. The resultant blend is a bit uneven the guys inserting quite a few gimmicks throughout including descends to post-thrash and hardcore which start to dominate in the 2nd half reducing the dynamics turning this effort into a cavalcade of various rhythmic patterns accumulated without making much sense. The singer is not anything special, either, with his brutal low-tuned semi-shouty tone who at least makes himself heard clearly for most of the time. Some of the musicians take part in the death metal/grindcore formation Divine Noise Attack.

Surgical Delusion Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEAD EVIL (POLAND)

Raw old school thrash with a bad sound quality and evil semi-death metal vocals which surprisingly unleash the odd melodic pitch. The guitars adhere to melodic hooks quite a bit, and as a whole the sound is mellow and soft, mostly mid-tempo. Some of the guys later continued their career in the death/thrashers Sacriversum.

Visions of Death Demo, 1991

DEAD GARDEN CULT (CROATIA)

Based on the Live, this act pulls out competent retro power/thrash metal with an American flavour well expressed on the galloping complex opener "The Plan of Faith" which later on becomes both calmer and faster in a nice Bay-Area fashion. "Four" is straight-ahead headbanging thrash, and "Anticipation" is not far behind despite the several more technical vortex riffs. "The Hive" is an ambitious progressive opus which acquires more modern tendencies, and slows down with heavy steam-roller guitars. "Honor Thy Vulture" is a bit edgier and faster, but the final "This Dawn/Am I Evil" hits the top with the wide amalgam of riffs and tempos blasting in a vicious proto-death manner at some point, too. The vocalist is quite a versatile story as well, his main style being deep semi-clean, but he adds death metal growls at times, and a certain alternative pitch can also be heard here and there.

Obsidian EP, 2009
Live in a Dead System Live, 2010

My Space

DEAD HEAD (HOLLAND)

A representative of the more brutal side of the Dutch thrash metal scene; except on "Dream Deceiver", a more polished and refined effort (and their best so far), the band plays very aggressive thrash/death metal of the classic variety which has acquired modern tendencies on later works. The vocals on the debut are one of the most vicious, tortured ones you might ever come across, more on the black metal side- think a more brutal variation of Patrick Ranieri (Hellwitch); the music there also tries to follow that same band's patterns, but the guitar work is more simplistic, and most of the time the sound is just brutal bashing. One would be surprised to find that these are the same musicians who took part in the technical death metal masters Lethargy (some of them).
"Dream Deceiver" features a heavier and tighter guitar sound with genuine technical sections, and better mid-ranged death metal vocals. The aggressive approach hasn't been abandoned, but here it produces much better, and listenable results: "House of Ambiance", "Repulsive Emission". On the best moments the guys come close to Pestilence and Death: "Unholy", "Dream Deceiver"- tracks full of energy, technicality and great leads. The slower, heavier side of the band's style is also quite good and technical: "I or the Needle", "Dying Angels".
Whether the band would continue into a more progressive and abstract direction, the way Pestilence did on "Spheres", remained to be seen, but the fans had to wait for 6 long years in order to hear something new from their camp. "Kill Division" would be a disappointment to those who expected something more technical in the spirit of the predecessor. This is a direct, aggressive attack, very similar to the debut, with even shorter songs, and more straight-in-your-face delivery. Stylish guitar riffs could be heard occasionally ("Sprayed into Oblivion", "Where Silence Dwells", which slow down, and are really intriguing). The vocals take a more hysterical, vicious turn, which sound appropriate, except on the last song: a cover version of Saxon's "Heavy Metal Thunder".
Another long break followed (these guys like to take it easy), before "Haatland" was released. The sound is more modern, but the music is more controlled and not as fast, compared to the previous offering, and is way better. It's the faster tracks, as a matter of fact, which sound more appealing: "Phantom Palace", "Supreme Forgery", "Dog God", and this is where the guitars have more edge and technicality. The rest is slower and heavier, and it sounds as though the guys are looking for a new face, which would hopefully be further polished on future efforts.
Wow, what a pleasant surprise: these guys never cease to startle the listener; "Depression Tank" is nothing like its predecessor; it shreds in an awesome classic fashion, not as vicious and brutal as their early efforts, but not too far behind, and with great technical riffage, not omnipresent, but quite a stylish insertion, when it comes around. Otherwise this is aggressive retro thrash, quite fast, sounding closer to Invocator's "Excursion Demise", rather than their earlier output, reaching even further on the more inspired technical moments: the speedy technical shredders "Daemonique" and "Less Than Zero". The lead guitar work is much better than before (check out "Firegate"), and shattering speed monsters like "Hateland" and "Green Angel" will break your neck. "Nero Dies" is the only slow track with steam-rolling heavy pounding rhythms, and although being a worthy number, gets buried amidst the sea of raging uproaring super-fast riffs. This is by all means a great return for the band to the field, and a main pretender for the thrash metal crown of 2009.
The "Dog God" EP is a frenetic affair the guys thrashing with all the vigour and force they can muster with great melodies also provided on the title-track. "Total Eclipse" is an Iron Maiden cover breaking the aggressive mode with its friendlier rhythms, and "Identity" follows a similar path with more relaxed crossover-ish decisions.
"Swine Plague": the band are back after a lengthy 8-year hiatus, but they haven't forgotten how to bang the heads of the fans as the opening burster "Helhuizen" shows so well. There's no slouching later as nearly every track is shot with the utmost intensity "13 Close" providing more moderate galloping decisions alongside more technical riff-patterns. "The Day Of The Devil" is another heads-down mosher, but "Spanish Horse" brings back the more stylish approach although two in a row there won't be here as "The Gates Beyond" bashes with no mercy reaching deathly parametres. "The Battle Of Europe" finishes this hyper-active effort with aplomb adding nice melodic tunes to the intense shreds, marking the return of this Dutch powerhouse who should remind of themselves on more regular intervals.
"Slave Driver" is another hyper-active slab, the guys moshing with glee, unleashing vigorous lashers like "Acolyte" and the short explosive "Frequency Illusion", the more academic, more ambitious layout of "Grim Side Valley" later matched by the semi-technical shredder "Drawn into the Wire" and the more nuanced quasi-progressive trip "Grooves of Envy". "Parabellum" is another highlight, a maddening number with a few more intriguing developments; and the closing "Horrors of Hades" is a polished but riveting piece of aggression, a lofty way to finalize this fairly cool recording.
The “Shadow Soul” EP is another blistering blitzkrieg display of retro thrash asskickery, the band storming with menace, mixing note-worthy technicallers (“Serpents of Fame”) with slow-burning creepers (“Caverns of Fate”) and mortifying headbangers (“The Age of Hype”), the hyper-active representation “Opulent Disruption” nicely exemplifying the guys’ penchant for musical rowdiness.

The Feast Begins at Dawn Full-length, 1991
Dream Deceiver Full-length, 1993
Kill Division Full-length, 1999
Dog God EP, 2004
Haatland Full-length, 2005
Depression Tank Full-Length, 2009
Swine Plague Full-Length, 2017
Slave Driver Full-length, 2022
Shadow Soul EP, 2024

Official Site

DEAD HEAD (RUSSIA)

A two-member band who play quite good technical/progressive thrash along the lines of Megadeth, and Annihilator (their early, better period). The faster songs are more Annihilator-influenced ("Dead Head") whereas the slower ones are vintage Megadeth, helped by the good Dave Mustaine-styled vocals. The guitar work is superb, and the guys play effortlessly, switching from more straight-forward sections to striking swirling technical ones. There's one moment where the band drops the ball, though, again in a Megadeth manner: the unconvincing groovy number "Monster's Mind" which might remind you of Megadeth's "Use the Man" from "Cryptic Writings". The peaceful ballad "Time To Go Away" sounds a bit misplaced, maybe, as well. At the end there's a tribute to their idols: a nice faithful cover version of "Hangar 18".

Regressive by Default full-length, 2006

Official Site

DEAD HEAT (USA)

The debut: brisk energetic old school thrash/crossover which comes served with a more stylish (the semi-technical "To the Core") sting, but rest assured that shorter, near-hardcore listening experiences ("Prisoner of Mind") are also timely provided on top of a few effective steam-rolling stompers ("The End Incomplete"). The vocals are shouty intense not far from the ones of Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.) the man falling in the less expressive, semi-declamatory traps at times.
"World at War" is not far style-wise from its predecessor, the inspired mosher "Subterfuge" leading the show which also tolerates a couple of more laid-back modern-ish walkabouts ("2 Cents"), the backbone of the album provided by the furious title-track and the vigorous headbanger "How It Goes". "Age of DH" is a cool more varied, more technical proposition, and "Deathwish" is another more serious thrasher with a stomping bass bottom.

Certain Death Full-length, 2019
World at War Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEAD HORSE (USA)

Based on the debut, this band is one of the first to jump the death metal wagon in the late 80's. The music is still more of a thrash/death mix influenced by Dark Angel's "Darkness Descends" and Slayer's "Reign in Blood". The tracks are short brutal electric shocks which might startle those not prepared to hear this, especially coming from a not very known band. Expect overt grindcore leanings ("Murder Song", "Crushing of the Irate", "Piece of Veal") the relentless bashing occasionally dispersed by non-brutal digressions like the choppy rock-ish "Bewah" and the hardcore-ish march "World War Whatever". The steady hardcore vocalist sounds assured and menacing in equal dozes, fitting the hyper-active veneer of this no-bars-held eye-gouging offering that gleefully reminds of Cryptic Slaughter's mythical debut in more ways than one.
"Peaceful Death and Pretty Flowers" justifies its pretty title with a much more restrained barrage compared to the first instalment, the band now experimenting more, inserting disputable rocky tunes ("Turn") and plain slouching on awkward unfocused fillers like "La La Song" and the bluesy boredom "Like Asrielle". "The Latent Stage" recalls the mitigated brutality of the debut with aggressive unpolished riffs, but this is all too flippantly performed, also featuring sprawling doom epics ("Peaceful Death", "Snowdogs"), semi-technical Prong-esque chuggers ("Eulogy"), and playful punk tunes ("Rock Lobster").
"The Beast That Comes": the "beasts", or rather "horses", are back but the mild rocker "How We Rot" which opens the album, will hardly impress anyone. However, come s"So I Die", and the thrash/death amalgam comes back to an extent the guys mixing it up later with doomy hymns ("Gifts of Eden", the title-track), punky roller-coasters ("Beat on the Brat"), and a few surprising displays of more technical dexterity ("Horsecore"). All over the place the band are at this returning stage, but they will surely find the right way to win back the hearts of the fans.

Horsecore: An Unrelated Story That's Time Consuming Full-length, 1989
Peaceful Death and Pretty Flowers Full-length, 1991
Boil(ing) EP, 1996
Loaded Gun EP, 2013
The Beast That Comes Full-length, 2017

My Space

DEAD ICARUS (USA)

Modern thrash that wants your soul from the get-go with fast hyper-active riffs (“The Unconquerable”) initially, before heavy thick rhythms (“Zealot”) come sneaking in, the squashing seismic rhythms of “1 Million Days” contrasting with the cool clean emotional vocals. Brace yourselves for the deathly extrapolator “Casting Spells” and the hectic technical shredder “Vade Retro Satana”, which also produces a poignant memorable chorus.

Ad Infernum EP, 2024
Zealot Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEAD IDEAS (SERBIA)

The demos show a band who play thrash/crossover along the lines of early Rumble Militia, mixed with a more modern sound ala Biohazard. The music is cool and energetic at times, but shades from the 90's scene are quite frequent as well, widening the band's appeal, although their more aggressive side is by all means the better one.
The "Rejection" EP carries on in the same vein, this time also courting mid-period Pro-Pain, as well as the doomy scene with the pounding "Question of Trust".

Welcome To The Abyss EP, 1991
Promo Demo, 1992
Where To? Demo, 1993
Rejection EP, 1994

DEAD IMAGE (USA)

This is sludgy doom metal spiced with faster post-thrash moments coming as a less monolithic EyeHateGod; it works better as a slab of doom, though, with the nods to thrash coming with a strong abrasive hardcore edge ("Goodnight Forever"), further noise created by the throaty semi-shouty vocals ala Jan-Chris De Koeijer (Gorefest).

The Most Bass Demo, 2006

DEAD IS HE (USA)

"Amidst the chaos" arrives this band who specialize in rough modern post-thrash with a thick, crusty sound. There's nothing bad with this kind of approach; it's only that there are no fast-paced temptations to be encountered except for "Crucible of Conflict" which is a death metal-oriented brutalizer, and majorly livens up the situation. The vocalist is a very brutal growling death metaller who makes a real effort to be more clearly heard.

Amidst the Chaos Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

DEAD LESLIE (USA)

This trio indulge in modern post-thrash/hardcore which can be both optimistic and uplifting ("Vigilante") and bouncy and squashing ("We're Fucked"). The shouty semi-death metal vocals accommodate most of the stylistic swings, including the galloping near-thrasher "Call to Arms".

Dead Leslie EP, 2020

Official Site

DEAD MAN'S HAND (NORWAY)

The debut: cool energetic thrash metal of the modern The Haunted school, with the vocal "duel" being more death metal-influenced; no complaints, since the guys spare no speed, although the approach is a bit samey, with all the tracks developing in up-tempo, few of them longer than 3-min, one of them being a nice atmospheric mid-paced thrasher: "The Last Stand", the other one (the closer "The Combination") a nice attempt at a more technical play, also boasting a very heavy doom ending.

The Combination Full-length, 2009

Official Site

DEAD MAN'S WALK (HOLLAND)

Based on the full-length, this act provide lashing old school thrash supported by threatening guttural death metal vocals. The approach crosses the border towards death metal ("Inner Remains") at times, and there's also an added technical sting to the proceedings in the form of the patiently pounding "Stay in the Game", the closing "Flight to Eternity" losing the aggression somewhere although melo-death plays a significant role on it. Some of the musicians also play in the power metal formation Septuagint.

Life Denied EP, 2014
Below Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEAD NEXUS (USA)

Based on "Unfathomable", this outfit indulge in a moderately complex modern thrash/death metal hybrid which gains inertia thanks to fast brisk cuts like "Final Grain", and especially the blasting hyper-speedster "Dyson Swarm", but there's a more technical side to the show expressed through the stylish shredder "Parasites Feed" and the hectic headbanger "Rite of Awakening". The vocalist is an intense, not very shouty deathster who gets lost at times in the entangled musical proceedings.
"Becoming the Ancients" offers a more potent, more complex mixture, the band trying something more intricate on the excellent opening variegater "Arbiter of Fate", the short pulverizer "Curse The Cosmos" turning the tables towards pure death metal, where the delivery stays for a bit, but the technical expletives on "Discarded Skin" retain the intrigue, the latter even going higher up on the twisting shredder "Oath Breaker". The dramatic mazer "Eternity's Reign" will remind of the early At the Gates' multifarious entanglements, and remains the highlight on this fairly entertaining offering which also reaches admirable progressive death metal heights on the closing title-track saga.

Death's Arrival Full-length, 2015
Unfathomable Full-length, 2018
Becoming the Ancients Ful-Length, 2022

Official Site

DEAD ON (USA)

The full-length: good melodic thrash metal in the same vein as Meliah Rage and early Megadeth; the music nicely switches from speedy tracks to heavier, more technical ones. The second half of the album isn't as hard-hitting and is slower including more melodic power metal numbers: "Full Moon", "Merry Ship"; the headbanging atmosphere of the first half is finely captured with the album closer "Dead On" which is the fastest and arguably the best song on the album.
The EP is a nice continuation of the full-length, and is even better; it features four songs of stylish sophisticated technical thrash metal which ranges from more complex choppy ("One For You", and especially the masterpiece "Lost at Sea") to faster more accessible ("Every Day on Earth", and the jolly thrash/crossover delight "Do What You Want", which is still quite technical) ones. A very good, although untimely, ending of the band's career, full with great genuine technical guitars and fine more intense passages.

Dead On Full-length, 1989
All Four You EP, 1991

My Space

DEAD ORCHESTRA (USA)

Another "diamond" from the underground; this band's debut takes the aggression unleashed by Slayer's "Reign in Blood", Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains" and Merciless' debut even further without leaving the confines of thrash metal. Of course, the obligatory proto-death parts are here, and there's a certain presence of crossover aesthetics. This is extreme aggression all the way through with not a single pause for a break. What distinguishes these guys from the listed above bands is that here you will come across genuine technical breaks as well as a very high quality lead guitar work: "Looking for the Answer" is a typical example of the more technical side of the band where shades of early Coroner could also be heard.
"Sounds Like Time Tastes" is a more controlled assault with the aggression toned down for the sake of the technical guitar work which this time takes the upper hand (the leads remain of the same high level, if not even higher), and the crossover elements. As a result we have another very good album crossing technical thrash/death metal with crossover. This time the guys have even found time for two nice joke songs: "Praise, Hell, Fun" and "Cosmic Dinosaur".

It's always been interesting to me when a band chooses to have a self-titled album at a later stage from their career: a sign for a new direction taken? Well, this is exactly the case with Dead Orchestra: the guys resisted to the modern trends quite well in the beginning, but 7 years later they have apparently grown "wiser", and what we have here this time is pure 90's post-thrash with all the groove and disparate clean/rough vocal duels; the musicianship has degenerated considerably, and this is nothing more than an unimpressive blend of Machine Head (their mid, very weak, period) and Biohazard; spare yourselves the listen if you want to continue liking this band...
"Sounds Like Time Tastes" is actually the first sign of transition in the band's career; this is abrasive radio-friendly post-thrash wit alternative overtones, a cross of Helmet and Biohazard which lacks verve and energy. This is a leisurely executed, blase recording which has absolutely nothing to do with the guys' earlier, much much more exciting, exploits.

Global Lobotomy Full-length, 1992
Sounds Like Time Tastes Full-length, 1993
Dead Orchestra Full-length, 2000

My Space

DEAD PHARISEES (USA)

This is rough corrosive modern thrashcore which can be quite bashing and violent (“Scream”) at times, but largely expect diverse pounding tunes (“Party in Hell”) spiced with the more brutal sniff of proto-death vigour (“Knock Me on My Face”). Pay attention to the intriguing spacey saga ‘Mummified Priests”, the gruff semi-declamatory hardcore vocalist somewhat failing to capture all the nuances within it but compensates with bile and spite to spare on the seismic steam-roller “Suicide”.

Mummified Priest Full-length, 1998

Official Site

DEAD POWER (RUSSIA)

Based on the two demos, this band play classic speed/proto-thrash metal moulded after the early examples from the German scene (Helloween, Warrant, Vectom). The guys execute simplistic fast-paced hymns which are memorable and even sing-along-prone at times despite the vocalist's rough low-tuned deathly delivery which is the worst possible choice for such uplifting music. Nevermind, the guys compensate with rousing, "eagle fly free" rhythms which are totally devoid of the cheese that had permeated the works of the 90's power/speed metal movement representatives from around the same time. The sound quality on both efforts is quite muddy, but the energetic approach overcomes this obstacle. Later the guys formed a new act, Volkssturm, this formation's style more strongly oriented towards thrash metal.

Lights on Graves Demo, 1991
Alien World Demo, 1992
Dead Will Never Dies Full-length, 1995

DEAD REVELATOR (USA)

This act pull out rough crunchy post-thrash which jumps in a groovy mid-pace not far from mid-period Pantera, the shouty aggro-vocals another painfully familiar appendage. The album quickly loses its initial edge and moves down to stoner, blues and ballads all mixed together, and a general approach quite close to Monster Magnet.

Concrete Law Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEAD SAMARITAN (FINLAND)

These Finnish "dead samaritans", who have one female samaritan (the name Valendis Suomalainen) among them, provide capable old school thrash with references to Holy Moses, of course, the girl trying her best to sound vicious and spiteful with a dark death metal timbre. Music-wise this is not exactly "Finished with the Dogs", but cuts like the galloping "Laid to Waste" and "DB 13", and the short splatterer "Royally Fucked" will keep anyone pleased. There is a lot of tasteful melody incorporated especially on the slower numbers ("Hell If I Care") which are not that many, but manage to alleviate the "pain". "River Runs Red" is a sweeping speedster with very good leads, and "In the Shadows of the Mind" hits the other opposite being a somber doomster which is superseded by the cool thrashing closer "Welcome to the Death Zone", a fitting way to finish this cool tribute to the retro canons. The musicians are also involved in other projects: the death metallers Standard Issue Death, and were previously known as The Beauty of Dying where the style was more on the death metal side.
Sing "the devil tunes" with "The Devil Tunes" which are embedded in short compact tracks and hard-hitting, generally fast-paced, riffs which are aptly assisted by venomous serpentine vocals hissed with a witch-like, macabre determination. The guitar work leaves room for more melodic deviations: the cool more elaborate "The Madman's Portrait" which provides stunning lead sections. In the second half the music becomes more dynamic and headbangable led by the Destruction-esque "Darkness Brings the Beast" and finished by the closer "Last Man Wears the Crown" which pounds forward in a clever semi-technical manner also delivering a few imposing atmospheric passages. This is a fairly good work which sees an act able to combine the aggressive nature of the genre with surprising laid-back atmospherics (remember Fear of God).

From Rust to Dust Full-Length, 2013
The Devil Tunes Full-length, 2014

Official Site

DEAD SCHIZO (ITALY)

A band formed by two members of the cult death/thrashers Schizo, who left the band after the ground-breaking debut's release. The style is comparable to the one of the main act, but is more elaborate and technical, the title-track going through quite a few twists and turns, violating its main brutal frame at will. "Fanatical" is only a tad more temperate, trying a few mellower things for a while, but the hyper-active bash can't be stifled, the latter also occupying more than half the time on "Agonizing Society", another less ordinary headbanger. The vocals are in the shouty near-rending death/black camp, contributing to the sizzling atmosphere stirred by the musical fervor.

Psychosyndrome Demo, 1996

Youtube

DEAD SEASON (FRANCE)

The debut: this is well-constructed modern thrash of the technical kind. The guys shred with mechanics and sterility, but the more melodic licks hang in the air dissipating the futuristic atmosphere which comes quite close to the "hectic patterns" of the French death metallers Hectic Patterns from where the band have borrowed two musicians who pair here with members of the symphonic black metal brigade Ufych Sormeer. The leads are particularly great and rule over the clever, but hardly striking riffage which becomes more and more standard with each passing song losing the intriguing beginning which promised a delight not far from Altered Aeon and mid-period Darkane. Next time...
The "Dusting The Rust" EP is a moderately cool follow-up with long complex compositions some of them on the dragging, overdone side ("An Inner Battle"), others on the spacey progressive ("Indigestible Mash") one. Regardless of the approach the music still lacks the needed sparkle to make it great, and although "The Whore Who Pays You" tries to make up with a solid portion of swirling technical riffs, this effort is just another decent one which hints at the unrealised potential.
"Prophecies" is the next in line modern thrash saga which this time comes with more officiant atmosphere ("Blood Links Alienation"), and actually hits the mark on the more aggressive material ("Homogenetic", the varied melo-thrasher "Guidestones"). "The Four Minutes of Hate" is a brilliant progressive instrumental with great spacey accumulations, the undisputed highlight here; and "Sexual Binging" is a curious mechanical headbanger with a nice memorable chorus. The 2-part "The Dissident" saga at the end is also worth mentioning with its dramatic build-ups and the attached vocal performance.

From Rust to Dust Full-Length, 2013
Dusting The Rust EP, 2014
Blackening the Shadows EP, 2014
Prophecies Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DEAD SENTRY (CANADA)

This band play classic Overkill-esque thrash which sides with the American veterans with the very characteristic Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth-esqu vocals. This is generally brisk dynamic stuff with the dominant mid-tempo definitely more on the heightened side, with the galloping "Where Next to Kill?" raising the adrenalin high, with the interesting semi-technical speed metal delight "The Body and the Brain" and the dramatic proto-deathster "Inhuman Perfection" following in close pursuit. Some of the musicians also play with the death metal formation Occisor.

Dead Sentry Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEAD SERIOUS (BELGIUM)

This band deliver intense raucous thrash/crossover with harsh semi-death vocals. Aggressive stuff as a whole, the title-track also decorated with a hefty doze of hardcore, the humorous stance of "What the Duck Is Going On" served with a more laid-back mid-tempo veneer in the first half. The steady heavy mid-paced march of "Donald and Daisy" is another convincing decision, as well as the similarly-styled but marginally livelier "Tourists in My Neighbourhood", before the band embark on a more brutal journey with "Daddy Goes to Disneyland" and "Beerdrinkers", the funky playful "The Look" a cool deviation. Watch out for the really cool semi-technical energizer "Beware of Ducks", and for the playful hyper-active roller-coaster "Stagedive to Heaven", two more cool additions to this enjoyable retro thrashing fare. Earlier some of the musicians were in the speed metal acts Trial and Explorer, and currently are jamming with the doom metal heroes Cult of Scarecrow.

It's a Nice Day Full-length, 1991

DEAD SHAPE FIGURE (FINLAND)

It's amazing how many quality thrash metal bands the Finnish metal scene hides from the eyes of the world. This band is one of the reasons why one has to dig deeper there to find more gems like this: good classic/modern thrash (based on the debut EP) with slight touches of power metal and quite a few genuine technical licks. Some improvements in the vocal department could be made, though: these hardcore-ish shouts don't fit the music very well.
"The Disease Of St. Vitus" doesn't sound as appealing; it can actually be considered quite a disappointment; apparently on a longer record the guys run out of ideas to keep things floating. The style is decidedly modern, and the fast numbers aren't many at all now, the approach being heavy not far from the 90's post-thrash patterns on the lesser moments which are quite a few; needless to say, technicality is out of the question. The singer leaves an even more negative impression shouting more harshly adding a more brutal death metal note to his already forced artificial delivery.
"The Grand Karoshi" fulfills the promises from the EP thrashing with force, but when the guys slow down ("Bend The Weak") they end up sounding even better, semi-technical and a tad more melodic. The dry clinical sound of the guitars may mislead the listener that the band are fonder of the modern trends, but this is classic thrash metal almost all the way, except for the more mechanical delivery on the aggressive proto-deathsters "Fight Against, Lie Behalf" and "6 x 9". Watch out for the short "bomb" "Blithering Icon": fast ripping thrash to the bone with a raging blasting exit. The closing "Perinde Ac Cadaver" is an entertainment of a different kind: a progressive epic thrasher with orchestral choruses, doomy shades (check out the brilliant doom outro), and crushing riffs; a stylish deviation showing that the guys are ready to spread their wings wider at some point in the future without losing their ferocity (skip the disappointing follow-up).
"Opus Victoria" is another embarrassment, a totally unnecessary piece of music with post-thrash and grunge leading the pack producing something which only distantly touches any thrashy patterns: "Epimenides" with is sterile up-tempo sections may make one move around for a bit, but the rest is too shameful to be written about. Don't "open Victoria"; trust me- you'll be quite disappointed... some things are better left unopened.
"Cacoethes": anything after the embarrassing predecessor would be a better proposition, and indeed this new opus is such one the band concentrating on the more epic, more melodic side of the spectre although there are a couple of belligerent rowdy thrashers ("Switchblade Storm") to stir the blood, with the prevalent mood being a heavy atmospheric one as exemplified by the heavy melancholic rocker "Liberticide" and the catchy nod to mid-period Sentenced "For the Sullen Souls".

Tomorrow Changes Nothing EP, 2004
The Grand Karoshi Full-length, 2008
The Disease Of St. Vitus Full-length, 2010
DeVille Ride EP, 2011
Opus Victoria Full-length, 2013
Cacoethes Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEAD SILENCE (MEXICO)

Based on the 1993 demo, these Mexicans provide intense devil-ish retro thrash with husky blacky raven-like vocals. The approach is on the fast energetic side, think Darkness, early Deathrow, and Exumer the guys lashing fiery riffs to no end the more serious delivery left for "King Of Terror", a dark brooding thrasher with more appetizing semi-technical decisions.

Demo Demo, 1993
Demo Demo, 1996

DEAD SILENT (PORTUGAL)

This band serve intense modern thrash/death with numerous melodic leanings the latter siding them with the Gothenburg fraternity quite often for this recording to be a truly original listen. The band don't play on full-throttle speed the whole time, and even some merry crossover cuts like "My Scapegoat" can be come across. "Colossal Pain" is an excellent technical death metal brutalizer, but highlights of the kind are a rarity the other more stylish offering being "A Song for Victory" near the end. The singer shouts in the expected more attached deathy fashion and invariably suits the melo-thrash/death melee.

The Island Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

DEAD SLEEP (SWEDEN)

Based on the full-length, this act indulge in fast energetic old school thrash/crossover assisted by interesting characteristic punkish vocals. The guys slow down on occasion ("Into the Grave"), but it's wayward gallopers like "Aleppo" and "Sleepwalkers", and unpretentious Tankard-esque speedsters like "Rage" and "Hatchet Eye" that propel the album forward effortlessly and without too much complex ado.
"Naked Tyrant" comes with a more abrasive sound, but the approach is strictly retro once again with hyper-active rippers like "Wages of War" and "Mammon Wolves" dictating the plot, the more officiant stomps on "Aedes Parasitus" the only genuinely respiteful moment. Watch out for the brutal deathly extremities on the aptly-titled "Death from Above", and for the short hardcore outrage "Slaying a Corpse".

Dead Sleep EP, 2016
In the Belly of the Beast Full-length, 2018
Naked Tyrant Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEAD SOUL (ITALY)

Modern thrash played with energy and vigour the guys shredding with competence, but without much soul and heart so the recording has a somewhat mechanical feel to it. Some groove inevitably sneaks in, but near the end the album picks steam pulling it out well on the closing longer material ("Grab the Sand") with more intriguing dynamic riffage. The singer is a hysterical shouter who is probably the weakest link in chain.

Planning Your Funeral Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEAD SUN HALO (GERMANY)

This is a new beginning for the ex-Accuser guitar player Renoctz who here shreds with passion producing progressively-flavoured modern thrash which isn't miles away from the sound of the reformed father band. The guys mix fast with slower riffs with the occasional more technical hook ("Drown in War") embedded , unleashing their creativity to the fullest on the closing progressiver "Ship Dementia" which is a bit overdone, but deserves kudos with its clever arrangements and especially the crushing stomping exit.

Crusade Against Myself EP, 2015

Official Site

DEAD TERRITORY (AUSTRIA)

This album is a classic mixture of thrash, black and a bit of death metal the blend having a characteristic epic feel. "Winter in Hell" is a heroic roller-coaster the speed/thrashing rhythms ably covered by the semi-shouty death metal throat. Elsewhere the delivery is more laid-back even touching the ballad ("Brutal happiness", nothing brutal here), and generally the guys aim at the more moderate, mid-paced side of the spectre with Amon Amarth coming to mind at times.

Mind of Damnation Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

DEAD TO RIGHTS (CANADA)

Based on the EP, this band plays modern groovy, very heavy, post-thrash with death metal vocals and heavy steam-rolling riffs; "Consumed by Hatred" nicely switches onto more dynamic headbanging thrash, but the groovy passages take over later on. The guys play more aggressive and more classic-sounding thrash/death metal with their other project Forever the Pain.

Blind Hate Full-length, 2006
Cursed EP, 2008

Official Site

DEAD TO THIS WORLD (NORWAY)

This band was founded by the famous Iscariah: the man who has taken part in numerous Norwegian black metal acts, and his good work has come to the attention of another cult figure: Killjoy, who recruited him for Necrophagia. This is excellent classic thrash with black metal vocals, steel riffs and great fast-paced, but never too brutal songs (except "Goatpower" and "To Free Death Upon Them", which introduce intense black metal sections). The overall style comes as a mixture of speedy German thrash (Kreator, above all) and heavy, slower parts in the vein of the Finns Barathrum. The album closer, on the other hand, is a total tribute to the Bathory's "Blood, Fire, Death" album, with an epic atmosphere and thrashy guitars, the highlight of this strong debut.
The "Sacrifice" EP is 5 songs of aggressive death/thrash/black metal which is rich on both atmosphere and energy. The intense thrash/black assault comes nicely interrupted by the diverse technical opus "Death Courageous" which comes with great shades of technical death. The deathly twists also spring up on the next "The Malefice", but the culmination here seems to be the closing "Altar of Mahakali" which introduces subdued doom moments with more melodic guitar decisions, resulting in an engaging opera lasting for 8.5-min. The musicianship is again top-notch all over with plenty of stylish sections scattered around. The vocals don't betray their vicious apocalyptic blacky vibe which in this case is the best possible "companion" to the very cool music.

First Strike for Spiritual Renewance Full-length, 2007
Sacrifice EP, 2011

My Space

DEAD TRAILS (UK)

These lads pull out dark brooding modern thrash which is more attractive when it's fast and raging (Lies", "Rvptvre"), but even the slower, pounding material ("Antimatter") isn't bad at all recalling the one of Grip Inc. excluding the harsh shouty death metal vocals. "Weak" is an attempt at a more serious progressive song-writing the latter also detected on a couple of other tracks towards the end.

Dead Trails Full-Length, 2017

DEAD TREE SEEDS (FRANCE)

Based on the sophomore, this band play ripping old school thrash that comes served with energy aplenty, a few more entangled pounders ("No Time to Complain") diversifying the hyper-active atmosphere, including the nice short lead-driven instrumental "The Way to Eternity". "Enemies of Rome" reaches loftier dimensions with its engaging semi-technical riffage, and "Shotdead" is a near 8-min long headbanging fest wrapping on the proceedings with style. The singer is a shouty semi-cleaner who participates prominently.
"Toxic Thoughts" stays the chosen course, the obligatory headbanging delivery reflected in "The Victor's Anthem" and "Dark Parts of History", the stomping title-track annihilated by the brutal deathly outbursts on "Juggernaut". The more meandering "Hyphen" compensating for the meeker laid-back approach on the unjustly-titled "Thrash Hymn". The progressive layout selected for "Compendium" is a sure win, a labyrinthine composition with several intense moshing passages, the latter also present on the closing "The Nameless Soldier", another less ordinary compendium with a few dramatic proto-death accumulations.

Seeds of Thrash Full-length, 2013
Push the Button Full-length, 2020
Toxic Thoughts Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEAD TROOPER (NORWAY)

Based on the second demo, this band lives up to the expectations raised by the bombastic title: very good classic thrash with a nice balance between heavy, crushing thrashers ("Mold of the Unspeakable") and raging Slayer-esque headbangers ("Bloodred and Strong"), plus the somewhat unnecessary exercises into brutal death metal: sections from "Creed of God". Apparently at that stage the guys have not clearly decided which path to follow, but the thrash metal one seems to suit them better.

The full-length is finally a fact, and "Cynicist" doesn't disappoint offering dynamic brisk thrash/death metal now more modern-sounding in a way not far from early The Haunted, and more melodic, which isn't a flaw since the hooks are catchy and memorable. There's a good balance between slower and faster songs although the former are by all means the downside some of them dragging a bit with repetitive heavy-handed riffage. Some of the band members are also involved with the modern thrashers Grimfist.
The "Sickening" EP is just two new tracks of not very impressive modern thrash/death metal the first one ("Sickening Serenity") being a really brutal affair; the second one ("Inner Riot") a much slower groovy one with strong doom overtones. There are two covers later on: Hatebreed's "Proven", and Black Debbath's "Problemer Innad", the latter especially faithfully done being nice hallucinogenic stoner/doom.

Axewielders Demo, 2002
100 % Norwegian Thrash Metal Demo, 2004
Spiritual Funeral EP, 2005
Cynicist Full-length, 2009
Sickening EP EP, 2010

Official Site

DEADBANGER (GERMANY)

This is thrash/crossover with very abrasive guitars which make the approach sound proto-modern at a fairly early stage; otherwise, the music is suitably heavy, mostly mid-tempo, with gruff semi-declamatory vocals which could have used a more expressive shouty tone to go over the buzz.

Deadbanger Full-length, 1990

DEADBLOOD (MEXICO)

The not very serious album-title may mislead you, since the guys know well what they are doing, and the final result is cool retro thrash which music-wise is closer to the Bay-Area patterns, but the singer is an ungodly black metal rasper which will make any Norwegian act proud. The music is generally fast-paced without being too aggressive with the occasional mid-paced smasher ("Die") and the more intense proto-black metal deviation ("Seeds Of Hell").

Satanic Bloody Drunken Thrash Full-length, 2008

Official Site

DEADBOLT (UK)

Based on the demo, this act play playful catchy groovy post-thrash which generates some threatening heaviness form the quasi-doomster "Disgust", but the rest doesn't have this seismic significance, "Wants and Needs" a more vivid representation with echoes of Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro". The singer is a hoarse semi-clean performer, having the requisite skills to hold a melody when needed.

Deadbolt Demo, 1997
Choke EP, 1998

DEADFAINT (GERMANY)

This is abrasive post-thrash with gruff death metal vocals. It's playful stuff with rolling stoner-esque riffs involved at times ("Living In A Grave"), but some heads will inevitably bang on the energetic galloper "Carnal Cage", and the intense tribute to the old school "The Temples Of Hollowood", escaping from the settled mid-paced formula with a vengeance.

Take Up The Hatchet EP, 2010

My Space

DEADFALL (UK)

Based on the debut demo, these guys play quite decent retro thrash metal of the Bay-Area type, citing Metallica and Testament, above all; their compatriots from Xentrix are another very close call, although Deadfall's music is more diverse. The songs are long-ish, some of them carrying the technical edge of the works of the two aforementioned bands, one of which: "Second To None", is quite an interesting almost progressive piece, albeit with an overlong balladic middle section. There is an attempt at the quasi-thrash sound of the Black Album sound on "Nine Lies", but it doesn't hold water against the much better rest. Great more melodic thrashing can be heard on the excellent "Ordeal by Fire", as well as more aggressive shred on the final "Hold My Own", although this song is partially ruined by modern groovy implements. The singer constantly hesitates between Chris Astley (Xentrix) and James Hetfield, and ends up sounding like neither.

Ordeal By Fire Demo, 2005
Fatal Deterrent Demo, 2006
Vicious Vendetta Demo, 2006

Official Site

DEADLANDS (USA)

Appealing modern thrash with a few classic throw-ins; the overall approach may remind you of Testament's "The Gathering", but without any aggressive death metal leanings. The guys mix it up well alternating crushing seismic riffs with spontaneous speedy sections and vice versa. The band take a break from their intense delivery: "She's on Fire" which is a pleasant Monster Magnet-like anthem. "Asphyxiate the Masses" is an effective short shredder with great leads which are pretty much the highlight here. "Legions of the Damned" is a brutal dramatic cut with pounding guitars putting the album on a new, more aggressive, scale at the end which comes in the form of the more laid-back "Shed My Skin", still thrashing with passion at times amid the heavy thunderous rhythms. The singer does a fine job behind the mike with his passionate deep clean timbre.

Evilution Full-length, 2012

Official Site

DEADLINE (FRANCE)

Classic-sounding power metal with a pinch of thrash with an American flavour, although the brutal growl at the beginning of the opening "Can't Be A Dream" might scare you big time. The music is mid-paced with doomy overtones, and the singer's main tone sits somewhere between Tom Denlinger (Sardonyx) and Mike Munro (Meliah Rage). Music-wise this is close to the Metal Church works with Mike Howe and early Meliah Rage so there's not much in terms of full-on thrash to be heard.

Capital Punishment Full-length, 1994

DEADLINE (SOUTH AFRICA)

An alternative form of the modern power/post-thrash idea with sprightly friendly riffage, the band seldom leaving the established mid-pace also aiming at the folk metal fandom with several nice melodic tunes ("Lilith Immortal"). "Hostage Demonica" is a demonic... sorry, dynamic speedster, but the rest is too mild and pleasant to impress a hard-boiled thrash metal fan. The singer is quite good, though, his attached emotional croons the sure highlight on this laid-back opus.

Black Wolf City Full-Length, 2017

Official Site

DEADLINE (UK)

This is intense retro thrash which is ably supported by the minimalistic semi-declamatory deathly vocalist, the fast-paced nature of the music "Alone" alone justifying this obscure effort's merits, the catchier more playful vibes on "Fight, Kill, Scream, Die" overwritten by the speedy impetuosity of "Necronomicon", the speed/thrashing melee stirred on "Shit World War" a worthy occurrence, the muddy sound quality slightly obstructing the musicians' efforts.

Demo Demo, 1988

DEADLINESS (BRAZIL)

The single: two songs of dark stomping old school thrash with dark death metal vocals. The band play on in a solid steam-rolling mid-pace with very sparse attempts at speed, but their consistent monolithic sound should find its fans easily.
The full-length is on the heavy stomping side the band steam-rolling forward with the odd sense of melody ("Laments in Darkness", "Reason to Live") the latter a really nice touch and should be elaborated on despite carrying a hefty doomy spirit. The singer is a forceful dark death metal throater and serves the purpose especially on the more sincere doom metal tracks ("Apocalypse") in the second half. The band wake up at some point and start thrashing with more power ("Unpunished"), but their enthusiasm fades quite soon and they go back to their safer, but far less imaginative, sleepy approach. It can't be predicted where the guys would go from here: apparently they aren't very fond of thrash so one can totally expect a full-blooded doom metal offering next time around...
"Guerreiros do Metal" is a modern post-thrasherism which again is heavy and seismic with a more obvious shade of stoner/doom. The band march on without speeding up at all, and the more hard-bolied thrashers may not stay till the end despite the crushing rhythm-section and the cool melodic tunes: check out the crowd pleasing closer "Headbangers" which is anything but "a headbanger".

No Future Full-Length, 2007
Mau Em Voce Single, 2009
Guerreiros do Metal Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

DEADLOCK (GERMANY)

Based on the Deadly Intentions demo, this is ultra-brutal thrash with a strong death metal, and even grindcore, flavour. The musicianship is below par, despite the presence of an almost surreal lead guitar work here and there. This is so brutal and vicious that you might want to give it another spin right after that to check whether this was real. This is by far one of the most aggressive pieces of metal of the mid-80's, topped by super-vicious death metal snarls: Kelly Shaefer in the state of extreme pain would probably sound more pleasantly compared to the singer here.
The "Up to the Scum" demo is another merciless piece of brutality which is perhaps a bit more relaxed than the debut one due to the inclusion of several mellower punkish moments. Consequently the bash isn't relentless, but there are casual mid-paced passages ("The Prophecy"; the over 7-min (!) elegiac saga "Gilgamesch")). The vocals are not very low-tuned, guttural and throaty, and create less noise than before.

Deadly Intentions Demo, 1986
Rehearsal Demo, 1986
Up to the Scum Demo, 1988

DEADLY AGGRESSOR (USA)

Based on the 1988 demo, this is first-rate thrash metal with a strong technical edge, not very fast-paced, with amazing lead guitar work (check out the instrumental "Instro") and bass performance (check out any of the four songs). The music often changes tempos, but never gets too complex; and these guitars will leave you breathless... seriously). The style brings to mind Forbidden's "Twisted Into Form", but the guitar sound here is sharper.

The 1987 demo is much more straight-forward, two tracks of aggressive Slayer-influenced thrash whereas the 1989 one retains some of the technical tendencies of its predecessor, but is slower, with a heavier sound, which even smells groove ("Reign of the Undead"), and is far less striking.

Demo Demo, 1987
Demo Demo, 1988
Demo Demo, 1989

DEADLY ALLIANCE (HOLLAND)

Based on the full-length, this act indulge in brisk energetic retro speed/thrash the band moshing out with gusto thanks to inspired headbanging delights like "Blood Money" and, certainly, "Thrash Metal Maniac". In fact the hard shredding very seldom stops (the heavy pounder "Warzone" the sole exception) at times being short and to-the-point (the crossover-ish "Indigestion"), at others gracing a more cleverly-executed composition ("Instant Kill"). The lead guitarist is a particularly great performer his pyrotechnics giving this recording a strong proficient aura.

Deadly Alliance EP, 2013
Dehumanization Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEADLY BLESSING (USA)

A fine power/thrash metal band who were one of the few American bands to bring some of the German metal flavour on American soil back in the 80's. Their style is a mixture between Agent Steel and Angel Dust, with a considerable presence of American power metal. "Ascend from the Cauldron" is a splashing debut, coming right on time to replace the already split Agent Steel, and the opener "Search & Destroy" promises exactly that: blistering speed/thrash with genuine interesting guitar work. "Salem's Lot" is even better with its great technical riffs, later epitomized by Helstar for "Nosferatu". It's a pity that the guys can't keep this high tempo for the whole album, and some lighter power metal songs are also included: "Escape the Wrath", "Cry of Medusa", which are by no means bad, but are no match to the faster material. After them the album picks up speed again with the marvellous "Deliver Us From Evil"- arguably the band's finest song (later covered by the new US thrash metal act Temple Of Blood). The album ends with the excellent galloping smasher "Deadly Blessing", which brings together the best from the speed/thrash metal genre and the American power metal scene. Ski has always been one of the finest singers in metal, but he has never been in such a fine shape, as here; his vocals are simply amazing: high-pitched, emotional, sinister, dramatic, you name it.

"Psycho Drama" is another strong release, maybe with a heavier and also more technical guitar sound not far from Realm and Blind Illusion at times even, and stronger bass presence. The music is thrashier and more aggressive: "Solitary Confluement", and the new vocalist Larry Betson screams more than Ski. The more lyrical side of the band is expressed in the very good semi-ballad "Burial Dream... Requiem", a very well chosen title, considering that this was the last original composition written by the band.
The 1990 demo is a great follow-up to the full-length the band having moved towards the technical/progressive thrash side. "Warrior Unknown" is an awesome hard-hitting technicaller with choppy rhythms breaking the march of the vitriolic main riff-patterns which are very close to reaching Realm-esque and even Deathrow-esque heights; a smattering shredfest at its most headbanging and crunchiest best. "Immortal" has a slower, alluringly melodic intro, but the guitar acrobatics resume before long to bring Helstar's "Nosferatu" to mind, the band speeding up gradually until the crescendos reach a fever pitch mid-way the situation supervised by blistering screamy leads and these impossibly high-strung, very dramatic vocals courtesy of Ski's replacement Larry Betson. "Still in Vengeance" thrashes hard from the get-go and never lets up the marginally more linear delivery recalling the more intense moments from the full-length not without the help of the cool chorus. "Strange Twist of Fate" begins in an imposing epic manner, but the steel cutting guitars pick up speed and aggression echoing Helstar again with more dramatic progressive build-ups ala Toxik's "Think This" emerging in the middle later also making a fine showing at the end. The guys had really found their stride in the early-90's, but the winds of change soon put an end to all lofty retro metal aspirations.
The 2007 demo is a very good attempt from the guys to return to the scene by bringing back their potent old school sound by combining their more laid-back power metal approach from the beginning with the more technical, more intense delivery from their early-90's material. "Bullets" is a nice expression of the latter with its biting venomous riffage the new throat Stephen Childs lacking the range and emotion of the previous two singers, but there's plenty of impetuous old school speed/thrashing on it for the fans to think so much about the vocal side. "Redemption" is a more epic-flavoured cut with stomping battle-like riffs following the guys' early recordings.
The single contains two pieces "Utopia in Flames" being a crunchy stomper with heavy choppy riffs, and "Divided" speeding up a bit, but also containing a few more aggressive, thrashier additives the latter becoming nicely technical also enhanced by the proficient lead section. The vocals are high-strung and authoritative the new man sounding more convincing now hitting the higher registers more frequently to a rather positive, pathos-like effect.

Deadly Blessing EP, 1988
Ascend from the Cauldron Full-length, 1988
Demo Demo, 1990
Psycho Drama EP, 1990
Demo 2007 Demo, 2007
Utopia in Flames/Devided Single, 2008

Official Site

DEADLY CURSE (BRAZIL)

A young act from Brazil who pull out a mix of modern and classic thrash with slower and faster songs taking turns the latter coming with nice melodic tunes ("Illusion"). "Hate and Anger" is hardly an "illusion", though, with its raging sharp riffage, but its rapidfire approach is "extinguished" by the mild semi-balladic "My Worst Enemy", after which the guys have problems "recovering", and the remaining songs are just more aggressive variations of the aforementioned one, also losing its biting classic edge. The singer is a hoarse semi-shouter, but fits into the overall standard pedestrian picture.

Renegade Full-length, 2009

Official Site

DEADLY DARK (MEXICO)

Based on "Eternal Darkness": this band plays classic Floridian death metal, mixed with a certain doze of thrash. The guys stick to longer compositions (5-7min), but the approach is pretty straight-forward, never too fast, which is sad, since when the guys switch onto full speed, the results are close to the higher standards of the style: "Decay With Me", the excellent early Death-influenced "Carnivore Tribe". There are couple of pure thrashers as well: "Planet Hunter", the Slayer-esque "Snake Dream". "Witch's Hate" embraces the technical death metal idea for a while, but the aggressive riffage takes over, leaving room for heavier doom guitars on the closing short instrumental "Searching For Blood".
"Chaotic Omen" is much less striking being slower and less adventurous with stretches towards doom and a Bolt Thrower-like heaviness which do not serve their purpose simply because there's very little speed involved. "Eternal Darkness" is the same song which was later included (and also gave the title) in their swansong (the only pure thrasher "Planet Hunter" on this album is also featured there), and is the best track here with its attractive mix of heavy doomy and fast intense riffs.
The debut is the most interesting achievement of the band the music performed being quite diverse even with clever technical moments present (the jumpy quirkiness on "Decay With Me") here and there. Doom metal springs up again on the pounding "Human Misery", but there is a fair amount of wild lashing ("Searching For Blood", "Black Wind") involved as well which dissipates the gloom this album has aplenty. The singer at this stage is a brutal low-tuned growler, but his rendings are quite intelligible.

Slaughter Times Full-length, 1995
Chaotic Omen Full-length, 1998
Eternal Darkness Full-length, 2005

Official Site

DEADLY HONOUR (AUSTRALIA)

This is modern thrash/death which stays more on the dark atmospheric side, the compositions featured more of mid-paced strides with plenty of melodic hooks, the subdued blacky vocals mostly echoing in the walls around, an interesting decision which kind of works, supplementing for the muffled production qualities, the latter hampering the few faster-paced pieces (the title-track), the guys attempting more energetic ticks in the second half, finishing with the brisk semi-technical shredder "Bred to Obey".

Honour Uncompromised Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEADLY INTENTIONS (BELGIUM)

Aggressive thrash with a shade of death metal similar to No Return's "Contamination Rises", but with more melodic lead guitar work, and without the technical leanings of the latter; this is good fast-paced stuff with a few interesting decisions: the intro to "Wild Gigs" is taken from an early film of the Serbian film-maker Emir Kusturica ("When Father Was Away On Business", if I'm not mistaken).

Disarming The Antagonist Demo, 1991

DEADLY MANOVER (CANADA)

A mixture of early Destruction and Possessed's "Seven Churches"; although listed as a death metal act here and there, these guys play pure classic speedy thrash, with very slight shades of death metal, if any ("Cardiac Arrest" is the only more death metal-based track). The vocals have a certain death/black metal flavour, being sinister harsh snarls.

Deathology Demo, 1987

DEADLY MOSH (SERBIA)

This is four tracks (the "Fuck Holy War" EP) of up-tempo retro speed/thrash, reminding quite a bit of Whiplash's "Thrashback" and Destructor's "Forever in Leather" on the first two songs. After that "Fuck Holly War" shows more courage, blasting out for a while, and "Suck My Balls" is a brutal 1-min thrash/hardcore bomb.
"Deadly Pollution" is more aggressive, now full-blooded thrash, lashing out in a furious manner: "Fuck Holy War" again, in a way not too far from Dark Angel's Darkness Descends", or adding hardcore to a not less impressive effect: "Straight To Hell".
"The Blind Leads The Blind" is another four songs of classic speed/thrash offering no surprises to those who have heard the previous two efforts; maybe a bit of Germanic thrash shows up on the speedster "Deadly Night". I believe the guys already have enough material for a full-length...
This full-length is finally a fact and one would enjoy this "Hellsound" which starts with all the songs from the last EP to set up the mood for this roller-coaster of the good old speed/thrash. The rest of the material is almost as convincing "Priestkiller" being a short blitzkrieger, but there are surprises later on: the good tender ballad We'll Meet Again with a very good soulful performance from the vocalist who, by the way, is quite efficient all over with his forceful clean antics. The speed/thrashing saga carries on after this moment of serenity producing a couple of cool seismic headbangers ( Fuck Holy War , Landlords ) the ending a bit underwhelming: the overlong dragger Room of Glass which is uneventful power metal with a repetitive main theme. Still, if one skips through it, the rest would be an entertainment of a relatively above average quality which should keep the band fans happy.
The "Evil in the Night" EP is a probably a warm-up for the next full-length carnage, but the title-track sticks to heavy mid-paced riffage which doesn't quite promise a lot of headbanging fun, but its heroic epic aesthetics should warm the metal fans' hearts. "Codex Alimentarius" is way more energetic with more ripping guitars, and the actual deadly mosh starts from there ungracefully continued on the short thrash/crossover outrage "Fools and Horses" which will enchant with the catchy memorable chorus. "The End" is indeed the end of this 4-songer the piece sustained in a more friendly speed metal mode seeing the band diversifying their arsenal "grabbing" tricks from several sub-genres, and stitching them together in an enjoyable, optimistic manner the good vocals also helping quite a bit with their attached forceful semi-shouty/semi-clean clean antics.

Fuck Holy War EP, 2008
Deadly Pollution EP, 2008
The Blind Leads The Blind EP, 2010
Hellsound Full-Length, 2012
Evil in the Night EP, 2013

My Space

DEADLY REMAINS (USA)

Cool classic thrash/death metal; the music is predominantly heavy and mid-paced with crushing steam-rolling riffs assisted by brutal low-tuned vocals. There are a few nice faster surprises ("Still Alive"), as well as a good atmospheric balladic instrumental (the 2-min "A Faceless God"). The closer "From Dust" is an excellent highly-charged doom/thrasher with smashing tank-like guitars ala Bolt Thrower and Beyond Belief.

Before the Nothing Full-length, 2010

My Space

DEADLY SHADOWS (BRAZIL)

This Brazilian outfit specialize in melodic retro power/proto-thrash which is both epically ambitious (“Running Back in Time”) and seismically heavy (“Blood, Sweat and Thorns”), the speed factor not very prominently featured. Instead, the guys opt for moderately rowdy mid-paced anthems (“The Tree of Sin”, “Roaming”) where the shadow of the good old doom lurks close, also facilitating the good emotional clean vocalist.

Running Back in Time Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEADLY SIN (USA)

A 2-song demo; the first track is a pure heavy/power metal hymn, the second one secures the place of the band on these pages, being a cool heavy thrasher sounding like early Razor.

Evil Attack/Screams and thunder EP, 1986

DEADLYSINS (FRANCE)

Based on "Anticlockwise", this act provide crisp, refreshing retro thrash which cuts deep with sharp guitars packed within relatively short (2-3min) where the mosh is guaranteed including a few more modern insertions ("Left for Dead", the melo-death laced "Stapped in Black" which also blast-beats for a while). "Beauty Slept in..." is a surprising lyrical, semi-balladic deviation pulled out well by the husky, mean Schmier-like vocals.

Old School EP, 2008
Dementia Full-length, 2012
Anticlockwise Full-length, 2014

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DEADMARSH (BELARUS)

Based on "To The Sky", this band plays good power/speed/thrash metal of the old school (think the early German school- Angel Dust, early Scanner), with progressive tendencies. The songs are long, and some are more speed/thrash (the awesome opener "Black Trap"), others more progressive metal-based. Those progressive-based ones ("My Angel") are slower and kind of lose the thrash metal idea although some of them are quite hard-hitting, and are actually cool exercises in smashing slower technical thrash. "Sherwood Forest" is a fine laid-back power metal instrumental before "To The Sky" speeds up again, also recalling the 90's power/speed metal scene. Another smashing speed/thrasher awaits you later on, "The Soul Release", giving way to the balladic lead-driven outro "One-Day Sorrow".
"Harmony Prevails" is less striking sticking to the progressive power/thrash metal patterns, spicing things up with the odd more atmospheric gothic break. The spontaneous speedy outbursts, which were the highlight on "To the Sky", are nowhere to be found, but one will have no problems recognizing the cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" at the end, sung in Russian.

Harmony Prevails Full-length, 2001
Grani Full-length, 2003
To The Sky Full-length, 2008

Official Site

DEADNIGHT (USA)

Based on the full-length: excellent retro speed/thrash in the vein of the Portuguese Alastor and Cranium from Sweden; fast sharp riffs aplenty and vicious black-ish rasps will one find here. The guitar work is really good without offering anything technical or complex, but one would hardly need it, amid the raging precise intense riffage and the very cool short melodic leads. Most of the album flows in a straight speedy fashion, but watch out for the "spices": the slower atmospheric smasher "Messenger Of Death", the brilliant blend of furious riffs and beautiful gothic-tinged melodies "Unholy Revenge", which also boasts crushing mid-paced sections ala late-80's Slayer. Exemplary speed/thrashers like "In The Dead Of Night" could even grace masterpieces like Paradox's "Heresy" and Angel Dust's "Into the Dark Past"; but, please, ignore the slight keyboard background. "Dance of Knives" inserts more stylish guitar work amidst the brilliant raging fast-paced riffs. "Die With Me" is a fine nod to the speed metal scene with soaring melodies, fast drumming, and very cool leads; well, the black metal vocals aren't the very appropriate ones in this case, but who would notice that when the music is so good. Well, this is a really impressive debut which has all the chances to top the thrash metal charts in the States for 2008.

Live in Chicago EP, 2007
Messenger of Death Full-length, 2008

Official Site

DEADPOOL (USA)

Based on "Webs We Weave", this outfit serve modern groovy post-thrash which offers more aggressive trashy sections, and the overall approach is more serious, with timid progressive pretensions also reflected in the lengthy compositions (6-8min on average). The The Rolling Stones cover of "Paint It Black" is quite well done the harsh semi-clean vocals nearly capturing the characteristic matter-of-fact blend of Mick Jaeger. Other highlights include the shorter semi-headbangner "The Mistress" and the ambitious, albeit overlong, closer "Walk with Me".

Off the Deep End Full-length, 1999 Espiritus Muertos Full-length, 2003 Idle Hands Full-length, 2009 Webs We Weave Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DEADRIDER (USA)

The debut: classic speed/thrash which aptly mixes both styles, moving from rousing speed metal hymns ("Heavy Metal Deadride") to hard-hitting thrashers ("Souls and Bones", the ripping blitzkrieg closer "Rhetoric") in no time with more serious progressive overtones detected on a couple of numbers ("Brainwashed", the excellent diverse speed/thrash shredfest "Through the Trenches"). The vocals are a bit hoarse and hardcore-ish for this kind of music, but by no means spoil the fun from this entertaining roller-coaster.
"Taste the Chain" follows a similar hyper-active pattern, the rousing fiesta spearheaded by flying soarers like "Black of the Night" and "Lay down and Die", the raucous Motorhead-sih shorter "Raw and Ugly" another fairly dynamic proposition, the more serious epic veneer of "Fallen Skies" recalling Iron Angel's "Winds of War".

Reaper Full-length, 2017
Taste the Chain Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEADRINGER (USA)

The debut: expect brisk modern thrash with noisy abrasive guitars and semi-shouty/semi-clean vocals which at times acquire more brutal death metal shades. Fast and slower numbers take turns, but the approach is too pedestrian to impress many. The closer "Down Below" is a cool nod to the stoner/doom metal scene and is arguably the highlight on this standard effort.
"Realidad de Mortalidad" doesn't stray from the chosen path and then band continue with their staple steam-roller delivery. Nothing goes beyond the mid-pace and the doom metal tendencies seem to have gripped the band even tighter here. "Devils Cry" is a more dynamic proto-headbanger, but on an album like this they can't be viewed more than the not very necessary digression.

Last One Standing Full-length, 2011
Realidad de Mortalidad Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

DEADRISEN (USA)

This is very good classic progressive power/thrash which is also accentuated by great passionate clean vocals. The music is fairly energetic bordering on speed as well on several occasions, like on the impetuous opener "Prophecy" and the bouncy atmospheric "Destiny". "The Maker" is exemplary progressive thrash, the finest composition here the band moshing with suppressed moderation and nice classical implementations. "Reach for the Sun" is a bouncy ballad, but "Visions" is back on the power/thrash road for a steady mid-tempo shred. "But You" is a dynamic speed/thrasher not devoid of more entangled embellishments, the atmospheric quirks encountered on it later stretched to "For Whom The Bell Tolls"... yes, a Metallica cover which receives healthy keyboard support and is made a tad lighter than the original.

DeadRisen Full-Length, 2020

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DEADROOTS (CZECHIA)

Based on the full-length, these lads serve intense modern thrashcore that is graced by two vocal sides: one throaty and shouty, the other a bit meaner and rending. The delivery is pretty brisk, the moshing winners “Depths Are Calling” and the short virulent “The Hand” easily sidestepping calmer representations like the lethargic meeker “Their Truth (Only Lies)” and the soulful balladic closer “Gone”.

Trapped EP, 2023
Path to the Madness Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEADSEA (USA)

Based on "Deadsea", this new formation pulls out an interesting fusion of progressive, thrash, death and even doom. The sound smells Opeth quite strongly at times, including the "duel" between the death metal growls and the clean vocals. The songs are long ("Frozen Rivers" alone is more than 16-min, and inevitably contains some dragging moments), and there are numerous time changes and sprawling melodies to enjoy, as well as quite several straight thrash passages for the headbangers. The music isn't very fast (except for "Killing Faith", which in its turn features brilliant speedy guitar work, and the 1.5-min outburst "Assault"), and meanders all the time between slower doom sections and more up-tempo ones.

Desiderata Full-length, 2005
Deadsea Full-length, 2007

My Space

DEADSHOT (CHILE)

This is a modern thrash/post-thrash parade which is at times served with frivolous playfulness ("Regret"), at others is bashing and unruly ("What´s Wrong") this latter side sounding a bit classic. "No One´s Land" is pure unadulterated doom, this somber procession partly ruined by the gruff death metal vocalist who does try to sing properly on occasion.

Critical Inner Voices Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEADSPOT (USA)

Based on "Adios Dude", this is melodic thrash which, at its best and fastest, comes close to Exciter and Destructor ("Inside", "Powertool"), but at least half of the songs are boring, edgeless pieces ("Jesus is My Best Friend" is the best example for that) which would sound bad even on a more traditional heavy metal album.
"Built-In Pain" is more energetic now strictly in the thrash/crossover genre, with decent heavier pieces scattered around ("Forever"), although the latter are clearly proto-groovy tracks with blue-sy overtones, but suit better the hoarse hardcore-ish vocals.

Adios Dude Full-length, 1988
Built-In Pain Full-length, 1991

Vibrations of Doom

DEADWITCH (PORTUGAL)

Based on the second demo, these guys offer playful speed/thrash on "X Rated", and high-octane traditional doom mixed with ballad on "Tears of Pain".

Demo Tape Demo, 1990
Demo Tape 2 Demo, 1992

Fan Site

DEAF (ITALY)

Energetic old school thrash/crossover which sticks to short pulverizing cuts (“Tourniquet”, “Snag”), the hoarse semi-declamatory vocals doing a decent job in the background, the more confrontational jumpy “Tunnel Rat” bordering on hardcore, the speed metal anthem “Bogey Man” bringing a doze of optimism, whereas “Hoax” is a pummeling more serious speed/thrash with better mellower vocal participation.

Deaf Full-Length, 2024

Official Site

DEAF BLIND DUMB (GERMANY)

Behind this silly band name hides an uneven mix of modern melodic thrash and death metal which emphasizes on melody too much, especially in the beginning of the songs which start as ballads developing later into something more intense. The guitars are too fuzzy, and the singer whispers most of the time, adding the odd synthesized brutal low death metal growl. With some refinement this act may pull out better music: there are a couple of good ideas, and the guitar work is not a total waste, neither are the faster moments (check out the closing min of "Traitor" and the blasting section on "Represst"), which could be increased in the future.

R.i.s.i.n.g. D.a.w.n. Demo, 2009

DEAF INDIANS (GERMANY)

Having in mind the year of release, it comes as no surprise that these guys play your average groovy power/post-thrash with no deviations from the pattern whatsoever, often descending towards clumsy bluesy, jazzy rhythms, but they are used at the most inappropriate moment. I'm not sure whether even the "deaf Indians" would find something to like here...

Deaf Indians Full-length, 1994

DEAF KIDS (BRAZIL)

This is hardcore-ish, crusty thrash with samey abrasive guitars, and synthesized black metal vocals. The fifth anthem (all songs are "heretic anthems", with no titles) is a monotonous doom, instrumental-only cut, lasting for whole 5-min, with a cool hypnotic main riff.

Six Heretic Anthems For The Deaf Demo, 2011

DEAFAID (SWEDEN)

A groovy, heavy mixture of thrash, death metal and hardcore.

The Payment EP, 1999
Inhale Full-length, 2000

Official Site

DEAFEN (HOLLAND)

A great, 4-track EP of classic 80's thrash reminiscent of Deus Vult and Mandator; just a few years earlier this band could have made quite a few heads turn with their energetic, but also quite technical music. "Conflicted" is an outstanding progressive thrasher with gradual tempo accumulations the guys aptly mixing the pace also adding a great melodic lead-driven passage near the end. "Graveyard Birthday" begins with an excellent melodic lead-driven tune before the guys start thrashing with passion, but also with a good sense of melody which grows into a handsome technical cannonade greatly helped by the very good emotional clean vocals. "The Leading to a Fall" is a short immediate headbanger, and "Prophecy of Mort-Main" is another vigorous speedster with more tasteful, semi-technical licks.
The "Violators of the Lost Wisdom" demo contains the title-track which is an ambitious 9-min progressive thrash along the lines of late-80's Metallica the singer also trying to emulate James Hetfield's vocal style; the composition is graced by a great quiet interlude with very good bass support, and with a lot of delectable technical decisions. Follows "Prophecy Of Mart-Main" also featured on the EP, and "Confused Chrystal", another moshing number with more dramatic, epic "decorations". A crystal clear sound quality further adds up to this effort's lasting appeal.
The debut demo is only two cuts the title one being a doom/semi-ballad, and "Curse of Minds" a more intense speedster in the spirit of the 80's American scene (think Savage Grace, Aftermath, Liege Lord). Some of the band members also had a spell with the thrashers Messina at around the same time, and also tried something softer and more atmospheric with more classic heavy metal overtones, under the name Pazuzu this project also featuring members of Messina.

Beyond Death Demo, 1987
Violators of the Lost Wisdom Demo, 1988
Deafen EP, 1991

DEAFLOCK (JAPAN)

This young Japanese trio indulge in (based on "Courage to Expose All") in a "courageous" blend of classic and modern thrash which has all the energy required to pull it through lashing in a direct, straight-forward fashion the intense music topped by even angrier shouty semi-death metal vocals. The final track "Black Fog" is a dragging 10-min opus which "flirts" with doom metal in a very monotonous dirge-imposing effect pulling the album seriously down.

Reality of False Pasts Full-length, 2008
Courage to Expose All Full-length, 2013

Official Site

DEAL WITH IT (USA)

Good thrash/crossover in the spirit of late period D.R.I. and Excel, with a good thrashy attitude, also recalling the more thrash-prone works of Suicidal Tendencies, and various tempos; to these ears the slower material is more appealing, being a cool deviation into a more thought-out song-writing with some clever heavy riffage ("Black Sun", "Generation", the slightly less than 1-min stomper "The Rapture", the nice blend of fast-paced and slower pounding guitars at the end "Shah-Mat"). The singer is a bit hoarser than Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.), but his delivery suits the carefree punk-ish atmosphere.

End Time Prophecies Full-Length, 2008

DEALER (CANADA)

This outfit offer classic thrash/crossover echoing early Hirax, among other old school practitioners. The tracks are short and to-the-point also featuring a few cool melodic lead sections. There aren't too many mid-paced sections here, and the singer surely fits the barrage with his high-strung shouty hardcore-ish timbre.

Don't Worry I Got You Man EP, 2015

Official Site

DEARLY BEHEADED (UK)

One of the better modern, Pantera-influenced thrash/post-thrash metal bands of the 90's; "Temptation" is a good debut with heavy riffs and cool, mid-paced tracks, albeit a bit one-dimensional, clinging towards stoner/doom at times, preceding the sound Phil Anselmo's Down acquired later: "Between Night and Day", "Leaving Them All Behind". This quiet tempo is suddenly "broken" by the good headbanger "We Are Your Family", but it's the only one here.
"Chamber of One" is a lot more ordinary, with a typical 90's groovy sound. It's a thankless task indeed to pull off such a trite delivery, like the composition of the same title says so well, the guys treading through a dense quagmire of unimaginative grooves, still managing to sound like their idols, more Machine Head than Pantera this time; but tiring the listener with their monotonous trudging. The album desirably comes alive on the vivid title-track, a passable semi-thrasher, but there's virtually no support from the remainder, the thick confrontational musical approach leaving no room for melodies or any other safebelts. "Faceless" suddenly throws in a few energetic corey moves, but that's pretty much it, the Voivod cover of "Tribal Convictions" done decently, not very easy to recognize, though, largely due to the very shouty quarrelsome vocals.

In a Darkened Room EP, 1995
Temptation Full-length, 1996
Chamber of One Full-length, 1997

Official Site

DEATH & TAXES (USA)

Based on the debut demo, this band plays cool speedy thrash/crossover with brisk sharp guitars and sparse more clever technical decisions: the heavier hectic "The Evil". The "final number" "Final Number" is an almost progressive song with a cool balladic 1st part, and one would have hardly complained if the whole piece had been sustained in the same vein since the delivery is nice, but the guys' thrashy heart takes the upper hand later on, and the exiting section is another portion of more intense speed/thrash. The singer is pretty unrehearsed semi-singing in a throaty drunken way except, of course, on the balladic passage where he miraculously manages to pull himself together quite a bit for a more attached cleaner delivery. The band continued flourishing through the 90's releasing a string of three full-lengths, but the style there is miles away from the raw music from their early years, being a modern avantgarde take on progressive metal with almost no ties to thrash.
The "Mind Mine" demo is heavy modern post-thrash which follows the new Metallica pattern pretty closely, but the very long boring compositions are just a pain to sit through, and regardless of the several more stylish nods to "Master of Puppets" in the 2nd half this effort has no reasons whatsoever to be a regular "menu" on the underground digger's table.

Violence Begats Violence Demo, 1990
Bent Mental Demo, 1991
Mind MIne Demo, 1993

Official Site

DEATH'S BOUNDARIES (AUSTRALIA)

This young Australian band provides us with excellent classic intense thrash in the Slayer and Devastation mould, enriched with technical deviations ala Infernal Majesty's "None Shall Defy". The tempo is fast, with the typical for Slayer mid-paced breaks; the leads make more sense, though, than the ones of Kerry King, and are of the short screaming type. "Eyes Into Fire" is a longer more complex number, more melodic, with a pinch of the Gothenburg style, stretching towards death metal contrasting to the remaining blitzkrieg thrashers.

Divide and Conquer EP, 2002

Official Site

DEATH ABOVE (SPAIN)

The debut: intense classic thrash with Slayer and Dark Angel main targets for worship; the intensity gets dissipated at times with the odd merrier crossover rhythm, but the assault seldom becomes mellower the guys bashing remorselessly, easily crossing the border towards death metal on the more brutal cuts ("Drunkenness After Drunkenness"). The vocals are expressive and shouty containing the (un)necessary amount of melody which is also casually reflected in the music (check out the excellent melodic speedster "Chameleon"). Some of the band members also play with the thrash/death metal hybriders Wickedness.
"Digital Breed" follows a similar path the hard thrashing recalling the Bay-Area (Exodus in particular) fraternity with more serious thrashing ("Darkness Falls") taking turns with straight-ahead moshers ("No Vacancy in Hell"), the middle ground occupied by mid-paced shredders like "Digital Breed", those cuts' presence generally overshadowed by the faster-paced material among which "Pain & Pleasure" is a particularly unbridled Slayer-esque headbanger, with the thrash/crossover insanity "Annihilation Message to Oblivion" a close second.

The Attack of the Soul Eaters Full-length, 2012
Wasteland Chronicles EP, 2017
Digital Breed Full-length, 2019

Official Site

DEATH & TAXE$ (USA)

Based on "Paradigms for a New Quarter", this band serve fairly intriguing spastic, schizoid jazzy prog-thrash (mostly the first half) that sounds like a more logical sequel to Watchtower's "Energetic Disassembly" than their own "Control & Resistance" even. This would be one of the most irregular listens that the average thrash metal lover could come across, what with the countless stop-and-go gimmicks epitomized on "Cyberpunks from the Galactic Core", a disorienting amalgam of jazzy extrapolations, also recalling Atheist's "Unquestionable Presence". Marginally more linear walkbouts (the oblivious semi-balladic "Munchkins From Hell") help a bit to alleviate the infernal jazz-prone complexity, but there will be no respite on "Paper Thoughts", 7-min of nervy Confessor-esque jolts, trippy weirdness ala Faith No More and Thought industry, and expert screamy lead sections. The shorter material (the frantic "Invisible Man", the jarring erratic instrumental "Fighting the Bromides") are the progressive thrash fan's paradise, concrete compact hallucinogens with numerous bizarre twists and turns, those missing from the sprawling balladic saga "Circle Song" and the spacey psychedelic albeit updated nod to Hawkwind "Man Machine". "Swirling Serling's Bargain Matinee" is a most eccentric combination of blues, ballad, doom and fusion, thrash returning for the exquisite anomalous odyssey "The Woodpecker Song", an eclectic composition that simply has to be heard to be believed, a spasmodic marvel with a few patiently-woven near-meditative passages, the brief erratic closer "Acid Bath" compensating for those with captivating melodic thrashing accumulations, some of them being on the intimidating pounding side. The vocalist is a clean attached throat, at times meaninsh, at times emotional with a pathos-like croon, always on par with the very diverse musical setting, recalling Confessor's Scott Jeffreys (his less helium-induced performance on the sophomore).

Psycho Jazz Boogie EP, 1993
Paradigms for a New Quarter Full-length, 1996
Theenigmathatisman Full-length, 2001
The Alaska 12 Expeditions Full-length, 2004

DEATH AND TAXES (USA)

Based on the self-titled sophomore, this act specialize in an alternative blend of rock and post-thrash, then final result recalling Metallica's "Load" but more energetic and angrier. There are more distorted moments ala Biohazard ("Headstrong") present as well, but those are saved by the fine proficient leads and the cool attached clean/semi-clean vocals. "Nipple" is a near-doom dirge, and "Passive-Active" is a noisy abrasive tribute to the groovy movement.

Mind Mine Full-length, 1993
Death and Taxes Full-length, 1994
Creative Differences Full-length, 1996

Official Site

DEATH ANGEL (USA)

Few albums deserve their titles as richly as Death Angel's debut. The band struck hard with this intense, furious piece of thrash, which remains one of the best achievements of the genre from the Bay-Area. Their subsequent releases took a more experimental approach, infusing the band's potent sound with numerous non-thrash (and even non-metal) elements, consequently ruining things a bit. The expectations for their comeback release "The Art of Dying" were for "The Ultra Violence 2", and while there were some moments from that album, the concentration is again on the more diverse nature of the other two.
"Killling Season", depending on which period of the band's career you prefer, would be either fairly satisfactory, or a total disappointment. Those who hoped again for "The Ultra Violence II", should better lay those hopes to rest for good: apparently the guys have closed this page from their history with no intentions to reopen it. The truth is that this album will have almost no appeal to thrash metal fans as the concentration is on the "The Art of Dying"'s softer, more radio-friendly material, and consequently it sounds closer to "Act III" than any other previous works of the band, but whereas 18 years ago "Act III" sounded fresh and original, this one here is plain ordinary and not really enjoyable; it might even remind you of the not very successful attempt at continuing Death Angel's career The Organization.
"Relentless Retribution" is by no means a full-on thrash attack, but in terms of consistency it beats the last two albums by miles without any big jumps from one style to another, and as such could be considered a pretty decent entry into the band's catalogue. The music has acquired certain modern tendencies with a boosted, and slightly mechanized, guitar sound bringing the overall approach close to recent Annihilator. Although the pace is mid for most of the time, one can not help but enjoy the edgy galloping rhythms on "Truce" or the nice headbanging sections on the diverse "This Hate"; or the good energetic closer "Where They Lay". Still, at least half of the songs cling towards the semi-ballad (there is also one full-fledged ballad: "Volcanic", a tender romantic all-acoustic piece recalling quite a bit "Room with a View" from "Act III") with Osegueda in fine form all over, although he acquires a gruffer semi-angry tone at times throughout the album betraying his more emotional delivery of old to probably suit better the more updated sound; and as a whole this effort is a fine blend of power and thrash metal also recalling a few other acts of more recent times: the Germans Runamok and the Poles Horrorscope.
"The Dream Calls for Blood": the "death angels" are here again to save us sinners, and this release makes them one of the more prolific veterans of the new millennium. The good news is that they sound angrier which can only be a good thing as evident from the wild opener "Left for Dead". Later on the situation doesn't get much milder with furious speedsters like "Fallen" and "The Dream Calls for Blood" blasting around. "Succubus" is a dramatic mid-paced shredder with intriguing semi-technical echoes, and "Execution/Don't Save Me" is another more hectic piece with a raging fast-paced break. "Caster of Shame" notches the speed up, but "Detonate" begs to differ with edgier guitars and a few more elaborate decisions. "Empty" is not exactly "empty", but shreds with more refinement which gets translated on the final "Territorial Instinct/Bloodlust" which is a relatively peaceful number with a well deserving speedy exit. This is a surprisingly good effort which is easily the band's finest achievement since the reformation, a classic style flag raiser which will have no problems topping quite a few top tens for 2013.
"The Evil Divide": the veterans waste no time proving themselves as some of the most able practitioners of the style in the new millennium, and this new opus shows them in a bright light once again "The Moth" inaugurating the "carnage" with fast sharp guitars and screamy leads. "Cause for Alarm" is a more restrained speed metal anthem, and "Lost" is a not very necessary power metal filler. Nevertheless, the guys quickly recapture the "lost" inertia with the blitzkrieg "Hell to Pay". "Hatred United, United Hate" is an intense mid-pacer with semi-technical tendencies, and "Breakaway" is a dramatic speed/thrasher which overshadows the final trio of not so dynamic pieces closing the album with more melody than it actually deserves. As a whole this effort isn't as striking as the previous one, but still delivers the goods with a tested formula which should work fine even for newcomers.

The Ultra-Violence Full-length, 1987
Frolic Through the Park Full-length, 1988
Act III Full-length, 1990
The Art of Dying Full-length, 2004
Killing Season Full-length, 2008
Relentless Retribution Full-length, 2010
The Dream Calls for Blood Full-Length, 2013
The Evil Divide Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

DEATH ANGELS (BRAZIL)

Complete obscures who had managed to raise the flag of thrash in their homeland earlier than Sepultura even. The problem is that this is just an awkward, severely under-produced, mish-mash with not much to be heard except for the "Am I Evil"-like drums on "Anjos da Morte". The rest resembles raw thrash of the moderately fast type with all the tracks merging together as one big buzzying melee. No wonder that this recording is such a very deeply buried secret... Even the "death angels" would cringe listening to this.

Noite Negra Demo, 1984

DEATH ATTACK (GERMANY)

This band was formed by two guys (Michael Hasse (R.I.P.) and Peter Schultz) who later went on to bigger glories with Protector. The music is vicious and aggressive thrash metal with horrifying black-ish vocals, sounding like a slightly better version of the first Sodom and Kreator efforts. The guys now operate under the name Inzest the style pretty much the same.

Reh. Demo Demo, 1986
Death Attack Pic-EP Single, 2007

DEATH AWAITS (FRANCE)

This is decent modern thrash/death with a very boosted modern production in various paces which loses steam in the middle the band introducing the groove later having problems getting rid of it. The singer is a guttural brutal death metal throat assisting with competence the proceedings which find the right way to thrash near the end the ripping closing duo of headbangers.

The Abominable Full-Length, 2014

DEATH AXIOM (USA)

This in intense bashing old school thrash/death with quite a few heavy squashing passages, scattered among the brutal speedy rushes, with "Deceptive Reflections" epitomizing an academic doom lustre. "Dying Breath" presents an intriguing, near-doom side of the band's arsenal, one that is the total opposite to hyper-active downpours like "Sacrifice" and "The Dead Live", the guttural down-tuned deathly vocals scaring away the squeamish.

The Revenant Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEATH BEAST (USA)

Old school black/thrash attack, quite intense and fast, with a slightly irritating, fuzzy guitar sound, coming as a mix between early Bathory and Sodom's "Persecution Mania". Two cool covers are placed for a dessert at the end, Nasty Savage's "Witches' Sabbath", and Twisted Sister's "Stay Hungry".

The Wakening Full-length, 2005

Official Site

DEATH BEFORE WORK! (ITALY)

The full-length provides a brutal mix of thrash/crossover, hardcore and a bit of grind. There are only three songs going beyond the 1-min range, but they are very similar to the brutal aggressive outbursts offered on the shorter material. There is no single idea developed beyond the compulsive spasmodic whim, except maybe on the closing "Thunder in My Hands" which is a nice take on more intense thrash. The vocals are fitting to the not very serious picture with their screamy semi-high pitch occasionally acquiring more hysterical tones.

Messageboard Punx on a Rope Full-length, 2006
Death Before Work!/Comrades EP, 2007

Official Site

DEATH BENEFIT (USA)

Thrash/death metal of the classic type with frequent doom/death detours to which the rough brutal death metal vocals are more suitable; the album is awkwardly "carved" by short acoustic instrumentals which bring nothing original to the table; neither do the faster tracks which are a direct nod to the hardcore/crossover scene.

Resurrected Full-length, 2010
The Dark Arts of Oblivion EP, 2019

Official Site

DEATH BETRAYERS (BRAZIL)

This Brazilian trio pull out aggressive blitzkrieg thrash of the old school, fast uncompromising stuff matched by the vicious spatout death metal vocals in terms of intensity every bit of the way. The choppy semi-technical character of "Extreme Pain" is a cool detraction from the hyper-active dominance, which in the second half disappears on a couple of slower less eventful propositions, but rises with a vengeance on the brutal death-laced "A.P.R (Attitude Pride And Respect)" and the ripping "Dark Memories".

Death Betrayers Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEATH BRINGER (FRANCE)

France seemed to have held the "fortress" of classic thrash metal the longest, as the acts from there managed to retain their initial classic sound at least until the mid-90's. This band plays enjoyable 80's thrash/crossover with a nice catchy rhythm and a more melodic approach that strangely reminds me of the Metallica's cover versions EP "Garage Days Re-Revisited". "Black Mass" is more aggressive with sharp galloping guitar riffs.

Sex Killer Demo, 1993
Preacher Demo, 1994

DEATH BRINGER (SPAIN)

This is crispy classic/modern thrash with husky, witch-like vicious hysterical vocals (could be delivered by a woman/girl) whose "evil" character is often disrupted, first by guttural death metal ones, later by nice clean female ones. On the musical side the shifts are not that dramatic the guys playing with proficiency recalling Holy Moses, among other practitioners from the German scene. The title-track is a curious Oriental piece, but it's the manic intensity of "Waltz of the Vampire" which goes away with all the laurels despite the detrimental grooves on the insipid closer "Last Drop" which should have been dropped.

Avoid Reality Full-Length, 2015

DEATH BY DAWN (GERMANY)

Another band graced by Martin Van Drunen's presence; actually, this is his current band. Like his other formations, the style is fusion of thrash and death metal, but this is the thrashiest one. Comparisons to Asphyx (their more up-tempo material) are inevitable, but Death By Dawn are more technical with interesting, at times slightly chaotic riffs (which here is a good point).

One Hand One Foot and a Lot of Teeth Full-length, 2006

Official Site

DEATH CALM (FINLAND)

Both demos show a band playing uneventful mid-paced thrash/death metal which is one-dimensional and repetitive with barely a single memorable riff. It's actually interesting to hear this strange music which also has a cold mechanical feel to it brought by heavy proto-doom riffs and spacey somewhat abstract arrangements reminding of their compatriots Ajattara. It's just that the whole approach is too monotonous not changing much throughout except for a couple of more energetic decisions on the second demo.

Creatures & Sanoista Tuhkaksi Demo, 2008
Refuse Demo, 2009

Official Site

DEATH CHANT (USA)

Based on "Among the Shadows", this band plays an uneven mix of thrash, death and black metal which is probably the closest to the latter with frequent hyper-blasts and unholy shrieks for vocals. The death metal moments seem to work the best (the cool technical cut "Night Terrors") where the singer acquires guttural low-tuned qualities to a really scary effect. Thrash sneaks in the form of less energetic steam-rollers ("Inner Crisis") also helping with the making of the 9-min epic opus "Revelation". The end is preserved for the pretty good cover of At the Gates' "Suicide Nation" from the legendary "Slaughter of the Soul". The guys run two other projects: the death metal outfits Fire Within and Mortifier.
"Eternal Decay" is another mish-mash now adding doom and post-thrash to the diverse blend consequently leaving less room for all-out intensers like the very cool death metal epicer "Nercopolis". The music is calmer, more proficient, and in the second half may become too boring and soft with clean vocals present here and there to participate in this awkward grunge/groove/alternative/post-death/doom saga.
"Wax Messiah" is difficult to categorize with a single word as the approach has gone all over the place the overall mood siding with the industrialized post-thrash exploits of acts like Fetish 69 and God is LSD. Curious more melodic, balladic walkabouts ("Circle the Snake") give more character to this recording the thrash link ensured by fast noisy roller-coasters like "Enlightenend Jackass" the latter's significance further nullified by plodding doom-laden excursions like "War Machine".

Sloopy Seconds Full-length, 2008
Death Chant Full-length, 2009
Among the Shadows Full-length, 2010
Decay EP, 2011
Wreckage EP, 2012
Eternal Decay Full-length, 2013
Wax Messiah Full-length, 2018

My Space

DEATH CON 1 (USA)

Modern 90's post-thrash with grunty death metal vocals; the delivery never goes beyond the expected mid-paced groovy trot, the semi-galloping vigour of "Behind Hell's Gate" a nice touch but not really matched elsewhere if we exclude the few livelier tunes on "Dr Death", the last three tracks switching onto solemn elegiac doom.

Refuse to Lose Demo, 1995

DEATH CONTROL (FRANCE)

Based on the full-length, this band play intense modern thrash ala Dew-Scented and Dimension Zero with shouty death metal vocals; then approach is varied, though, ranging from wild blasting beasts ("The Beast") to more intricate shredders ("Exhume to Perfume") the delivery very dynamic with frequent fast-paced insertions, also making this opus a recommended listen to retro thrash lovers.

Death Control EP, 2015
Awaiting Us All Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DEATH CORPS (USA)

This band was formed by Joe Cangelosi, the drummer who later took part in other much more renowned acts: Kreator, Whiplash, Massacre. From the aforementioned bands early Whiplash and Kreator come close as a soundalike. The music here is a tad more aggressive, but the delivery is pretty much the same: fast-paced thrash of a good quality.

Subhuman Demo, 1985

DEATH COURIER (GREECE)

Based on "Demise", these guys play a thrash/death mix along the lines of Incubus and late-period Protector. Some mid-paced implements can be caught at times, with gothic overtones, but otherwise this is quite fast and frequently brutal stuff, blasting in a pure death metal fashion at least half of the time. "Copkiller" is a thrash/crossover joke, and this motif can also be heard on a couple of other tracks where the sound moves towards violent hardcore ("Assaulter").

Necrorgasm EP, 1990
Demise Full-length, 1992

My Space

DEATH CURSE (USA)

Two folks produce this minimalistic retro thrash/proto-death which follows early Possessed and Celtic Frost (check out the doomy thrasher "Pig") in the beginning quite faithfully also adding a few tasteful leads as well as the odd galloping rhythm ("Trip with Teacher") to increase its already wide appeal. "The Curse of Blood" is a thrash/crossover trip, and "Seance" is a doom oddity which turns the second half into a mish-mash with too many influences piled on top of each other including the radio-friendly rocker "Sleepwalker" at the end.

Death Curse Full-Length, 2015

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DEATH DECLINE (FRANCE)

Based on "The Thousand Faces of Lies", this act offer modern thrash/death metal clinging somewhere between Dew-Scented and the Swedish school of thought, served with an abrasive, vociferous guitar edge which sadly doesn't get translated into anything more active. The dominant approach is groovy and mid-paced excluding "The Thousand Faces of Lies" which is a surprisingly wild hectic proposition livening the second half which also brings the more interesting quasi-progressive shredder "Red Dawn". The vocals are shouty deathly, a typical occurrence which this pedestrian recording somehow deserves.
"The Silent Path" is woven of fast ripping modern thrash, the guys rushing onward with bile and gusto, the abrasive corrosive guitars carving burrows with ease, sometimes using the more relaxed hardcore arsenal ("Silent Path"), sometimes relying on more ambitious, progressive structures ("Threshold", the surprisingly mature "Above Their Weakness"). The "harsh death vs. clean emotional" vocal duel is passable without creating that much drama along the way.
“Pattern of an Imminent Collapse” is woven of the same ingredients, the band rushing with wild not very bridled rhythms on “Feast on the Ashes”, the patiently-woven seismicity of “Towards Void and Oblivion” lasting for over 8-min. The ripping qualities of the preceding album are nowhere to be encountered though, “Of Serpents and Thieves” trying some raucous thrash for a change towards the end, the guys not feeling particularly rowdy at this stage.

Bloodstained Redemption EP, 2013
Built for Sin Full-length, 2015
The Thousand Faces of Lies Full-length, 2018
The Silent Path Full-length, 2021
Pattern of an Imminent Collapse Full-length, 2024

Youtube

DEATH DEPENDANT (AUSTRALIA)

This Australian outfit indulge in in cool crisp old school thrash reminiscent of early Metallica channeling "Kill'em All" quite well playing with plenty of energy introducing the more impetuous galloping riff ("Demons til Death") at times. "Memories" is a nice semi-ballad, and "Hate" is another more intense number, close to speed metal. "The Disinterment" is a more serious doom-laden composition with hammering mid-tempo riffs; but the next "Drug Machine" brings back the dynamics which also stays around for the lashing closer "Strapped in to Die" which reminds of Megadeth's "Devil's Island". The singer straddles between James Hetfield and David R. White (Heathen) and does a good job in the process, singing with conviction and panache.

Sacrifice for the Cross Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

DEATH ECSTASY (BRAZIL)

This Brazilian trio specialize in Germanic retro thrash; razor-sharp riffs, fast tempos, shouty death/black vocals... everything seems in place for the staple old school entertainment "Satanic Symbols" attempting something more brutal and deathly ala the guys' compatriots Torture Squad, the instigated mosh racing with the speed of light on the short bursting "When The Poison Becomes The Cure".

Your Kingdom Will Burn EP, 2020

Official Site

DEATH FEAST (PORTUGAL)

Based on "Night of the Witches", this band serve a retro black/thrash compendium which rolls about with mostly short intense cuts ("Ritual of the Ancients", "Curse of the Banshee"), the stomping immediacy of "Horsemen of Apocalypse" clinging towards the doom/death parametres. alongside the short atmospheric oddity "Ascension of Trioditis", the guys never losing their hyper-active proclivities from sight, nailing everyone to the ground with the speedy title-track and the closing speed/thrash roller-coaster "Purgatory of Lost Souls". Some of the band members also play with the industrial metal formation Lost Kingdom, and the power/thrashers Cunnilingus.
"Risen from the Tomb" marches in the same familiar manner with both speedy expletives ("Crossing the Fire") and creepy mid-paced sleepers ("Banish from Monastery") witnessed throughout, the more playful Barathrum-esque "Devoted Assassins" also shining abrasively amongst the somewhat noisy surroundings, the heavy pounding "The Evil Crown" the most sinister occurrence on this subversively evil recording.

The Feast of Death Full-length, 2018
Night of the Witches Full-length, 2020
Risen from the Tomb Full-Length, 2023

Official Site

DEATH FORCE (USA)

The only man known from the band's line-up is Jim Drabos, the singer who had a short spell with Dark Angel during that band's early days. This 3-song demo definitely had its merits to have impressed the Dark Angel guys; this is quite good aggressive, fast-paced thrash similar to Possessed's "Beyond the Gates" and early Whiplash.

Demo Demo, 1986

DEATH FROM ABOVE (GREECE)

This is a 2-songer which contains the diverse 9-min long title-track, a generally dynamic offering with heavy thrashy riffs and hefty bass implements; and “Medusa”, a more virtuous semi-balladic march on which the earlier gruff semi-deathly singer gets replaced by a more convincing cleaner throat. The sound quality is pretty muddy, but still can’t prevent the lead guitarist form serving a few delectable melodic licks.

Happy Deathday EP, 1993

DEATH FUCK (NORWAY)

This band includes Messiah, the man who later took part in the formation of Mayhem, and was one of the activists around whom the black metal movement in Norway flourished. The music here is amateurish mid-paced thrash sounding like a mix between Tank and Venom.

Abnormal Rape Demo, 1987

DEATH HEAD (UK)

Two brothers are behind this project which exudes stylish heavy progressive modern thrash that alternates seismic steam-rolling passages (the very appropriately-titled "Terminator") with spasmodic speedy ones ("Calamity from the Skies") the latter even acquiring less tamed death metal tones. The dynamics is quite big although apart from those aforementioned short blasting moments the music doesn't adhere to aggression too much (the exception being the speedy shredding closer "Dialogue of the Dead"), but the guitars keep cutting sharp and deep coming a bit noisy here and there. The singer is a capable clean voicer with a dramatic attached voice who is also adept at some notable high-pitched screams.

Death Head EP, 2013

Official Site

DEATH IN ACTION (GERMANY)

One of finest, but very little known, German thrash metal bands; "Toxic Waste" is a furious thrash/crossover debut, which remained fairly unnoticed despite its highly inspired music. On the next two albums the band moved towards a more technical play, and the songs have become longer and more complex, but the fierce attitude of the debut is all over them. From a musical point of view those two albums can actually be ranked higher than the debut. "Just for Our Sake" starts with the raging "Paralysed", and the listener gets ready for a direct follow-up to "Toxic Waste", but with a better, and sharper guitar sound. "Daily Cruel Death" already tells a different story with slower pounding guitars, but the second part is another slab of fast-paced thrash seeing the guys not feeling comfortable playing slowly. "Sale Scenery" is heads-down uncompromising speed/thrash, followed by the excellent technical up-tempo instrumental "Disgraced", which will be a pleasant surprise to those who never expected to hear something so expertly composed.
"Just For Our Sake" begins as a ballad, but again later on the thrashing starts all of a sudden, accompanied by jolly crossover moments. "Creditors to Violence" is a longer energetic piece, thrashing less intensely with a bigger sense of melody. Another balladic beginning on the fine "Handle with Care", which is a more moderate speed/thrashing number, and has little to do with Nuclear Assault music-wise (the song title). The album ends the way it started, with a short bursting track called "Deathly Blessing": thrash till death... in action!

"Stuck in Time" is a worthy follow-up, opening with the furious speed/thrash delight with a technical edge "Total Redemption" which comes with a great lead guitar work, showing the guys having made a big step forward in the musical department. "Perfect And Beautiful" follows a different path, being a shorter and a more melodic crossover track, but the sharp and more technical aspect returns on "World Of Dreams" and "Another Life". More intense and direct thrash is served with "The Last Gulag", followed by the other softer crossover song "I'm Here Not There". After the flirtations with the ballad which the guys displayed on the previous album, finally we have a full-fledged one, "Inferiors" (the vocal performance is quite good) that still leaves room at the end for a more energetic thrashing. The closer "Only Yourself" is a magnificent short up-tempo track with great technical riffs, nice bass implements, and a fine memorable chorus, one of the best and most technical achievements of the band if not the best.
"Scheiterhaufen" is a very unnecessary comeback release after a 5-year break seeing the band in a much inferior light with a completely changed style, a lot more melodic and modern, groovy, even funky; a pale shadow of the excellent thrash metal sound displayed earlier.

Toxic Waste Full-length, 1989
Just for Our Sake Full-length, 1990
Stuck in Time Full-length, 1991
Scheiterhaufen Brennt Full-length, 1996

Official Site

DEATH IN OUR YARD (ISRAEL)

Based on the full-length, these folks pull out retro thrash/crossover which is intense and invigorating with strong echoes of D.R.I., the main difference coming from the less aggressive, mid-ranged semi-clean/semi-declamatory vocals. Yes, a crossover attack indeed, one that also smells hardcore on the shorter material ("Filthy Clerk", "Un-Anonymous Alcoholics") with not too many ties to pure thrash.
"Bears Against Humanity" unleashes the same vigour and spite, the guys moshing around with verve, the aggressive "Beer Bear" a sign for more brutal things to come, and indeed "Attack of the Drunks" is a pummeling near-grindcore experience, with the hardcore-ish basher "Pizza Is My Business" following a similar uncompromising path.

D.I.Y.Y- or Die! EP, 2016
Make Crossover Attack Again Full-length, 2018
Bears Against Humanity Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEATH INQUISITION (USA)

A new act specializing in intense varied death/thrash, more classic-sounding despite the strictly modern production. The music is embalmed in atmosphere which doesn't get lost even on the more aggressive cuts ("Killed in Action") which in their turn are superseded by long engaging compositions ("Magical Scepter Batallion Command") that give the effort a somewhat black-ish flavour the latter further strengthened by the raspy sinister vocals.

918 EP, 2012

Official Site

DEATH INVOKER (PERU)

Based on the 2010 demo, this act pulls out raw retro thrash/black/death metal ala early Destroyer 666, but less polished, and more focused on brutality in an almost constant super-fast pace with guttural underground vocals and simplistic bashing riffs.

Reh-Desecrations 2005-2007 Demo, 2007
Sepulchral Noise Split, 2009
Demo Demo, 2010

Official Site

DEATH IS DEATH (FINLAND)

The debut: this is retro thrash which is built on short semi-technical numbers with "Death Is Liberty" being a nice Artillery-sque twister. The pounding mid-pacers "Death Wears Suit" and "South of Death" ensure the volcanic, more pensive side of the album while "What Is Death" is on the thrash/crossover side of the spectre with more optimistic, more uplifting rhythms. The singer is a semi-clean throat with echoes of James Hetfield, with the ability of both singing and semi-reciting.
"Death Is Hardest Thing to Do" is a much more straight-forward recording, closer to the thrash/crossover parametres, with short bursting cuts ("Death Is Victory", "Dirty Death") peppering the landscape, the heavy groovy "Energy Death" interrupting the hyper-active therapy. The more serious but equally as short thrasher "Death Brewery" could be considered the highlight, but there's little wrong in the pounding urgency of "Genetic Death", or in the death-prone accumulations on the final "Certain Death", the only number here to justify the fixation with death on this album.

Death Wears Suit Full-Length, 2019
Death Is Hardest Thing to Do Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEATH KNELL (CANADA)

Based on the full-length, this act deliver lively modern thrashcore that bashes its way out of any predicament thanks to vehement representations like "Bloodlust" and "Distractions", the latter number recalling the legends Motorhead quite a bit, the Brits a close soundalike on other pieces as well. The singer is a hoarse hardcore semi-reciter, the rockish abrasions of "Downward Again" suiting him just fine, right next to the vivid semi-basher "Surfacing".

Death Knell EP, 2019
Inhumanity EP, 2021
Taste the Bitter End of a Once Brilliant Dream Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEATH LINE (FRANCE)

Mid-paced power/thrash with a certain hardcore shade; the music lacks variety, never speeds up or slows down and creates a monotonous atmosphere, aggravated by the clean passionless vocals which never change the pitch. The lead guitar is the only positive thing here, but it sounds almost surreal on the otherwise pretty unimpressive background.

Demo Demo, 1985

DEATH LIVING (CHILE)

Based on the EP, these guys pull out furious hyper-blast black metal with frequent thrash inclusions. Impaled Nazarene are an immediate soundalike as well as more recent extreme acts like Vexed and Suicidal Winds. The thrash riffs come blended with melodic Gothenburg-styled melodies which in this case serve their purpose taking away a bit from the extreme aggression witnessed for most of the time.

Forever Underground Occult and Magics EP, 2000
Blasphemer Full-length, 2006

Official Site

DEATH MACHINE (USA)

This band is a side-project for the progressive metal geniuses Zero Hour. The music here isn't as complex, and is infused with a certain amount of industrial elements; as a result we have quite good industrial thrash with a twist. Certainly musicians of such a calibre would not be content to come up with ordinary, uneventful stuff, and often does the music take a more technical direction which, combined with the more aggressive riffage ("Separate", "Genocide"), bears very positive results. Some numbers are slower, dreamy and atmospheric with a stronger industrial edge ("Tangled Root", "Last Breath"), but don't forget to be hard and intense the exception being the nice peaceful orchestral outro. This is dark atmospheric music quite reminiscent of The Nefilim's "Zoom". The vocals are death metal-ish, similar to Burton Bell (Fear Factory).

Death Machine Full-length, 2003

Official Site

DEATH MASK (USA)

This act started early in the 80's with a cool speed/power metal album based around catchy, memorable riffs and sing-along choruses, quite close to the works of the German acts Atlain, Running Wild and early Living Death. Then a few years later they appeared under the name Savage Choir releasing a great progressive thrash album ("Winter of Probator", 1989), their finest work to date. Twenty five years further up they're back in business "Sitting in the Dark", moshing harder with a more overt thrashy edge although the music still remains largely speed metal with a few heavier, more power metal-based, tracks the latter recalling the Nasty Savage debut. This is cool, unpretentious, party stuff which near the end serves a nice faithful cover of Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe". The closer "Season of Hatred", taken from the Savage Choir repertoire, is a more aggressive headbanger which closes the album in a less expected aggressive manner. The bassist Michael Poplees is an authority having also taken part in other thrash metal outfits like Castrofate, Morbid Sin, the classic heavy metallers Seventh Calling as well, among others.

Split the Atom Full-length, 1986
Sitting in the Dark Full-length, 2011

Official Site

DEATH MECHANISM (ITALY)

A striking debut of aggressive classic thrash metal ala Devastation's "Idolatry" and Hypnosia's "Extreme Hatred"; this is smashing fast-paced music with touches of Slayer in the slower heavier sections. This trio performs very tight, blasting out short 3-min bombs which will keep you headbanging till the end. Some clever riffs with a slight technical edge could also be heard- "Genuin-cide" (as well as clever song-titles), "Contaminated Soil". The vocals have this cynical black-ish edge similar to Flegias (Necrodeath), very effective in this case. The guys never cross the border towards death metal or other extreme genres; this is intense, direct thrash at its classic best.
"Mass Slavery" contains only four new songs; the rest is the debut played without any changes whatsoever. This "effort" would be quite a disappointment to the fans who have waited for four whole years to hear less than half a dozen new sounds, albeit them being good forceful speedy thrashers sounding like leftovers, now finally added to, from the debut.
"Twenty-First Century": "twenty-first century" thrash for "twenty-first century" fans; it may as well be for 80's lovers since the approach is purely old school and many fans will have the time of their life here jumping around from beginning to end since the band seldom let the speed drop below any undesirable rates. "Evolutive Deviation" tries to be more clever and a tad more elaborate, but the guys' passion for bashing with vigour leaves those attempts unfinished the second half being a smashing headbanger's fest. The closing "Collapse 2000 A.D." is a bit disoriented being a hallucinogenic modernizer ala Coroner's 'Grin", a fairly cool number despite a bit off-context with very good bass support and some curious atmospheric passages. This is a good album which is faithful to the path chosen by the band, and if the last song hints at some future metamorphosis, it's up the to them to pull it out well in order to keep their fanbase.

Human Error-Global Terror Full-length, 2006
Mass Slavery Full-length, 2010
Twenty-First Century Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEATH MEX (FINLAND)

The full-length: this Finnish outfit provide brisk energetic retro thrash along the lines of Exodus and Death Angel; so expect a frequent alternation of tempos, a few semi-technical deviations ("Violation of the Neck"), and casual thrash/crossover references ("No Consequences"). The speed gets lost towards the end the guys compensating with the more intriguing riffage on "Memoirs of Satirist" where even deathly blast-beats can be come across. The vocals are rough harsh, shouty death metal ones and are hardly the band's biggest asset.
The “Rebuild & Resist” EP is another tribute to the Bay-Area, the band filling the aether with carefree frolic speedsters (“Free Estate of Mind”), the more complex roller-coaster “Herbal Therapy” mixing nonchalant crossover with some really ambitious shredding, the total opposite to the short bursting hardcore semi-joke “Utility Monster”. More elaborate niceties with the standout progressive odyssey “Virtual Rituality”, arguably the guys’ finest creation; backed up by the more introspective, less exuberant but longer “The Manhattan Project”.

Violation of the Neck Full-Length, 2017
Rebuild & Resist EP, 2024

Official Site

DEATH MILITIA (CANADA)

Power/thrash metal with shades of early Iron Maiden (coming also from the fact that the singer has a voice similar to Paul Di'Anno); the overall sound will remind you of Nasty Savage's debut as well. The "Noise Agony Mayhem" single is only two tracks, but shows an increased level of speed and aggression. Now the band sounds like a tight intense thrash metal outfit with no shades of power metal whatsoever, with a blitzkrieg approach close to Rigor Mortis and Toxic Shock. The singer (if it's the same one) is now a gruff low-tuned semi-whisperer coming close to Schmier on the higher notes.

To Serve and Protect Demo, 1987
One Day Closer to Hell Demo, 1988
You Can't Kill What's Already Dead: Anthology 1985-1988 Best of/Compilation, 2006
Noise Agony Mayhem Single, 2007

DEATH MISSION (NORWAY)

This band's line-up boasts the presence of Geir Horn: the man who later became the singer of the black metal monsters Khold, and is still considered one of the most sinister vocalists on the metal field. The other person you might know, is Jorgen Nordlie: the drummer who is at present a full-time member of Blood Tsunami. The music is cool up-tempo thrash with a technical edge, bringing to mind 80's Testament and Evildead's "The Underworld". The guitar work is really good with also some heavy, pounding riffs involved where necessary ("All As One", which slows down and is a bit monotonous, as it lasts for whole 7.5-min).

The Ultimate... Demo, 1990

DEATH MORTOR (VENEZUELA)

This act plays heavy thunderous thrash/death of the modern variety, clinging more towards the death metal side where belong the brutal growling vocals. The music is mid to up, a slight annoyance being the buzzy guitar sound which leaves no room for any melodic hooks.

Suefo de Morir EP, 2010

Official Site

DEATH NEVER PAIN (CZECH)

Cool energetic modern thrash/death, sharing some of the semi-classic aesthetics of acts like Dew-Scented and Blood Red Angel, and like these two bands, the focus is more on thrash of the intense up-tempo type mixed with heavier, slower passages. The last number is a good faithful cover of At the Gates' "Blinded by Fear".

Demo Demo, 2010

DEATH OF KINGS (USA)

The EP: retro power/thrash nodding towards the country's heritage from the 80's, Metal Church and Aftermath in particular; this is cool dynamic stuff with brisk galloping riffs ("Mountain Lord") and good guitar work which is reflected in sharp cutting riffage which are aptly supported by the dramatic, maybe a bit overscreamy at times, semi-clean vocals. "Destructicator" is a short speed/thrashing energizer, but the following "Trials of the Pantheon" would throw you into the other extreme with its epic-tinged nature. This is a nice diverse offering which would appeal to a wider fanbase.
The full-length comes with a slightly "dirty" sound, but otherwise the band don't slouch and faithfully produce their power/thrash blend adding a more epic touch ("Sojourn") to the proceedings. ON the other hand, the misplaced blast-beats on "Regicidal" are a clear mood spoiler, a situation partly improved by diverse shredders like "Descent into Madness" and impetuous speedsters like "Knifehammer", among which one will also notice the more technical delight "Plague (Upon the World)", and the excellent straight-ahead speed/thrashing closer "Revel in Blasphemy".

Crushed Beneath the Steel EP, 2012
Kneel Before None Full-Length, 2017

Official Site

DEATH ON ARRIVAL (CZECHIA)

Based on the full-length, this Czech trio specialize in modern melodic thrash/death which is more on then heavy epic side thanks to officious melodious strolls ("Dear Mother", "The Price of Freedom"), the livelier rhythms of "Endless Agony" stifled by the cumbersome pensiveness of "Jekyll and Hyde" and the epic atmospherics of "Delirium Tremens", the harsh death metal vocals not being a very big detriment to the generally laid-back musical pageants.

Death Is Coming?.?.?. EP, 2017
Post Mortem Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEATH ON FIRE (USA)

The debut: modern thrash/post-thrash with covert allusions to death metal largely due to the unrestrained shouty vocals. Wild speedier propositions like "Requiem" would manage to stir the blood although the majority of the songs are awkward semi-epic dirgers ("Betrayal"), resembling more stoned Strapping Young Lad ("Never See You Again") at their more stylish.
"Ghost Songs" is more of a thrash/death compendium the post-thrash leanings left far behind for most of the time excluding the abrasive industrializer "Once Were Warriors". Beautiful melodies ("The End Complete") abound alongside casual brutal outbursts ("People Like You") and the odd nod to the hard rock heritage ("Love Gun") the latter "marred" by the gruff vociferous death metal vocalist.

Witch Hunter Full-Length, 2018
Ghost Songs Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEATH OVER THREAT (SPAIN)

Good Bay-Area thrash metal "courting" Forbidden and Exodus above all music-wise. In the vocal department the guy tries to come close to the harsh semi-clean delivery of James Hetfield, but soon gives up, and later on finds his own cool pitch, also semi-clean and harsh, maybe more melodic and emotional than the one of Hetfield, if we exclude the sparce hellish death metal screams. The music delivers the goods on all counts, being overtly aggressive ("Infamy Legacy", with a touch of proto-death) on occasion. The songs are within the 5-6min range, and some of them are pleasantly heavy and not as fast as the rest ("Einmal Ist Keinmal", the semi-balladic "New Idols Leading Rats"). This rest is heads-down headbanging classic thrash, intense and sharp, mostly up-tempo, with lashing riffs and short stylish leads.

Sangre Full-length, 2009

My Space

DEATH PACT (USA)

Raw primitive bash with very noisy guitars and more intelligible growling semi-death metal vocals which have the tendency to suddenly shriek like a demented banshee. The music is fairly amateurish and a little can be distinguished among the fuzzy barrage offered the 8-min mess "Unholy Ritual" at the end kind of serving the most comprehensive (well, that's very relative) material.

Demo Demo, 1987

DEATH PENALTY (USA)

Based on the full-length: your average groovy post-thrash comes served with a doze of hardcore, the latter providing the better, faster moments, which recall Madball. The heavy thunderous rhythm-section is ably supported by very good bass work, and the singer does his best to sound suitably angry and forceful, without overdoing it. Not completely bad, actually, despite the more than obvious emulation of Pantera ("Unbroken") which the guys don't really need. Expect surreal doominess on "Surreal" which is a stylish take on the mechanical style of Godflesh.
The EP presents heavy steam-roller modern post-thrash/post-death with guttural death metal vocals. This is one-dimensional chuggy stuff that follows the same bass-driven rhythms on the short cuts as well, among which “Punished” is a welcome more lyrical extrapolation with covert sludge aesthetics. “The Hunt” is the odd more dynamic trot, and “Confined” is a vivid more technical interpretation of the 90’s numetal canons.

Bitter EP, 1997
Conviction Full-length, 1998

DEATH PERCEPTION (CANADA)

Based on "Ashes", this outfit specialize in modern groovy thrash/post-thrash which is clearly on the more dynamic side of the spectre, with the dynamic headbanger "Scars over Skin" leading the parade, the short vehement "No Tears for the Dead" another brisk occurrence. The overshouty death metal vocals are largely noise makers, excluding the dark atmospheric "Crimson Darkness" where a more subdued semi-declamatory vocal style has been epitomized in order to better suit the less intense character of the track, the latter also felt on the closing post-deathster "Ashes to Mourn".

Death Perception Full-length, 2016
Ensuing the Insanity Full-length, 2016
Ashes Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEATH POWER (FRANCE)

One of the quite a few thrash/death metal bands who appeared at about the same time on the French metal scene. This album is one of the better releases from that time, with a sound akin to Sacrifice's "Forward To Termination" and Kreator. The music is fast with simplisitc, but memorable, effective riffs, and longer songs similar to the ones composed by the aforementioned Canadian act ("Wendigo", "War", which is a slow pounding track with more melodic lines, but quite cool), where something more complex goes on. Touches of more aggressive proto-death play can sparcely be heard (parts of "Wendigo" again, the short brutal bomb "March of the Dead", "Satan's Litanies", which is a direct nod to the early German thrash scene). "The Bogeyman" is a more laid-back track, surprisingly sliding down to power metal even on some parts. "Stop the Time" is almost pure death metal, but only one of its kind. "Hardcore Copulation" closes the album in a smashing hardcore fashion, exactly what the title promises, fast aggressive hardcore packed in a little more than 2-min. Unlike most of the French bands from that period, the band never recorded again.

The Bogeyman Full-length, 1990

DEATH RAY VISION (USA)

The full-length debut: representatives from the NWOAHM wave (Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Overcast) have gotten together for the creation of another modern thrashcore effort (based on "We Ain't Leavin' Till You're Bleedin'") which easily touches the more classic examples ("Over My Dead Body") from the good crossover past, but also expect heavy groovy "traps" along the way which are not that annoying and add up to the carefree optimistic mood permeating this unpretentious recording.
"No Mercy from Electric Eyes" is a more aggressive affair, with full-blooded thrash ("From the Rafters", "Premature Evisceration") also materializing at times, the guys occasionally slackening with the odd heavy metal hymn ("Reaper"), but picking up inertia instantly with pummeling moshers like "An Iron Age" and the carefree speedster "O Great Destroyer" at the end.

Get Lost or Get Dead EP, 2011
Death Ray Vision EP, 2013
We Ain't Leavin' Till You're Bleedin' Full-length, 2013
Negative Mental Attitude Full-length, 2018
No Mercy from Electric Eyes Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEATH RECEIPT (GERMANY)

Heavy thick, post-thrash grooves permeate this recording from beginning to end, still serving the odd more melodic ("The Man With The Crane") or more hectic choppy motif ("Written In Blood"), the intense shouty death metal vocals turning to something witchy and blacky on several occasions. "Annihilation" turns the table towards purer harder-hitting thrash, and "Come To Me" is an effective dark quasi-doomster with heavy hypnotic riffs.

Written In Blood Full-Length, 2020

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DEATH RIDERS (ITALY)

These Italians provide cool edgy power/thrash metal with both modern and classic leanings. The album begins in a calm power metal fashion with the epic opus "The Hedgehog's Dilema", but comes "Legion", and things become more aggressive with speed metal vibes which turn into lashing thrash on the next "Death Riders". "Shelter" is the obligatory for such albums ballad with the singer doing a great job with his warm emotional tember, and "The Eclipse" is only a tad more intense of the heavy semi-balladic type. The balladic heaviness carries on with "Season Of Loss", but "War Inheritance" is a good waker with its energetic vigorous riffage. "Sinfonia" is a "sinfony" of raging speed/thrash metal with lyrical inclusions on a keyboard background in the middle and a few great choruses. "Reason And Fate" slows down, but the sharp riffs cut like a knife accompanied by good melodic leads. "Crimson Liberty" is a carefree speed metal hymn in the spirit of the new 90's school, a "storm before the calm" which comes in the form of the tender acoustic ballad "When Everything Lies" with the singer again shining all over. There are quite a few influences to be caught here (Manticora, Blind Guardian, Not Fragile, etc.) all of them mixed well to produce an album with a consistently wide appeal.

Through Centuries Of Dust Full-length, 2010

Official Site

DEATH RITUAL (USA)

Based on the self-titled demo, this act offer very messy chaotic thrash/death which in terms of brutality should be mentioned right along the early efforts of Massacra, Messiah and Death, but in terms of execution this is just plain noise at times the guys bashing with passion showing little skill especially the singer who just talks in an aggravated low-tuned death metal manner. The lead guitarist tries to "steal the show" with a few better played sections which sound too surreal on the amateurish barrage serving as the background.

Death Ritual Demo, 1988
What Pain Really Is Demo, 1990

DEATH SENTENCE (USA)

This is the early incarnation of the death metal pioneers Nunslaughter. What we have here is raw, badly sounding intense thrash, which comes close to the proto-death sound of Possessed's "Seven Churches" at times, but the bad sound quality leaves little to be enjoyed. "Fall of the Church" is a surprisingly sentimenal slow track even smelling power metal at some point. This could have been a good example of aggressive early thrash, but this sound...

Death is the Only Way Demo, 1985

DEATH SOLDIER (BRAZIL)

A power trio from Brazil specializing in rough edgy retro thrash characterized by abrasive guitars and throaty very shouty death metal vocals. The guys lash with passion the screamy proficient leads another worthy addition. Shades of crossover sneak in ("In\\'c3\\'bateis Guerras do Metal") here and there, including uncontrolled blast-beats on the aggressive closer "Lost Horizon".

Devasta, Caos e Odio EP, 2012

Official Site

DEATH SQUAD (ITALY)

This Italian act indulges in intense, vicious black/thrash/death "courting" Possessed, Morbid Saint and the French school (Massacra, Loudblast) along the way. Despite the respectable amount of energy present, the music wears thin at some point due to its constantly speedy nature spiced with the odd blast-beat. The sound quality is a bit dirty, intentionally or not, but the band's primal delivery hardly requires a more polished production. The singer is an unholy death metal growler of the higher-pitched type, but his rendings are slightly marred by the muffled echo which accompanies them.

Bestial Domination EP, 2011

My Space

DEATH SQUAD (USA)

Based on the debut: energetic, occasionally quite interesting thrash with touches of hardcore; all the songs are of the same up-tempo and merge together so that it's hard to distinguish one song from another at first listen. This is not very fast or aggressive music, but some of the leads are intriguing, and the riffs are quite heavy and crushing. Surely songs, like the speedy steam-rollers "Die Again" and "Mad as Hell" are more than welcome with their more energetic delivery, even recalling Demolition Hammer; "Body Damage" is a tribute to Slayer with the traditional chaotic Kerry King-like leads. The sound only occasionally reminds of the 90's trends, and the instrumental "Mind Fuck" manages to come up with choppy technical riffs, as well as "Infections Of Reality", which comes as a small version of the songs from "...And Justice For All" with its heavy pounding rhythm. There are actually no pure hardcore numbers, just moments from this style are present on the shorter compositions.

Split You At The Seams Full-length, 1991
Driving Blind Full-length, 1993

DEATH STRIKE (USA)

Death Strike is one of the numerous Paul Speckman's projects (Abomination, Master, to name a few). Sound-wise this band fits between the two aforementioned ones, mixing the heavy stomping style of Abomination with the death metal tendencies of Master. Some of the songs are of the short simplistic, hardcore-ish type, whereas others ("The Final Countdown": no relations to Europe music-wise, take it easy!) are slower, almost doomy pieces which will remind you of early Celtic Frost or even Hellhammer. Speckman is in fine form again, with his Tom G.Warrior-like vocals being the highlight of the album.

Fuckin' Death Full-length, 1991

DEATH TERROR (CANADA)

Amaterusih bash without any merits whatsoever; this can pass for some thrash/proto-death with awful shouty/semi-declamatory vocals probably done by two guys who had decided to have some good time jamming on their friends' instruments while those same friends were taking a break from rehearsal. You and your neighbour without having any previous musical background, if getting together half-drunk, would perhaps do a better job...

Demo Demo, 1988

DEATH THRASHERS KUOPIO (FINLAND)

With so many demos, compilations and splits these guys have proved themselves as an underground phenomenon, so what should come next would have to be an album deal with a label. Based on the "Madness... Underground...The Return" demo, this band plays very good aggressive thrash metal typical for the late 80's. The style is reminiscent of the German heroes Destruction and Kreator; a really good effort.

Zombies...apocalypse...and other nice things Demo, 2002
Promotape Demo, 2002
Necromancy...Blood...Vengeance Demo, 2003
Death Thrashers Kuopio Best of/Compilation, 2005
Thrash Metal Blitzkrieg Vol II Split, 2006
Madness... Underground...The Return Demo, 2007

Official Site

DEATH THREAT (USA)

This is a 3-songer of intense bashing thrash with rending shouty proto-death vocals. The overall approach is a mix between Slayer, Possessed, and Torture with a few more stylish touches ala early Sadus on the shredding proto-deathster "Hit The Dirt".

The Support of Some Is Suffocation of Others Demo, 1991

DEATH TIDE (UK)

This UK outfit provide modern thrash of the groovy heavy kind. The album is a contrasting concoction of seismic riffs and blazing screamy leads which are accompanied by doomy and industrial borrowings, more or less appropriate, including the long heavy ballad "Something Wrong". The really exciting moments aren't many at all if we exclude the varied mosher "Metal is My Spirit" which indeed tries to show that "metal" is a part of the guys' repertoire with its more aggressive approach. The singer is a semi-clean shouter who shows more attachment than what is necessary for this type of music.
"The Fury Grenade" is a more dynamic affair the guys now thrashing with more intensity. The album develops in an aggressive headbanging fashion for most of the time, at times branching out into more friendly hardcore ("Arm To Face Missile"), at others courting" the speed metal movement ("Disgraced Civilisation"). "The Elliot Clan" is a weird trippy "excursion" with very good leads, and "Skinslip is a heavy steam-roller which influences the remaining tracks among which the short "Alcoholic Rampage" sticks out due to its more energetic riffage overshadowing the two monotonous overlong, progressive-tinged, closers.

Raze The Halls Of Celmeresfort Full-Length, 2012
The Fury Grenade Full-Length, 2013

DEATH TOLL (MEXICO)

Very raw thrash/death metal with some of the most brutal low-tuned death metal vocals ever encountered on the scene. The music is moderately fast with epic touches here and there, but the awful sound quality is a major detraction for one to cite any soundalikes. The guitars form an almost impenetrable fuzzy wall with the bass thudding heavily in the background. This is so much underground that one may find it hard to believe that this recording was made nowadays with all the technological advancements available everywhere. "At the Moment of War" at the end is more audible and sees the band coming with cool heavy riffs with a nice melodic blend which is a sign that with a better sound the guys could actually make a few heads turn.

Wall Ripping Flesh EP, 2010

My Space

DEATH TOLL RISING (CANADA)

Based on "Infection Legacy", this act provide ordinary modern thrash with all the professional touches (boosted production, crisp guitars, shouty vocals, etc.) to make it sound convincing. The problem is that the approach is too run-of-the-mill to make one listen with care the guys competently blending fast and slower tunes, but in a mechanized soulless manner the quirky decisions on the last duo of numbers being the highlight the guys really pulling it out on the closing "Septic Entity" which is an engaging piece with a more serious progressive twist.

Spontaneous Decapitation EP, 2008
Defecation Suffocation Full-length, 2010
Infection Legacy Full-length, 2013

Official Site

DEATH TONGE (CANADA)

Purely amateurish thrashcore that is merely a rehearsal that probably wasn't meant to see the light of day. Both production and musical qualities are completely missing; this isn't even for completists only.

All Bones,no Meat Demo, 1988

DEATH TRAP (AUSTRALIA)

Classic thrash/crossover with short explosive tracks and a brutal uncompromising delivery easily bordering on early Cryptic Slaughter. Despite the big simplicity of the guitar work and the rending shouty vocals, this is an energetic and an invigorating short listen.

Death Trap EP, 2009

My Space

DEATH TRIPPER (USA)

This band boasts the presence of Kris Gabeheardt: the man who later became the first Solitude Aeturnus singer. Based on the "Canis Major" demo, this band play raw, slightly amateurish speed/thrash metal, recalling early Razor. Listening to Gabeheardt's performance here, it's no wonder that he didn't last long with the doomsters. His attempts at the higher, screamy tones spoil even further the overall not very good impression left by the music. There are some more stylish solos and all, but it is all too one-dimensional and uninspired.

Burnt Offerings Demo, 1985
Canis Major Demo, 1986

DEATH VALLEY (CANADA)

This is indeed a rehearsal coming with an awful sound quality obstructing messy thrash/proto-death which is offered in various tempos as "I Dissappear" is a pure doomster contrasting with the cool melodic guitars on "Reign In May" and the better closer "Dishonored" which show that the guys could have turned into something more substantial if having lasted longer, and if having gotten rid of the very shouty death metal vocalist who takes too much space to be considered an asset.

Rehearsal Demo, 1992

DEATH WALTZ (ITALY)

An alluring melodic all-instrumental intro takes us inside this waltz which is the good old power/thrash with a more melodic twist. Hard-hitting, less compromising mosh occurs ("Blood Moon"), naturally, but the mellower embellishments are all over the place and those accommodate the less intense mid-tempo configurations more easily. Consequently, the latter are more commonly come across, the cool attached clean vocalist leading the parade with confidence, seldom stretching his chords beyond the mid-range.

Born to Burn Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEATH WARMED UP (UK)

Based on the “The Battle Rages” demo, this band play brutal bashing thrash/proto-death that can easily pass for the most extreme recording to come out of the Isles from the late-80’s. “Dead Time Stories” is an intriguing melodic stomper, but run for cover on the short outrageous “The Queen Mothers Corpse” and “Corpse Grinder”, “Stormbringer” hinting at a tad slower Celtic Frost-esque possibilities, the gruff semi-declamatory singer sounding suitably sinister all over. Later the guys changed their name to Driven to Distraction, and started playing more tamed thrash/crossover.

Death Head Demo, 1986
The Battle Rages Demo, 1987
We Go to War Demo, 1987

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DEATH WARRANT (HUNGARY)

Based on the demo, this talented act indulges in very well executed hectic, complex thrash/death with mazey, Atheist-like inclinations and interesting more abstract digressions. The songs are quite diverse, but never fast except for short isolated sections ("Eternal Ape"). More relaxed progressive metal structures ("Reversed Structure") have also been introduced, but fit the elaborate picture. The title-track is a superb surreal progressive piece with oblivious guitar tones and precise technical riffs, with echoes of Voivod and Mekong Delta. Another mind-challenging track is the last "Mind Recovery" which twists and turns in a creepy manner puzzling the listener with its time-changes. The singer is not a very big asset, falling behind the very good music, with his brutal low-tuned growls.
The "Split" EP, which is not exactly a split with any other act, is another complex amalgam of thrash, death and progressive which is more immediate this time, and more aggressive, clinging more towards the death metal side. The guys bash with style ("The Inside") with cold mechanical, technical passion, but a bigger complexity arrives with "Labeled Ground" which is a proto-jazzy puzzler with the obligatory fast passages decorating the twisted moments in an abstract dispassionate manner. This 4-piece is kind of less impressive than the demo, the guitar sound coming a bit distorted with the transitions between the separate sections from the songs not so flawless and somewhat chaotic.

Echoes of Degraded Colours Demo, 2010
Split EP, 2012

Official Site

DEATH WARRANT (MEXICO)

The "Time Of Dying" demo is a cool slab of energetic classic speed/thrash, mixing the speed antics of Agent Steel with the more aggressive approach of the Germans Angel Dust and Iron Angel. "Extermination" defies this definition, switching onto aggressive thrash for a while. On the other pole is "Moon Child" (Iron Maiden make a cover version of this song 2 years later- kidding, ha ha!), which is an up-tempo power/thrasher reminiscent of the prolific 80's American scene. The last track is a live recording of the speed/thrash smasher "Death Squad".

Satan's Fall Demo, 1985
Metallic Slaughter Demo, 1986
Time Of Dying Demo, 1986
Time of Dying Best of/Compilation, 2008

DEATH WARRANT (SLOVAKIA)

Slovak Nazis who offer energetic, edgy thrashcore showing a more serious attitude than the majority of RAC/core acts around the globe, with a more thought-out musicianship and longer compositions. The band nicely add more officiant epic touches (check out the balladic opus "Hail Serbia"; or the 8.5-min epic galloper "Berserkr") here and there, and generally there is not a very frequent adherence to all-out speed ("Ahasver" is a nice retro headbanger), the songs containing quite a few catchy, melodic hooks. The singer is a gruff semi-death metaller, but his throaty antics are pretty comprehensive. The band changed their name a year later, to Retribution, releasing one album in 2002 ("The Night of the Wolves") in the same epic thrascore-y vein before splitting-up.

In the Name of the Race Full-length, 2001

DEATHALIZER (USA)

Capable classic power/thrash metal with a few modern leanings and cool James Hetfield-like vocals; the guys come close to the Annihilator mixtures of more recent times (check out "Crumbs from the Sky" with its vintage Jeff Waters-esque guitars), also touching the Bay-Area on the faster moments ("It Dwells Within", although this one may pull you back in the middle with its proto-modern groove). The band mix tempos all the time, and "More Than One" is a nice heavy semi-ballad.
The full-length is expectedly built around the tracks from the EP, but the new stuff is strictly modern with touches of The Black Album, Lyzanxia, Perzonal War, etc. Still, one can't possibly ignore the headbanging audacity of the opening "The Angel's Fall" or the dramatic steam-rolliness of "Awaken". "Nameless Grave" is a surprisingly stylish speed/thrasher recalling Metallica during their heydays, matched partially by the final "Rise" which is another mosher with suggestive technical undercurrents. Still, the majority of the songs belongs to the not very interesting jumpy mid-tempo parametres which don't try to hide too well their fascination with the 90's trends.

Deathalizer EP, 2009
It Dwells Within Full-length, 2009

Official Site

DEATHAMIN (CANADA)

Excellent thrash metal in the Bay Area vein; without sounding too technical, Deathamin manage to come up with stupendous riffs and nice guitar melodies, which make every song memorable, different from the others. The tempo is energetic, but without all-out speed bursts except on the excellent "Mad Rush": a smashing speedy thrasher. On the other hand we have "Appointment": a brilliant technical thrash piece, which would make even bands like Deathrow and Target listen carefully. Early Testament would be a close call, or the Swedes Fallen Angel or Mezzrow. At the time when Testament were dropping the ball ("The Ritual"), these Canadians were making the fans feel as though the 80's had never ended, and thrash metal was still the order of the day.

Mass of What Full-length, 1992

DEATHAMPHETAMINE (USA)

Based on the "Post Apocalyptic Revisionist History" EP, these guys provide noisy, raw thrash/death with a certain industrial flavour and more aggressive grindy tendencies. This is fast one-dimensional stuff with screechy death metal vocals and short bombastic tracks. Some of the musicians play much slower with their other formation Blessed Offal where the style is death/doom.
"The Lost Album" has finally been found, and it follows the same path carved by the EP's; in other words, this is right as rain thrash/death of the fast type with again several attempts at grind sneaking through. The more direct thrashy moments are straight nods to early Metallica ("Losing It All"), but remain kind of undeveloped since the songs are quite short seldom going over the 3-min range leaving a certain hardcore aftertaste, intentional or not. This is chaotic stuff with all the influences randomly blended including the slight industrial vibe coming mostly from the abrasive guitar sound.

From hand axe to laser EP, 2005
Post Apocalyptic Revisionist History EP, 2009
The Lost Album Full-length, 2012

Official Site

DEATHAWAITS (FRANCE)

Based on "Solve Coagula", these folks deliver modern thrash/death which changes the pace on an almost song-by-song basis recalling the Brazilians Torture Squad on the more brutal material ("Give Me Your Ferver") where the sound acquires a more expressive death metal-ish flair with sparse blast-beating insertions and all the rest. The other extreme is occupied by morose mid-pacers like "Unseen Tomorrow" which are often served with doomy overtones.
"Rapture Smites" is a more complex, more progressive saga which suffers a bit from the presence of a couple of monotonous, uneventful mid-pacers ("Loot Thy Neighbour", "Better Think Twice"), the highlight clearly being the "Trumpeting Butchery" trilogy the frantic diverse shredder "Shrine of Mediocrity" a close second, the guys missing a few opportunities elsewhere to make their style more attractive for the headbangers.

Out of Adversity Full-length, 2011
The Abominable Full-length, 2014
Solve Coagula Full-length, 2017
Rapture Smites Full-length, 2019

Official Site

DEATHBLADE (UK)

Based on “The Degenerate Spawn”, this act provide fast not very compromising retro thrash which verges on the semi-technical on the stylish saga “Godrend”, the pummeling brutalizer “Lilith” levelling the ground in no time, the epic developments on “Ancient Moors” a kind of a respite, before “Embitter” shoots a pleiad of both brutal and intricate riffs to everyone’s pleasant surprise. The raucous hardcore vocalist can be a grating presence at times, his semi-declamatory/semi-shouty antics not adding much gravity to the musical scenery, especially on the ambitious thought-out title-track.

Undead Insurgency EP, 2021
Deathblade Full-length, 2021
The Degenerate Spawn Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEATHBLOOD (NEW ZEALAND)

Based on "Drink the Blood", this one-man show, the name Jeremy Giles, specializes in passable retro thrash which is both melodic ("Vampiric Desolation") and dramatically intense ("Unhallowed Feast"), Giles accompanying the stylistic fluctuations with a slightly scary hissing deathly timbre behind the mike. His six-string dexterity is undeniable, mind you, as this is the instrument that he feels the most comfortable with, the man shredding his heart and soul on pageants like the heavy doom-laden "Midnight" and the short pulverizer "Death in the Flesh".

Death in the Flesh Full-length, 2021
Breeding Bloodthirst Full-length, 2021
Bride from Hell Full-length, 2021
Drink the Blood Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEATHBLOW (JAPAN)

"Pathetic" is a great acoustic intro (there is nothing "pathetic" about it), similar to the "Crystal Ann" instrumental from "Alice in Hell", to this no-brainer of unadulterated classic thrash. There's no single dull moment with this one; the guys thrash with energy and a genuine technical edge, mixing both in a fairly interesting way, like on the opening "The Distorted Symbol". "Beyond Salvage" is a longer speed/thrash number which concentrates on melody, serving as a model for the coming power/speed metal wave. "Seventh Angel Blows A Bugle" brings back the more aggressive thrash riffage, leaving the technicality a bit aside. "Arms" is heads-down thrash again, introducing some more interesting riffs along with the cool short lead guitar work. "Lebanon" is a very good speed/power/thrash instrumental, bringing the best from the guitarists, mostly in the lead department. "Sword Dance" is awesome speed/thrash metal in the best tradition of the Angel Dust debut, with slower "detours". "Negotiator" is intense fast-paced thrash metal which doesn't forget about the softer mid-section that the band applies quite successfully on quite a few times. "Graven Image" is another heads-down smasher, more than a worthy exit from this one-album-wonder with its brisk speedy guitars, great bass-support and fine short leads.
The demo comprises three songs which see the band still thrashing with the finest despite the muddy sound quality. The approach is more on the semi-technical side recalling their compatriots Outrage at times, including on the cool tender ballad "The Another Face In Me" which shows the very good singer in an even brighter light. "Trade With Devil" is an exemplary hard-hitting thrasher with piercing leads which could have also been a highlight on the full-length.

Meanless Propaganda Full-length, 1991
Death After 3 Years Demo, 1994

DEATHBLOW (USA)

This young outfit gives a fairly "negative prognosis" to the future of thrash... kidding, the guys offer brisk energetic classic thrash with invigorating galloping riffs ("Riddled With Tumors") which suddenly get replaced by brutal proto-death rhythms all this done with a good sense of technicality and a lot of speed which very seldom goes down below the up-pace, but goes up towards the extreme levels on the short blast-beating madder "Bestial Spell". The title-track is a nice progressive opus with very good melodic leads which are also nicely translated on the closing "Nocturnal Feeders". The vocalist isn't bad with his semi-clean/semi-declamatory delivery which doesn't involve too much singing, but fits well the very dynamic musical scenery.

Prognosis Negative Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

DEATHCHAIN (FINLAND)

A death/thrash metal hybrid; on the band's inspired debut the emphasis is probably more on death metal, but the energy and enthusiasm behind the music will win anyone in the end. Still, there is a certain amount of thrash to be heard as well, and the non-stop fast attack will cause a few neck sprains along the way. The guitar work is actually quite good with smashing riffs lashing from all sides slowing down, but just a bit, on the mid-tempo steam-roller "Carrier Of Pestilence", but prepare to run for cover on the next death/thrash metal fury "Deadmeat Disciples".
"Deathrash Assault" delivers exactly what the title promises: thrash/death assault of a fairly good quality. The guitar licks are more catchy this time, but the speed remains producing standout headbangers: "Venom Preacher", the technical killer "Lepra Lord", the brutal Slayer-esque "Deathrash Legions" and "Napalm Satan". "Panzer Holocaust" is a very welcome deviation from the formula, adding cool technical moments and a backward play ala Morbid Angel- a very stylish number, but only one of its kind. Another very good attempt at a more complex song-writing comes at the end, with "Valley of the Corpses": a fine blend of furious death/thrashing in the first half and more atmospheric, technical passages in the second one.
"Cult Of Death" delves deeper into death metal waters, going up the speed level as well, which inevitably means an increased number of ultra-fast blasting sections. "Serpent of the Deep" is a very welcome change of pace into slower almost doomy, and even technical music after the extreme trio opening the album, after which another three furious tracks follow, before the closing "Cult of Death" slows down again providing heavy pounding riffs. There is not much offered here to appeal to the thrash metal fan, but the high energy and intensity put behind the music should be respected.
"Death Eternal" is a really good effort with lashing riffs and super-fast tempos staying closer to death metal, but the approach this time is more technical, and some compositions could be easily included into the Morbid Angel catalogue: "Awaken... Horrors Of This Earth", "Song Of Chaos And The Void": exemplary exercises in a technical play, the culmination being the closer "Incantations of Shub-Niggurath" which is a multi-faced progressive death/thrash opus, quite an achievement in the genre, constantly mixing tempos and moods. The album is not completely deprived of pure thrashing pieces, and here come "Plaguethrone", "Sworn Beneath" (this one is death-tinged; the guys can't help it...). "The Ancient And The Vile" is the interlude: a slow mid-paced track which doesn't miss out on stylish technical implements.
"Death Gods" continues the trend the guys established from the beginning to include the word "death", or "dead" in the album-title, and music-wise it's not radically different from its predecessor this time bringing thrash metal back more often, although the approach is pretty much deathly all over, again of the brutal more technical variety the latter stepping aside a bit for the sake of the fast sections, still scoring high on the multi-faced "The Crawling Chaos", and partially on the ambitious Bal Sagoth-esque "The Lion-Head". The steam-rolling technicality which graced a couple of songs from the previous album is admirably introduced on the atmospheric "We Are Unearthed", and later on the proto-doom steam-roller "Howling of the Blind" which comes with a strong Bolt Thrower vibe. Still, the big surprise and the obvious highlight will be the closer "Cthulhu Rising": a larger-than-life progressive opus with a lot of furious death/thrashing, numerous technical hooks and progressive arrangements some of which are again of the moody doom type, but everything here is done with taste to keep you entertained throughout the whole 12-min. The technical lovers will find reasons to criticize this effort, but as a work of modern thrash/death metal it delivers almost as well any of the band's old releases.
"Ritual Death Metal" is indeed an almost full-fledged death metal affair the guys blasting with passion with an increased brutality added in the form of several less bridled black metal hyper-blasts. Consequently there's not much to write about this album which is the band's least capable effort if we exclude the nice Oriental motifs on the closing death/doomster "Abzu Doom" and elsewhere.

DeadMeat Disciples Full-length, 2003
Deathrash Assault Full-length, 2005
Cult Of Death Full-length, 2007
Death Eternal Full-length, 2008
Death Gods Full-length, 2010
Ritual Death Metal Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEATHCORP (USA)

This is an excellent EP which mixes speedy aggressive riffs with nice technical stylish guitar work. At times the speed recalls even Wehrmacht, and there's certain crossover aesthetics involved here, but combined with the more technical riffs, leaves quite a positive impression. The music never goes into death metal although the intensity is quite big, and will also remind you of Necrodeath and Psychic Possessor, among other acts. At the same time some of the band members were also busy with another thrash metal outfit, Somethin' Awful.
The demo is a more violent affair, and a much noisier one, thanks to the raw production qualities which create a buzzying wall of the guitar sound. Nothing technical here, just fast blitzkrieg thrash with again Wehrmacht a close soundalike. "Cold Blooded War" is an unexpected heavy metal hymn, but the rest is way more intense with capable semi-shouty vocals ala Mille involved.
The full-length sees the band willing to give themselves another try after a lifetime of hibernation, the approach being milder and more moderate, a power/speed/proto-thrash conglomerate of the old school, with both energetic extrapolations ("Nightmares", the steel galloper "Don't Look Back"), with full-fledged thrash seldom materializing before the demanding listener, the latter shaking his/her head in doubt on the plodding quasi-epic "The Highest Mountain", but definitely savouring the optimistic lively closer "The Bitter Pill" which is, again, a power/speed metal amalgam.

Cold Blooded War Demo 1987
Rest in Pieces EP, 1989
Toxica Full-length, 2023

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DEATHCRAEFT (GREECE)

This is an atmospheric melo-death/thrash offering which crosses the Gothenburg movement with near-black bombastic elements, the more controlled moments (the mid-paced behemoth "Spreading Lies") bringing both Rotting Christ and Septicflesh to mind. In other words, keep it in the Greek family although the semi-technical shredder "Welcome to Oblivion" suggests otherwise, but the only genuine support it receives is from the hectic thrasher "Paving the Way", and partially by the pretty cool progressive closer "Free Into the Void", an eventful opus with imposing orchestral decorations.

On Human Devolution Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEATHCRAFT (MEXICO)

Based on the full-length, this act offer pretty decent old school speed/thrash which is marred by the unsuitable guttural deathly vocals. Otherwise the others deliver with impetuous speedsters like "El Creator" and the short breezy "Por la Victoria", the more officious progressive veneer of "Mi Infierno" and "Pacto" slowing down the proceedings, the highlight being the excellent lengthy 9-min opus "Infectado", a diverse unpredictable opus with several notable fast-paced accumulations.

Return from Hell EP, 2017
Infernal Full-length, 2019

Official Site

DEATHCULT (USA)

This is dark black/thrash, served by just one person (Tim Pearson), with sinister gloomy/depressive undercurrents also brought up by the clearly heard subdued death metal vocals. The music even acquires epic overtones at times ("Mutant Generation"), and although it packs a punch it may get tiresome later on due to its slightly repetitive mid-paced nature and samey song-structures. "Doctrine of Hate" is probably the highlight with its death metal insertions (blast-beats, etc.) and more diverse mood shifts making the end a bit more interesting also with the help of the funereal quasi-doomines of the closer "Deathcult".

Test of Time Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEATHDEMONA (UKRAINE)

Modern power/thrash metal with both gothic and epic touches; this is cool dramatic stuff which starts in a pensive "soulful" manner with the dark "Deep in My Soul", but "Cruelty" is a more optimistic, also "crueler", speed/thrasher with genuinely heavy slower sections. Then comes "Infinity", and things become wonderfully technical mixed with haunting gothic passages. The diversity gets larger proportions on the aggressive proto-death laced "One Reason of Existence", which again offers something for the technical fans with a few stylish hooks ala later-period Death. "Out of Love" is a cool tribute to the 90's power/speed metal fraternity which remains for a string of songs, until the coming of the furious death-tinged closer "Helpless". The singer is too emotional for the more aggressive parts, singing in an attached melodic clean manner, but lacks power and range during the higher tones. This is a bit uneven blend of quite a few styles, neither of which gets developed fully, but as a work of a more modern brand of thrash metal this album would not be a disappointment.

Keep the Flame Burning Full-length, 2004

Fan Site

DEATHDRIVE

Modern thrash metal of the more laid-back variety with gothic overtones; this is mostly mid-paced stuff with references to doom as well, with gruff death metal vocals, plenty of melodic hooks (which are not bad at all, by the way), and a few metalcore breaks.

War Within Full-Length, 2009

DEATHEAD (USA)

A young trio from the US specializing in aggressive chaotic thrash/death metal (based on the full-length) of the modern type. The guys bash with passion, but with little professionalism producing quite a bit of noise in the long run the screamy death metal vocals just another annoyance. Near the end comes the more proficient stuff culminating on the cool epic doomster "The Call" which is way more controlled structure-wise and this style kind of better suits the band's penchant for not very sensible mish-mashy barrage.

Controlled by Chaos EP, 2007
An Offering to the Gods Full-length, 2009

Official Site

DEATHFALL (HOLLAND)

Modern/thrash death metal with a considerable doze of hardcore, coming as a more aggressive version of the more recent Pro-Pain works. The guys alternate between slow and fast tracks as the former carry a bigger weight with their destructive stomping reverberations. The vocals are more brutal than the ones of Gary Meskil (Pro-Pain again) although their overshouty at times tendencies are pretty much the same.

Reborn Full-length, 2007

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DEATHFIST (GERMANY)

A 3-track demo (the self-titled one) made by members of Mortal Remains including the female singer Corinna Becker; this is jolly speed/thrash metal, played in high spirit, looking for inspiration towards the Bay-Area and early Slayer. The music is fast with sharp simple riffs and vicious black-ish vocals.
The 2010 demo is in a similar vein boasting nice energetic speedsters, like "Deathfist" and "Prey". The sound quality is a bit better, and the vocals are a tad more comprehensive and not as black metal-fixated.
"Too Hot to Burn" features all the songs from the demos, adding another eight thrashers which here come with a pinch of melo-death (check out the raging opener "Apotheosis"). The expected fast-tempo is engaged on full-throttle, and Corinna's in fine form spitting out venomous, but pretty intelligible, Sabine Classen-like tones. Overall the approach is pretty intense, and rippers like "Hell Is Here" and the closing "fury" "World Of Darkness" may cause you a headache; whereas short speedy jolts like "Too Hot To Burn" and the Angel Dust-worship "Ruins" are on the more melodic side. "Prey" is a digression into heavy pounding thrash, but is the only one of its kind.

Deathfist Demo, 2009
Demo Demo, 2010
Too Hot to Burn Full-length 2010

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DEATHFUCKER (ITALY)

The EP: this is wild classic thrash/black/death accentuated by ripping speedy numbers ("Hell's Vengeance", "Total Devotion") and sinister shouty death metal vocals. The crusty hardcore-ish vibe of "Devil's Fist" is a mellower respite, a melodic more flexible piece with a more simplified skeleton. Some of the musicians are also active with black/death cohort Sadomortuary, and the black metal formation Black Ejaculation.
The full-length debut doesn't stray from the chosen path, the band raging onward with sharp lashing guitars, with thrash surprisingly well covered, the crusty bumps on "Damnation Strikes" leading the show next to maddening blitzkriegers ("Emissaries of Hatred") and more aggressive death-laced outrages ("Temple of Adoration"). This is an intense merciless recording where unbridled wild cuts like "Violated Salvation" are pretty much the norm.
"God Devourer" emphasizes on the bashing side once again, with black and death ("Christ Crusher", "Pentagram Invoker") more fully covered, the thrashing insistency of "Summon the Anti-god" a sure pack leader, with "Nailed to the Cross" another composition which brings the good old thrash forward with hyper-active panache.

Devil's Fist EP, 2019
Firespawn Full-length, 2021
God Devourer Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEATHGEIST (BRAZIL)

Based on "Procession of Souls", this act shred perfectly acceptable old school thrash which develops in a speedy roller-caster fashion ("Living Dead Melody", the more technical delight "Procession of Souls") not far from their compatriots Bywar with whom some of the musicians, the singer included, here are involved. "Nightmare's Chamber" is a more ambitious versatile saga, and "Fear" is an epic march with nice melodic tunes and an energetic second half, the semi-shouty mean-ish vocalist doing is best to stay on par with the energetic music.
"666" is sustained in a fairly similar vein, the band moshing with gusto, shooting fast ripping bullets ("Domain", "Human Slaughter") in quick succession, the more welcoming speed metal veneer a very nice semi-technical addition. The short explosive "Creepshow" races with the speed of light, and the speed/thrashing winner brings the best from the early Destruction repertoire within a smattering 4.5-min package.
The debut bears no surprises, establishing the guys' fiery retro thrash style, their German metal worship starting with the very aptly-titled "Thrash Metal Fire", a bursting piece with all the staple tools of the Destruction trade, the shadow of Bywar quite tangible from the get-go. One can easily have a field day on perennial headbangers like "Day of no Tomorrow" and "Ghost of Torture:, frenetic but also quite melodic cuts, the brief "Death Razor" raising the speed metal flag high, "Where Evil Rules" adding a more technical flair to this entertaining old school fare.

Deathgeist Full-length, 2017
666 Full-length, 2019
Procession of Souls Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEATHHAMMER (NORWAY)

Based on the "Savage Poser Hunt" demo, this band, comprising just two people, plays simplistic, but catchy old school thrash along the lines of early Destruction and Kreator. The music is energetic and fast with "Demonz in Leather" offering a nice deviation into more restrained slower power/thrash metal ala more recent Venom.
"Forever Ripping Fast" will not exactly rip you apart, but the tempo is quite energetic following the early German examples pretty closely, and especially Destruction's "Sentence of Death". This is very good stuff, actually, reminding you of the glorious 80's, with vocals which are not miles away from Cronos, occasionally adding the higher-pitched rasp ala Schmier. "Demonz in Leather", already heard on the 2006 demo, is the only more moderate number out of the 13 tracks offered, and is a cool power/heavy metal anthem; "Graveyard Necromancy" is more crossover-laced, but the energy and the anti-Christian lyrics remain. The guys also take part in the thrash/black metal formation Black Magic.
"Phantom Knights" is a much more intense affair now bringing forward black and death metal elements, although the dominating approach still remains in the speed/thrash metal fields with the Whiplash debut a major influence including in the hysterical screamy vocal department, where similarities with Schmier can also be noticed. The music is fast and a bit chaotic at times, with a few pleasant surprises of energetic Helloween-esue speed metal ("Ready to Destroy") thrown in unexpectedly in the second half where intense exercises in pure headbanging thrash ("Cold Winds of Death") also belong, the latter recalling Rigor Mortis. A nice early Bathory worship ("Tornado Blitzkrieg") can also be encountered near the end.
"Onward to the Pits" is a total tribute to the early German movement (Kreator, Destruction, Necronomicon) with the shorter numbers ("Voodoo Rites") carrying the black/thrash flag recalling early Bathory quite a bit. The guys know no rest thrashing wildly till the end the unholy rending vocals providing a more scary atmosphere. "Final Black Mass" starts blasting out at some point in a less restrained black metal fashion, and "Seduced by the Flames" finally introduces a couple of slower moments accompanied by better leads and more clever riff-patterns. This is an uncompromising thrash attack which will leave the old school fraternity totally exhausted.
"Evil Power" carries on in the same vein as its predecessor, a vehement no-bars-held assault with perhaps a bigger reference to early Bathory, including on the longer, more seriously-woven numbers ("Satan is Back", the excellent variegated epic closer "Omen of the Beast"). "Powertrip" is a short heroic German speed metal hymn, and "Sinner's Possession" is a cool belligerent mid-pacer.
"Chained to Hell" moves back to the less sinister Germanic approach, the guys becoming more overtly black-ish on "Satans Hell", but "Black Speed Inferno" is strictly on the "eagle fly free" speed metal side, "Threshold of Doom" not offering doom per se, but toning it down a bit with more pertinent mid-tempo trots. The actual doom clout arrives with "Into the Burning Pentagram", an academic atmospheric march which gets scared away by the ripping brutalizer "Evil", retro speed/thrash at its most fervent.
"Electric Warfare" offers no surprises for the band fans, the guys rushing onward this time with a bigger number on long more elaborate compositions ("Crushing the Pearly Gates") which dynamics easily matches the one of the shorter material ("Enter the Morbid"). "Thrown to the Abyss" is an imposing epic march with both power and doom courted throughout its 7-min of running time, but hats off to the band for pulling off 7.5-min of pure classic speed/thrashing tornado on the closing "Violent Age of Bloodshed", the indisputable highlight here.

Barbaric Onslaught Demo, 2006
Savage Poser Hunt Demo, 2006
Wrath Of The Antichrist Demo, 2007
Forever Ripping Fast Full-length, 2008
Phantom Knights Full-length, 2010
Onward to the Pits Full-length, 2012
Evil Power Full-length, 2015
Chained to Hell Full-length, 2018
Electric Warfare Full-length, 2022

My Space

DEATHINITION (POLAND)

Based on the full-length, this act indulge in energetic modern-ish thrash which bears no particular surprises excluding the several more aggressive descents to death metal. The guys spice up their rigorous delivery with the odd friendlier cut ("Zlota Kariera") where the gruff semi-death metal vocals don't fit too well. The title-track is a curious more progressive composition recalling Paradox, but flashes of such intricacy are seldom detected elsewhere.

Art of Manipulation EP, 2013
Online Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DEATHISFACTION (HOLLAND)

Based on the full-length, this band play modern varied thrash/death which tries to challenge the speed of light on the title-track, a few both melodic and quasi-progressive quirks brightening the horizon a bit on "Whistler's Melody", "Doombringer" retaining the intrigue with a swath of psychedelic arrangements and urgent galloping insertions. The harsh death metal vocals also manage to handle the weird black metal-ish "Veiled in Black" and the stomping doom-fixated "Ritual of Delth", these last elements also present on the guys' other project, the black/viking metal outfit Ancient Rites.

Breeders of Mass Destruction EP, 2014
Neverending Maze EP, 2015
Left Undead EP, 2019
Blackened Reign Full-Length, 2023

Official Site

DEATHKROSS (PUERTO RICO)

This is a classic death/thrash act who bash with overt passion on the opening "Morbid Evil", sticking to death metal roster more prominently, leaving thrash to shine a bit on the more moderate "Progress of Dementia", and on the short speed/thrashers "It's My Life" and the more stomping "Never Ending War". The singer is a shouty deathly render, not sparing himself too much, his vociferous antics tearing the aether at every opportunity.

Desmembration Full-length, 1992

Youtube

DEATHKRUSH (USA)

Based on the demo, this is evil minimalistic black/thrash metal of the old school with clear nods to early Bathory, and even Burzum, in the more monotonous repetitive parts ("Vengeance of Evil"). The vocals are the highlight being very tortured semi-whispered rasps which wouldn't find it hard to scare even the devils in hell (what the hell was that!?).

Vengeance of Evil Demo, 2001
Whorde/Deathkrush/Dry Spell Split, 2008

DEATHLAND (PORTUGAL)

A 4-song demo of cool, mostly Bay-Area influenced thrash, energetic and dynamic, with slightly gruff, semi-hardcore vocals; "Incoming Attack" starts as a stomping, heavy track, reminiscent of Slayer's late-80's period (remember "Skeletons of Society"), but later accumulates more speed, graced by a cool melodic main line. The last song "Souls of Black" is... yes, you're right, a Testament cover.
"Incoming Attack" is vintage Bay-Area thrash crossing Testament with Exodus with style. The starter "Divergent Way" is a nice combination of intense headbanging riffs and cool technical licks. "Travel In Misery" is ripping mid-paced thrash with nice lyrical deviations, and "Incoming Attack" is a similar heavy steam-roller (see the demo review) offering brilliant lead guitars as well. "Shadow Of Chaos" is not the fastest song in the world, either, but is a good complex number with a cool speedy exit. The speed doesn't get too much coverage in the middle, but the heavier side is very well reflected on the very good semi-ballad "Passenger Of A Tragedy". But prepare to run for cover on the next "Silence In War" which is an al-out speedster with brutal death metal overtones. Then the complexity returns with "Death Religions" which courts mid-80's Metallica quite well, also giving it cool speedy colourings. The closer is a no-brainer, thrashing hard with a genuine technical edge, with echoes of Artillery as well, and great leads again, exiting this strong debut in the best way. The vocalist here is more expressive, acquiring a deeper, more subdued deathly tone, but remains intelligible and forceful. Some of the band members are also involved with the black/death metal outfit In tha Umbra.

Devastation Begins Demo, 2006
Incoming Attack Full-length 2011

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DEATHLESS (PUERTO RICO)

Based on the "Enslaved" demo, these guys have done a very good effort to put Puerto Rico on the metal map. No shades of modern 90's thrash here; this is pure classic pleasure, the way it used to be played by bands like Wargasm, Forbidden and Viking. The tracks are long-ish (5-6min long), and although the music isn't overtly technical there are many interesting riffs and the tempo changes without going into very fast or aggressive territories. "The Walls of Jericho" is a great stomping, almost doomy number (no relations to Helloween music-wise), and "Wasted Time" is a nice semi-ballad (but is not a Skid Row cover), which again shows the band's penchant for a doom-laden sound.

Enslaved Demo, 1991
Judgement Ignorance Demo, 1993

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DEATHLESS (USA)

Bay Area-tinged thrash akin to Exodus' first two albums; mid and up-tempo sections alternate all the time, and one could hear nice lead guitars as well as a cool semi-ballad ("Life").

Demo Demo, 1989

DEATHLESS CREATION (GERMANY)

Based on the full-length, this band play decent old school thrash with a not very overt crossover vibe. It's way more than just "thrash'n roll" the band stepping on the pedal quite hard at times even managing to sneak something semi-technical ("As Long as There's a God") into the proceedings. In the middle the delivery softens down to senile heavy metal proportions where even modern groove ("Break the Silence") has been called in for help. The second half isn't that interesting the guys just jamming in a relaxed, nonchalant manner the cool Phil Anselmo-like vocals keeping the unpretentious music good company.

Endless Source of Power EP, 2013
Thrash'n Roll Full-length, 2015

Official Site

DEATHLESS LEGACY (ITALY)

This Italian outfit offer quite cool sharp edgy power/thrash with dark/gothic overtones and female vocals. The delivery is way more intense than the one of their compatriots Lacuna Coil the guitarists shredding with passion on morose pieces like "Queen of Necrophilia" and the speedy "Killergeist". Operatic undercurrents inevitably sneak into the sound on "Octopus" and the semi-balladic "Bow to the Porcellan Altar", but the super-heavy guitar work should keep any fan pleased despite the almost constant presence of haunting keyboards which firmly stay in the background. Sudden speedy passages on "Death Challenge" can be savoured later coming with a nice technical pinch to show that the guys (and a girl) have more up their sleeve which would hopefully show up later in a fuller form.

Rise from the Grave Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

DEATHLIKE STENCH (POLAND)

Noisy amateurish demo containing messy disheveled thrash/death which tries to sit somewhere between early Celtic Frost and Autopsy. The slower doom-laden numbers work much better whereas the faster ones are just mindless bash from which rarely will one distinguish some cool lead sections (@Piek?o Na Ziemi (Ostatnie Dni)"). The singer is a bad death metal growler whose rendings are completely undecipherable.

Demo 1989/90 Demo, 1990

DEATHLOCH (USA)

This is heavy sludgy/doomy thrash/death metal sounding like more dynamic Acid Bath to which the band nods more than now and then; the other reference would be the first two Six Feet Under albums. The guitar work isn't bad albeit missing in the speed sector most of the time, adhering to cool melodic hooks here and there, attempts ruined by the rough death metal vocals and the clumsy groovy passages.

Black Moon Rising Full-length, 2010

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DEATHLUST (POLAND)

A wild brutal mix of black, death and thrash which is constantly bashing without messing it up the frequent blasting insertions a bit annoying perhaps. This hyper-speedy downpour knows no mercy finished with the faithful cover of Bestial Mockery's "Slaining the Life" which is ruined to an extent by the slightly fuzzy guitars. The guys take it easy with their other project, the black thrash formation Persecutor.

Deathlust EP, 2011

My Space

DEATHLY SCYTHE (CHILE)

A noisy Chilean trio which most of the time sounds like an amateurish school band with the intent on creating as much intolerable noise as possible. After several reluctant listens one may discover traces of old school thrash/death metal ala Merciless and Massacra played with ultimately distorted instruments, piercing leads, chaotic drums, and shouty agonizing vocals which overtake the whole space when in action. Only for extreme aficionados, but those also have to be in the right/wrong mood...

...Will Of Death Demo 2010

DEATHMACE (UK)

A long string of whole nine demos has led to the foundation of this opus which sees the band death/thrashing with all the passion and vigour they can muster, relentless barrage along the lines of Hypnosia and Torture Squad with vicious death metal vocals and generally short and to-the-point blitzkriegers which are often direct proto-blasting death metal. The closing "Renatus in Vindicta" is a stomping, pounding complexer that deviates from the rigorous, no-bars-held pattern. Some of the band members are also active with the retro thrashers Pantheon.

Bleeding Frenzy Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEATHMASS (USA)

Based on the "Prolonging the Inevitable" demo, this act provides intriguing seismic doom/creepy thrash which resembles Dream Death quite a bit (actually, a member of the aforementioned band: the bassist Rich Freund, plays here) as well as early Celtic Frost. This is slow-ish sinister stuff with very suitable semi-death metal vocals and volcanic 10-ton riffs.

Prolonging the Inevitable Demo, 1990
Chanted Illusion Demo, 1992

DEATHNIC CROSS (USA)

Speedy simplistic old school thrash which also boasts some outstanding bass performance, crisp ripping riffs and intense shouty death metal vocals. "Reprisals of War" attempts something friendlier and power/thrashy, and "Rip Your Flesh" will rip your flesh with immediate wild rhythms, closely followed by the brief crossover outbreak "Sacred Hate".

Deathnic Cross Demo, 1990

DEATHONATION (SERBIA)

Based on the full-length, this Serbian formation play tasteful retro thrash which moves in a fairly dynamic pace the guys decorating the approach either with interesting choruses ("No Life 'till Thrash"), or with friendlier power metal rhythms ("The Hunt Is On"). "Mountain Of Fear" is a nice more technical piece, and "Death Is the End" is a right as rain headbanger which influences the remainder some of which ("Victim Of The Night") coming with a more aggressive proto-death metal-ish flavour, or with more serious progressive build-ups ("SoulStealer"). The singer is a decent semi-clean throat who manages to provide the more dramatic delivery when necessary.

Victim of the Night EP, 2014
Dragged into the Beyond Full-length, 2016

Official Site

DEATHOX (ITALY)

A one-man stint this one, going by the name/alias BeKy, who concentrates on modern power/thrash/post-thrash this amalgam not producing very positive results the entire time, the groovy implements on "Forgettable" justifying the title, the repetitive semi-balladic nature of cuts like "Drive Yourself" and "Doomed" burying otherwise cool moshers like "Inferno Interno" and "Scorpion Sting". Watch out for "Timeless", a ripping headacher which less bridled character is nicely supported by "No Way Out", the shouty hardcore vocals hardly the most valuable asset on this varied but not very focused entry.

Psycollective Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEATHPROOF (SPAIN)

The debut: mild post-thrash with both sludge/doom and alternative touches; the riffs weigh despite the more melodic throw-ins, and try to move around changing the tempos here and there, including a few dramatic death metal-esque leanings ("When do You Break?"). Otherwise this is laid-back uplifting music with a vocal "duel": gruff death metal-ish vs. cleaner alternative ones, spiced by the odd higher-pitched semi-scream.
"Evolve or Die" is a brisker, thrashier affair with the opening "No Way" assuredly leading the pack with its bouncy, energetic guitars, and although later on the approach comes quite close to the more recent Annihilator-esque mish-mash, the guys seldom drop the ball completely with interesting shredders like "The Prey Becomes the Hunter" and the semi-technical title-track "roaming" around, the only annoyance coming from the overshouty, rending side of the vocal duel.

Abuse Full-Length, 2011
Evolve or Die Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DEATHRACE (ITALY)

Ordinary modern thrash which incorporates elements of death metal on the more aggressive moments ("Monster Inside Me"). The singer is a screechy raven and his hysterical rendings may come as too much for the faint of heart.

Human Rise Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

DEATHRAGE (ITALY)

The band's debut is a fine, but unpolished piece of aggressive heavy thrash. The overall style is not too far from Sacred Reich's "Ignorance", beating even this work on the best moments: the intense thrashing "Call of Death" and "Killing for Fame", and the speed/thrash madness "Deathrage", a riffy tour de force, worthy even of the Agent Steel debut. "Master of Nothing" is a nice blend of fast-paced and heavy, slower guitars, recalling early Celtic Frost: a dark, brooding number; another similar combination one will encounter on the cool, diverse instrumental "United States of Redskins". "Self Limited" is a bit unconvincing, trying to sound both melodic and aggressive at the same time being longer, but the power metal riffs don't seem to work very well. The vocals are forceful, semi-death ones, and are quite close to the ones Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) used on the first couple of Death albums.
The expectations were that on the next album what little was missing on the debut, would be made-up. On the contrary, the follow-up is a much weaker effort, with dull and repetitive riffs and boring, plodding songs bordering on hardcore; there was almost nothing there to connect it to the impressive debut.

Self Conditioned, Self Limited Full-length, 1988
Down In The Depth Of Sickness Full-length, 1990

Vibrations of Doom

DEATHRAID

This is fast intense thrashcore with very raspy drunken vocals; the riffs are simplistic but the attitude is very uncompromising with still a couple of more moderate mid-tempo moments present. The guitar sound is very abrasive and distorted trying to imitate the early examples from this sub-genre (think early Prong, The Exploited, etc.).

All Life Ends Full-Length, 2010

DEATHRAISER (BRAZIL)

Intense old school thrash ala mid-period Kreator, Merciless and Hypnosia with appropriately vicious semi-screamy vocals ala Mille; expect no mercy here the guys grabbing you by the throat from the very first cords on the ripping opener "Violent Aggression" which sets the tone for the ensuing "massacre". This is really fast relentless stuff boldly entering the death metal arena on "Enslaved by Cross", although ventures of the kind are not that many the sound staying true to the aggressive, insanely fast at times, thrashy patterns till the end. Variety is out of the question, but this sincere prime downpour of speed will make your day without giving you too much of a choice: "thrash or be thrashed", like the title of the closer sums it up all so well.

Violent Aggression Full-length 2011

Official Site

DEATHRAISER (FINLAND)

Cool classic thrash, performed by a bunch of Finnish teenagers; the boys play with inspiration, taken mostly from early Whiplash and their neighbours from Cranium, but more aggressive, proto-death sections are also scattered around ("Necrosadistic Specialforces"). The vocal delivery is mostly in the black metal camp accompanied by gruff, death metal choruses.

Deathraiser Demo, 2006

Official Site

DEATHRASH (USA)

The interesting thing about this band is that the line-up includes two musicians who have taken part in both Whiplash and the progressive metallers Zero Hour at the same time a few years later, one of whom is one of the three Whiplash Tony's: Scaglione (drums). Based on the demo, which is with quite a bad sound quality and a fuzzy guitar sound, and drums which sound a bit hollow, stifling the other instruments at times, the guys here stay closer to the early Whiplash sound: this is speed/thrash metal not too far from "Power and Pain", maybe a bit more restrained and less frantic.

Faces of Death Demo, 1986
Thrash Beyond Death Live album, 2006

Official Site

DEATHRATTLE (ROMANIA)

The debut: this young formation indulge in decent retro thrash which is both intense and more moderate, but the vigorous hard thrashing on "the Impaler" and "Elements of War" isn't encountered profusely. "Bloodstained Love" is a long 8.5-min composition, but isn't that exciting not featuring more stylish histrionics, and is consequently beaten for the highlight title by the cool, ballad "Judgement Time" which is graced by fine melodic leads. At the end arrives the cover of Megadeth's 'Hangar 18" which, albeit well executed, doesn't quite fit the more ordinary delivery heard earlier.
"Power Corrupts" is a bit more elaborate and overall better, the band now moving closer to the Megadeth histrionics from the early-90's with longer, more carefully-constructed compositions. Clever semi-technical shredders like "Nuclear Holocaust" and the title-track will ensure the fans' entertainment including the 9-min progressive behemoth "Entombed Alive" which is clearly the highlight here. Elsewhere we have more headbanging opportunities on the vivid "Gods Among Men" and "As the Crows Stare" plus another larger-than-life cut, the closing nearly 10-min all-instrumental entertainment "Enveloping Mists" which nicely combines hard-hitting sections and lyrical balladic deviations.

Minutes Before Death Full-Length, 2015
Power Corrupts Full-Length, 2018

Official Site

DEATHRIDER (USA)

This is cool classic fast-paced thrash in the vein of Forbidden's debut, and a clear Slayer-influence on the more aggressive, shorter numbers. "Eyes Of Misery" is an unnecessarily long orchestral outro (5-min).

Requiem Full-length, 1991

DEATHRONER (CANADA)

Four songs of evil black/thrash in an energetic up-tempo nicely "courting" speed metal at times as well ("Blizkrieg"); good stuff with sharp classic riffs, a few more complex deviations (the excellent diverse opus "March to War"), and brutal low death metal growls. Some of the band members are also involved in the black metal outfits Supremacy and The Black Goat Order.

The full-length is a further elaboration on the concoction heard on the demo by focusing more on Germanic speed/thrash metal which comes pleasantly semi-technical on the energetic lasher "Fire Holocaust" which main motif will also remind you of Destruction's immortal "Bestial Invasion", who seem to be the main influence on the band. The speed/thrashing mayhem carries on on full-throttle, including on the longer, more "serious" "March To War" which provides fast, no-bars-held, thrash for about 7-min. What may annoy is the noisy buzzy guitars and the not very suitable rough death metal vocals.

Deathroner Demo, 2007
Death to All Full-length 2010

Official Site

DEATHROW (GERMANY)

One of the five best German thrash metal bands; the band's debut is typical for the time energetic speed/thrash metal close to Exumer and Destruction. "Raging Steel" is not a very distant departure, but there are some claims at a more ambitious song-writing ("Beyond The Light", "The Thing Within"). However, even the most complex tracks on this album could not even slightly suggest at what was coming: "Deception Ignored" is triumphant progressive/technical thrash metal, arguably the best work of the whole genre; there's no need going into discussions about this mandatory album which is pretty much the peak of progressive/technical metal making many subsequent works just not very apt variations of it. Unfortunately, the lack of immediate follow-up put the band behind their more prolific, but much less striking contemporaries, and when their last album was released, thrash metal has already begun to fall into oblivion. "Life Beyond" is another fairly good technical thrash offering, but less adventurous with shorter, catchier songs. Uwe Osterlehner, the band's mastermind, has made use of his time during the break between the last two efforts, to join forces with members of Psychotic Waltz for the release of another stellar progressive thrash metal album under the name End Amen ("Your Last Orison", 1992).

Satan's Gift Full-length, 1986
Raging Steel Full-length, 1987
Deception Ignored Full-length, 1988
Towers In Darkness Single, 1992
Life Beyond Full-length, 1992

Official Site

DEATHRONED (FRANCE)

This wild French trio indulge in vigorous old school thrash with early Kreator the prime target for worship; so expect fast-paced crescendos flying all around supported by not bad semi-shouty/semi-clean vocals. "Terrible Disgrace" switches onto mellower speed metal parametres, but generally there's no intensity on this pleasant roller-coaster.

The Curse of Power EP, 2016

Official Site

DEATHRUNE (USA)

Based on the "Beneath the Cypress Groves" demo, this is thrash/death metal, with no modern influences from the 90's. The style is potent, mostly heavy and mid-paced, bringing to mind the Dutch Bluuurgh, and Asphyx's faster material. "Possession Nocturne", on the other hand, is a very brutal number, with clear nods to the 80's grindcore scene. Reportedly on the next two demos the guys have moved towards brutal death metal with no ties to thrash.

Beneath the Cypress Groves Demo, 1992
Memories of the Exhumed Demo, 1994
Remain Forever Entangled Demo, 1995

DEATHS HEAD (AUSTRALIA)

A nazi thrash band from Australia, run by just two guys; the style is simplistic, but effective crossover/thrash similar to the Germans Rumble Militia and D.R.I. Their debut may pass for their best effort, comprising energetic thrashcore hymns of the more laid-back semi-punk type, the main complaint being the not very desirable modern edge of the guitars which doesn't quite go well with this style, including a few exercises in heavy groove. The singer is forceful with a thick hardcore timbre but never shouts or quarrels getting the message through in an authoritative determined manner.
"Baldr" is a more varied, and a better for that matter, effort even including nice female vocals on the excellent doomy hymn "The Light, The Innocent". Mentioning doom, the latter is pretty well covered: check out the traditional doom metal masterpiece "The Dark Deed Done", the short "flirtation" with stoner/doom "Allfather Rides", etc. The faster tracks are still around, of course, not straying too much from the well established thrash/crossover formula, maybe smelling hardcore more this time.

Onslaught Full-length, 2001
Feast of the Jackals Full-length, 2003
Hatreds Disciples Full-length, 2005
Kriegslied Full-length, 2008
Baldr Full-length, 2010

DEATHSLAUGHTER (BRAZIL)

Based on "Passing Through...", this act provide crusty death/thrash/core which doesn't shy away from grind even, the raging delivery suitable supervised by barely comprehensible gurgling deathly vocals. The interesting thing about this wild barrage is that most of the compositions are quite long, the crunchy thrashisms on "Karteria" alone lasting for over 8-min, the sentimental balladisms on "Bestiality" a really stylish insertion, the needed antidote to the sterile core-ish chugs on "Serpent That Becomes the Dragon". "For The Glory Of Roma And Sparta" is a surprisingly welcoming epic ride, a lengthy 8.5-min journey featuring some cool unrestrained thrashing alongside visionary bass-guided meditations. "Receptacle" is a wilder death-peppered cruster, and the closer "My Descendants Will Kill Yours" is a violent thrashcore bash with a few calmer sections.

The Last Great War of Humanity Full-length, 2019
Passing Through the Valley of the Sodomites Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEATHSTORM (AUSTRIA)

The guys playing here released two demos under the name Damage a few years earlier. Based on the full-length debut, the band lash mercilessly in a not so bridled modern/classic thrash hybrid fashion sticking to the fast parametres more, and one would easily recognize the influences here: Gammacide, Merciless, Massacre, early Sadus, etc. A good sense of melody sneaks in on the longer numbers ("Await The Edged Blades", the excellent speedy closer "Rest") and generally the shred doesn't lack the obligatory melodic "decorations" the screamy chaotic leads playing a secondary role here. The singer is the staple death metal shouter who provides the necessary doze of drama.
"Reaping What Is Left" is a fast ripping beast, not too many surprises style-wise, with both technicality and melody involved throughout, making remorseless shredders like "Predatory Kill" and the proto-death "Hallowed Ground", with mellower stomping mid-pacers like "Ossuary Darkness" and the atmospheric late-80's Slayer-esque "By Sword, By Pick, By Axe" timidly roaming around, trying to make themselves heard amongst the hyper-active carnage.
"For Dread Shall Reign" is another smashing roller-coaster, not really for the faint-of-heart, with death metal ("Blades of Delusion") promptly called for help, the heavy mid-pacer "Bloodlusted" restoring some order, but make sure to hide well before the arrival of the very appropriately-titled "Ripping and Tearing" and "Funereal Depths" which will lay waste of the entire neighbourhood, with "Toxic Devotion" picking whatever's left with a marginally more moderate veneer.

Storming with Menace EP, 2011
As Death Awakes Full-length, 2013
The Gallows EP EP, 2015
Blood Beneath the Crypts Full-length, 2016
Reaping What Is Left Full-length, 2018
For Dread Shall Reign Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEATHSTRIKER (MEXICO)

This is more than just "thrashing drunk n'roll"; this is actually not terribly bad thrash/death metal with strong shades of hardcore ("S.G.B.D. (Skate, Green Beer, Destroy!"; "F.O.A.D.", which isn't a Broken Bones cover)" that thrashes with force and a lot of speed (check out "Prepare For The Strike") despite the distorted, noisy guitar background. The singer is a match, though, spitting vitriolic angry lines in a way no worse than early Tommy Victor (Prong).

Thrashing Drunk N' Roll EP, 2011

DEATHSTRUCTION (GERMANY)

The guys from the modern thrashers Cuatro X have another project, and judging by this 10-song demo, coming with a very good sound quality, they have been converted to the old faith pulling out an atmospheric retro blend of thrash and death metal. The approach is dominantly mid-paced with desirable faster touches ("Fire Walk With Me") and a few stylish technical "decorations" ("Absent Of Sound"). "Dead Eyes Open" is a major diverse thrasher in various tempos, followed by the equally as varied "Infected Voice" (which is not a Sepultura cover), but the guys close with two less intense "sleepers" with doomy overtones, still delivering way better than the pedestrian modern efforts of their other band.

Threshold of Aggression Demo, 2010

Official Site

DEATHTALE (AUSTRIA)

The debut: these are the same guys who under the name Demolition released three full-lengths and one EP of competent, if hardly original, modern thrash. The style here has moved towards more aggressive fields with death metal added to the fore. The music still remains within the modern trends, but the band lash with more passion producing some viciously aggressive cuts: the technical deathster "Blood Trail", the melodic virtuoso piece "O5", the interesting progressive closer "This Bullet...". The rest is more on the derivative side the guys sticking to what is familiar to them although some elaboration on the more technical side may intercept the predictability on future efforts.
"Whole World Burns" carries on on full-throttle with a few more stylish, technical flourishes ("Flesh For Sale") and overall this effort is better constructed than the more pedestrian debut. "Everything Changes" is a very cool ballad which even more engaging headbangers like "Death Machine" and the title-track can't do much to overshadow it. "Phoenix Theory" is an ambitious semi-technicaller, and "Warpath" is the obligatory short rager which destroys everything in its way. All the way to the breath-taking acoustic closing instrumental "Silent Eulogy", another relevant insertion before the semi-German version of "From Hell" slightly spoils the fun from this entertaining slab of crisp modern thrash.
"The Origin of Hate" comes with a drier, more mechanical guitar sound but the delivery hasn't been altered that much the guys raging onward, attempting something more technical (the title-track) in the spirit of Darkane here and there. More melodic, more laid-back cuts like "Embrace the Fire" are also here served as the requisite respites although the concentration is clearly on energetic propositions like "Unleash the Wolves" and "Walk over Water".

Apocalyptic Deadline Full-length, 2012
Whole World Burns Full-Length, 2016
The Origin Of Hate Full-Length, 2018

Official Site

DEATHTRACK (NORWAY)

Melodic heavy/power/post-thrash with both alternative and doom/gothic vibes; soft mellow stuff with pleasant carefree riffs at their best recalling Paradise Lost's "Draconian Times" with a more aggressive edge.

Deathtrack Full-length, 2010

My Space

DEATHTRAP (GERMANY)

Raw semi-amateurish thrash/proto-death (based on the debut demo) which ranges from doom dirges ala Hellhammer ("Love to Sadism") to brutal instrumental shorters ("Perceptible Mind"). The vocalist is a semi-declamatory guttural deathster and doesn't participate a lot. Some of the band members were also busy with the thrashers Helion, and the death/doom metal outfit Musical Massacre.

Trapped in Pain Demo, 1990
Live in Conradsdorf Demo, 1990

DEATHTRIP (UK)

Based on the full-length, this act play pure modern sterile thrash which also includes a couple of more classic-sounding shreds in a manner not too distant from Davidian and Dew-Scented. The guys prefer the mid-pace to tell their story and one will more than welcome the faster cuts ("Serpentine") when they come. Lyrical moments (the quiet balladic instrumental "Descend Into Madness") are not excluded, either, before the second half embraces the slow side descending to doom quite often "killing" the inertia to the point of an industrial abstractism on the final "Abnegation". The singer shouts in a brutal semi-shouty manner containing the appropriate dry dispassionate tone to fit the music.

Deathtrip EP, 2012
Ruinous Full-length, 2012

Official Site

DEATHTURA (BELGIUM)

Based on "Division", this outfit pull out heavy modern groovy post-thrash which is built around memorable hooks and tunes; only that the approach is overtly familiar, seismic mid-paced chug with the casual sniff of melody the clean/gruff vocal duel contributing the most to the mentioned memorable nature of the material the latter receiving a very surprising boost from the appropriately-titled ball of fury "Fury".

Psychotic Disaster Full-length, 2015
Division Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEATHWARRANT (AUSTRIA)

Heavy stomping thrash which successfully balances between the old and the modern school, and between heaviness and melody. The final result sits somewhere between Bolt Thrower and Warhammer with temptations at a faster play very few if any at all. The singer is a semi-shouty deathster who leads the show with panache and relatively comprehensive rendings.

Your Chance to Realize EP, 1997

DEATHWEISER (ECUADOR)

This formation provide perfectly acceptable old school thrash accentuated by brisk, ripping riffs and gruff semi-shouty vocals. The intense rifforama descends at times to mellower speed metal territories ("Break Out", "Killing for Redemption"), and generally the thrash metal idea gets lost to an extent in the 2nd half with the pleasant power/thrasher "Prophecy" and the speed rock'n roller "Thrash N' Roll" which has lost the "thrash" part of its title somewhere along the way.

Prophecy Full-Length, 2016

Youtube

DEATHWISH (UK)

Deathwish were one of the more original UK thrash metal bands. Their style has the necessary fast, raging thrashers, but it's in the heavier, doomier parts where the band's sound really delivers the goods. The music has this unique dark, brooding quality which could only be compared to their mighty compatriots Black Sabbath whom they honour with a nice cover version of "Symptom of the Universe" on "Demon Preacher". The debut is the more immediate, more light-hearted, but less impressive effort with only a few tracks carrying this dark, brooding spirit ("Dance of The Dead") mentioned above.
"Demon Preacher" is a great album with a nice balance between intense thrashers, some of which are quite aggressive outbursts ("Carrion") and moody, heavier ones (the masterpiece "Prey To The Lord"). In the middle there's the aforementioned cover version of Black Sabbath's "Symptom Of The Universe", which at the end is turned into a mighty thrashfest abandoning the heavy, doomy sound of the Sabbaths. "Past Life" is a marvellous acoustic instrumental at the end. Jon Van Doorn is one of the most unique voices in thrash metal and his dark, passionate, semi-clean tone makes every song memorable, sticking out from the others.

At the Edge Of Damnation Full-length, 1987
Demon Preacher Full-length, 1988

Vibrations of Doom

DEATHWISH (USA)

This US outfit don't stray too much from the heavy modern thrash metal path except on the moments when they try something more flashy: the jumpy riff-patterns on "Hysteria" which will recall both Meshuggah and Gojira among some practitioners from the djent movement; the elusive technical pyrotechnics on "Children Of The Pit". The final "Juggernaut" is also worth mentioning being exemplary creepy modern technical thrashism with swirling sections and meandering guitars topped by impressive lead guitar work. The singer is a subdued death metal semi-growler who's put too low in the mix and at times may remain unheard. There's certainly a potential here, now only timidly displayed here and there, and it should find a fuller realisation on future efforts.

Dreams of Fortune EP, 2012

DEATHWISH (USA)

This is classic hardcore-ish thrash/crossover with softer heavy metal hymns ("There Will Be Blood") thrown in for not such good measure. The spirit of Motorhead is also soaring high above ("Rock'n Roll is One Hell of a Drug") although the hysterical shouty vocals don't quite suit this particular strand.

Unleash Hell Full-Length, 2017

DEATHWITCH (SWEDEN)

Old school death meets old school thrash meets old school black metal. The band play at a respectable speed, with numerous blast-beats as well as slower atmospheric black-ish parts, resulting in a diverse and frequently interesting sound. The debut is an intense affair with a cool raw underground approach, staying close to early Bathory and the Canadians Megiddo, also recalling the Swedes Bewitched in the more playful parts ("Infernal Gates Of Evil"). The music is mostly up-tempo, the blasting moments are not many at all, and there is even one jolly heavy metal anthem at the end: "Sadistic Sodomizer", to which the horrifying black-ish rasps don't suit too well.
"Deathfuck Rituals" is a slightly uneven mix of furious black/thrashers and much slower doom Khold-like numbers. The former are really extreme, blasting the whole time going well over the Impaled Nazarene delivery, leaving the latter the more preferable listen, although there's no much variety there, either, just gloomy depressive riffs reaching for the mid-pace at best.
"Violence Blasphemy Sodomy" is a much better offering, and will entertain the thrash metal lovers on all counts with its brisk energetic sound. The album develops in a classic thrash manner, and the super-fast elements now are not annoying at all, giving the predominant thrashy riffage the necessary boost. "Witch of Death" is a nice atmospheric technical thrasher with a few death metal hooks added, one of the finest tracks produced by the band, closely followed by another atmospheric composition: the stylish "marriage" of doom and thrash "Coffin Fornicator". Death metal comes up again on the raging "Worthless Scum", before "Fuck Off And Die" (which is not a Broken Bones cover) switches onto great headbanging retro thrash, paving the way for the closing "Death Maniac" which thrashes intensely in the first half, leaving a heavy doom ending to do the final damage.

Triumphant Devastation Full-length, 1996
Dawn Of Armageddon Full-length, 1997
The Ultimate Death Full-length, 1998
Monumental Mutilations Full-length, 1999
Deathfuck Rituals Full-length, 2002
Violence Blasphemy Sodomy Full-length, 2004

Official Site

DEATHWORK (ITALY)

Based on the "Evolve to Extinguish" EP, this young Italian band has obviously a fascination with the American metal scene. Deathwork mix thrash and death metal with a definite old school nature; the thrashy riffage recalls the Bay Area scene (Exodus, Testament), whereas the death metal parts cling towards the Floridian scene. As a result we have 6 tracks of good retro thrash/death metal with a certain original touch, since these two styles have seldom been mixed.

Dissolution of Eternity Demo, 2003
My own war Single, 2005
Evolve to Extinguish EP, 2005

Official Site

DEATHYARD (POLAND)

Based on the sophomore, this act specialize in classic power/thrash with loads of atmospheric overtones, the latter amplified by the moody but effective gothic opener “Mirror”, before “Source of Life” starts trampling the neighbourhood with these very heavy smattering riffs and restless but intelligent gallops. The middle is occupied by a string of dark ominous power/thrashers (“Inner Eye”, the title-track), before the short ripping “Unleash Insight” inserts a needed doze of vitality into the gloomy proceedings, the closing “Awakening” rather putting the audience to sleep with an exiting swathe of balladic tranquillities, the singer acquitting himself with an array of clean soulful, passionate croons all over.

Creation of the Universe Full-length, 2019
No Longer in Pain Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEBAUCHERY (UK)

Thrash/crossover sounding close to Hellbastard's "Natural Order"; these guys are probably more melodic, adding slower numbers which are longer providing more serious music, but lose the point exiting the thrash metal field. On the other hand, the very short 1-min or so songs are sheer hardcore of the less aggressive type.

The Ice Full-length, 1988

DEBAUCHERY (USA)

This is modern post-thrash/post-death with gruff death metal vocals; the music is jumpy and groovy recalling both Massacra's 'Sick" and Six Feet Under's 'Haunted". The guitars are heavy and squashing, and their "trips" never leave the mid-tempo.

Through the Eyes of Misery Demo, 1993

DEBIL'S (CHILE)

This is old school thrash with rough deathly semi-declamatory vocals; bashing vigorous stuff churning out inspired headbangers like "Negacion" and "Faith in the Hell", not completely devoid of more complex, more atmospheric moments ("Hipocresia", "Dolor") the latter recalling Sacrifice ("Forward to Termination", above all). "Hell Is Here" flirts with more technical arrangements, and "Encuentro Con La Muerte" is a longer, also more elaborate and not as aggressive composition with cool melodic tunes.

Satan Inside Full-Length, 2018

Official Site

DEBON (SPAIN)

This young act provide varied semi-technical modern post-thrash which is quite dynamic and not too reliant on the heavy grooves. Touches of both metalcore and the Swedish school appear at some point, but their insertion isn't detrimental, and the guys are seemingly content staying in this preoccupied niche, at least at this early moment of their career.

Debon Full-Length, 2014

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DEBONING METHOD (USA)

Pretty cool old school thrash metal with occasional brutal blast-beats and more clever guitar work which at times resembles mid/late period Death. The album starts in a dramatic steam-roller fashion with "Breath Of Hatred", but "Cold" is already a different story with fast sharp riffs and the aforementioned blasts. "Let Them Die Slowly" is a fine blend of crushing heaviness and speedy thrash resembling mid-period Death and Sepultura's "Beneath the Remains". Then comes time for more puzzling technical riffage with "What Remains" which is more controlled speed-wise in the first half. "Covered With Bugs" is a not very appropriate joke: grinding hardcore lasting for about 2-min, followed by the slightly more stylish piece of brutality "Invisible" which adds death and thrash metal to the core mix. The more technical song-writing returns with the diverse speed/thrashing opus "Lo And Behold", but all the praises will be left for the fabulous shredding instrumental "Stillborn" which would make even Yngwie Malmsteen proud; the track is mostly balladic and lead-driven, but is a wonderful piece of music which predates the similar Death's "Voice of the Soul" with five whole years. The phenomenal lead performance stays for the beginning of the closer "Fallen Evil" clearly overshadowing what follows later on this otherwise entertaining opus which moshes out in a brisk up-tempo manner ala Paradox. The vocalist does a good job behind the mike singing in an attached, forceful semi-clean manner with certain shouty tendencies.
Two of the musicians used to play in the retro thrashers Archaic Mass with whom they released three EP's, and the drummer Derek Roddy later turned into one of the most prominent figures on the field with participation in famous acts like Malevolent Creation, Nile, Hate Eternal, Council of the Fallen, etc.
"The Early Years-Reboned" is a collection of unreleased tracks which are very similar style-wise to the material on the debut. The approach is quite intense the guys thrashing with force seldom adhering to more brutal death metal-ish nuances ("Dreamscape", the aggressive shredder "Our Contaminated Nutrients"). "Savior" attempts something more progressive, but the bash is quite well covered on it as well during its more than 7-min of playing time. All songs come with a very clear sound quality.

Democracy Full-length, 1993
The Early Years-Reboned Full-length, 2014

Official Site

DEBRIS (POLAND)

This Polish obscurity provides curious dark thrash in various paces and a more complex progressive song-writing ("Where Is Your God?"), but it also provides almost "unhuman fun" with a couple of more aggressive moments ("Unhuman Fun"). "You Have Remaind Alone" is a nice technical piece with jumpy riffs even recalling their compatriots Dragon ("Scream of Death", above all), but the awful sound quality is a major obstacle at times for the listener to fully appreciate the music on offer. The singer plainly shouts in a gruffer deathly manner, and his amateurish rendings are another hindrance for this effort to truly shine.

Blind Faith Demo, 1993

DEBUSTROL (CZECH)

One of the longest-running metal bands from the Czech republic, Debustrol play aggressive Slayer-esque thrash on their early works, very well done. There are also some slower numbers where the band tries something more technical. The debut is probably their best effort, thrashing quite intensely, with nods to Slayer and Sepultura: their sound a few years earlier; the guitar work is direct, but is solid throughout, providing a great headbanging tempo most of the time. There is a slight death metal aggression present ("Protest", and a couple of songs towards the end, which are shorter than the rest (1.5-2min), and are truly explosive bursts of aggression), and this is when this album sounds even more appealing.
"Svect Co Zatoed S Tebou" is a very good follow-up, mixing the aggressive thrashers in the vein of the debut, with slower, heavier numbers, some of which are perhaps too melodic and sweet for a thrash metal album ("Egypt", "Sarkofg Smrti"), but the rest is pretty hard and intense.
"Chytre Past" is a radical turn to modern groovy post-thrash starting with the awful funky number "Chytra Past", later featuring even worse cuts, exiting the thrash metal field quite a bit, even metal. Just a few faster songs briefly recall the previous efforts ("To Neni Zadnej Raj", "Vstavej"); listening to this, one would probably not be very enthusiastic to check out the band's future offerings.
"Perushit" is abrasive modern thrashism which has energy and intensity aplenty, but it's too basic and noisy to be ranked very high even in the small Czech Republic. The guys are all over the place with grindcore, proto-death and hardcore also taking part in the pristine melee. "Temnodni" is a cool attempt to spice the monotonous proceedings with more flexible, more technical riffs the other strike at originality being the closing doom metal anthem "Smrtosabat".
"Valka" sees the band ready for more damage, but now it's done in a much more proficient fashion, first with the lashing semi-technical opener "Vrazdici Kov", and later with the remorseless headbangers "Kultovn\'ed Revoluce" and "Nasrat Vam Vsem". The band display all their skills with inspiration also reflected in the merry speedsters "Apokalypsa II." and the more hectic and varied "Primitivne" on top of several more primitive, hardcore-prone cuts like title-track and especially the jolly thrash/crossover closer "Playbackshit". This is really good fun showing the band coming back from the dark ages; better late than never...
"Rwanda" is still more on the noisy side of the spectre the band still immersed in the groovy vogues exploring more intense territories on the several more classic-prone moments ("Alahova Krev", "Hra Na Smrt", etc). The overall speedy tone of the album is broken at the end on the doomy closer "Tibet" which seems to be a traditional way for the band to end their opuses.

Neuropatolog Full-length, 1991
Svoect Co Zatoed S Tebou Full-length, 1992
Chytra Past Full-length, 1994
Vyhlazened Full-length, 1995
Ped do hrobu mrtvol Full-length, 1998
Apokalismus Full-length, 1999
Steak Full-length, 2001
Perushit Full-length, 2005
Rwanda Full-Length, 2009
Valka Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

DECAARTA (UK)

Based on "Exile the Wicked", this act provide modern heavy post-thrash which is a sheer steam-roller for most of the time also coming wth a stoner/doom flair ("Fall from the Heavens") and sparse Swedish death metal throw-ins. There is some atmosphere to be savoured as well (the pensive meditative "Extinction"), but the listener would be looking for more energetic numbers like the galloping "Welcome Home" which are not too many around. The singer growls in a gruff death metal manner missing from the nice balladic closer "Rise of Horus" which is another nod to the good old doom.

Haunted EP, 2012
Voice of the Dead Full-length, 2013
Exile the Wicked Full-length, 2014

Official Site

DECADENCE (BELGIUM)

Like another band from Belgium- Asphyxia, Decadence play good, but unimaginative, Bay Area-influenced thrash metal. There are the obligatory good riffs and aggressive attitude, but we have that on many other albums.

Gangs And Victims Full-length, 1989

DECADENCE (CANADA)

Based on the demo, this act indulge in quite cool classic thrash which is pleasantly technicalized on the short but effective "All Fall Dead", "Death by Dehydration" bashing with moderation right afterwards, the pogo session elongated by the death-prone violator "Stench of the Stiff", "Dead By Don" hitting hard as well with a more polished delivery, the harsh semi-shouty death metal vocalist contributing modestly on the side.
The full-length is a resurrection attempt by the veterans after 30 years of hibernation... it contains two of the demo tracks ("Dead by Don", "All Fall Dead"), the rest mirroring the dynamic lustre of those two, the opening "Die Poser Die" shattering the senses of the audience with fierce high-speed rhythms, the stomping insistency of Retaliation" ensuring the variety here. Both sides take turns throughout, but the frenetic pace of the first cut doesn't get repeated, "Mad Trapper" relying on steam-roller hammering riffs, and "Lethal Injection" injecting a portion of cleverer more technical decisions into its otherwise very dynamic skeleton. "Lost Souls" moshes with badly disguised virulence, and "Dehydration" trying to match the first showing's aggression, partly succeeding in the process. The singer remains the same, probably a bit more hysterical and more grating on the nerves.

Demo Demo, 1990
Decadence Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DECADENCE (CZECHIA)

Based on the “Gathered Filth”, this act indulge in fairly cool classic technical thrash/death, “Impracticable Progress” being a fairly effective short atmospheric opener with sudden tempo switches. “The River” begins with a prolonged balladic etude before a fountain of creepy intricate riffs, the gradually building momentum drama never leaving the suggestive mid-tempo confines. “Silent Witness” brings back the more technical rifforamas with a pinch of pensive Asphyx-esquedoominess; and “Coast of Awe” is pummeling shredder with a stronger pinch of death and a frequent fever-ish alternation of pace. The vocalist is a dark death metal-ish reciter whose authoritative tirades should keep the audience relatively happy.
The “Labyrinth” demo is a masterpiece of underground thought-out metal, progressive thrash/death with dark atmospheric undercurrents, those interlaced with visionary entangled riff-knots on the spacey dreamy wonder “Nightingale”, “Child As Toy” inserting a delectable doze of gothic into the contrived vortex-like rhythms, this number being another multi-layered delight with some tight thick shreds incorporated as well into the psychedelic veneer. The title-track is a wonderful prog-death piece with echoes of Theory in Practice and Nocturnus merging with truly spell-binding entangled riffing. “Decadence” is an all-instrumental marvel, an overlapping amalgam of motifs and nuances on a volatile amorphous mid-paced base, with more seductive bouts of psychedelia rising amongst the lofty musicalities. “Confiteor” is the last piece of greatness cooked here, a more intense thrashing cut which still stays on the firmly entangled side, with dazzling melodic lead sections turbulently co-existing beside the tank-like sections and the visionary bass-induced extrapolations. To beat this endeavor in almost any aspect one really has to try; one of the undisputable treasures of the Czech underground.

Gathered Filth Demo, 1993
Labyrinth Demo, 1996

DECADENCE (NORWAY)

The first demo: this obscure act serve dark brooding classic thrash which tries something more thought-out and progressive on the atmospheric crawler "Lies", but expect a few fast-paced rhythms ("Eat Shit & Die") as well on top of a nice more technical all-instrumental piece ("The Watch"). The vocalist is a not very passionate semi-cleaner who strolls along the morose musicalities with composure.
The "Gunslinger" serves quite cool intense old school thrash that stretches from heavy semi-technical roller-coasters ("Red River") to fast-paced headbangers ("Leave No Trace"), the longer more complex title-track a nice compendium of both sides, a complex quasi-progressive saga which also wins from the hoarse but effective semi-shouty/semi-clean vocals. Later some of the band members went onto bigger glories with outfits like Red Harvest and Twisted into Form.
The "Dancing on the Edge of Dawn" demo is a more disappointing entry, the band thrashing with even a bigger eye on the technical and the entangled at first, the choppy hectic rhythms of "Cloaked in Black" more than welcome with their visionary layout, a surreal arresting piece which is very handsomely supported by the brilliant twisting title-track, a volatile dizzy-ing mid-pacer with more linear quieter developments. "Red Corona" is a stomping chopper, but the real winds of change towards something modern and groovier are brought by the ponderous "Venture My Call", which still remains a relatively intriguing proposition, the setting ruined almost beyond repair by the clumsy blues outtake "Heart 'N' Soul" at the end.

Demotape Demo, 1989
Gunslinger Demo, 1991
Dancing on the Edge of Dawn Demo, 1992

Youtube

DECADENCE (SWEDEN)

Based on "3rd Stage of Decay": a good modern thrash/death metal band with an old school attitude; nice sharp riffs and great solos "decorate" the band's music recalling Carcass' "Heartwork" and late period Death on the best moments. "The Creature" shows a band who are yet to perfect their music; this is more simplistic, but also faster stuff than the follow-up; the sound stays close to the Gothenburg standards, and the technical riffs which were all over "3rd Stage of Decay" are only slightly hinted at ("Killing Perseverance").
The self-titled debut is the band's thrashiest effort, and is arguably their best achievement so far. The music is modern-sounding, boasting really cool intense thrashers ("Heavy Dose", "Dagger of the Mind"), but it offers other interesting moments as well, like the more classic mid-paced thrasher "Black Eternity", and the slower, gothic-laced "Decadence". The last track "War Within" carries the death metal shade which would later take a more definite form.
"Chargepoint" is a return to the all-thrash sound from the debut, and sounds quite classic at times. "Discharge" opens the album in a flying speed/thrashing manner with swirling solos and mean death-ish vocals. The attack continues with full force on "Silent Weapon (For a Quiet War)" with the odd technical hook springing up, but "Out of Ashes" is slower mid-paced epic thrash. "Point of No Return" preserves some of those elements although it's the intense galloping riffs which deliver better. "Strength Of Mind" is a nice speedster with technical tendencies again recalling late-period Death, but "Fast Forward" is much more ordinary modern thrash despite the speedy "fast forward" tempo. The remaining songs are more interesting bringing back some of the technicality with "Be Home When I'm Gone" being a particularly good speed/thrash shredder. The guys have concentrated on melody quite a bit this time, and this effort could pass for their most melodic one although in terms of speed and technicality just a little has been lost.
"Undergrounder" is another dynamic speed/thrashing roller-coaster with some of the melo-death tendencies of yore brought back here and there. The delivery is generally more melodic with mellower tracks like the power metal anthem "Steam City" and the minimalistic doomster "Powerhouse". "Manifesto" and the closing "Always the More Extreme" will curdle the fans' blood, but overall this is too friendly at times to really capture the hard-boiled thrasher's attention for long.
"Six Tape" continues with the more welcoming flair from the preceding opus with mild heavy rockers ("Latex Rituals") taking turns with more intense thrashers ("Red Façade Hotel") and more entangled, more technical exercises (the excellent multi-layered "Trinity"). Death metal shows its "ugly" head ("Something More") on occasion, but this is all too hospitably assembled if we also exclude the vitriolic speedster "In Natura".

Decadence Full-length, 2005
The Creature Full-length, 2005
3rd Stage of Decay Full-length, 2006
Chargepoint Full-Length, 2009
Undergrounder Full-Length, 2017
Six Tape Full-Length, 2019

Official Site

DECADENCE (UK)

Based on the "Masters of Control" demo, this unknown formation serve pretty cool power/speed/thrash with a thin progressive edge and not very emotional clean mid-ranged, semi-declamatory vocals. "How Dark Is Your World" is a cool energetic opener, but the remaining material is more on the epic mid-tempo side.

Fate, Hate, Decadence... Demo, 1990
Masters of Control Demo, 1994

My Space

DECADENCE (USA)

Cool demo of energetic thrash, full of sharp riffs and headbanging rhythms, reminiscent of early Testament, with the deviations from the formula: "Killing Disorder" which is an aggressive, Dark Angel-influenced track, and the closer "Self Inflicted Pain", which is a cool attempt at a more technical play.

Demo Demo, 1989

DECADENCE WITHIN (UK)

Based on "This Lunacy", this is thrash/crossover of the more melodic variety. There are occasional more aggressive numbers ("Backbiter") as well as one very good 10-min track ("This Lunacy") which contains both faster and stomping parts, and even more original guitar work.
"Soulwound" sounds quite close to the full-length debut, mixing fast thrash-fixated sections with slower ones on almost every song. There is a stylish abstract technicality of the minimalistic Voivod-ish type present at times, but this tendency remains undeveloped since customarily the guys leave the faster performance for the second half on almost every song.
"Reality Wake-up Call" is more unfocused hesitating between the guys' trade mark sound and the modern trends, plus a certain doze of alternative (the quirky "A Stitch in Time"), also achieved through a few funky insertions. There's an attempt at a more technical delivery which bears the nice "fruit" "Reality Wake-Up Call" treading "Nothingface" waters, but there's also quite a bit of clumsy groove. No wonder the band were not willing to develop this tendency any further...

Speed Hippy EP, 1986
This Lunacy Full-length, 1989
Soulwound Full-length, 1990
Pay-Off Time EP, 1991
Reality Wake-Up Call Full-length, 1993

DECADENZA (USA)

Two tracks of seismic steam-roller thrash which marches forward with steady wound-inducing guitars and angry semi-death metal vocals; not much to write about, clinging somewhere between Machine Head's "Burn My Eyes" and "Massacra's "Sick".

Frolicking.../It Follows Single, 1993

DECAP ATTAK (USA)

This isn't exactly a "decap attak" but is cool energetic speed/thrash which doesn't hide its fascination with acts like Torture and Viking the guys thrashing with precision seldom losing their good manner moving straight onto death metal ("One For The Ladies...") to a generally positive effect. Other shifts from the established patterns include the heavy doomster "Atomic Grave" and the modern proto-groover "Carnal Motherfucker" which kind of dissipate the energy accumulated in the first half. The singer is gruff with a drunken semi-shouty blend, but fits the no-bars-held musical approach which main saving grace are the cool stylish leads.

Wreck N' Roll Full-Length, 2012

DECAPITADO (USA)

This is the new band of two of the members of the great progressive thrashers Realm, who have woken up for some more technical stuff. Well, this is by all means technical music, but it's much more modern sounding, and is much closer to the works of Baghead and Meshuggah, for example, than the Realm efforts of the 80's. It has a certain industrial edge and is mostly slow-ish; it looks as though the guys wanted to "court" several styles here, apart from thrash: industrial, doom, and something else, which is hard to define. On top of that we have Ozzy Osbourne-styled vocals which actually fit well, having in mind the sleepy tempo. If you manage to overcome your surprise expecting fast-paced bombastic progressive thrash, you might actually find something to like on this one.

Blacked Full-length, 2003

Official Site

DECAPITATION (BRAZIL)

Based on the debut 2-track demo, this obscure formation play (or rather, tried to) raw brutal thrash/proto-death which is purely amateurish bash for most of the time trying to copy the more famous examples from their homeland (Sarcofago, Vulcano, Sexthrash, etc.). Something lyrical and balladic sneaks in at the beginning of "Morbid Storm", but the incessant barrage goes on not before long topped by hellish shouty death metal vocals reminiscent of the ones of Tschosi (the first Messiah singer).

Spittle of Hate Demo, 1987
Lives Destruction Demo, 1988

DECAPITATION (USA)

For 1985 (even for later years) this is quite brutal; the vocals (when they can be clearly heard) are vicious death metal roars. The music tones down the vocals' brutality a bit, recalling Hallows' Eve and Whiplash's debut, but with a much worse sound quality, and faster.

Let The Killing Begin Demo, 1985

DECATHOLICIZE (SLOVENIA)

This is melodic thrash/death which is overall fast and uncompromising ("Take Our Souls") with sparse stopovers from the high-speed freighter, the cool heavy dark "Life Imprisonment" making the rounds in a less intense manner. The throaty shouty death metal vocals do their best to assist the hyper-active melee, the general feel not far from early Dark Tranquillity.

Remains of Dominance Full-length, 2021

Youtube

DECAY (POLAND)

A classic mix of thrash and death metal close to Brutality spiced with touches of the doom heaviness of Asphyx where the atmosphere quickly goes a few levels up, and very good lead guitar work courtesy of Czesaw Semla who later achieved bigger success joining the technical death metal gods Sceptic. Some of the musicians released one more demo of dark gothic metal three years later under the name Liquid Fever.

World Decay Demo, 1995

Official Site

DECAY (ROMANIA)

Based on the full-length, this act serve a black/thrash concoction which is essentially a blend of heavy dark stompers ("To Survive the Time") and fast intense blitzkriegers ("Evilution"). The epic militant stance of "For a Seizable Reality" stands for the highlight here, with the less orthodox progressive, also Orientally-melodic epitaph "Eat Your Rights" a close second. The vocals are a mix of black metal rasps and guttural death tirades, a dramatic dynamic conglomerate.

Brand New Nails EP, 2018
ThORnMENThORn Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DECAY LUST (NORWAY)

Based on "Hobson's Choice", the band plays a kind of mechanized thrash, not too far from Kreator's works of the 90's, "Cause For Conflict", for example. Another soundalike would be early Meshuggah. Despite its dry sound, this is good stuff, professionally done.
The Rehearsal is an entirely different animal, the band now settling for standout old school technical speed/thrash which is already next to perfect on the opening shredder "Power Throne" the latter speeding and thrashing among several very complex arrangements. "Soul" is more on the seismic pounding side creating a lot of drama in the process, not without the help of the very good emotional clean vocals. "Chaos" doesn't quite deserve its title being a not very eventful doom piece without any highlights. Still, this short demo remains the better part of the guys' catalogue, but it sadly only remained a rehearsal without any follow-up...

Hobson's Choice Demo, 1993
Rehearsal Demo, 1998

Official Site

DECAYED (PORTUGAL)

A "notorious" figure on the Portuguese underground, going under the abbreviation J.A., has left a voluminous legacy of nine full-lengths and twice as many EP's. Based on this compilation, the name of the game here is hardly sophistication the music all over having a genuine pristine quality courting the early Celtic Frost and Bathory recordings although the music is mostly thrash/death sustained in up-tempo with the obligatory mid-paced breaks generally recalling the Floridian scene (early Death, Brutality, Massacre). The music by all means makes sense, but the sound is plain bad giving quite a boost to the scary growling vocals ala Martin Van Drunen. "The Ouroboros/Mesmerized" is a curious cut, a slow pensive doomster with an industrial vibe, finishing this primal cross over the band's catalogue which sees the man true to the old school sound all through his quite a long career.

A Stygian Heritage Compilation, 2011

Official Site

DECAYED MUTILATION (USA)

This is wild, often plain unrestrained, blasting death metal with sudden surges of more sensible retro thrash (the title-track, the semi-technical wonder "Corpses of the Gallows"). However, the brutal material like the openly violent grindy "Destruction" or the black-peppered outrage "Constrictor of the Light" would be hard to tolerate by the more faint-of-heart who may also find the "guttural vs. screechy" death metal vocal duel also on the not-so-easy-to-swallow side.

World of Carrion Full-length, 2017

Official Site

DECAYED REMAINS (CANADA)

This act shares members with the black/thrashers Thesyre. Based on "Moonlight": the music here is cool thrash/death metal of the retro type with crisp sharp guitar work and quite a few atmospheric keyboard implements (including a few full-fledged instrumentals, one of which ("In The Chapel") is whole 6-min long and kills the inertia in the middle). The tempo varies from one song to another, also offering something in the technical department (the excellent Atheist-influenced 2-min technical shredder "The Instinct Of The Wolf"). "Return Home / Reflection" elaborates on those technical leanings, mixing them with heavy pounding riffs in the best tradition of early Celtic Frost. "Meeting At The Crossroads" is a more brutal death metal-oriented number, again sounding technical and busy ala Morbid Angel and Decapitated. "Killing The Beast" is a nice minimalistic mid-paced creeper, but "Personnification" compensates with more intense faster riffage before the fine acoustic/flute "Epilogue" puts you to sleep if you, of course, manage to go past the deep declamatory voice which accompanies the guitar. Although hailing from Quebec, the motherland of technical metal, the band are not intent on proving themselves as the most complex musicians in the world, keeping it relatively simple to a positive effect, just slightly reminding of their more technical potential.
"One Man's Fate": the music remains an old school thrash/death hybrid, but is a lot more restrained, sticking to not as exciting mid-paced patterns, which produce the long "A Divine Funeral", which is a not very eventful composition consisting of heavy repetitive riffs amidst several melodic "revelations", some of which of the lead-driven type. The mid-tempo saga never ends here, and may bore the listener way before the end, acquiring doom proportions later (the lyrical heavy steam-roller "Graven Song"), consequently leaving the thrash sector on the mild gothic/power metal hymn "L'ennemi". If this was intended as a transitional work for the band before moving into the doom/gothic field, than it would have served its purpose great: the problem is that the guys were never heard of again, some of them later seen in other acts: the black metal purveyors Aufkrema, the black/thrash formation Thesyre, etc.

Moonlight Full-length, 1997
One Man's Fate Full-length, 2000

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DECAYING INCEST (HUNGARY)

This formation offer mid-paced modern thrash which could have passed for the modern equivalent to Cerebral Fix if it wasn't for the couple of more radio-friendly moments and the several speedy passages which smell the old school ("Escape From Hell", "On The Brink") a bit. The songs are more elaborate and lengthier (5-7min), but the guys just shred in a not very eventful mid-paced fashion overdoing it a little in the monotony department on the overlong saga "Unburied Past" which is mellow power metal-ish rhythms and a few heavier moments.

Tepet a Csendet Full-Length, 2011

Official Site

DECEADED (POLAND)

This band play modern thrash with shades of metalcore sticking more or less prominently at times. This is energetic stuff which loses a few points from the intense shouty death metal vocals, largely due to the latter's ordinary stance. Melodic relaxers ("Barren Land") stand next to rowdier pounders ("Bags of Flesh"), the more atmospheric layout of the closing "Restless Hope" standing for the highlight.

The Sole Destroyer Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DECEASE (ROMANIA)

The debut: this outfit play fairly decent old school thrash of the intense proto-death type. The band shred with the utmost intensity with some of the numbers ("Boiling Hatred") being full-fledged deathsters. There won't be many who would stand still on compulsive moshers like "Atrocious Deeds" and the "sadistic enjoyment" "Sadistic Enjoyment" which will cause numerous neck sprains along the way. With all the tracks packed within just under half an hour, one gets the idea that this will be a major assault on the senses the brutal music ably supported by forceful shouty death metal vocals.
"Age of the Covenant" is another full-fledged attack the guys shredding with power now sounding quite technical as well (the hectic ripper "Consume The Weak"). More relaxed atmosphere arrives with "The Covenant", but "Breeders Of Malevolence" wins it all with the calculated technicality unleashed mixed with impetuous headbanging passages. "Global Annihilation" is another no-brainer for the thrash/death metal fans with some great leads offered; and "Human Scum" lashes out in a similar clever, but also aggressive, fashion. Brilliant surreal leads come blended with stupendous choppy rhythms on "Cerebral Stagnation", before "Causal Nexus" closes the album with more straight-forward brutal riffage. This is a clear improvement in every department, although the debut was already a very good effort, and shows Romanian metal in a really bright light.

Exhort to Obliterate Full-Length, 2013
Age of the Covenant Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

DECEASED (PHILIPPINES)

Based on "Reborn", these folks deliver diverse uneven retro power/thrash/proto-death which also tries something marginally more twisted and technical ("Six Hundred Sixty Six Zone"), the heavy pounding "N.R.I.P. (The Haunting Continues)" another relatively positive occurrence, but the murky sound quality mars the more complex material ("Embryonic Termination"), where the guys' compositional skills seriously falter, including the not very rehearsed semi-clean semi-shouty singer.

Never Rest in Peace Full-length, 1988
Reborn Full-length, 1995
Gods of Pain Full-length, 2004
Musika para los bastardos! Full-length, 2014

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DECEASED (USA)

This band is one of the oldest metal bands in the USA, and one of the first ones to try a more brutal sound in the vein of Possessed's "Seven Churches" with their early demos from the mid-80's. By the time of "Luck of the Corpse", the guys had managed to come up with a potent thrash/death metal hybrid which four years later on "The Blueprints for Madness" was fully displayed once again, with not a single hint at any modern metamorphosis, lashing steel riffs over the stagnating 90's scene without mercy. The change eventually came with "Fearless Undead Machines", but the music on offer was no worse, moving onto retro thrash with elements of power and speed metal: a good atmospheric effort with not many ties to their death metal past. The guys preserved the style for the follow-up "Supernatural Addiction" which softened down a bit with more classic heavy metal and epic elements added, and Kingsley "King" Fowley giving a more melodic but equally appealing tone of his voice. "As the Weird Travel On" is another capable offering of thrash, power, classic heavy metal and a pinch of death crossing over several genres consequently satisfying quite a wide gamut of metal fans who at that point must have already adapted to the guys' interesting "cocktail". Hopefully instead of indulging in releasing Best of Compilations and Splits, which number has risen to quite big proportions recently, the band will sum up their powers soon for a new full-length.
"Surreal Overdose" would be a surprise, at least in the beginning, where the guys indulge in fast blitzkrieg thrash/death metal which reaches its culmination on the raging piece of brutality "The Traumatic" that could indeed "traumatize" the unprepared. The problem is that after it the band don't really slow down, but carry on with a lot of speed by slightly increasing the more moderate passages. As a whole this new offering is their most aggressive one to date, and those who liked the larger-than-life "cocktails" the band specialized in so well, may feel betrayed listening to this uncompromising slab of old school brutality which still comes nicely spiced with brilliant melodic leads that are very close to stealing the show, especially on the encompassing progressive closer "Dying In Analog", one of the guys' finest achievements, thrashing, speeding and deathing in a top-notch manner greatly boosted by marvelous epic lead-driven intro and outro.
"Ghostly White": the Western-like tunes at the start may suggest at a change of course, but the band fans should rest assured that the veterans won't disappoint although the opening "Mrs. Allardyce" is just a melodic epic with speed metal-ish embellishments, the saga acquiring much more ambitious proportions on the 13.5-min opus "Germ of Distorted Lore", a summing-up achievement which again refuses to lash out in a less bridled manner. The latter will occur, with all the guns blazing at that, on the short ripping "Palpation's Warning", but the calmer cuts keep coming albeit spiced with regular outbursts of aggression, with only the spacey psychedelic vibe of "The Shivers" betraying the less remorseful delivery. As a whole the band have elaborated their approach to song-writing, showing a more serious side of their repertoire which is almost equally as attractive.
"Thrash Times at Ridgemont High" is a covers-only compilation, the band covering luminaries like Whiplash ("Spit on Your Grave"), Razor (Take this Torch"), Artillery ("Into the Universe"), Voivod ("Thrashing Rage"), Sacrifice ("Sacrifice")… the songs are quite faithfully performed, no liberties have been taken with them, the less known choices being Blessed Death's "Pray for Death", the Finnish stylists Stone's "Get Stoned", and Deathwish's "Demon Preacher", not to mention the world's favourite whore Ilona, immortalized by the guys' Italian colleagues Bulldozer with "Ilona (The Very Best)".
“Children of the Morgue” is another uplifting conglomerate of nuances, the brisk smashing title-track reaching progressive dimensions easily thanks to the inspired guitar work, with “Terrornaut” jumping on the technical wagon head-over-heels. “The Reaper Is Nesting” is a moshing delight, a lofty example followed by “Eerie Wavelengths”, another less ordinary shredder, and by all means by “Fed to Mother Earth”, a diverse encompassing composition with a pleiad of complex conundrums. No such films on the stripped-down non-fussy “Brooding Lament” and the galloping power/thrash saga “Farewell ''Taken to Forever''”, a fitting sprawling closure to this fairly entertaining album.

Gut Wrench EP, 1991
Luck of the Corpse Full-length, 1991
13 Frightened Souls EP, 1993
The Blueprints for Madness Full-length, 1995
Fearless Undead Machines Full-length, 1997
Supernatural Addiction Full-length, 2000
Behind the Mourner's Veil EP, 2001
As the Weird Travel On Full-length, 2005
Inject the Ugliness EP, 2007
Surreal Overdose Full-length 2011
Ghostly White Full-length, 2018
Thrash Times at Ridgemont High Full-Length, 2021
Children of the Morgue Full-length, 2024

My Space

DECEIT (HUNGARY)

Based on the EP: cool classic-sounding thrash with an alternative edge, coming mostly from the new wave-ish singer; this mixture bears at least one fruit: the melodic alternative "Leave Me Alone", and the rest sounds quite cool with stylish, Voivod-ish moments; another band this one reminds of is the Swiss Calhoun Conquer. There's no aggression or speed involved here; this is peaceful mid-paced music which will hypnotize you with its non-changing, but very catchy rhythms. "Suspicion" is the odd closer, being mostly noise, without any real music, and that's sad since one more of the same would have been just fine.
The full-length sniffs of the same avant-garde flair, but the pace is more energetic, the band also playing with more flexible crossover possibilities ("I Musn't Drink..."), the not very attached but effective vocals ala Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) adding more individualistic aura to the proceedings. The title-track is a weird semi-balladic creeper, and "Nightmare" is a long soulful ballad. Actual old school thrash occurs sparingly (the bizarre pounder "Profitable Death"), but there's quite a bit to like here, like the short not very predictable twister "Unlimitation", the minimalistic closing oddity with a fast-paced thrashy ending "Clouds", etc.

The Chaotic EP, 1993
Smilemask Full-length, 1994

Youtube

DECEIVER (FINLAND)

Based on the EP, this outfit indulge in old school semi-technical thrash supported by not very rehearsed semi-declamatory death metal vocals. "Mary's Last Prayer" is a varied complex piece, with the bass player busier than usual, with atmospheric accumulations those boding death metal; this ingredient not fully materializing on the darker more cumbersome "The Nothing", another quasi-entangled odyssey with more overtly tenebrous stopovers.

Mary's Last Prayer/The Nothing EP, 1991
Eternal Massacre Demo, 1992

Youtube

DECEIVER (GREECE)

Three songs of fast ripping retro thrash ala Kreator and Necronomicon; the guys lash fast and tight, never slowing down, the music assisted by vicious low-tuned death-ish vocals.
The full-length is a tad more melodic with a few modern thrash throw-ins plus the updated production qualities. Otherwise the guys know how to thrash with power, and this is what exactly happens for most of the time modern day Kreator often coming to mind as well as Death on the more stylish hooks ("Drivers Of Despair", the very cool semi-technical speedster near the end "Sound And Anger"). The utmost fury has been unleashed on the closing "Deceiver" which crosses death and thrash in an admirable way again recalling Death, and also the French No Return's more recent releases. There's seldom an original idea to be come across here, but the band know their craft and confidently walk a path well trodden.

Deceiver Demo, 2011
Sickness....Souls!! Full-Length, 2012

Official Site

DECEIVER (MEXICO)

Based on the "Everlasting Phase" demo, this formation serve raw semi-amateurish thrash/proto-death which is brooding and doomy for most of the time which was probably the better option since the sound quality is very muddy and would have shadowed any attempts at more vigorous sharper riffage. The approach lives up at the end on the short ripper "Hear My Voice", but again, the incompetent performance ruins all intentions beyond repair now without the help of the bad semi-shouty death metal vocals.

Way Lost Demo, 1989
Everlasting Phase Demo, 1991
Solo Demo, 1992

DECEIVER (SWEDEN)

The debut: a simplistic, but interesting mixture of heavy metal (think Motorhead,Tank) and thrash metal spiced at times with Black Sabbath-ish doom riffs; it stays more on the heavy metal side although fast headbangers like "Destroy'em All" (from "Riding With The Ripper") lift the spirit up.
"Holov Posen Tro May Trot" is the band's best effort, and the thrashiest and most aggressive one; it's a great album all the way, with cool speedy headbangers, some of which pick up quite a lot of aggression, bordering on proto-death ("Cold winter & Empty Bottles"). There's no single stop on this one: pure thrash assault until the end.

Deceiver EP, 2004
Riding With The Reaper Full-length, 2005
Holov Posen Tro May Trot Full-length, 2006

Official Site

DECEPTION (BULGARIA)

The debut: this is 90's modern groovy post-thrash which has the stomp ("Wake Up"), the occasional thrashier attitude ("Global Threat"), the mainstream catchiness ("World of Blind"), the more industrial veneer ("War")... all this wrapped in a pretty clear sound quality, the vocals a bit on the annoying side being constantly shouty and angry.
"Never Ending Nightmare": the modern groovy nightmare never ends here, correct, although the title-track tires hard to create some moshing fervour, and actually succeeds with the help of several brisk sections from "Tomorrow May Never Be". More vivid nightmares with "Coded Gallow", the dramatic accumulations on "Pyramid of Life" openly bordering on at least quasi-progressive, but imagination doesn't play such a prominent role in the second half despite the suppressed aggression spotted on the restless closer "Vengeance".

World of Blind Full-length, 2021
Never Ending Nightmare Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DECEPTION (GERMANY)

This is entertaining power/proto-thrash with doom/stoner insertions topped by passable drunken semi-death metal vocals. The music has a friendly warm tone and may remind you of the Tom Angelripper projects (Desperados, the one under his own name) only that the approach here isn't as dynamic and may put you in a semi-drowsy state on the bluesy/doom closer "I've Been Here Before".

Fire Full-Length, 2010

DECEPTION (USA)

Cool power/thrash, hesitating between the modern and the classic sound (staying closer to the modern one); the music is mid to up-tempo graced by stylish leads and nice melodic high vocals sounding like a mixture of Jim Mullis (Temple of Blood) and Messiah Marcolin.

Deception Demo, 2004

Official Site

DECEPTOR (UK)

Four tracks of complex modern thrash which moves from more elaborate moments (the jumpy unpredictable "Pilgrims of the Void") to straight all-out thrashers ("Soothsayer) both sides played with proficiency including the nice tribute to the 80's American power/thrash metal scene "Oracle Of Despair". "Kursk" is exemplary technical speed/thrash, a standout number which alone shows a lot of potential to be further explored in this outfit who should have no problems taking a prime rank soon among the thrash metal hordes from the British Isles. The singer is on par with the good music with his attached semi-clean timbre without being very adventurous reminiscent of Blaze Bayley (Wolsfsbane, Iron Maiden).
The guys continue testing the soil, and here comes another EP which comprises the same cleverly-constructed semi-technical stuff, this time quite retro-sounding, which is at times on the mellower speed/power metal side (the opening "To Know Infinity"), at others is the good old speed/thrash ("Heatseeker"). Progressive metal takes over on the closing "Oblivion's Call" which is again more on the power metal side, and this is probably the only complaint one may have when all is said and done: the band have softened down the approach retouching the sharpness of the guitars increasing the melodic tunes to the point that one may recall epic works from the past, like the Warlord debut, or the Swedes Heavy Load.

Soothsayer EP, 2011
Chains of Delusion EP, 2013

My Space

DECEPTOR (USA)

This US trio serve bashing old school thrash/death that brings the dormant spirits of both Hypnosia and Morbid saint with the ravaging “Bathed in Blood”, the expert leads also drawing trajectories towards loftier dimensions, the latter gracefully elaborated on the entangled shredder “Ten Commandments of the Antichrist”. The faithfully reproduced cover of Sepultura’s “Troops of Doom” splits this effort into two halves, the second one comprising the wild aggressors ‘Subtle Art of Slaughter” and the excellent all-instrumental roller-coaster “Ultimate Death Thrash”, this one missing the muffled not very expressive declamatory vocals.

Bathed in Blood EP, 2023

Official Site

DECHAROT (AUSTRALIA)

Modern thrash/death which tries to balance between aggression and melody the entire time, the more technical expletives on "Evisceration" suggesting at bigger musical prowess, the latter also displayed on the heavy dramatic "The Harvest". Later on the listener will marvel at the entangled hecticality of "Executed for Their Own Safety" and the encompassing progressive grandeur of "Gospel of Illusion", the vocal duel creating more drama on the side, guttural intensity versus screechy blacky-ness.

Vemana Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DECIBEL (USA)

Intense classic thrash which exudes authority with its semi-technical mid-paced flavour, the gruff semi-declamatory vocals holding their own on creepy engaging shredders like "Hold Still" also attempting a few piercing screams on the proto-groovy moderner "Skinned Alive". The production is pretty crisp, and it's a pity that the guys couldn't create anything more than just these three tracks.

Demo Demo, 1996

Youtube

DECIBEL DEMON (USA)

This is a side-project of the Incubus/Opprobrium lads, who try to run away from the more death-fixated oeuvre of their main occupation with this decent if hardly spectacular old school power/speed/proto-thrash slab. The main departure from the other repertoire is the vocals which here are high-pitched clean ones, and create quite a bit of drama when in action, necessarily or not. Long quasi-progressive excursions ("Black Night") shake hands with more immediate abrasive shorters ("Look Out Lighted", the crossover-laced "The Final Holocaust"), the catchy epicness of "Sinful Operation" recalling the feats of the 80's US scene, and "Say Goodbye" is a rousing hard'n heavy hymn. "Night Wing" is a virulent speedster, and "Speed Freak" is a more complex less energetic saga lasting for whole 10.5-min, the guys losing the plot on that one a bit, failing to make it very interesting during its epic duration.

Declassified Full-length, 2017

Youtube

DECIBEL HAMMER (FINLAND)

This hellish trio unleash raw primal thrash/proto-death of the old school which has the necessary ripping riffs to shake your head which could by all means happen without the introduction of several modern blasting sections ("Butcher Bob"). The sound quality is pretty pristine so don't expect any sophistication: this is violent bash to the death assisted by awful shouty death metal vocals which tear the silence annoying the listener especially on the higher notes which are, fortunately, not applied too often.

Release the Havoc Demo, 2012

Official Site

DECIDE (SZECH)

The full-length is your typical modern groovy post-thrash with a couple of more lively moments with a classic shade ("Looking for Myself"). The guitar work isn't bad, actually, and offers the casual melodic lick here and there although in the second half the music slows down considerably logically finishing with the quite good exercise in doom "The Loss of Immunity".

The Loss of Immunity Full-length, 1999
Resolution EP, 2003

Official Site

DECIMATE (UK)

Based on the full-length, this band pulls out your average modern thrash metal ala Corporation 187 and Carnal Forge spiced with sparse hardcore-ish parts ala Biohazard and Pro-Pain. The guitar work of the Brits is a level higher, though, with clear technical pretensions at times ("Forever Alone"), and good proficient leads. The vocals are mid-ranged semi-clean, quite cool, interrupted by clean, and harsh, death-ish ones; in other words, the vocal variety is quite big. Half of the songs will please the fans with their intense dynamic riffage ("A Lesson Learnt", "My Own Way"), while others are for the more romantically-inclined with their semi-balladic parts ("Life Fades Away", which boasts the finest melodic riffs and leads on the album).
"Destroy... or Be Destroyed" is the next-in-line modern thrash saga which comes a tad more intense and moshing this time the guys not sparing themselves thrashing quite hard'n fast even trying to reach the speed of light on the raging "Face the Truth". The mid-paced sections are inserted here and there, but generally this is speedy remorseless music which lacks variety, but makes up with leaps and bounds of aggression.

Betrayed to the Point of Reprisal EP, 2000
In The Name Of A God EP, 2001
11 Rounds Full-length, 2006
Destroy... or Be Destroyed Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

DECIMATE OUR KIND (USA)

Based on "Thrillingly Dead", this band, about which no information has been provided anywhere at this stage except that it's a one-musician project, the alias being 71011_Ninjer, serve old school thrash supported by threatening guttural death metal vocals. The music makes sense all over, with ripping headachers ("Dying Nation") interlacing with more moderate galloping extrapolations ("Eruptor"), the melodic speed metal anthem "This Loud Noise" close to being awarded the highlight laurels if it wasn't for the presence of the more ambitious progressive saga "Flesh in", a nice summation of the musicians' skills with a few delectable lead sections.
"Hogs in Badges" contains the same varied amalgam, with rhythmic semi-technical instrumental pieces ("Before the Ritual") alternating with uplifting speed/thrash roller-coasters (the title-track) and more entangled progressive opuses ("Shock Destruction"), the closing "Pledge of Arrogance" trying to achieve the same complex heights for the sake of several more dynamic passages.
“The Chosen One” follows a very similar trajectory, the guy thrashing in both an elevating optimistic (“Antitheistic Overture”) and overtly confrontational (“Jesus, King of Dipshits”) manner, the title-track a short ball of unbridled fury, contrasting with the noisy industrial filler “Savior of Lies 2023”, before the closing “Religion” wraps it on with merry speed metal rhythms.
“In the Name of Our Republic” comprises three gigantic compositions, but music-wise this remains on the less striking side, the speed metal leniency off “TikTokified” pairing well with the rowdy gallops of “The Lord is a Shithead”, before “God's Children” unleashes a few really delectable melodic leads, and the “Businessman on the Ballot” braces himself for a complicated progressive thrash journey of the highbrow variety with a lot of music thrown at the listener within the span of 13.5-min.
"Mobile Corpse" is a routine old school thrash affair, the guy providing both energetic blitzkriegers (the 2-part "Numbing Cult") and more complex walkabouts ("The Wonderful World of Free Speech"), the dynamic roller-coaster "Sarcophagic (Blood of Sinners)" a possible highlight, if we exclude the elevating speed metal winner "Autocratic Skirmish".
"Hate, Kill, Blame" notches up the complexity a bit, and although the title-track and the galloping shorter "A Citizen You'll Never Be" mosh with not much ado, "IV. Shutdown" serves dark brooding riffs for over 11-min; and "Circle of Death" is creepy minimalisms carved by spastic lead sections, the odyssey lasting for 13.5-min. But this isn't all since comes "Deliver None" later, a 20-min saga which at least provides numerous vivid moments for the headbangers, a tendency continued by the remastered brisk lively version of "Chaos You Conduct".

Radical Christianity Full-length, 2022
Thrillingly Dead Full-length, 2023
Hogs in Badges Full-Length, 2023
The Chosen One Full-length, 2023
In the Name of Our Republic Full-length, 2023
Mobile Corpse Full-Length, 2024
Hate, Kill, Blame Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DECIMATION (USA, Kansas)

Based on the full-length, these folks specialize in prototypical Swedish thrash/death which is perhaps a tad more brutal with the more frequent participation of the blast-beats which intercept crisp thrashy passages, but check the title-track for a good example of how those two sides can co-exist quite well with an added doze of twisted technicality, the latter also finding shelter on a couple of shorter numbers later. Otherwise this is generic, albeit professionally executed, stuff with aggressive low-tuned death metal vocals.

...and the Meek Lay Dead EP, 2007
The Undead Shall Inherit Full-length, 2010

Official Site

DECIMATION (USA, OHIO)

Another good, but unsigned band who were earlier known as Violence; the debut demo is oriented towards the aggressive bashing side of the spectre with speedy "bullets" like "Infernal Destiny" scaring the unprepared, but with also more intelligent shredders ("Dominance And Submission") where the bashing meets its more technical counterpart with "Lethal Actions" combining both sides into one handsome hyper-active melee with the intense semi-shouty/semi-declamatory vocals dexterously helping on the side with their venomous spiteful antics.
The "The Dark Embrace" demo is executed in a more technical manner with tight concise pieces among which "Never Forgiven" recalls the uncompromising spirit of the first demo with its fast lashing riffs. "Deception Of Faith" is sustained in a similar fashion, a brisk speedy headbanger with great virtuous melodies flying around, but it's "Silenced In Time" that captures the imagination the fullest with its more varied rhythm section and the more contrived configurations.
The "Rat Race" demo comes with a much better sound quality the diverse progressive roller-coaster "Party's Over" confidently leading the show with the intriguing switches between fast razor-sharp riff-patterns and alluring dreamy balladic sections. "King Of Rats" is a jumpy dramatic technicaller with a couple of more linear passages, the riff-density reaching Deathrow-esque heights on "Sea Of Deceit", an amorphous shredder with great technical walkabouts and virtuous lead pyrotechnics, the highlight here. "Mere Image" follows the same perplexing path with bouncy rhythms bordering on jazz tussling with heavy steam-rolling etudes, with stylish screamy leads adding more to the heightened drama which also receives support by the cool mean semi-clean vocals. "X-Tinction" thrashes hard with more speed involved, the guitar work acquiring a classical virtuoso-prone veneer with echoes of Helstar and Artillery, the riff-fest switching between smattering gallops and dizzying technical walkabouts the whole time, a balladic lead-driven finale ending this absolute no-brainer. There are a few short bass-dominated instrumentals serving as respites between the actual tracks, adding more to the exuberant style of this masterpiece.

Armed to the Teeth Demo, 1989
The Dark Embrace Demo, 1990
Rat Race Demo, 1991
Forgotten Race Best of/Compilation, 2005

My Space

DECIMATOR (AUSTRALIA)

These lads indulge in dynamic classic power/speed/thrash which gallops Down Under (“The Rock”) with passion, also attempting something a tad mellower and epic on “Legions”, the decent clean hoarse singer accommodating all the stylistic switches. Friendly heavy rockers like “Phantoms” could have been skipped, though, as their gravity is minimal at best, unlike the sizzling bellicose shorter “The Blade” and the uncompromising headbanger “Decimator”.

'Til the Enemies Are Gone Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DECIMATOR (BRAZIL)

Based on the "Thrash Rehearsals" demo: the sound is vintage Slayer, although "Nuclear Sacrifice" might remind you of Kreator and Darkness. In other words, this is well done classic 80's thrash. At the end there's a very faithful cover of Slayer's "Piece By Piece". Some of the members also practice playing death metal with the outfit Hateworks.
"Killing Tendency" is an auspicious debut, featuring the same good headbanging thrash from the demos, again staying closer to Slayer, abandoning their influence on the longer tracks ("The Southern Wind") which introduce genuine technical licks along with the aggressive thrashing. "Nuclear Sacrifice" is here again and carries the German spirit, offered with a better sound quality, but without any obvious musical changes. "Thrash Assault" (these guys love this word!) is an awesome piece of straight-ahead moshing thrash after which come three tracks from the "Decimating Thrashterror" demo, where surprisingly shades of Slayer are almost nowhere to be found (except on a few slower, heavy breaks); this is great fast-paced thrash with nods to death metal, very close to the Swedes Hypnosia and, again, early Kreator.
"Bloodstained" treads the same waters, now straight Germanic speed/thrash metal in the vein of Kreator again, with the obligatory stomping stops from the roller-coaster along the way: the proto-modern "Streams of Blood" which sounds like the lost track from Six Feet Under's "Haunted". "Genocide" after it will leave no one unshaken being aggressive lashing thrash, with "Day of Wrath" a very faithful companion; and till the end there's no mercy shown the guys thrashing their souls out to exhaustion with the blitzkrieg hyper-speedy closer "Age of Sacrifice".
"Alienist" carries on with the old school thrash fiesta which is again modeled after the German brotherhood, Kreator above all, speedy blitzkrieg numbers following in quick succession, not leaving too many chances to the listener to take a break from the relentless downpour, the exception being the pounding mid-pacer "Alien Spring", the speed of light raced every bit of the way with the short bullets "Vivisection of a Specimen with Opposable Thumbs" and "Asylum".

Thrash Rehearsals October Demo, 2003
Promo CD Demo, 2003
Decimating Thrashterror Demo, 2004
Killing Tendency Full-Length, 2007
Bloodstained Full-length, 2011
Alienist Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DECIMATOR (UK)

A slightly thrashy version of Motorhead is what's on offer on "Dirty, Hot And Hungry"; sleezy tracks like "Carnage City Rocks" place the band in the pop-metal camp which is, of course, a bad sign. The debut is sustained in a pretty much the same mode, a merry frolic Motorhead-ish rock'n roll the guys only occasionally updating the approach to livelier speed metal-ish vigour with thrash seldom showing up under any form.

Carnage City State Mosh Patrol Full-length, 1989
Dirty, Hot And Hungry Full-length, 1993

Vibrations of Doom

DECIMATOR (USA)

Quite good classic power/speed/thrash with echoes of Nasty Savage and Viking; the guys gallop with the finest out there on te impetuous shredder "Fatal Vision" also providing tasteful melodies whenever appropriate. The title-track is a great progressive power/thrasher with outstanding lead guitar work alongside complex riff-formulas recalling Forbidden's "Twisted into Form"; hard-hitting thrash intertwines with vortex-like decisions on this masterpiece of thought-out, multi-layered metal. "Decimator" is a more immediate headbanger with several stomping arrangements, and "Created By A Monster" is a hectic jumper with fluctuating up and down riffage creating hallucinations and dizziness. "Exploited" is an explosive rager followed by the similar, maybe more speed metal-prone, closer "Burn". The singer is a great addition to the virtuous music with his attached clean timbre reminiscent of Russ Anderson (Forbidden again).

Do Unto Others EP, 1992

DECIMATUS (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the full-length, this act specialize in modern groovy post-thrash which for most of the time is nothing exciting and original. The guys rely on the heavy steam-rolling sections to pull it through, but it's the dynamic shredder "Usurper" which overshadows all the rest with its carefree up-tempo riffage. The immediate follow-up "Fate Without Faith" is another winner being impetuous classic thrash at its Bay-Areasque best (think Testament), but it arrives a bit late to save the day another attempt made with the more vivid melodic closer "Death Sentence (With a Plan)".

The Betrayer EP, 2012
II EP, 2012
Catalyst for Rage Full-length, 2015

Official Site

DECISION D (HOLLAND)

Holland seems to have an endless list of quality technical metal bands. Here comes Decision D, first-rate technical thrash/death reminding of Death, Pestilence and the Belgians Chemical Breath. The music is closer to thrash metal than the one of the aforementioned bands, and these guys provide more straight headbanging moments although the first two songs on the the debut come up with a vortex of tempo changes and twisting riffs. Then the music becomes less complex and more immediate in the middle, before returning to the more technical patterns for the last three tracks. The delivery is never too aggressive, and the songs have their quiet, lighter, atmospheric sections.
"The Last Prostitute" has no traces of death metal whatsoever and is another very good exercise in technical metal, this time slower and more laid-back with a pinch of 90's Coroner clinging more towards "Grin" in the beginning, but later transforming into something not miles away from the brilliance of "Mental Vortex". The opening title-track promises a lot of modern 90's thrash with a twist, but the trippy spacey "Graffiti" contains fast moshing sections to satisfy even the more pretentious fans, with echoes of Focus' hit "Hocus Pocus"; even the experimental funky passages work quite well on this one. Later the sound becomes more complex, and one can find numerous moments to enjoy: the pounding technical thrash on "Women of Injustice"; the jumpy weird "Independent Remorse" graced by the only more brutal death metal sections on the album; and especially the brilliant "Forsaken", the highlight of the album sounding like a leftover from the debut, twisted hectic thrash at its best. "You Ain't Nothing" isn't too far behind it being quirky semi-funky tech-thrash where the gruff singer even tries something cleaner. The closing "Racist Behavior" is dry mechanical technical thrash which will tease you with its steel precision and ever-changing tempos to a hallucinogenic effect; the singer doesn't participate too much leaving the guitarists to create a surreal abstract picture also recalling late-80's Voivod; the Polish Myopia might have listened with care to this effort since their abstract clinical soundscapes owe quite a bit to this act as well.
"Moratoria" has already managed to embrace the modern trends to an extent, and this combination of modern and classic rhythms is quite appealing and to these ears this effort could be classified as the band's finest achievement. The faster moments from the debut have been diminished as well as the death metal shades ("Statues of Deliberation" is a brutal death-laced shredder, but is the only one of the kind), and the pace is mid with loads of technical twists along the way which mixed with the excellent melodic leads, deliver on all counts. The complexity is just on the edge of going beyond comprehension ("Devoted" and elsewhere) at times, but it takes a bit of time for one to adjust to this attractive elaborate picture: the fine blend of creepy doom and complex technical riffs "Slaughterslice Atmosphere"; the exquisite surreal twisted thrasher "Derastation of a Nation" which features sparse operatic vocals in the middle as well as a few higher shouts from the singer whose dominant brutal death metal delivery is not bad, but falls behind the much better music. "Birth of Cadaver" brings forward the doomy riffage again, again mixed with a steel sharp technical guitar wall. "Bow Down in Suffocation" is more dynamic jumping on the up-tempo to a very positive effect giving the needed boost to the technical performance which hits the top on the peaceful slower mid-break in its turn followed by the speed/thrash outro. "Bastard" is a less (this is relative, by the band's standards) ordinary take on modern thrash which later moves to a nice balladic, still guitar-driven, passage, but the surprises don't end there since very soon after the guitars start thrashing with full force creating cool headbanging moments ala Helstar's "Nosferatu". The closing "Spiritu Santo" is nothing more than drum beats and a hysterical voice rending in Spanish: quite weird, and probably a slightly underwhelming exit from this great effort.
It's extremely difficult to find an act with their whole discography belonging to the 90's, with all their albums of a consistently high quality without making many compromises with their initial classic style (just a few modern throw-ins) until the end; Decision D are one such band, and whether "The Last Prostitute" was their creative peak is debatable, but kudos should be paid to the guys for ending their career without succumbing to the fashion of the time like quite a few of their compatriots (Donor, Sacrosanct, Genetic Wisdom, even Pestilence, if you like) did.
The demo is still on a wild, not very rehearsed stage the band not making much sense plainly bashing with vigour, but with little proficiency and competence except on "Holy Supper" which later found a place on the debut. "One Step Closer" tries something stylish, too, but the awful sound quality ruins the guys' efforts who just a year later would hit the top in a way hardly anticipated when listening to this messy chaotic effort.

Testimony on Stage Demo, 1991
Razon De La Muerte Full-length, 1992
Moratoria Full-length, 1993
The Last Prostitute Full-length, 1995

DECLARED DEAD (BELGIUM)

The debut: noisy, industrialized modern thrash which relies on chaotic arrangements and messy bashings the latter evoking the spirit of death metal. "Quelling the Beleaguered" is a surprisingly stylish semi-technicaller amidst the chaos, and the other more sensible moment would be the not very recognizable cover of Testament's "Into the Pit" here turned into a stomping industrial cacophony. The singer is heavily synthesized and is an additional noisy obstruction.
"Revel in the Macabre" is another eccentric offering the noisy production leaving quite a bit to be desired which is a pity as there are "gems" to be uncovered underneath the mess: the outlandish progressiver "Zeal of the Lord", the melodic epic quasi-doomster "Spirits of Saturn", the short spastic headbanger "Praise the Blaze", the compelling technical/progressive extravaganzas "Kinky Cadaver" and "Bloody Stumps". The closing "The Devout Decayed" is an imposing progressive hymn that moves in doom waters with unobtrusive keyboards assisting on the side. The band tread their chosen weird path, and although they do produce interesting results, some refinement in the production sector would do miracles for them.
"Blood Bender" continues in the same vein with the originality factor not as prominent although the jarring staccato rhythms on "Arise in Thorns", or the surreal melodicisms on the title-track would by all means guarantee less standard entertainment. Elsewhere we have the twisted progressiver "The Ideal Torture" and the nostalgic abraser "Tributary" which also keep the curiosity element in place.
"Cosmic Plague": another admirable less ordinary recording we have here, an all-instrumental affair this time which enraptures the listener with the overlapping riff-monster "Truth Unto Untruth", a surreal shredder which paves the way for the arrival of other mind-openers like the more dynamic "Adorned Without Ceremony", the weird psychedelic jumper "Empty Invaders", and the dissonant masterpiece "Adorned Without Ceremony". "...The End Of Nothing" is a more officiant, less surprising marcher but the title-track is the ultimate spaced-out trippy hallucinogenia which would make the Australian avant-gardists Alchemist very proud. "Beast In The Black" thrashes more intimidatingly with more fast-paced accumulations amongst the surreal riff-formulas, and "Children Of Lesser Gods" is a more melodic, less crooked proposition with covert doomy overtones. "Spirit of the Ancient Jaguar" is a progressive dissonant extravaganza which is served with a somewhat industrial, abrasive flavour and abrupt more brutal death metal-ish additives; and "Chanting To A Barren Desert" brings back the vocals for an isolated appearance to grace this disorienting extreme progressive metal ride which flows into the short proto-deathy closer "Eyes of Aeons", a mutated wonder from the early Celtic Frost recordings, a dramatic chugger that will also recall Dream Death's early feats. The band have done a very good job once again, keeping their original status high.
The "Shiv" EP is solid little thrasher with both hardcore and death metal interfering throughout, adding more to the headbanging immediacy of this short hyper-active roller-coaster. "Grinding the Wind" is more on the heavy pounding side, and "That Which Serves" is an intriguing mid-tempo instrumental, an oasis amidst the much less restrained remainder.
"A Date with the Coroner" is an interesting prog/tech-thrash odyssey that needs little to reach the lofty dimensions where the Swiss maestros mentioned in the title reside. The core of the album are devious mid-paced twisters like "Glowering At The Effervescent" and "The Sand Reckoner", but watch out for the creepy sinister "Circling the Drain" and the minimalistic jumpy delight "Souvenirs", not to mention the arresting atmospheric title-track, an operatic quasi-doomster which gives way to diverse all-instrumental sagas ("Fertile for Fungus") and mournful doomy-prone elegies ("Vigil"). "Shambhala/Xibalba" is just one composition which lasts for near-40min, but it makes very little sense from a musical point-of-view as it's one long noisy, industrial melee that will put off a large portion of the fanbase. "Way of the Reaper" brings back the vocals, and apart from that a more aggressive thrash/death hybrid which is played in a much more orthodox fashion compared to its predecessor, with optimistic crossover pageants ("Longing & Loathing") crossing swords with more epic layouts ("The Twitch"), the nice creepy semi-technical all-instrumental "Sublime Insouciance" standing for the highlight, with the elegiac proto-doomster "The Soul Grifter" a close second. The friendly sing-alonger "A Field of Crows" at the end is a merry, elevating way to end this uneven abrasive saga which surprisingly lacks in the proficiency department.
The "Retirement Plan B" in this act's case is lethargic doom/sludgy music which, on top of everything else, is served with a pronounced abrasive noisy vibe. The twisted atonal harmonies on "Dragging the Corpse" are surely eye-openers, but sadly noting else comes close to these delightful unorthodox moments, the guys trying to wake themselves up with the casual half-cooked semi-thrasher ("Guardian of the Other World"), the rest occasionally chasing Confessor with more crooked, less predictable (the nervy schizoid "Arbiter of the Abattoir") forms.

Denounced and Defiled Full-Length, 2016
Shiv EP, 2016
Revel in the Macabre Full-length, 2017
A Date with the Coroner Full-Length, 2017
Blood Bender Full-length, 2018
Shambhala/Xibalba Full-length, 2018
Cosmic Plague Full-Length, 2019
Way of the Reaper Full-length, 2019
The Devious Grotesque Full-length, 2020
Retirement Plan B Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DECLINATION (USA)

The EP: playful modern thrash with a few more energetic speedy moments ("Abyss" is a cool headbanger); the stomping side of this little effort isn't too bad, either ("Cursed For Worship"), boasting heavy steam-rolling riffs with a doomy vibe. The singer is all right, but his hoarse semi-clean timbre gets synthesized not very pleasantly at times which makes him sound a bit mechanical.
The full-length offers bashing old school thrash which comes served with a very noisy abrasive edge; otherwise, the guys balance between all-out rippers ("Wrath") and more moderate mid-tempo trips (the title-track), the galloping urgency of "Sacrilegious" by all means a positive occurrence, which can also be said about the vicious death-peppered "Agathodaemon", the gruff death metal vocals trying to accommodate all mood swings with a not very dramatic low-tuned growl.
"Ancestry Devour" comes served with a marginally more intricate and more sterile flavour, the title-track moshing with less consideration, whereas the devious "The Punishing Divinity" is a nice more technical read of the old school thrash canons, with "Kallikantzaros" adding a cool more lyrical nuance to the rowdy setting. "Crawlway Burial" is a nice entangled roller-coaster, and "Revelation 6:8" is a somewhat unheralded pensive anti-climactic closure.

Abyss EP, 2012
The Executioner Full-length, 2022
Ancestry Devour EP, 2023

Official Site

DECLINE (UK)

Based on the "Blind E.P." EP, this act serve rough abrasive thrash/crossover which by all means has its more energetic moments ("Zipper"), the more pronounced bass bottom favouring the slower stuff ("Closer" a tad more, the playful punk-ish "I Don't Forget" another relatively positive occurrence, "You Don t Get Any" moving along the same scales again, with a more insistent thrashier engine. The singer is a declamatory semi-hardcore throat who suits the muddy produced musical fiesta.

Blind E.P. EP, 1990
Lost Again EP, 1992

Official Site

DECLINE OF HUMANITY (FRANCE)

Based on the full-length, this act cross more energetic modern thrash patterns with the 90's post-thrash idea, and the final result is more on the laid-back, playful side except for the vocal performance which is strictly in the shouty semi-death metal parametres to the point of hysteria sometimes. The second half is a major dragger the music losing its initial headbanging potential saved by the string of more intense crossover pieces ("The Regulators", "Ten Years", etc.) which are a total contrast to the boring doom/balladic closer "Gigolo's Rising". The band members keep themselves busy with the heavy metal formation Altered Beast, and the grindcore "freaks" Infected Society.

Corrosive EP, 2007
Allegiance to Blastery Full-length, 2012

Official Site

DECREPID (UK)

Based on "Osseous Empire", this act deliver intense classic thrash/death which is quite fast and vicious not far from early Incubus and Merciless with infrequent sparkles of technicality ("Ashumaniac"). "Breeding Anger" near the end is a sheer death metal "symphony" which shouldn't be a surprise having in mind the musicians' full-time occupation: members of the death metal acts Repugnant Inebriation and Necrosadistic Goat Torture.

Devoted to Death Full-length, 2011
Osseous Empire Full-length, 2015

Official Site

DECREPIT MIND (USA)

Based on the "Kill Yourself" demo, this is first-rate classic 80's thrash sounding like a mix between a more aggressive approach akin to Evildead and more complex riffs ala Forbidden's "Twisted into Form" and Nasty Savage's "Penetration Point". The vocals are on the aggressive semi-shouty side akin to those of Phil Rind (Sacred Reich), but assist the contrived musical tapestry with panache "Witchhunt" inaugurating the saga with more orthodox, stomping arrangements, the pogo stirred vintage "Annihilation of Civilization" (Evldead) and "Ignorance" (Sacred Reich), before "Snap" snaps and starts throwing both aggressive and wonderfully technical riffs at the audience, the tempo changing every few seconds keepng the listener on his/her toes the whole time. "Decention Within the Seat of Conciousness" is a progressive thrash masterpiece, a nearly 8-min cavalcade of ingenious intricate rifforamas and impetuous fast-paced walkabouts, both sides alternating on a regular basis with the former taking the upper hand, resulting in a couple of superb dense, steam-rolling riff-knots, the screamy leads adding more to the drama. Beautiful alluring melodies with a folk-ish nuance will welcome the fan at the start of "When Thoughts Turn to Action" before the band embark on a multi-layered diverse journey with the melodic embellishments still roaming around with frequent vortex-like decisions interrupting the stride, the epitaph provided by the short amorphous "Afterlife" which manages to squeeze quite a bit of technicality from a predominantly mid-paced delivery. This is a really pleasant surprise, one of the highlights of the US underground scene from the early-90's.
The "Chemical Interrogation" demo is built on a less complex base although the opening title-track is a fairly hectic, unpredictable shredder with clever pounding rhythms which grow into something more linear and more intense on "Caustic Devotion"; a few nervy staccato configurations bode more intricacy the latter materializing on the very aptly-titled "Technical Disease", a shape-shifting roller-coaster with a very good bass bottom. "Decrepit Mind" moshes in a heavy mid-pace with sudden speedy surges, and "Dismantler" is a short semi-technical headbanger with the stop-and-go technique tastefully applied to a slightly hallucinogenic, disorienting effect.

Chemical Interrogation Demo, 1988
Kill Yourself Demo, 1990

Official Site

DECREPIT UTH (USA)

Brutal intense thrash metal, bordering on death with hardcore-ish touches; the songs are short, 2-min long at the most, and some of them are "decorated" with stylish technical guitars: think Hellwitch, but less technical and with a less serious, "crossover" spirit.

Action Speaks Demo, 1988

DEDICTED (BELGIUM)

Modern industrialized thrash, reminiscent of the Americans Baghead and late period Obliveon, but with a more melodic, alternative edge; the music is rich in atmosphere, a big share for which falls on the good clean vocals, which are just one side of the show; the other one is the harsh, semi-death ones. The tempo is predictably mid-paced, with heavy riffs, which quite a few times acquire a wonderful abstract technical shade, and "Virgin Soil Epidemic" finds room for more energetic guitars, and ends up being an excellent mechanical technical headbanger. "Crystalline" is another song worth mentioning, with crushing twisted riffs, a progressive masterpiece, which suddenly stops near the end, to give way to a short ambient section, which in its turn is suddenly interrupted by another portion of swirling dry riffage. This is a very promising beginning, which could serve as a good basis for an impressive full-length.

Argonauts EP, 2008

DEDPOOL (GERMANY)

The debut: heavy 90's post-thrash with harsh semi-shouty death metal vocals; the album isn't completely devoid of more energetic thrashy moments (the short brisk "Spit It Out"), but the prevalent layout is more on the dragging, monotonous side as reflected on patiently-woven, not very eventful cuts like the groovy ship-sinker "Testament" and the atmospheric doom opus "Homecoming".
“Carved in Stone” is a similarly-styled fare, the energetic bumper “Warhead” sidelined by the elephantine quasi-doomster “Omnipresence”, an imposing near-8-min-long presence which influences a string of cuts afterwards, with full-fledged doom entering the picture with the title-track, the nervy dynamics of “Astral Visions” creating some intrigue as a farewell gesture.

Lifecircle Full-Length, 2018
Carved in Stone Full-length, 2023

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DEELSPEED (USA)

Based on the "Ludicrous Speed" demo, this act deliver quite cool old school thrash with both lighter crossover and more complex progressive arrangements, the latter side given plenty of time to develop with half the tracks lasting way beyond the 5-min mark. Despite the elongations, the band retain the speed for most of the time, coming up with the perennial jump-arounder "Lord of All", the hyper-active Motorhead-ish title-track, the uplifting hardcore slogan "Countries That Kill", and the labyrinthine multi-faced saga "This Blood's For You". Lyrics-wise the guys belong to the Christian metal movement, the god-related messages delivered by a semi-declamatory but still moderately melodic hardcore throat.

Faster than Death Demo, 1991
Ludicrous Speed Demo, 1992

Youtube

DEEP COMA (PORTUGAL)

Two guys pull out sterile modern thrash/death metal with a slight avantgarde feel which is marred by a couple of pure noise tracks ("Dementia") with a strong industrial edge. The approach is heavy in mid-tempo supported by dreamy, balladic sequences. Mechanical headbangers, like "Under The Ground" or the very jumpy "The Fall", are more than welcome, to dissipate the depressive atmosphere which cold Khold-esque blacky cuts, like "Filthy Little Cunt", make even more suicidal. The singer(s) is a not very pleasant death metal shouter, changing pitch on demand, even pulling out clearer performance at times. An intense, faithful cover of Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist" wraps it up at the end.
"Recording Abnormal Psychotic Episodes" may put you in an even "deeper coma" due to its further descent into non-melodic sterile shred which comes heavily industrialized "fighting" with the few efforts from the guys to play faster those moments coming closer to black metal with Khold again a close soundalike. The closing "Beyond The Walls of Sleep" is not a Rage cover, but is a really admirable achievement producing over 7-min of dreamy abstract industrial with harsher riffage implemented at times, an all-instrumental affair which would intrigue even fans of Godflesh and Gojira with its hypnotic riff-patterns and robotic structure.

Despair As You Stare Full-length, 2011
Recording Abnormal Psychotic Episodes Full-Length, 2012

Official Site

DEEP DESOLATION (POLAND)

Earlier this formation were playing a groovy form of doom/black. On the album here they switch towards the black/thrash hybridization realms,and acquit themselves with brisk non-fussy numbers ("Spetany Ekstaza", "Minski"), the semi-declamatory death metal vocalist carrying a certain doze of intimidation alongside the deathly injection received on "Przepastne Uda Izydy", and the furious death/black/thrash combination that has been achieved on "Dwunaste Wrota". Some of the musicians are also busy with the psychedelic doomsters Doomster Reich and the black metal cohort Skald of Morgoth.

Dwunaste Wrota Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEEP SIX HATRED (FINLAND)

Based on the full-length, this is brisk but also heavy classic thrash which takes no prisoners initially with the direct blitzkrieg opener “Swamp of Human Putrefaction”, but it’s mostly stomping elephantine riffs on the title-track and the officious mid-pacer “2749KHD”. The cool semi-clean emotional vocalist is an asset, singing with verve for most of the time, “Beyond Death” sincerely borders on doom, but it’s all energy and moshing on the brisk “Escalation of Violence” and the brief raging thrash/crossover closer “Rotten Core”. Some of the musicians are also busy with the thrash/death hybriders I Lied and the heavy metal formation Adastra.

Descend EP, 2020
Angel of Disease Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DEEPLY CONFUSED (CANADA)

Based on the EP, these folks deliver modern crunchy semi-technical thrash which combines the mechanical dirges of mid-period Meshuggah with more linear melo-death formulas which never stray towards very speedy paths. In the long run one would be able to predict the twists and the turns throughout which never try to break any more progressive boundaries, either. Some of the musicians are also active with the progressive metallers Tears for the Dead Gods.

Demo Demo, 2006
Isolated EP, 2008

Official Site

DEEPWELL (USA)

90's post-thrash with not bad semi-shouty Phil Anselmo-sque vocals; "Bridges Burned" tries to thrash with more conviction, but the groove is just too pertinent throughout to let such energetic flights of the imagination shine too brightly, the better side of this slab reflected in a couple of jumpy hectic doomy tractates ("Above It All", "Breakdown") where the shadow of Confessor looms with style, the Flotsam & Jetsam-esque "Burn Another" a sure candidate for the "Cuatro" line-up.

Deepwell Full-length, 1997

DEER BLOOD (FRANCE)

The debut: a young French formation who provide friendly groovy post-thrash which resembles Machine Head's mid-period also thrashing harder ("Altar of Lies") on occasion. Moments of stoner/doom are not "strangers' to the delivery which also finds more time near the end to bang the head on "War of the Roses" near the end. The vocals are pleasant semi-clean and never adhere to the detrimental aggro-shouts so typical for this sub-genre.
"Slaves of Liberty" is a more varied recording, the guys thrashing harder this time, the thrash/crossover opener "Perpetual Lies" not hiding its headbanging infatuations, the title-track even nodding in the Bay-Area brethren's direction, with more ripping glory harvested later with the explosive "Into My Eyes". The groove shows its heavy head in the second half, but isn't cumbersome unimaginative stuff, the guys entertaining the public with either atmospheric semi-balladic strolls ("Seven") or with surprisingly brisk technical shredders ("Down with the Horns"), the closing "Repentance" a cool variegated roller-coaster with a wide gamut of nuances served.

Devolution Full-Length, 2015
Slaves of Liberty Full-Length, 2022

Official Site

DEF CON ONE (UK)

Meet one more band graced by Antton: the man who took part in both Venom and M-Pire of Evil. Based on "Warface", this act pull out jumpy groovy thrashcore with cutting riffs and dramatic passages which aptly avoid any speedy "traps" sticking to heavy seismic mid-paced formulas which may wear thin after a while since the approach is exactly the same except on the merry crossover cut "Hold On" and the atmospheric semi-ballad "Blood". The singer semi-shouts in a predictable hardcore fashion and may be annoying at times overtaking the whole space.
"II" is logically album number two, and it sticks to the guys' familiar guns, in other words this is nothing more than the good old groovy post-thrash spiced with not as frequent hardcorey passages. The overall approach is more friendly than the one on the debut touching Helmet and Biohazard as well Machine Head's mid-period with mellow riffs and some catchy tunes. The vocalist now really sings at times even pulling out some commendable clean performance.

Blood Soaks the Floor Full-length, 2008
Warface Full-length, 2012
II Full-Length, 2014

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DEFACE (USA)

Based on "Born of Hatred", this band play modern thrash/death which comes served with a hefty abrasive vibe the band not strangers to the odd 90's groovy gimmick (Enemy"). Less bridled death-prone propositions like "Slashing the Veil" bring a desirable more intricate lustre to the proceedings, but this is largely a thrash-fixated affair if we also exclude the brutal meanderer at the end "Hate", the angry shouty vocals an additional boost to the intense musical scenery.

Scars Full-length, 2001
Born of Hatred Full-length, 2019

Official Site

DEFACED (BRAZIL)

Raw retro thrash/death which is more on heavy stomping side with brutal shouty death metal vocals and not very pleasant distorted guitars which creat a lot of noise in the process including the very screamy leads. On top of that, the songs are not very short, and these stomping abrasive riffs may get on the fan's nerves at some point, especially on the doomy monotonous closer "Murder Deeds".

Nightmare Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

DEFACED (FRANCE)

Based on the full-length, this act play all-instrumental modern thrash which borrows a trick or two from the Gothenburg scene, but generally relies on atmosphere and cool melodic lead passages. The melody is probably too big stifling the riffs' sharpness, and the progressive, meandering nature of some of the longer numbers (the title-track, to give one example) may come as too mellow for the hardened thrash metal fan.

Assisted Life EP, 2012
Dark Planets Full-length, 2014

Official Site

DEFALLA (BRAZIL)

This obscure band pulls out thrash/crossover of the more aggressive, thrashy type. The music recalls at times their compatriots Ratos de Porao. The album is whole 15 songs long, so among the hard-boiled thrashers ("Trash Man", the Slayer-esque ball of fury "Death Corps Massacre"), there are a couple of joke songs ("A Couple O Words", "Brain Wisher", which is a quiet country piece), but the thrashing tracks largely exceed them in number.

We Give A Shit (Kickin' Ass For Fun) Full-Length, 1990

DEFAME (JAPAN)

Five guys from Tokyo are responsible for this slab of modern/classic thrash/death intensity which is played at high-speed for most of the time assisted by hoarse semi-shouty death metal vocals. A couple of tracks in the middle are quite short ("Violence Affirmation", "You Are the Witness of the Tragedy"), and come with a less serious hardcore flavour. Actually, the sound is closer to thrash except for the more aggressive "Murder", and on the more classic moments it easily reaches a Slayer-like brutality (the closing "Death Calls You").

The Concerto of Slaughter Full-length, 2002

Official Site

DEFAMATION (USA)

Four pieces of minimalistic all-instrumental post-thrash of the abstract dreamy type; there is a strong industrial vibe going through the motions, as well as serious doomy overtones; too much for just a 4-track, isn't it? Well, there is some dynamics involved on "Unresponsive", which tries to elevate this effort to the full-flooded thrash metal realm, and almost succeeds with cool melodic mid-paced riffs and a few more clever arrangements.

Defamation Demo, 2011

DEFAULTER (PORTUGAL)

Rough dark thrash with brutal guttural death metal vocals which at times scream even higher than Chris Barnes (Cannibal Corpse) himself. The approach is heavy and volcanic with echoes of doom metal and one can't help but find the resemblance between the effort here and the Six Feet Under debut album which came out the same year. "Visions" is a cool galloper with good melodic leads, but the rest is pounding with a thin death metal edge which becomes more expressive on the final live track.

Visions Demo, 1995

DEFAZER (HOLLAND)

Based on the full-length, this trio play steady monolithic classic thrash which can either be pounding and mid-tempo (the title-track) or can race with the finest Arabian horses out there (the speedy delight "Behind the Shadows"). Both sides come finely blended on the excellent shredder "The Killer Instinct", the highlight here, although both "Manipulator" and "Southern Hell" come close to being candidates with their fiery blitzkrieg riffage. The vocals are cool clean attached ones, resembling Joey Belladonna (Anthrax).

Order Out of Chaos EP, 2017
Burning Horizon Full-length, 2020

Official Site

DEFCON (GERMANY)

One of the more original albums from the German metal scene; although there are only six tracks here (one is an intro, and another one is an outro, both very short), you get 37-min of technically minded thrash which could be viewed as a kind of a forerunner for the wave of technical/progressive thrash acts from Germany who appeared a few years later. The band aren't very technical players per se, and they prefer to keep the tempo fast on the shorter tracks, but they frequently change the pace on the longer ones, and their guitar performance is stylish without being very complex. This album is really well done with the title song alone closing at 18-min: an ambitious undertaking which has its moments, but slows down and has a slightly long 5-min acoustic introduction; an obscure, but worthy release.

"Made in GDR" is more than just a good rehearsal for the official release. It has a powerful sound of its own, still more complex than your average German thrash act of the time, in the form of great long numbers like "Future Cries" and the instrumental "Escape", the latter being an awesome technical thrasher, arguably the band's finest achievement: a feast of swirling leads and a mighty bass-bottom. On the other hand we have short intense thrashing pieces, like "Get Out of the Scrape" and "Voice of Greed". "Charon" is a heavy, atmospheric track, which leaves the thrashing aside a bit, but the closer "Newsterror" comes with all the guns blazing, providing a smashing riff-fest for about 7-min, minus the slower, more melodic interlude in the middle.

Made in GDR Demo, 1989
Suicide Full-length, 1990

DEFCON (USA)

This band boasts the presence of one of the very first members of Metallica- Lloyd Grant, as well as future members of Evildead and Dreams of Damnation. Based on the 1985 demo, the style is not an exact take on early Metallica: it's more of a mixture between thrash and power metal, recalling at times Anthrax's debut (which is also based on the really good melodic, high-pitched vocals ala Neil Turbin), or Zoetrope's and Exodus' debuts, sometimes quite fast, sometimes calmer, but always enjoyable.

Demo Demo, 1985
Demo Demo, 1989

DEFCON-1 (ITALY)

Vary good energetic speed/thrash with a crossover sting; there's a strong bass bottom burping underneath especially on the technically hectic "Painful Nightmare", a chaotic but fairly entertaining number with jumps and jolts galore; and the title-track is a nice melodic proposition with again a couple of less ordinary developments. "Oratorium" is a short ripping speed/thrasher, an all-instrumental shredding virtuoso wonder which seamlessly flows into the semi-balladic "Tears" which later turns to engaging semi-technical speed/thrash with echoes of Toxik and Savage Steel. The singer is a not very attached semi-declamatory hardcorer, but his listless antics are not exactly an impediment.

Son of Madness Demo, 1990

DEFEATEM (ESTONIA)

Based on "Cut the Wire", this act serve modern 90's post-thrash with crisp vivid riffs. This isn't stale sturdy stuff but imagination is hardly the main ingredient used during its sculpting, the pleasant mid-paced rhythms of "This Demon in Me"a very good example of what goes on here for most of the time. The inebriate hoarse semi-clean vocals are perfectly capable of holding semblances of melody whenever needed, and the heavier doomier layout of "The Maze" is also nicely helped by them, including by their occasionally exhibited overshouty, quarrelsome vigour. "Shine Through" is an atmospheric alternative grunger, and "The Stranger" is a feelgood garage rocker.

Death from a Nightmare Full-length, 2012
Absolute Destruction EP, 2015
Cut the Wire Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEFECT (HOLLAND)

A cool 3-song demo ("Gor May Rot") of energetic thrash ala Anthrax and late 80's Overkill; the guys insert cool semi-technical guitars ("Deadly Conflict") at times which makes their music quite interesting at times.
The "Living on Ground Zero" demo is another convincing slab of razor-sharp headbanging thrash which has its stylish more technical moments: check out the opening shredder "Carnal Lust", or the eventful opus "Detour" which is a cool nod to both Anthrax (think "Persistence of Time") and Metallica's late'80's period. "Lethargy" is a wild aggressive piece, and the final "Genetic Manipulation" is a nice semi-technical cut, the last reference the band made to the Bay-Area graced with great screamy leads. The singer isn't bad at all aptly assisting the very good music with his clean mid-ranged timbre recalling Joey Belladonna at times.
The "Into the Labyrinth" demo epitomizes the heavy intricate style of late-80's Metallica and Heathen's "Victims of Deception", and the final result is perhaps the guys' finest hour: complex diverse compositions with numerous time and tempo-changes await the listener among which "Existence Of Hate" is a particularly cool shredder with some great technical guitars. The band relax on the final "Labyrinth" which is a frolic thrash/crossover cut with nice blazing leads. The only drawback would be the muddy sound quality which only slightly hampers the musicians' efforts.

God May Rot Demo, 1990
Living on Ground Zero Demo, 1990
Into the Labyrinth Demo, 1991

DEFECT DESIGNER (RUSSIA)

Death, thrash and crossover mixed together, with death metal leading the pack; the band plays both fast and technically, releasing also a couple of nice melodic hooks, but generally the concentration is more on heavy mid-paced groovy passages, intercepted by brutal chaotic Suffocation-like outbursts.

Wax Full-length, 2009

My Space

DEFECT NOISES (GERMANY)

This is the brainchild of just one man, Marian Gradinarski (who is actually a Bulgarian living in Gerrmany), who (based on "Pure Sickness") creates noisy industrialized modern post-thrashy landscapes which are on the border of falling into pure djent or even semi-deathcore, but the guy's stylish leads save the situation breaking the monolithic, but ultimately repetitive, mechanized riff-patterns both sides dueling for domination the whole time the latter presumably done on a computer. This could have been pioneering some ten years ago; now it will sink into sea of similar sterile post-apocalyptic djentisms/coreisms.

Error Full-length, 2007
Audio Depressions Full-length, 2010br> Pure Sickness Full-length, 2011

Official Site

DEFECTION (FINLAND)

This obscure Finnish trio pulls out rough intense thrash with a Nasty Savage (think "Indulgence") and Sacred Reich flavour (think "Ignorance"), but the songs are kind of longer, although the mosh seldom stops the guys shredding incessantly adding the odd more technical hook (the diverse technical opus "One Day", which boasts outstanding lead guitar performance, too) where the shadow of the Bay-Area can also be felt. The singer is a forceful semi-shouter who could have tried a few higher-pitches for a change.

War Of Losers Demo, 1987

DEFEDESTRACION (SPAIN)

The debut demo: expect submissive black/thrash with a curious synthesized sting which doesn't really sound like anything else, but tries to achieve the raw pristine production qualities of the early days, and succeeds on all counts. It certainly bears some resemblance to early Burzum with its sprawling epic sections, but at the same time we have some cold misanthropic atmosphere ala Khold, and a few haunting keyboard insertions. It's obviously done by just one person who also provides the very low-tuned semi-whispered vocals, and is clearly fascinated by all spectres of the black metal movement with thrash appearing on a few passages to provide the odd headbanging relief.
The "El Rincon De La Nostalgia" demo is more deeply immersed in doom the guy slowing down quite a bit now showing his slower more pensive side so there's not much thrash to be savoured the stuff offered being mostly in the all-instrumental sector, and the sparse male recitals which accompany them could hardly pass for singing. The last track is a pure meditative violin-driven melancholia ala My Dying Bride seeing the musician spreading his wings into all possible directions.
The new “Thrash in Three” EP is an ambitious undertaking, an all-instrumental thrash/death metal opera in three parts, said parts not very easy to distinguish from each other, but the musical experience is nothing short of outstanding, Fede creating a near-orchestral atmosphere with the frequent time and tempo-changes, the fast-paced accumulations, the heavy bass-bottom which is omnipresent, and the dazzling virtuoso lead-sections. Short quiet interludes announce the arrival of the next part, with some vicious thrashing commencing in the second part, part three on the marginally calmer side, with imposing dramatic passages rising, carved by the staple proficiently-executed leads, the hard stomping riffage that serves as the closure aggravating the setting to near-sizzling proportions.

Laborem Suscipere Demo, 2011
El Rincon De La Nostalgia Demo, 2013
Thrash in Three EP, 2024

Official Site

DEFENDER (GERMANY)

Classic German speed/thrash along the lines of early Angel Dust, Helloween and Iron Angel; this EP starts with a short intro which is a parody of the opening keyboard tunes from Europe's greatest hit "The Final Countdown". But the rest is a fast and sharp attack with good clean, sometimes screaming vocals. There are moments when the sound stays closer to the speed metal formula, and one can not help but notice how much the 90's power/speed metal scene owes to bands like this.

A Symbol of Devotion EP, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

DEFIANCE (USA)

A typical representative of the Bay Area thrash metal movement; "Product Of Society" is a fine example of it: nice, energetic, up-tempo thrashers, a bit one-dimensional, but packing a punch. "Void Terra Firma" offers a heavier and more aggressive sound, with crunchier, more technical guitars and more variety in the tempos; the songs all have their individual face, some slower and angrier, almost Exhorder-like, others faster and even stylish and technical (the excellent "Deception of Faith" and "Steamroller"). There's a good, heavy cover of Iron Maiden's "Killers" as well.
"Beyond Recognition" is the band's finest hour, a really good thrash affair, which starts in a cool headbanging fashion ala the debut, but later the songs become heavier, much more technical, rubbing shoulders with Metallica's "...And Justice for All", without losing the energetic riffage. Slight groovy moments sneak through on some songs, a sign that the guys could have also done a good job later through the 90's if they hadn't parted after this one.

2009 beats every other year of the new millennium for a number of veterans who released comeback albums. Their number is simply staggering, the fashion having taken away these Bay-Area heroes as well. The problem is that their effort is too far from the high standards of their previous works before the split-up. The album starts with the shaky energetic semi-modern "Prion" which doesn't promise a lot, but is way better than the following three boring groovers which sink the album to the bottom, which in its turn makes it impossible for the more lively, more classic-sounding "Fuel the Fire" to do anything to correct the impression (you can't add "fuel to the fire" if there's no fire, right?). "Sloth" nicely reminds of the band's past again, but it's only "Dissolving Around You" before the end which tries something more intense and classic. Steev Esquivel's vocals are exactly the same as the ones he used on Skinlab, shouty and angry, but he has brought quite a bit of the music of that other band with him as well, and this new Defiance has much more to do with the 90's groovy trends, in a way also similar to the guys' other formation from the 90's: Inner Threshold. Released in a very fruitful for metal year, with hordes of old-timers having chosen to "come back to life" at the same time, this effort has very little to offer to the very strong competition.

Product Of Society Full-length, 1989
Void Terra Firma Full-length, 1990
Beyond Recognition Full-length, 1992
The Prophecy Full-Length, 2009

Official Site

DEFIATORY (SWEDEN)

The debut: modern thrash with expected echoes from the Gothenburg scene; the approach here is perhaps a tad more brutal (the blast-beats on "The Final Conflict"), but softer rock-ish deviations ("Aeons End") are not a rarity, either. In other words, there's diversity although the fast-paced numbers are by all the majority another plus being the hoarse, but attached shouty semi-death metal vocalist who rends his throat to a generally positive effect. Some of the musicians also take part in the melodic black metallers Apostasy, and the death metal formation Surrounded by All.
"Hades Rising" is vintage old school thrash characterized by razor-sharp guitar work and a couple of imposing heavy moments ("King in Yellow") which break the speedy melee that dominates the soundscape. "Death Takes Us All" and "Metatron" assuredly lead the show with their intense impetuous rifforamas, the intense throaty semi-shouty vocals helping on the side any which they can.
"Apokalyps" follows the old school path carved by its predecessor, the band moshing on with little remorse, with blazing virtuoso leads ("Only War") caressing the listener's psyche, the vigorous headbangers ("Into the Unknown", "No Place to Hide") in a heady quick succession, "Knives" being a pleasant deviation being a mild heavy rocker.

Extinct Full-Length, 2016
Hades Rising Full-length, 2018
Apokalyps Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEFICIENCY (FRANCE)

This band were previoulsy known as Black Age, but the name change didn't cause any style changes: this is crunchy modern thrash, pretty derivative, with melodic decorations which don't take away from the music intensity, and the fans can not help, but enjoy intense shredders like "The Guide" and "Blurred Inception" since there is quite a certain number of slower groovy pieces which sadly occupy more than half of the album. The second half is totally skippable with the complete loss of speed and the introduction of unemotional clean vocals which oppose to the forceful death metal ones.
"The Prodigal Child" is a much better effort with loads of more dynamic pieces ("Unfinished") present where things are left "unfinished" with the sudden reduction of speed from the beginning. "A Prospect of Traveling Beyond" is another frolic speedy shredder which nicely translates its "fury" on the more complex "Those Who Behold". Things become doomy and gloomy on the pensive "The Introspection of the Omnipotent", but "The Flaw" hardly has any flaws the band shredding with a lot of passion and a few more surprising technical decisions. "Stronger Than You" is a sweeping brutalizer with some blast-beating sections incorporated even among the wild thrashing, plus another portion of more intricate riffage. "A Way Out of Nowhere" is a consummate progressiver with several lyrical/balladic digressions. "The Experiment" doesn't offer anything "experimental" holding onto the raging speed/thrashing carnage witnessed earlier the latter accentuated on the closing "The Curse of Hu's Hands", an 8.5-min opus with numerous shredding delights among some more peaceful distractions "sieged" by virtuoso lead guitar work. This is such a big step forward that some may find this recording sounding quite remote from the debut. Regardless, this is a sure step in the right direction, and it would be hard for any album, released in France this year, to be able to beat it.
"Warenta" is again a dynamic lively affair, with some interesting melodic developments (the title-track), "Dichotomy" picking a few more ambitious progressive currents, the headbangers' ball winner "I Am the Misfortune Herald" overshadowed later by a string of more laid-back compositions among which "The Feathers" is a somewhat overlong, not very eventful semi-ballad. Still, one can only mosh around with joy on ripping pieces like "Lumpendoktor" and "A Fire Asleep", the bonus track "Real Is Revealed" a nice more entangled speedster which further lifts the impression up.

State of Desillusion Full-length, 2011
The Prodigal Child Full-Length, 2013
The Dawn of Consciousness Full-length, 2017
Warenta Full-Length, 2022

Official Site

DEFIER (FINLAND)

A 4-track EP of Bay Area-influenced thrash; this is good well constructed music which will remind you of Testament, Metallica and Xentrix. The guitars crush admirably, and the tempo is quite energetic for most of the time, without any technical pretensions. The singer sounds like a bit rougher, but well able blend of Chuck Billy and Chris Astley (Xentrix).
The demo is a minimalistic slab of modern post-thrashisms, "Buried But Alive" showing some bigger thrashier prowess, but this is by-and-large a tribute to The Black Album and Testament's "The Ritual", the more energetic lustre of "Once I Loved You" still managing to raise the Bay-Area flag relatively high, the guys finding it hard to surrender without a fight to the prevalent at the time vogues.

Overture of Annihilation EP, 1990
Tears in Blood Demo, 1993

Youtube

DEFILE (USA)

Based on the split, this band pulls out fast-paced speed/thrash with black metal vocals; the music lashes out in an uncompromising manner, with the speed decreasing only on the final "Vermin" which suddenly turns to epic thrash with slower heavy riffs.

Olympiac Demo Demo, 1989
Soil, Befoul & Desecrate Demo, 2005
We Are From Hell EP, 2006
Defiling the Masses Split, 2008

My Space

DEFLESHED (SWEDEN)

Defleshed are one of the representatives of the classic speed/thrash metal wave of the late 90's (Cranium, Alastor, Delirious, Cockroach, among others), which brought back the glorious sound of the 80's. Defleshed are probably the most aggressive of the lot with an intense fast approach, and frequent nods to death metal, but done with conviction and enthusiasm. The band members are also active with the death metal cohort Valley of the Dead, and the grindcore monsters Sportlov.
"Grind over Matter": the band are back after a lifetime of hibernation, but there isn't much grind here, the guys sticking to their uncompromising retro thrash/death blend, the title-track and the more death-laced "Heavy Haul" destroying the stage with reckless abandon, the slaughter of the guilty continued with more raging cuts, short biting bullets of fury ("Staring Blind", "Unburdened by Genius") that simply leave no room whatsoever for any mellow deviations... there are none here.

Ma Belle Scalpelle EP, 1994
Abrah Kadavrah Full-length, 1996
Under The Blade Full-length, 1997
Fast Forward Full-length, 1999
Royal Straight Flesh Full-length, 2002
Reclaim the Beat Full-length, 2005
Grind over Matter Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEFOICE (BRAZIL)

This is interesting varied classic/modern stuff which still relies on the fast-paced side of the spectre more as the delivery is pretty dynamic, the band throwing the dark moody "Receptaculo" and the more playful quasi-groovy "The Bang Bang Club" to spice the setting, the more modern approach receiving another boost from the pounding aggro-shredder "Babaquara" towards the end, the very shouty death/black metal vocals trying their best to aggravate the drama.

Nadezhda Full-Length, 2019

DEFORGE (ITALY)

Based on the "Freedom Release" EP: these guys come up with a heavy, aggressive mix of thrash and death metal, which is often quite technical, smelling Morbid Angel and Suffocation on the most inspired moments. "Germinate", albeit less intense and slower, is a masterpiece of technical thrash/death metal with a great melodic mid-break and amazing technical riffage, seldom heard even on the works of the aforementioned acts. "Immortality" is a more standard, but quite a cool blend of more ordinary Swedish death metal and a stylish technical play. "Mindless State" is another smashing technical piece, this time faster with stupendous twisted lead guitar, followed by the nice peaceful closing instrumental "The Sense of Change". This short work will leave you begging for more as the musicianship is on a very high level, and the five actual songs here could serve as a solid base for an outstanding full-length.

Silent Terror Inside EP, 2001
Freedom Release EP, 2003

DEFORMACHINE (ITALY)

Heavy groovy modern thrash/death metal with industrial elements, recalling the Canadians Soulstorm and Rupture from Denmark.

Over G Full-length, 2006

Official Site

DEFORME (CHILE)

Based on the live album, these Chileans play fast energetic old school thrash metal with shades of death not far from Devastation and Atomica's "Disturbing the Noise", maybe going a bit over the top with more brutal pieces like "Violacion Carnal". Despite the live qualities of the recording accompanied by a slight unobtrusive buzz, all instruments can be heard clearly although the bad shouty singer does his best to stifle them for most of the time.

Tierra de Guerras EP, 2000
La Verdadera Historia De La Humanidad Live album, 2009

Official Site

DEFORMICARIO (VENEZUELA)

Two guys stay behind this retro thrash/death metal blend, which follows the Floridian patterns closely, if we exclude the shrieky black-ish vocals. The music is fast in the 1st half, but not really brutal, and cool melodic licks can be heard on at least half of the songs. The second half is much weaker, starting with "Ritos Malignos" which is a modern deviation, less interesting and much less intense than the preceding songs, and carries with it another not really aggressive material: "Almas", which is very soft heavy gothic, and the mid-paced epic-touched "Cielos Oscuros"; the closing "Angeles Del Mal" which is pointless very melodic power/thrash.

Cadenas del Tormento Full-length, 2006

My Space

DEFORMITY (RUSSIA)

This band provide a blend of modern and retro thrash trying to balance, not very successfully, between the heavy pounding style of late-80's Metallica and The Black Album the references to the later much better displayed also helped by the several appropriate balladic insertions and the expressive vocals which desperately try to sound like James Hetfield, but seldom succeed. The rhythm section is suitably heavy, may be too heavy at times (check out the dark proto-doomster "Get A Life"), and the faster digressions, like the energetic closer "The Lost Man", should have been more.

When Tomorrow Comes Full-Length, 2012

DEFUELD (BRAZIL)

This is modern post-thrash mixed with power and gothic metal. The resultant mixture is along the lines of the Germans Perzonal War and the more recent works of the French Lyzanxia. The songs are pretty catchy with good memorable choruses, and the guitars have the necessary bite, despite the frequent balladic/semi-balladic leanings encountered. The approach gets clumsy in the second half, though, the guys sticking to repetitive doom riffs still managing to pull out one outstanding number: the excellent ballad "Rather Die Standing" (the closing ballad "Blind" is much less expressive, being just piano tunes and soulful, romantic vocals). Some of the musicians also take part in the symphonic metal outfit Darkmoon Ritual.

Defueld Full-length, 2009

Official Site

DEFY (BRAZIL)

Based on the demo, this band provides abrasive crusty thrashcore with sparse more intense death metal riffage. The guys bash in a monotonous, samey up-tempo manner, with the brutal shouty death metal singer hardly the most precious asset. Some cuts could be viewed as more coherent speed/thrash ("Como Esses Merdas Sobrevivem?"), but they may pass unnoticed among the punk/hardcore boogie which surrounds them.

Desprazer Demo, 2010
Tool Edit Parem a Vivissec EP split 7" with Risposta Split, 2010

Official Site

DEGENERATE YOUTH (CANADA)

These obscures offer playful fairly cool thrash/crossover along the lines of Lawnmower Death and Leeway. The Canadians are perhaps more thrashy then both and they insert more frequent speedy passages which are full of memorable hooks the latter also helped by the cool clean semi-declamatory vocals. The speedy pace seldom gets lost, actually, in this optimistic roller-coaster which could have placed the band more strongly on the metal map if released a few years earlier. The only pullback would be the not very clear sound quality which makes the guitars sound too thin at times.

World Gone Mad Demo, 1989

DEGOLA (BRAZIL)

The debut: another representative of the burgeoning South American scene; these folks provide a classic/modern hybrid of straight-forward thrash which is more on the faster dynamic side with a few groovy implements added to an accumulating heavy effect. The closing "Tribo" is an intense semi-technical piece with good screamy leads and an intriguing doom mid-break. The vocalist is a vociferous angry shouter with more brutal deathly tendencies. Some of the band members also play with the modern groovy post-thrashers Ape X and the Neanderthal Death Squad.
"Tormenta" is a more aggressive affair referencing Slayer, Demolition Hammer and their compatriots Attomica; in other words, the band play forcefully seldom abandoning the faster parametres a few interesting more quiet atmospheric moments calming the spirit, but just for a bit. The singer shouts in an angry quarrelsome manner and adds up to the fairly intense character of the music which is also enhanced by very good sound production.
"The Age of Chastisement" is sustained in a similar vein with speedy walkabouts flying from all sides with bold strolls into proto-death territory ("We Are the Walking Dead"), not to mention the several more technical attempts like "Calm Down the Demon" this piece a nicely constructed, nearly progressive thrasher which plays around with more serious riff-patterns that have no support from the surrounding wild lashing material.

Corros Full-Length, 2013
Tormenta Full-Length, 2014
The Age of Chastisement Full-length, 2018

Official Site

DEGOTTEN (CHILE)

Based on the full-length, these guys serve modern speed/thrash/black metal which is high on energy as evident from invigorating moshers like "Hexentrost" and the aptly-titled "Show No Remorse". There are also a couple of more officiant, epic-sounding hymns like "Oath of War". "Black Wolf Pride" is a speed metal winner worthy of early Helloween and Attacker, influencing other pieces like the like the Vectom-esque "Skeletal War Rites" and the excellent progressive closer "Skyless Reborn" which can make even Hellfire and Manticora proud. The leads are superb throughout and are by all means the highlight, for the sake of the not very convincing shouty death metal vocals which are at times intercepted by more dramatic clean ones. Some of the band members also play in the black metal outfit The Last Knell.

Finsterkult EP, 2014
Hexentrost Full-length 2017

Official Site

DEGRADATION (USA, Florida)

One of the last outcries of the stagnant thrash metal scene from the 90's; although this album starts in a modern, ala Exhorder and Pantera fashion with "Into the Red", it quickly turns into a lot more than that with the very next track "Normilizer" which features fast technical riffs from the classic school. Later things only become more interesting with more technicality involved as the riffs become choppier and more hectic. The songs are short, no longer than 3-min, and this makes the sound quite intense because the guys don't sit still, settling for only one riff and pace. Headbanging, fast sections all of a sudden turn into a vortex of complex riffage, followed by short, but effective leads; this formula is being repeated on almost every track making each of them a really compelling and satisfying listen. As a result we have a commendable work which combines the best from the works of Pestilence, Death and Coroner.

Revelation in Blood Full-length, 1994

DEGRADATION (USA, Illinois)

The full-length provides tight capably-executed old school thrash metal which is nicely up-tempo introduced on full-throttle with the opening headbanger "A Necessary Evil", and later scoring really high on the intense technical shredder "The Reckoning", which unleashes some addictive melodic tunes as well. "Rise to Fall" is a jumpy piece with meaty hard-hitting riffs, but "Trail of Sin" is raging speed all the way. The aggressive thrash assault continues on "Executioner... Slayer of the Light" with a pinch of death metal. Run for cover on the ultra-speed/thrashfest "Degradation", which easily reaches the hyper-speed antics of acts like Fastkill and Expulsion. The final "Thrill of the Kill" is a welcome more relaxed number still thrashing far'n wide in an early Metallica fashion. The singer is not bad singing in a comprehensible semi-clean manner without changing the pitch, but suits the energetic music just fine.
The "Unleashed" EP has already established the band's confident style thrashing in a cool energetic retro manner with merciless intense pieces like "Greed" and "Feed The Flames", which will do more than just "feed the flames" with its aggressive death metal-laced hooks. "Denied" is a super-speedster with great lashing guitars, a very cool track with cool semi-technical decisions.

Unleashed EP, 2007
Juggernaut Full-length, 2011

My Space

DEGRADEAD (SWEDEN)

Based on "Out Of Body Experience", these guys offer your prototypical modern Swedish thrash metal which sometimes comes unpleasantly groovy also assisted by a wide gamut of vocals one of which are actually not so bad clean ones. The faster tracks are by far better ("Depths Of Darkness", "Future Is Now") although they are, again, nothing new, and sound very close to Dark Tranquillity.
"The Monster Within" is another fairly pedestrian affair, more melodic than the previous offerings now clinging more towards later-period In Flames and The Haunted transformations of recent years. Consequently this is the band's least achievement the really headbanging moments being very few ("Dead Becomes Alive" and "Scars of Misery" come to mind, but that's about it), the guys apparently laying the foundation for exiting the scene at some later stage. The band were previously known as Septima when they released a lengthy string of demos before changing their name.

Til Death Do Us Apart Full-length, 2008
Out Of Body Experience Full-length, 2009
Human Nature EP, 2010
A World Destroyer Full-length, 2011
The Monster Within Full-length, 2013

Official Site

DEGRAVE (USA)

The debut: brisk energetic old school thrash with vicious mean vocals; the roller-coaster delivery knows its more intricate moments ("Concrete Shark"), but the dominant tone is akin to Sacrifice and early Destruction, with interesting meandering lead sections. "Sleep in the Bed You've Made" is a more dramatic death metal cut, but such embellishments are a rarity if we also exclude the more serious melodic progressiver "Depths of the Maelstrom" (gorgeous melodies there) and partly the more intriguing shredder "Where Eagles Dare" which is not an Iron Maiden cover.
The self-titled tries more things including a couple of less restrained death metal-ish deviations, with interesting more technical walkabouts ("Ascension") also provided. Later on the sound goes all over the place with mish-mashy stylistic conglomerates among which "Shades of Black" even features spasmodic black-metal blast-beats. The simplicity of effective headbangers like "Hatriot" should have been covered more widely; now this opus creates a fairly unfocused feel the guys not quite sure which path to take.
“Volume” treads the already familiar path, but the band vary things a bit more once again, the merry frolic “Raised on Hate And Hooch” a mix of punk and rock, a calm before the emergence of raging storms like “Sanquinated Sacrifice” and the restless “The Banshee”. The mosh doesn’t stop here, with short hardcore-ish violators (“Overlord”) providing the needed opposition to meeker but effective epic all-instrumentals like “L'Appel Du Vide”.

Full Tilt Full-length, 2017
Degrave Full-length, 2018
Volume Full-length, 2023

Official Site

DEGRESS (SLOVENIA)

Based on the full-length, this act serve pretty vicious raw classic black/thrash, the rending witch-like vocals another serious aggravator, the incessant one-dimensional pummeling barrage spearheaded by breezy short outrages ("Jebemuboga", "Dead Stare"), the crusty abrasive "Evil Temptation" calling in death metal for help for a bit, thrash covering its bases more diligently in the second half with the Slayer-esque brutalizers "Embraced by Ignorance" and "Preko Trupel", the closing "Cold Winternight Stroll" a cool proficient epic stroll combining all the three genres with vehement panache.

Imperfect Hell EP, 2018
Mitraljezus Full-length, 2022

Official Site

DEHULI (JAPAN)

Decent modern thrash with orchestral overtones, very well expressed on the imposing operatic intro. The guys thrash with gusto mixing intense headbanging with heavy groovy passages, producing another mix in the process in the vocal department as well, between gruff semi-shouty and not very convincing clean ones. In the second half more variety is offered with industrial, funky and power/speed metal deviations, the latter nicely bringing this effort to other Japanese acts like Sex Machineguns and Volcano, although the end is clearly underwhelming with one pure noisy instrumental, and one tender toothless ballad.

Yggdalive Full-Length, 2009

DEHUMANAUT (UK)

The debut: this is pretty cool classic thrash with both progressive and death metal overtones, with the headbanging factor inordinately high on "The Noose Is Tight" and especially on the ripping "Ashes", the husky witch-like vocals additionally aggrandizing the environment. Death metal comes to play more prominently on "Curses", but deeper atmospherics ("Inherited Absurdity") overcome the setting in the second half, giving the album a more somber aura.
"Of Nightmares and Vice" is sustained in a similar vein, maybe a tad more orthodox, "Shred This Reality" exploring the death metal factor a bit early, and misleads in the process as such aggression isn't encountered later on, the brief corey non-fusser "Reject the Knife" and the semi-technical pulverizer "Nexus of Decline" establishing the thrash hegemony, the latter slightly perturbed by the deathly intricacy of "A Truth Most Foul" and the spacey gothic flair of "It Has A Name".

Dust in the Giant's Hand Full-Length, 2020
Of Nightmares and Vice Full-length, 2024

Youtube

DEHUMANISER (GERMANY)

Power/thrash that is more on the old school side, with livelier speed metal-fixated deviations ("Army of Blind", "The Cimmerian") provided irregularly, the heavy but playful clout of "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" establishing the prevalent tone, with the fields of doom trodden far'n wide with the ship-sinking delight "Morphine God". The leveled mid-ranged clean vocalist fits all stylistic vacillations witnessed, The folk-ish motifs on "One of a Kind" may remind of later-period Skyclad, adding more to the playful diversity of this merry-go-rounder.

Army Of Blind Full-Length, 2020

Official Site

DEHUMANIZER (USA)

This young US act pulls out a retro mix of thrash and death metal of the fast intense semi-technical variety with the Floridian school an obvious influence. The music isn't stale, and both fast and slow numbers can be heard topped by forceful brutal death metal vocals. The technical leanings go towards mid-period Death (check the diverse speedster "The Arrival", or the meandering vortex-like "Unending Warfare", which also touches Coroner).

Prelude to Destruction Full-length, 2010

My Space

DEIMOS (ITALY)

This outfit started as a Gamma Ray tribute band. Based on the full-length, the music is now a bit more aggressive with a more or less overt thrashy edge although for most of the time the sound is within the power metal confines. The cool attached male clean vocals are at times supported by also quite convincing female ones ("Locked Heart"). In the second half the album gains inertia and the delivery becomes more brutal except for the sleepy title-track at the end which is long dragging balladisms.

TerminUs EP, 2012
Beyond Full-length, 2014

Official Site

DEIDATH (MEXICO)

Classic speed/thrash with submerged in boosted modern production; the very guttural death metal vocals are by no means the most fitting choice for this kind of music, but the fast-paced nature of the material carry the guy away, the vitriolic energy unleashed on "Thrashismo" and "Espiritus Asesinos" instigating instant moshpits everywhere, 'Thrash Metal" supporting the cause with appropriate hyper-active rhythms. The title-track is vintage early Angel Dust, a ripping piece with biting savage guitars, and "Escuadrunk" is the obligatory more restrained power/speed metal joy.

Deidath Full-length, 2022

Youtube

DEIMOS (USA)

This trio indulge in modern prog-thrash decorated by a vociferous overshouty deathly vocal presence. Vivid fast-paced shredoramas ("Hell is Empty", the hectic "Bite the Hand That Feeds") interlace with heavy stomping propositions ("Rays of the Never Setting Sun") and atmospheric doomy groovisms ("Dendrocnide"). "Forbidden Gateways" is a cool dynamic melo-thrasher with echoes of the Swedish school, but expect also dispassionate robotic chugs on "Arrival of Deimos", a sterile nod at mid-period Meshuggah.

Those Who Built the Sky Full-length, 2021

Official Site

DEITIES (USA)

Based on the debut demo, this band plays retro thrash/death metal spicing things up with heavy doom-flavoured passages in a way quite similar to Asphyx. The general tempo is mid at best, and the leads make sense being melodic providing a nice contrast to the hammering riffage.
The "Icon" demo is the better offering the band notching it up in the production department; the problem is that the move towards a more monolithic doomy sound has been done again the closest soundalike being Asphyx, the semi-balladic peaceful closer "Beyond Recognition" trying to change the band's delivery "beyond recognition".

Symptoms of Insanity Demo, 1993
Icon Demo, 1996

Official Site

DEITY (BULGARIA)

Veterans from the Bulgarian underground, also members of established acts like the death/thrashers Abrazura, the industrial groovers Suffer H, and the atmospheric black metallers Dimension of Harm, have joined forces in this new project which is built around the old school thrash idea almost exclusively. This is some expert semi-technical stuff along the lines of the Bay-Area brotherhood and Artillery, the more entangled rifforamas on "In Pain" bordering on "Victims of Deception"'s (Heathen) dexterity. More aggressive bash ("The Final Demand") is not excluded from the equation, neither are more atmospheric mid-tempo propositions ("A Trace of Lifeless Chains). The vocalist shouts with passion but his antics are not annoying, and hold the casual sense of melody.

Evil Seeds of Life Full-length, 2019

Official Site

DEJA-VU (BRAZIL)

Based on the "A New Beginning" demo, these Brazilians offer fairly good retro power/thrash metal which shows the guys possessing skills in all sectors, especially the omnipresent bass which gives the music a dark pounding aura. Speedy and slower numbers take turns the hard-hitting riffage always present crushing really bad on short "bullets" like "The Plague". "Merchants of Disgrace" is a prime dramatic shredder with virtuous leads and a few admirable faster-paced sections. The singer also delivers with his attached clean timbre which acquires some more aggressive blends on occasion. The only drawback would be the very noisy sound production which drills the guitars disfavouring the good leads, above all. This is a really cool effort which unfortunately came at a time when the tastes were moving away from the classic school making this talented band disappear without a trace with no news about the band members' future engagements.

Deja-Vu Demo, 1989
A New Beginning Demo, 1991

DEJADEATH (SPAIN)

Based on "Viva Dios?!?!?!", this outfit indulge in intense modern industrialized thrash/death which futuristic atmosphere is enhanced by very boosted guitars the latter less obvious on the shorter material ("Slow Demise"). Fear Factory come to mind when listening to sterile modernizers like "Purple Dawn", but displays of not such a good taste also "roam" around: the monstrous boredom "Viva dios!!" at the end, lasting for half an hour (!!), which is a dark wave/doom extravaganza served on a never-ending industrial landscape. Some of the band members also took part in the black/doom metal formation Asgaroth.

The Ageless Pantomime Full-length, 2011
Viva Dios?!?!?! Full-length, 2013

Official Site

DEJANIRA (ITALY)

Based on the full-length, this is modern post-thrash with some progressive and also epic pretensions which is not a complete drag, but manages to enchant at times with a portion of less expected technical decisions ("Nowadays Circus") and several ethereal oblivious tunes ("Meridian"). "Letter of the Seer" is the post-thrash read of the Tool exploits, and "Sunset Boulevard" is hectic post-thrash technicality at its best. So far, so good, but the final trio is more on the monotonous sprawling side, and diminishes the impact of this otherwise not bad translation of the 90's vogues into the new millennium. The vocal, gruff vs. clean, "duel" is also fairly decent leading the show with panache and moderate drama. Some of the musicians also play in the progressive death metal outfit While Sun Ends.

A Vent of Rage Against... EP, 2010
Behind the Scenes Full-length, 2014

Official Site

DEJECT (NORWAY)

Based on the demo, this is cool classic thrash/death which nicely switches from fast to slow parts; those slow parts kind of predominate bringing the sound close to the Dutch Asphyx at times, but the speedy sections are just around the corner to bang the head, although the speed never acquires any extreme parameters. Some of the guys also entertain themselves playing heavy sludge/doom under the name Snakes in Southern Flames.

As Our Days Come To Pass Demo, 2003
Hulen, Bergen EP, 2004
About To Rot EP, 2007

Official Site

DEJECTA (USA)

A 3-songer seeing a band holding on to the hardcore spectre with the groovy trends not fully incorporated yet at this stage. As a result the style is vivid with a fair bit of dynamics and some quirky lead guitar work and expressive effective shouty vocals. The sound quality is fairly good and the guys sounded like a good alternative to the angrier tunes emitted by Pantera and Machine Head at the time.

The Sound of Dejecta Demo, 1994

DEKAPITATOR (USA)

Surprisingly good 80's thrash; the first three songs on their debut recall the best moments of the German school- Destruction, Exumer's debut. Then the album settles down for a sound similar to Exodus' "Bonded By Blood". If we add the Possessed-like vocals, overall we get a really cool picture. "The Storm Before the Calm" is also a strong offering, with a more aggressive, faster sound, this time along the lines of Sepultura and Slayer.

We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! Full-length, 1999
The Storm Before the Calm Full-length, 2007

Official Site

DEKAPITED (CHILE)

Based on the 1st demo, this act pulls out aggressive Sepultura-sque thrash sounding quite close to "Beneath the Remains". Fast uncompromising riffs attack you from all sides supported by gruff forceful vocals ala Max Cavalera, maybe a bit higher-pitched.
The "Zombie Thrash" demo isn't far from the debut one, maybe lashing a bit more nonchalantly with shades of hardcore at times ("Zombie Thrash"), but on the other extreme we have the heavy stomping instrumental "Bajando Al Infierno", sustained in the best tradition of late-80's Slayer; followed by another, this time more aggressive, Slayer-esque number: "Reaccion Violenta".
The EP is a better offering than the last demo thrashing confidently with brisk lashing guitars now staying closer to the Bay-Area perhaps. The music is fast'n tight the more carefree hardcore edge inevitably showing on "Hipocresia". The final "Pesadilla Fatal" boasts some fine leads and good headbanging sections which were still aplenty on the previous material.
"Destruccion Trascendental" is a cool slab of the same, intense retro thrash on the verge of death, the guys bashing with open virulence (the title-track, the proto-death outrage "Nada"), with some really stylish melodic lead guitar work ("No Pertenecemos") also presented, with more technical expletives ("PoliciaBastarda") also showing up to spice up the remorseless approach, the latter nearly challenging the speed of light with the final basher "Ruidos Molestos".
"Nacidos del Odio" is a relentless speedy roller-coaster spearheaded by vehement speed/thrashing rockets like the title-track and "Estupida Nacion", the more overtly thrashy "Tormento y Miseria" spitting fiery riffs to no end, "Anticristo" displaying more brutal proto-death lustre. A couple of more intricate rhythms on "Muerte", "Cabezas Vacias" trying to keep up with the hyper-active delivery, "Pacto Negro" notching it up again towards the deathly parametres with impetuous blitzkrieg fireworks.

Demo I Demo, 2008
Zombie Thrash Demo, 2009
Contra Iglesia Y Estado EP, 2011
Nacidos del Odio Full-length, 2015
Destruccion Trascendental Full-length, 2022

My Space

DEKONSTRUCTOR (COSTA RICA)

Based on “Ominous Game”, this act serve crisp classic thrash whose very sharp riffs literally carve burrows into the listener’s psyche, the semi-technical twists of “March to the Pit” complemented by the galloping aggression of “Triple or Nothing” and the pensive anti-climactic atmospherics of “Descent into the Mud”, the forceful spiteful vocals not making any compromises with their bellicose stance. Some of the musicians are also involved with the classic thrash outfit Eternal.

Horrid Vistas Full-length, 2020
Ominous Game Full-length, 2024

Official Site

DELDRAC (SPAIN)

The debut: cool retro power/thrash with a few modern (read semi-groovy) implements; the songs are moderately dynamic ("The Only Life You Know", "Thought Police") with several semi-balladic excursions ("Then Some Bells May Chime") softening the situation. "Race for Life" is a serious thrasher handsomely supported by the speed metal hymn "Blame Satan" and the pounding headbanger "True Stories Last Forever ('till They're Over)". The vocals are hoarse and semi-clean, but are able to hold a lot of melody when needed.
"Against Tyranny" is a more complex affair with longer, more ambitiously-woven compositions; the old school power/thrash layout is still legitimate, the influence of acts like Metal Church and Meliah Rage only too tangible on pieces like the epic roller-coaster "Blame God" and the frolically speedy "Leader Zombies". "Horizons" could pass for the highlight, an 8-min long progressive thrasher, a varied masterpiece with numerous nuances covered including a couple of intense hard thrashing passages.

One Day More, One Day Less Full-Length, 2016
Against Tyranny Full-length, 2019

DELIAN LEAGUE (USA)

A cool melodic progressive power/thrash metal band; this is technical music, but not of the very complex variety; it comes as a more aggressive thrashier version of the Swedes Evergrey. The tempo changes, but is mostly mid-paced; when the guys speed up, they come up with really captivating hooks: the closing moments from "Epoch of Hate", and if their presence would be increased on future works, things could be better. The guitars flow nicely and effortlessly, introducing Swedish-influences, but of the melodic, not death metal variety (think more recent In Flames). Some tracks have a slight gothic shade: "Lost in Sin", "Star the Cross", partially because of the very good Chris Holmes-styled vocals, which are arguably the weaker side of this album, as opposed to the more aggressive material: the hard-hitting, more intense "The Embrace" and "Trapped Inside".

Truth in Chaos Full-length, 2005

Official Site

DELICATE NEWS (GERMANY)

Based on "The Mirth In A Dead Man's Yell", these guys offer melodic thrash/crossover which is closer to the 80's scene; the music has this playful, jolly atmosphere typical for the music of Motorhead and Uncle Slam. The bass work is particularly good and is by all means the highlight on this otherwise not really impressive offering.
The "4-Track E.P." is another laid-back offering which explodes for a moment on the energetic speedster "Wounded!". Shades of groove are inevitable and they pull this short effort further down which would hardly make anyone put the effort in tracking down the rest of the band's catalogue.

4-Track E.P. EP, 1993
The Mirth In A Dead Man's Yell Full-length, 1993
Scoff Full-length, 1996
Flashback Full-length, 2002

Official Site

DELIRIO (ITALY)

Based on the demo, these folks offer decent retro progressive thrash which suffers mostly from the production department: the sound is awful taking away from the guitars; the other drawback would be the harsh death metal vocals which are comprehensive, but are no match to the much better music. Otherwise "No Thought to Preach" is a really nice progressive cut the rest being a bit monotonous and not very adventurous "Ulalume" at the end thrashing with more passion as a finishing touch.

Another Life Demo, 1993
My Desolation EP, 2010

DELIRIOUS (GERMANY)

One of the main "culprits" for the thrash metal revival witnessed in Germany, and around the world, in the past ten years; like another "associate"- Cockroach, Delirious play Bay Area thrash by-the-book, with Testament being the prime influence. All their works are of high quality, and although their last album moves things up a bit into other non-thrash directions (remember Death Angel's "Act III"), their sound remains firm and true to the old masters.
"Moshcircus": the band are back after a lengthy hiatus, but their style remains true to their roots the guys thrashing with a cold mechanical calculation recalling Testament in all their incarnations, past and present. The thrashing is both fast and slow as "Toxic Trace" is a particularly noteworthy mosher although it has no relations to the Kreator hit of the same title. The title-track is another headbanger and the remaining compositions try to follow this fast-paced road "Your Decision" moving up the technicality scale, the longer "Dead Man Rising" reaching almost progressive heights with its more intriguing riff-patterns. This is a fine comeback for the band whose vocalist is a dead ringer for Chuck Billy (Testament again) for most of the time.

Thoughtlessness Full-length, 1997
Time is Progress Full-length, 1999
Designed by Violence Full-length, 2001
Made for the Violent Age Full-length, 2006
Moshcircus Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

DELIRIUM (HONDURAS)

On the debut the band mixes heavy, power and thrash metal to come up with a pretty decent album which loses its edge here and there, but deserves to be classified as thrash. On later releases thrash metal steps down as the dominating genre, and by the time of "Abismo" it is completely replaced by modernized heavy metal; an effort a lot inferior to the debut.
"Errante" is merry laid-back post-thrash with a few more dynamic melo-death allusions focusing on melody almost exclusively the approach even bordering on hard rock here and there ("Principe"). Expect jolly feel good stuff with radio-friendly rhythms all the way the vocalist also going with the flow providing warm clean attached timbre.

Delirium Full-length, 1995
Xibalba Full-length, 1999
Abismo Full-length, 2001
Los Signos del Fauno Full-length, 2008
Errante Full-length, 2011

Official Site

DELIRIUM TREMENS (GERMANY)

Aggressive thrash with death metal tendencies; the guys reach the intensity and flavour of Necrodeath and Devastation on their impressive debut. On "Thrashing Warthogs" the guitars are more melodic and more technical, but the speed and aggression are intact this time with fewer death metal leanings. The intermission is in the form of a jolly cover version of Guns'n Roses' "Paradise City". "Twisted Mind" is the other opportunity for a break from the intense headbanging being a cool thrash/crossover track.
The "Drink, Kill, Fuck, Die-The Rock'n'Roll" EP should not be taken seriously as this is jolly thrashy rock'n roll similar to the joke songs the thrash metal bands of the 80's (mostly representatives of the German metal scene) used to make (Tankard, Sodom, Necronomicon, etc.), enjoyable and feelgood.
"Read My Fist": the rock'n roll thrash party carries on unabated after an 8-year hiatus, the band speed/thrashing in the good old way, reminding of Motorhead quite a bit, adding the more aggressive hardcore flavour ("Iron Gang") whenever necessary. "Thrash and Be Thrashed" is just the next merry-go-rounder ala Tankard showing the band having a fairly good time not aiming at any musical heights. The party gets rougher near the end with the deathly exploder "Get Fucked", but other exceptions of the kind are not to be come across, but on the other extreme we have the cool heavy rock hymn "The Kids Kick Ass". This is decent background stuff quite reminiscent of the Tom Angelripper's side projects (Desperados, etc.) as well.

Violent Mosh Ground Full-length, 1999
Thrashing Warthogs Full-length, 2004
Drink, Kill, Fuck, Die-The Rock'n'Roll EP, 2006
Read My Fist Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

DELIVER (BRAZIL)

Good intense retro thrash metal, mid to up-tempo, with more stylish technical decisions springing from time to time; the music recalls both Slayer's late 80's period and Evildead's "The Underworld". Almost every song crosses heavy gloomy riffs with faster headbanging sections. The bassist is outstanding, and is well deservedly given one short cool instrumental: "Salmo 103", to perform without any interference. Seldom does the music become more aggressive with a slight proto-death edge: "Apocalipse Precoce". The final "Novo Lar" thrashes intensely in the beginning, but the second part is taken over by the great bass again, for a couple of bass pyrotechnics.

The Second Death Full-length, 2002

My Space

DELIVER THE SUFFERING (FRANCE)

This is impetuous retro thrash that develops in a near-frenetic pace ("The Devil in Me", the virulent deathly title-track) at times, but expect also a couple of laid-back moments on "Self Abuse" as well as a few creepy decisions on "Its All Fake". The vocals are harsh shouty black metal ones, but fit the hyper-active shenanigans encountered for the large part.

Unleash The Chaos Full-Length, 2024

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DELIVERANCE (ITALY)

A striking debut, which unfortunately remains the band's only effort so far: great thrash in the tradition of the British Arbitrater (their second album) and Cyclone's "Inferior to None"; these guys more often go for the faster numbers than those bands, where the approach comes quite close to Paradox's "Heresy" ("Needle of Pain"), and are a bit more technical, but their music has the same unique dark quality. "Silence After the Storm" is a great closer to this album, being an acoustic/orchestral instrumental.

The Executioner Full-length, 2002

Official Site

DELIVERANCE (UK)

One of the lesser bands from the UK, Deliverance are a black/thrash/heavy metal band heavily influenced by Venom, early Bulldozer, and on their later albums they include some Mercyful Fate-like riffs. The music is pretty generic without any distinguishing features.

Devils Meat Full-length, 1987
Evil Friendship Full-length, 1989
The Book Of Lies Full-length, 1989

Vibrations of Doom

DELIVERANCE (USA)

This band were the leaders of the Christian thrash metal scene in the beginning, with two exemplary classic thrash albums which really set the standards high. Their self-titled debut was a splash on the scene, with its clever semi-technical guitar work, energetic delivery, and very cool soaring clean vocals. "Victory" is a nice up-tempo sharp thrasher, followed by the slower, more melodic power/thrash metal number "No Time". "Deliverance" is in the same vein, but before the thrash fan frowns in doubt, here comes the raging "If You Will", accompanied by the heavy stomper "The Call". "No Love" provides more fine headbanging moments, but with a more melodic deviation. No such deviations on the uncompromising speed/thrashing killer "Blood Of The Covenant", and on the fine speed metal track "Jehovah Jireh", which boasts a great catchy chorus. The last two songs provide a compelling mix of fast-paced riffs and more complex passages, showing the band's more thought-out side. A smashing debut, which quickly put the band on the front row of Christian thrash all over the world.
"Weapons of Our Warfare" is an even better effort, serving another portion of energetic, blitzkrieg speed/thrash. "This Present Darkness" is the best way to open such an album, with great sharp aggressive riffs, "courting" Vio-Lence's "Eternal Nightmare". "Weapons of Our Warfare" continues the damage, but in a slower, heavier way, with a massive wall of pounding guitars, and fine high-pitched vocals. "Solitude" is a nice, more elaborate combination of thrash, speed and power metal, giving way to another similar amalgam: "Flesh and Blood", a marvelous "marriage" between an all-out thrash assault and more controlled technical sections. Then comes a time for a break with the short raging killer "Bought By Blood", followed by the excellent heavy ballad "23", which is by far one of the finest achievements of the genre from the metal scene. "Slay the Wicked" is the not very impressive mid-tempo power/thrash number, totally canceled by the unbridled fury of the short Slayer-esque "Greetings of Death". Those of you who manage to recover from this small piece of aggression, will listen to the closing "If We Faint Not", which is again in the mid-paced power/thrash metal mould, but is hardly the best way to finish this impressive work.
Unfortunately, the band never bothered to reach those high standards again, moving instead on some less serious, hardcore-ish sound on "What a Joke"(yes, indeed, a joke: and not a very good one at that). "Stay Of Execution" was a partial return to form with some nice headbangers, but with also more melodic parts which were a sure sign that the band would look for new fields to explore very soon. The next few releases had nothing to do with thrash, right until 2007 when the new album "As Above-So Below" shows that their interest in thrash metal is coming back, but not strongly enough to put it among the best works of the band.
"Hear What I Say!": the band are back in the game, and their fans will be pleased for a while to hear them speed/thrashing with gusto smashing everything in their way with the awesome opening duo. Certainly, the ballad which follows suit "Hope Lies Beyond" would be a cool shower after them, and later on the band settle for their more recent modern post-thrash approach which at least bears one good fruit: the cool faithful cover of Iron Maiden's "Where Eagles Dare". This is hardly a return to the band's roots, but at least is more convincing than their bland mid-career outings.
"The Subversive Kind" sounds more like it although the groovy implements on the opening "Bring'Em Down" may pull back some. Still, the follow-up is nothing short of inspiring in the form of the ripping hardcore-ish "Concept of the Other", and the vigorous old school headbanger "Center Of It All". "The Black Hand" thrashes hard as well bringing sweet memories of the guys' first three recordings, but "Epilogue", which is not exactly an epilogue, may disappoint with its monotonous groovy rhythms. "Listen Closely" is another great retro thrashing madness with a nice psychedelic flavour, and the title-track is the next in line classic thrash masterpiece, the band taking no prisoners near the end including on the closing "The Fold", a highly entertaining speed/thrasher wrapping it on in the most awesome fashion. Yes, the guys have finally made it, to recapture the vigour and spirit of their earlier repertoire because if this their intention here was then it's mission accomplished on all counts.

Deliverance Full-length, 1989
Weapons of Our Warfare Full-length, 1990
What a Joke Full-length, 1991
Stay of Execution Full-length, 1992
As Above-So Below Full-length, 2007
Hear What I Say! Full-Length, 2013
The Subversive Kind Full-Length, 2018

Official Site

DELIZZA (USA)

This is a noisy modern thrash affair with abrasive guitars and not very pleasant shouty death metal vocals. The approach borders on hardcore with the simplistic song-structures, and some sludge/doom can be heard on the slower sections as well as the good old boogie of Motorhead ("Cop Song") on the merrier material.

The Awakening Full-Length, 2012

Official Site

DELPHOZ (ARGENTINA)

Edgy energetic post-thrash with corey overtones; the band crush in a hammering mid-pace, but the more speedy insertions are not far (the invigorating headbanger "Pais Devorador"; the short outburst "Salmo"), and are a nice desirable deviation. At times one may catch a slightly surreal guitar work (the closing dreamy extravaganza "Aurora"; the diverse "Grito de Redencion") with echoes of Tool and mid-period Voivod, but those moments are never fully developed. The singer is a forceful shouter with a gruffer death metal shade.

Manifesto Full-Length, 2012

DELTA FORCE II (FINLAND)

The full-length shows an act playing merry-go-round retro thrash/crossover with not very suitable shouty hardcore vocals. This is speedy one-dimensional music reflected in short 1-2min tracks which sound more like spontaneous outbursts rather than carefully planned compositions, but deliver nonetheless with their sincere stripped-down approach.
"Megamosh" is another intense thrash/crossover affair, this time the delivery more coherent recalling the contemporary stars on the scene Municipal Waste. The guys pull no punches trashing with gusto adding the odd Motorhead-ish vibe ("Metalpunk-Balladi Tarkeista Asioista"), but fast blitzkrieg hardcore outbursts ("Ala Niele Paskaa") are just around the corner. Things get wonderfully speed/thrashy at the end ("Pahan Ulospurkaus"), and one wishes there could be more pieces of the kind later on, to develop this trend more...

Delta Force 2 / Escape To Death Split album, 2009
Personal Vietnam Full-length, 2009
Megamosh Full-Length, 2011

Official Site

DELUSIONIST (USA)

This young formation specialize in modern progressive thrash which crosses the razor-sharp shredding of Nevermore with the sprawling atmospherics of Opeth. The music doesn't have a very expressive technical edge except for the explosive Atheist-like "They Live" which is a great puzzler with stop-and-go rhythms galore. The rest isn't so striking although dynamic and more quiet sections have been aptly blended on almost every composition. The "gruff-clean" vocal duel isn't a disadvantage this time and ensures the requisite drama which goes with this kind of music.

Delusionist Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

DELUSIVE (SWEDEN)

This band plays modern thrash with shades of death metal and a slight classic edge. So this isn't completely derivative, and some pieces are really cool energetic thrashers ("Possessed Reflection"), with a more technical shade. "My Final Fear" shows the other, more brutal side of the band, a furious melodic death metal number with sparse grinding sections.

Regret EP, 2005

My Space

DELYRIA (ITALY)

Based on “III: Oracles and Tentacles”, these horror aficionados (named after the cult horror thriller (“Deliria”, 1987)by Michele Soavi), pull out modern thrash/death which rushes with passion (“Irreligious Fallout”, “Serpents in Your Churches”) on occasion, but expect a few more technical arrangements (“From Outer Spheres”) as well, including the obligatory more brutal fuller-fledged nod at the death metal movement (“Republic of the Obscene”). There’s some dark atmosphere (“Putrid Monarch Crowne”) permeating this recording, too, the harsh throaty death metal vocalist facilitating this brooding ingredient.

Regression in Mind Full-length, 2009
Sulphurous Extinction Full-length, 2016
III: Oracles and Tentacles Full-length, 2023

Official Site

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