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0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

HEMATIC (AUSTRALIA)

These Aussies specialize in dark morose modern thrash which relies on long hypnotic compositions that will manage to hold the listener's attention due to the changing paces and the several more offbeat gimmicks used (atmospheric acoustic passages, slight industrial/ambient moments, etc.). This is minimalistic music which may attract fans from the Godflesh and Soulstorm side even, along with those who enjoy bleaker landscapes ala Mindrot and Minushuman.

Ace of Cups Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

HEMATOMA (PORTUGAL)

A good piece of classic 80's thrash metal; the songs are mostly in the mid-tempo with a slight hint of groove, but also featuring cool semi-technical riffs and nice headbangers: "Sleep", despite the sleepy title, is a very good example of the latter. Hopefully the full-length will hit us soon...

For Yours We Wait EP, 2005

Official Site

HEMISPHAERIUM (SPAIN)

Based on "Thagirion", this outfit specialize in atmospheric retro thrash/death, the harsh death metal vocals occupying the forefront, sometimes spearheading mellower epic excursions ("La Maldicion"), sometimes impetuous speedy sagas ("Gloria y Muerte"), the melodic elements profusely featured everywhere, including on the encompassing encyclopaedic title-track.

Inferno Full-length, 2022
Thagirion Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HEMLOCK (GREECE)

Old school death/thrash has been exercised here, the band brutalizing the setting ("The End of Life") with wild ripping shorters, and rest assured that there's no remedy to this brutal therapy offered anywhere, the lads pouring more bile and venom into the cauldron with the unrestrained violators "Escape" and "Tell Us Why", the threatening growling death metal vocals tearing the aether with their hurtful antagonizing rendings.

Until the Eclipse of the Emperor EP, 1999

Youtube

HEMLOCK (USA, CA)

Heavy death/thrash metal of the modern, 90's type with horrible hardcore vocals; the music isn't as groovy as you might think, but is quite energetic; the sound is somewhat mechanical and dry recalling Meshuggah, but the guitar work is much more ordinary, more along the lines of Puncture or No Return's "Seasons of Soul".

Moonmaniac Demo, 1996

HEMLOCK (USA, NA)

Based on "No Time For Sorrow", this band play typical modern post-thrash sometimes descending to hardcore-ish heavy/thrash ("Backstabber"), sometimes jumping on the melodic death metal wagon ("Beautality"). There's a big doze of groove involved which suits well the gruff, death metal vocals which are accompanied by a few other styles as well. The straight intense thrashers ("The Reason") aren't too many, and the dominant tempo is mid-paced with numerous melodic leanings.
"The Only Enemy" is sustained in the same post-thrash/groovy vein as its predecessors so there's nothing new to be heard except for several more intriguing faster-paced passages ("Where Angels Fear To Tread") which are rather isolated on the playful not very engaging groovy background. The clean vocal insertions are more regularly present now, and they are the better-sounding compared to the dispassionate death metal growls which rule the show for most of the time.
"Mouth Of The Swine" is the next in line groovy post-thrash saga which this time is served with more playful, more dynamic rhythms which reach the climax on the merry hymn "The Wrong Song". The rest is just jolly optimistic groovisms with a nice technical surprise near the end: "All the Heroes Have Gone and Died", a jumpy shredder in the best tradition of mid-period Prong, its ingenious style partly captured by the more melodic doom closer "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Greediness".

Shut Down Full-length, 1999
Pigeon Holed Full-length, 2001
Bleed The Dream Full-length, 2004
No Time For Sorrow Full-length, 2008
The Only Enemy Full-Length, 2012
Mouth Of The Swine Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

HEMOPTYSIS (USA)

Based on the full-length, these guys offer modern thrash metal with classic leanings and cool nods to the 90's power/speed metal scene ("M.O.D."). The music is energetic without being very fast boasting dynamic headbangers, like the death-laced "The Cycle" to which the gruff death metal vocals suit the best. Still, most of the tracks don't develop beyond the mid-pace graced by softer riffs and numerous melodic touches typical for the Swedish school.

Who Needs a Shepherd? EP, 2008
Misanthropic Slaughter Full-length, 2011

Official Site

HEMORAGY (FRANCE)

Based on "Jesus King Of Wine", these guys offer melodic power/thrash metal with a classic vibe. The music is enjoyable with cool lead guitar work, but not very hard-hitting in the 1st half; it will probably remind you of Meliah Rage's early period, or Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy". With "Ghost Riders" things become really interesting: a mighty thrasher which raises the level admirably, and what follows is by no means worse: the stomping crusher "Jump into the Bestial Pit" which even has a Celtic Frost shade, followed by another fast-paced track: "The Final Horseriding". "Guitar Killer" is a pure riff-fest, richly deserving its pompous title which would make you listen to the first half of this album again, just to check if you haven't slept through it the first time. Although a bit uneven, this effort is a promising start, and with a bit more focus next time these guys could be one of the new stars on the French metal scene.

"HeadBang Till Death" hardly deserves its title (the guys like it pompous) being much inferior to the debut from a thrash metal point of view, especially when one hears the opening title-track which is mild power/thrash metal of the heavy stomping variety. Things get a bit more intense on the galloping "Sold-Out", but that's all. Yes, seriously; the rest is nothing more than merry-go-round mid-tempo power/proto-thrash metal developing in a samey repetitive manner recalling the approach Exciter acquired for "Unveiling the Wicked" and "O.T.T."; in other words, the "thrash" tag is very loosely attached to the music the guys not really bothering to change things with something faster inserted. Consequently it's the power and heavy metal fans who will be happier with this calm peaceful release which also introduces a cute female bassist, also handling the back vocals.

"The Thirst World War" is a tad harder than its predecessor speeding up more, but the majority of the material is again in the heavy/power metal camp with more intense pieces like "1518" and the engaging, even technical, closer "The Thirst World War" (which provides a nice merry theme in the middle that could have been taken from some film) a rare phenomenon. This effort is another indication that the band aren't very interested in thrash metal anymore, at least not at the present moment.

Demo Demo, 2003
First Blood Demo, 2004
Jesus King Of Wine Full-Length, 2007
HeadBang Till Death Full-length, 2010
The Thirst World War Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

HEMOTOXIN (USA)

The demo: death/thrash quite close to later-period Messiah ("Choir of Horros", "Rotten Perish") with a bigger emphasis on death metal perhaps. The sound quality here is worse, but the band are inspired and their intense shreds deliver most of the time assisted by lightning fast, but intelligible, lead sections (check out "Abstract Atrocities"). "Maze of Torment" is... yes, right, a Morbid Angel cover from the immortal "Altars of Madness", done well with the noisy drums impeding the proceedings a bit. After it death metal takes over for the final "At the End of Eternity" which is indeed ""the end" of this effort pulling out traditionally strong lead performance plus a very cool epic outro. This is a style yet unpolished with stretches into several directions, but there's by all means a potential, and its realisation shouldn't be a problem.
The EP is a sure-handed elaboration on the demo the band now sounding like a well polished machine going up the technicality scale quite a bit reminiscent of later-period Death more than occasionally although the faster moments are more, albeit short and not that aptly done. In the middle comes a capable cover version of their main influence's "Lack Of Comprehension" followed by the already heard on the demo "At The End Of Eternity". The best is, however, left for last and the closer "A Journey Through Dreams" is a standout speedy instrumental which should lead the "pack" on the full-length again leaving a lot of promise hanging in the air unrealised fully.
The full-length is here seeing the band offering a brand new material without changing their staple style which remains in the technical thrash/death metal confines. The album opens with the melodic speedster "Beyond Creation". Melody and speed remain blended aptly later on with sparce outbursts of brutality (the blasts on "Terraforming" and elsewhere) plus a few more elaborate landscapes ("Divinity In Torture"; "Andrea" the latter coming with nice flamenco guitar insertions) served with another appropriately chosen cover: Death's "Suicide Machine" in case of the listener wonders to whom the music on offer here reminds him/her so much the whole time. The Death-worship ground is covered more than well, but the expert execution and especially the masterful lead guitar work (despite its rare screamy overtones) make this effort a recommended listen.

The "Alchemist" EP: the band should keep all their fans happy with this short effort as well as all those who still remember the glorious later-period Death heydays. Death metal seems to take over in the band's repertoire "Incessant Existence" being a full-fledged technical deathster with a captivating quiet exit. The deathly surprises continue with the longer and more exuberant "Postwar Civilization"; before the final "After Forever", which is... but of course a Black Sabbath cover, make you look for handkerchiefs to wipe the tears of nostalgia, delivered fairly faithfully except, of course, in the vocal department.
"Biological Enslavement": the band continue their conquest on the metal scene with this top-notch effort which shreds with might from the very opening intro "Decadence" the latter also foreboding a lot of technical death metal to come. Well, the actual opener "Regression" brings back the thrash to blend with the more aggressive death metal rhythms and the band as well as the Death fans will be happy all over. However, the Death influence has been shaken off quite a bit later on as the guys have entered a more individual zone with spastic twisting numbers like "Minus Human" and the short lashing hecticer "Not of This World". Hyper-active technical death metal reigns supreme on "Forgotten Faces" which also notches it up in the melodic department; and "The Alchemist" is the already familiar cut from the previous EP which also brings back the Death shadow. "Bleak Prognosis" rages hard with super-speedy crescendos before "A Journey Through Dreams" serves a hefty progressive boost on an intense death metal background the cannonade spiced by breath-taking melodies for the umpteenth time. "Transparent Eyes" is a more traditional speedster with echoes of Death again, but the melodic duels on it are nothing short of outstanding even with this Swedish flair covertly making itself heard. The band are still on the crest of the wave, but a further strife for a bigger individuality should be pursued in the future if the top is the target.
"Restructure the Molded Mind" again tries to run a bit further from the Death shadow, the band opening the saga with a string of short ripping semi-technicallers; nothing new under the sun, with "Execution" providing something more exciting in the middle by throwing both more entangled and more quiet motifs. From this moment on the situation improves dramatically with the schizoid shape-shifting marvel "Corrupted Flesh", the choppy unpredictable "Automation", and the hyper-active headbangers "The Alchemist" and the title-track. The fuller-fledged deathly material ("Incessant Existence", "Postwar Civilization") sounds like leftovers from the Death repertoire, but overall this isn't as derivative, the not bad cover of Black Sabbath's "After Forever" a surprisingly moody closure to an otherwise fairly hyper-active effort.
“When Time Becomes Loss” is an excellent showing for the band, the traditionally hyper-active intricate opener (“Morbid Reflection”) leading the eyebrow-raising show, the latter reaching an early climax in the form of “Call from the Abyss”, a superb vortex of smattering time and tempo-changes, virtuoso melodic lead sections, and dizzying speedy expletives. With the highlight out of the way, the band show their less bridled more brutal side with the relatively non-fussy “Malediction”, “Abstract Commands” returning to the more entangled formulas with a more dramatic, less frenetic layout, with a soothing balladic introduction and a more vociferous bass bottom inserted on “Conscious Descent”, the only more overt look back at the Death heritage. “Reborn in Tragedy” is a slow-burning tech-thrash/death achievement, a very eventful amalgam of moods and twists, with delightful surreal psychedelic motifs added later for an encompassing awe-inspiring listening experience. Copious amounts of gorgeous melodies overtake the space on the final saga “When Time Becomes Loss”, the lead guitarist particularly busy with his staple noteworthy inclusions, the others assisting to the best of their abilities for the shaping of one the undisputable “album of the year” candidates.

Demo Demo, 2012
Divinity in Torture EP, 2012
Between Forever... and the End Full-Length, 2013
Alchemist EP, 2014
Biological Enslavement Full-Length, 2016
Restructure the Molded Mind Full-length, 2020
When Time Becomes Loss Full-length, 2024

Official Site

HENKER (ITALY)

This not very known Italian outfit acquit themselves with good dark thrash covered by macabre doom overtones which aren't an impediment for the guys to come up with some really intense speedy passages. The prevalent tone is gloomy and sinister also helped by the scary Tom G. Warrior-like vocals which both sing and recite at various stages of the demo.

Blasphema Demo, 1987

HENRIETTA (HOLLAND)

These Dutch "Henriettas" specialize in modern power/thrash/crossover, the mellow music hampered by the brutal death metal vocals. "Hooks and the Art of Pleasure" is an intense headbanger, but the rest is too busy with the numerous melodic hooks to try to match it: check out the rousing heavy metal hymn "Apparitions in the Falk". The band eventually manage to thrash their hearts out at the very end with the exiting duo of lashers among which "Book Of The Dead" is a short bursting thrash/crossover delight, and the closing "They Live" is a smashing shredding instrumental.

Dead by Dawn Full-Length, 2015

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HENYCH 666 (CZECH)

Henych 666 is the alias of one of the leaders of the Czech underground metal movement, having taken part in the legends Torr, among other acts. His new formation provides not very impressive groovy post-thrash which still holds surprises for the more aggressive fans (the raging bombastic shredder "Psychonaut"), including a cover version of the Prague rock band Plastic People's "Magicke Noci".

Psychonaut Single, 2011

Official Site

HER WORST NIGHTMARE (USA)

Based on "The Dark Shapes": modern thrash/death that combines pounding quasi-groovy walkabouts (“Her Name I Can't Quite Remember”) with both playful catchy tunes (“Betray the Victor”) and moshing ragers (“Disdain”), the screechy vs. growling vocal duel missing black and death metal in the background. Watch out for “Eat Her”, a short ripping semi-technical proposition with echoes of Darkane.

Her Worst Nightmare Full-length, 2019
Ominous EP, 2020
The Dark Shapes Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HERBICIDE (CANADA)

A solitary demo offering fast uncompromising thrash/crossover topped by interesting, high-strung semi-declamatory vocals. The delivery recalls Wehrmacht boldly crossing towards the more brutal histrionics of early Cryptic Slaughter on "Fatal Pricking". This is brutal messy music which is still worth hearing out of curiosity despite the bad sound quality and the musicians' not very ample musical skills.

Demo Demo, 1987

HERD (BRAZIL)

A hellish Brazilian trio who indulge in choppy classic thrash that is both semi-technical and melodic (the title-track), the pounding urgency of "Crushing Demons" modernizing the environment a bit, its seismic sentiment picked by the shorter non-fussy "Herd" before "Walking in Light" and "Fiorgiveness" give this recording a more intense aura. "Thrash-Christ-Speed" is, ironically, not as fast the band having chosen the heavy stomping delivery for that one, the mean spiteful semi-shouty vocals doing a decent job in supporting the cool albeit not very flashy fiesta.

Murdering My Flesh Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HEREAFTER (CANADA)

Rough squashing power/thrash mostly in mid-pace with gruff vocals which mostly semi-shout aggressively. "Burned" is a more dynamic cut, a wholesome headbanging thrasher, but the rest is closer to the heroic antics of acts like Omen, Jag Panzer, and Liege Lord.

The Last Winter EP, 1992

HEREAFTER (MALAYSIA)

Based on "Government Conspiracy", this band offers good old school thrash metal spiced with a few modern throw-ins reminiscent of the last couple of Kreator albums; the singer is a close resemblance to Mille also adding some of the German's more vicious early shouts. The boys open with the energetic "This War Is Our War", followed by the stomping "Secrecy of the Government", and both approaches take turns in equal dozes the show stolen by the 7-min of intense speedy shreds on "Nuclear Battlefield", a compelling song worthy of Darkness and early Deathrow. At the end the band pays tribute to one of their idols Sodom with a cool faithful cover of "City of God" taken from the Germans' self-titled effort.
"Endcient" is another cool explosive fare, the sizzling roller-coaster "Evil Machines" leading the hyper-active pack which also has its more lyrical side (the quiet lyrical intro to the power/thrash mid-pacer "Celestial Disk"). Necks will be severely sprained on the ultra-thrash/deathster "The Final World War", the short speed metal joy "Hereafter" leaving the unconvincing heavy metal/crossover filler "Tiga Celaka" smitten in the dust. Some of the band members used to play in the classic thrashers Devastator.
"Insignia": the album begins with the excellent frivolous speedy instrumental "Time Continuum", but later on the band mostly rely on heavy mid-paced riffs which still deliver especially when in league with more dynamic shreds like on the cool diverse "Trilateral Insignia". "No Return From a Life" is a sudden outburst of aggression, a short to-the-point explosion which revives the approach in the second half the guys thrashing with more passion resulting in a couple of impetuous headbangers ("The Signs of the End"), but please ignore the awful rocky anthem "Shit to the Max" this "shit" majorly wiped out by the fairly cool cover of Helloween's "Future World".

Terrorstrial Full-length, 2008
Government Conspiracy Full-length, 2010
Endcient Full-length, 2012
Insignia Full-length, 2017

My Space

HERELITH (SWEDEN)

An imposing operatic all-instrumental intro ("Dance of the Pale") welcomes the listener who later will enter a black/thrash realm, with blasting brutality ("Descendent of the Night") meeting dark heavy rhythms ("Voices of the Dead"), the shouty death metal singer binding the two approaches with vociferous panache. Some of the musicians also play with the thrash/deathsters Obscyria.

Voices Demo, 2020

Official Site

HERESY (COSTA RICA)

The debut: a trio from Costa Rica who specialize in chuggy heavy, mostly modern, thrash/post-thrash which adheres to energetic galloping riffs ("Awakening") and some really wild speed/thrashing ("The Human God") later on. The second half offers more thought-out compositions ("Involution") with shades of power metal which stays around till the end, softening the approach also elongating the songs in the second half, but to no big avail. The vocalist is a suitable gruff semi-cleaner who emits passion at will and could be considered the highlight.
"Blasphemia" is a more aggressive offering the band moshing with more verve the dissipators coming in the form of cool atmospheric progressivers ("Last Night God Talked to Me") this time, the mid-tempo jumper "The Hive" inaugurating a string of not very eventful stompers, the closing title-track a superb poignant balladic instrumental stealing the show in a very nice, minimalistic unobtrusive fashion.

Worldwide Inquisition Full-Length, 2012
Blasphemia Full-Length, 2018

Official Site

HERESY (ITALY)

Modern thrash of the heavy mid-tempo variety; the riffs steam-roll forward, seldom assisted by a more melodic hook. Hats down to the guys for the excellent ballad "Like the Wind in the Trees" and the great intense semi-technical headbanger "Last Breath" right after it. But that's pretty much it since later the guys try to capture the magic of the aforementioned ballad, resulting in all the other songs being not very convincing semi-ballads which lose the sharpness almost completely, and the closing ballad "Alone in the Dark", albeit not bad at all, fails to impress in the same way.

Heresy Full-length, 2004
Knights Of God Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HERESY (USA)

Based on the debut demo, this band play not bad retro thrash, an apt mixture of urgent speedy cuts ("Silent War") and macabre mid-tempo violators ("The Abyss"), the more varied "False Prophet" suggesting at loftier ways of execution, the latter also reflected in dynamic fast-paced riffs on the pulverizing "Beyond The Walls of Black". The singer is a decent mid-ranged semi-reciter, not hiding his predilection towards the punk realms.

Rise of the Heretic Demo, 1990
Master of Solitude Demo, 1992

Youtube

HERESY OF THIEVES (UK)

The EP: modern thrash/death metal which clings between Dark Tranquility and Terror 2000; the guitar work is quite good, and the pace is mostly fast with a certain use of blast-beats. The singer's shouts are too high sometimes and could be annoying to some; there are also low death metal growls involved.
The full-length is a better more complex affair with loads of technical jumpy riffs packed in songs no longer than 3-min at the most. This is an intense listen, but the guys stay within the confines of the hectic mid-tempo patterns so don't look for any faster sections, the exception being the wild chaotic death/thrasher "As the Dust Settles", the best track here. This is the reason why at some stage the more level-headed fans might want to take a break from it, and that's why they will miss the excellent technical closer "Riddled with Inconsistency" which boasts brilliant melodic guitar performance, which in its turn will raise the question: where the hell were those guitars before?!

The Code EP, 2006
The Montana Complex Full-length, 2008

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HERETIC (AUSTRALIA)

These Aussies deliver direct stripped-down retro speed/proto-thrash resembling Motorhead and early Exciter. This is laid-back friendly stuff which has its more intense speedy moments ("Black Metal Punks", "Sexkommander"), but the majority of the tracks are frolic party rockers ("Godless Masters, Savage Bastards") accompanied by gruff, drunken semi-clean vocals.

Underdogs Of The Underworld Full-Length, 2016

HERETIC (HOLLAND)

This band specializes in melodic, mostly mid-tempo thrash, an approach which is hard to be compared to any of the existing acts; this is melodic stuff coming close to the works of the Swedes Bewitched when it speeds up a bit, and the Finns Barathrum when things get darker and doomier. This isn't bad but the approach is too samey with every song sounding almost identical to the preceding one, with the one-dimensional Cronos-like vocals hardly being the best asset.

Black Metal Holocaust Full-length, 1999
Devilworshipper Full-length, 2003
Germaniacs_Live in Oberhausen Full-length, 2009
Gods Over Humans, Slaves Under Satan Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HERETIC (UK)

The "Saltergate" EP contains two tracks one of which ("Slatergate") is aggressive death metal with a hardcore attitude, but it's the other one ("Isle of Dogs") that will delight the thrash metal fans with its clever technical riffs ala Kreator's "Coma of Souls" and the somewhat abstract atmosphere.

In Extremis Demo, 2005
Heretic Demo, 2006
Saltergate EP, 2007

Official Site

HERETIC (USA)

This is the band from where Mike Howe (ex-Metal Church) started his career in metal (he sings on the full-length debut). He is clearly the star of the show with his great vocals pretty much along the lines of the ones he later used in Metal Church. That's why comparisons between these two bands are inevitable; the band's style is not as aggressive as the first two Church albums, but is definitely thrashier than the period with Mike Howe. The EP is pure power metal with timid touches of thrash. The old singer Julian Mendez does a cool job although his voice is not as impressive staying in the higher registers most of the time recalling Jeff Martin from Racer X.

The full-length jumps on the thrash wagon keeping the power metal elements by adding some speedy ones as well. "Heretic" starts the album in a energetic speedy manner, in the vein of Savage Grace and Tension, but its fast tempo is only matched once later on, by the speed metal killer "Let 'em Bleed"; the rest of the material comes as a mix between power and thrash metal of the softer variety typical for early Overkill. There's also one very nice acoustic instrumental thrown in the middle ("Pale Shelter"). The guys were meant to make an impact on the scene if it wasn't for Howe's untimely exit to revitalize the Metal Church career. The co-operation between the two bands continued throughout the 90's as well, with two other members joining David Wayne's (R.I.P.) new formation Reverend.

All hail the unheralded comebacks! The band are back in action after aeons spent away from the scene, with only two original members present: the guitarist Brian Korban (also ex-Reverend) and the first singer Julian Mendez, the same one who sang on the debut EP before moving on with the power metal outfit Stone Soldier for the release of two obscure demos in the mid/late-80's. The rest aren't new faces, mind you, the bass player Angelo Espino having taken part in half the thrash metal constellation through the years (Hirax, Predator, Uncle Slam, Anger as Art, Reverend again, etc.) as well as the other guitar player Glenn Rogers who in his turn has played in Vengeance Rising, Deliverance, Hirax again, and a few other Vengeances (Vengeance, Steel Vengeance).

"A Time of Crisis": with Mendez being away for so long one may doubt his abilities to match the others, but the man acquits himself with a relatively attached singing although his current timbre is mid-ranged at best with hoarse overtones fitting the hard shred which is heavy and thunderous, not far from the guys' previous power/thrash blend. "Tomorrow's Plague" is an intense opener, but soon after the band epitomize a heavier, almost doomy (check out "Remains") sound with closer ties to power rather than thrash metal. Merry speedsters like "Heretic" are a rarity, the rest being not very imaginative or striking power/proto-thrash showing the musicians sparing themselves with an underwhelming performance which finds some consolation on the closing stylish balladic, lead-driven instrumental "Let Me Begin Again". Considering the pedigree of the band members one certainly expected more, and hopefully this conglomerate of stars would find the way to a more convincing performance in the future.
"A Game You Cannot Win" sees the heretic crew up for more challenges, and although this proposition can't really pass for their finest hour, it at least shows them in a decent shape moshing with more verve as evident from the energetic "Demonized" and the more ambitious title-track. "Relentless" is pure 80's speed metal done right, deserving its title on all counts, and "Master At Her Game" tries to match it with lively, bouncy riffs these cuts trying to compensate for the sizeable number of milder, a bit monotonous power metal anthems.

Torture Knows No Boundary EP, 1986
Breaking Point Full-length, 1988
A Time of Crisis Full-length, 2012
A Game You Cannot Win Full-length, 2017

Official Site

HERETIC WARFARE (GERMANY)

Pretty decent retro thrash/death supervised by brutal guttural death metal vocals. Music-wise this is ripping semi-technical stuff with nice melodic sensitivity ("Warfare on Heretic Scum") displayed as well, the overtly brutal veneer of "Hedonistic Perfection" intimidating the audience, the latter smitten by the intricate skirmishes on the diverse title-track. Later there's little wrong with direct neck-sprainers like "Mass Murder Monument", but expect more entangled configurations on "Redemption Denied" and on the Morbid Angel-esque whirlwind "Death of a Traitor". Earlier the guys were known as Death by Dawn where the style was quite similar.

Hell on Earth Full-Length, 2020

Official Site

HERETICA (ITALY)

The EP: modern Swedish thrash/death metal which hesitates between all-out speedsters ala early Dark Tranquillity and heavy pounding moments akin to Cemetary. The mix isn't very convincing favouring more the slower semi-gothic side to which the deep death metal vocals are a perfect match.
"Omnia Sunt Communia": all the songs from the debut EP are here to take part in an uneven diverse saga which stretches from simplistic, stripped-down hardcore to more serious modern thrash/death metal, both sides often mixed into one track to a not very positive effect. "Fino All'ultimo Bandito" is a curious piece, a nice epic doom metal hymn with a sudden brutal death metal break.

The Hunt EP, 2006
Omnia Sunt Communia Full-Length, 2011

Official Site

HERETICAL RESPONSE (ITALY)

Intense rough thrashcore which doesn't shy away from grind ("Envision") as well as a few jumpy crossover-ish funkisms ("On the Run"). The vocals are harsh shouty, semi-death metal ones.

Envision EP, 1997

HERETICS (CHILE)

This formation provide epic death/thrash which is calm and not very eventful until the arrival of the short raging "Alchemist". The rest, however, is business as usual, mid-paced dramatic riff-patterns, intercepted by chaotic screamy leads, rolling on in a morose brooding fashion, acquiring doomy qualities ("The Dark Side Secrets") on occasion, the oppressive atmosphere also helped by the gruff low-tuned death metal singer.

Wisdom from the Ancient Altars Full-Length, 2005

Official Site

HERETICS (GERMANY)

Based on the full-length, this band play a modern band of thrash/death which doesn't follow the Gothenburg school very faithfully, but melodic motifs from there pop up here and there, the prevalent fast-paced melee receiving its calmer and more dramatic baptism on the more entangled progressiver "In the Name of Stupidity" and the dark doom/deathster "With Thoughts as Weapons", the latter a cool reminder of Bolt Thrower's battle-like style. The vocals are harsh shouty death metal ones, the man sacrificing some of the ferocity on the more bridled moments.

Free 'til Death EP, 2015
Talent for Violence EP, 2018
Via Appia Full-length, 2019

Official Site

HERETIQUE (POLAND)

Based on "De Non Existentia Dei", this outfit specialize in shreddy modern thrash/death which doesn't go beyond the mid-tempo, and the incessant stomping nature of the music may tire the listener at some stage. The approach is more death metal-inclined including in the vocal department, the guy having a guttural deep baritone.

Ore Veritatis Full-length, 2012
De Non Existentia Dei Full-length, 2016

Official Site

HERITAGE (BRAZIL)

Stars from the Brazilian thrash/death metal constellation (Psychotic Eyes, Blasthrash, Flagelador, Comando Nuclear, etc.) have joined forces here to pay another tribute to the glorious 80's with this prime slab of classic thrash which is nothing short of worthy, with inspired headbangers like "The Watcher" and "Eradication Immaculate Existence" amply provided. Ripping shredders like "Lepers In Hysteria" will remind of the Angel Dust debut whereas shorters like "Bewitchment" flirt with more technical rifforamas. "Dr. Chaos" is another admirable more contrived achievement, the remaining numbers clinging more towards the moderately bashing side, the shouty semi-death metal vocals a perfect fit to this entertaining, hyper-active roller-coaster.

Ominous Ritus Full-length, 2017

Official Site

HERITAGE (GERMANY)

This band featured two members of the death/thrashers Protector. The style has very few resemblances to the father band, but is good speedy thrash metal along the lines of Necrodeath and Kreator, with slight shades of death metal and good Mille Petrozza-like vocals.

Patient Zero Demo, 1988

HERITAGE (MEXICO)

Based on the full-length, this band play classic black/thrash that quite often blasts through the speakers in a not very bridled hyper-active fashion ("Neonazhit", "Bitch Goddess"), full-blooded black metal inevitably metarializing on the wild unfettered "Inversus Liturgiae", the gloomy catchy atmospherics of "Agnes Waterhouse" a most welcome deviation, before the guys throw in the infectious emorable roller-coaster "Leather, Whiskey and Black N' Roll", the merriment not majorly hindered by the intense raven-like blacky singer. Some of the band members are also busy with the similarly-styled black/thrashers Armies of Death and the pure black metal cohort Icxitonttli.

Necromancers of Astral Supremacy EP, 2018
Apocalypsis Artem Sapientiae Full-length, 2021

Official Site

HERMETICA (ARGENTINA)

One of the leaders of the Argentine metal scene along with Lethal and Horcas; Hermetica are the most melodic of the trio combining thrash, speed and power metal. Their first two works contain the harder, more aggressive material, and are the band's most popular efforts. Later their music partially lost its edge, and the more modern releases have introduced more melodic classic heavy metal elements.

Hermetica Full-length, 1989
Interpretes EP, 1990
Acido Argentino Full-length, 1991
Victimas Del Vaciamiento Full-length, 1994

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HERO'S LAST RITE (CANADA)

The debut: cool modern technical thrash metal of the interesting dynamic variety; the singer is the prototypical semi-shouter, but the music delivers offering intriguing hooks and cool melodic leads. Even more intense classic moments can be caught: the good technical galloper "Hero's Last Rite". Another clever technical shredder comes after: "Hopeless Genocide" which even blast-beats at some point; and another one near the end: "No Regard" which is hectic and a bit mechanical in a way not too different from Coroner's "Grin" and mid-90's Voivod. The end is a bit surprising, but well worth hearing, coming in the form of the tender acoustic ballad "Bleed" which sees the singer in a fine form to pull out very good clean emotional performance as a finishing touch.
"Behind the Darkest Days" is more on the power metal side, with "Crooked Rhymes" brightening the horizon with both more intense and more intricate rhythms, and with "World of Emotions" stomping angrily but in a less passionate modern-ish manner. The rest is calm and anti-dramatic, the guys having changed the course towards a more ordinary, not very exciting direction.
"Wasted Prayer" is a more dynamic proposition, the guys still thrashing with verve, unleashing angry confrontational headbangers like "Engage the Weak" and especially the headstrong "Devilfinger", the catchy radio-friendly rhythms on "Nothing Left" recalling more recent Kreator, the more complex structure of "Trapped on Your Side" close to being the highlight, the excellent melodic guitar work on this one (and elsewhere) a sure asset, saving unimaginative groovy draggers like "Human" from sinking completely.

Inevitable Is the End Full-length, 2010
The Mirror's Face Full-length, 2014
Wasted Prayer Full-length, 2017
Behind the Darkest Days Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HEROD (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the "The Curse of the King" EP, this band treads modern power/thrash metal waters which immediate neighbours are stoner/doom and alternative. The peaceful predictable sleepy mid-tempo of the first two songs is rudely interrupted by "Genocide Solution" which thrashes in the best tradition of mid-period Megadeth. When "The Curse of the King" continues in the same vein, even adding more aggressive riffage, one can't help but correct his initial not very positive impression despite the soft balladic closer "Jagged Visions".

Execution Protocol Full-length, 2002
For Whom The Gods Would Destroy Full-length, 2004
Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight Full-length, 2006
The Curse of the King EP, 2009

Official Site

HEROIN WITCH (GERMANY)

There's only one musician involved here, the name Jim Winchester, who delivers a contrasting all-instrumental blend of thrash and doom; speedy strokes ("Disease") take turns with antediluvian doom behemoths ("Finit Hic Deus"), the highlight being the exemplary prog-shredder "Insane", an eventful thrashing roller-coaster. The laurels from the doom department go for the elegiac mournful "Memento Mori", the only spoiler here being the only vocalized track "Anliyormusun", a non-sensical groovy charade.

Lethal Injection EP, 2020

Official Site

HERRATIK (AUSTRALIA)

A good debut which features a mix of thrash and death metal, not too far from the first two Six Feet Under albums, but with Gothenburg-style guitar work at times and a thrashier attitude including a nice acoustic instrumental: "New Era".

Wrath-Divine Full-length, 2006

Official Site

HERRUMBRE (URUGUAY)

Based on "Perros Cimarrones", this is power/thrash metal similar to Horcas and Hermetica (it seems as though the Argentine and Brazilian bands have established the standards for the rest of the continent to follow). When the guy sings in Spanish, things are not too bad, but on the last song which is a cover of Judas Priest's "Metal Gods", the singer's pronunciation is simply laughable.
"Tierra Madre" isn't radically different from the the previous albums; maybe it comes with a harder guitar edge although in terms of speed again not much has been served. One may gasp wide on the excellent melodic lead section on "Revicion", but pleasures of the kind are not that frequent if we exclude the cool dramatic speed/thrasher "Cyber Club" which mixes pounding escalating riffs with direct fast-paced ones the latter also well translated on the closing "Legionario". The singer sings better here (if that's the same one) his more attached antics even taking the upper hand on some tracks.

Tiempo Arriba Y Sangre Adentro Full-length, 1999
Perros Cimarrones Full-length, 2003
Tierra Madre Full-Length, 2007
Crucifixión Full-length, 2010
Nomenclator Full-length, 2015

HERTZ & SILENCE (FRANCE)

Based on "You! Machine", this band play groovy modern, industrialized post-thrash which sits somewhere between Pantera and later-period Skrew. "Applied Sciences" is a surprising, nearly classic-sounding, bursting headbanger, but this remains an isolated experiment although more melodic variations are introduced later, like the friendlier rhythms on the title-track, and the frolic jumps and jolts on the closing "Final Step".

You! Machine Full-length, 1999
Bio]Un[Logical Full-length, 2001

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HETERODOX (NEW ZEALAND)

Groovy post-thrash which suddenly becomes pretty aggressive on the jumpy speedster "Paradox Within" (yes indeed, a "paradox"). This remains the only more interesting moment on this otherwise pedestrian uninspired effort which also suffers in the sound department giving the guitars an annoying buzzy tone.

Demos Demo, 2011

Official Site

HETEROGENOUS ANDEAD (JAPAN)

Based on the full-length debut, these folks deliver hyper-active classic speed/thrash which main asset is the diva behind the mike, laconically named Haruka, who provides a soprano-like high-pitched falcetto, her angelic contribution often interrupted by a gruff death metal vocalist. The band race with the speed of light for a large portion of the time, a delivery that merges all songs into one big hyper-active melee from which one can easily distinguish the more moderate power/thrasher "Tentacles", the more atmospheric, keyboard-ornate "Unleashed", and by all means the closing lyrical ballad "Fleeting Dawn" Haruka making a really fine emotional showing. And, kudos should be paid to the guys (and a girl) for managing to sustain a whole 10-min opus ("Demise of Rein") in a high-speed mode without slowing down even for a split second.
"Chaotic Fragments" emits the same lofty sentiments, the "beauty and the beast" vocal duel firmly in place as well, the musical delivery more overtly operatic this time, but rest assured that the speed/thrash skeleton from the first instalment is pretty much intact, either materializing as a larger-than-life progressive saga ("Fragments of Memories") or delights the fandom with urgent lashing skirmishes ("Last Reverie"). The keyboards more pertinently hum in the background, but it's really hard for any stylistic gimmick to stand on the way of impetuous fast-pacers like "Beautiful Nightmare" and "Mirror of the Lie". "Fission" creates some stomping drama in the midst of this vitriolic whirlwind, a layout doubled on the closing "Licking", another encompassing odyssey with a harder sharper, thrashier edge.

Undead EP, 2015
Deus Ex MacHina Full-length, 2017
Chaotic Fragments Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HETREM (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA)

Based on "Monster at Heart", this band play modern atmospheric thrash/death that develops in a relatively calm peaceful fashion, the surreal chunks on "Gemini" creating a more mechanical, more sterile environment, as opposed to the insistent stomps of the quasi-industrial "Into the Heart of the Machine" and the sprawling epicness of the 8.5-min saga "The Heredity of Taste". The more aggressive moments are contained within the sprightly "The Spirit", and partly on the pounding dramatic "Kali", the shouty death metal singer occasionally receiving support from cleaner more melodic vocals.

Human at Sight Full-length, 2013
Monster at Heart Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HEVEIN (FINLAND)

A promising young band from the always full of surprises Finnish metal scene, who play somewhat progressive thrash with classic heavy metal parts, and a strong use of violins which immediately calls to mind the Dutch Blind Justice. Hevein are more melodic than this other band with calm acoustic parts present as well as female vocals in addition to the clean and thrashier ones used on the album.

Sound Over Matter Full-length, 2005

Official Site

HEVILAN (BRAZIL)

This band pull out crunchy power/thrash with echoes of the Germans Brainstorm and later-period Iced Earth which relies on melody more the virtuous leads a particular highlight all over. The guys provide soaring epic sections to an imposing, albeit softening, effect since there are quite a few faster-paced ones as well which also show their infatuation with the 90's speed/power metal movement. Things get harder on the short brutalizer "Desire of Destruction" in the second half which immediately brings other tasty "fruit" after it: the excellent speed/thrash roller-coaster "Sanctum Imperium", the razor-sharp shredder "Dark Throne of Babylon", the Manticora-esque progressive opus "Son of Messiah". This impressive string of winners isn't very appropriately finished with the overlong ballad "Loneliness" which deserves its title, but by no means has the right to be placed here, at least not as a closer to this otherwise frolic epic take on the good old power/speed/thrash which also boasts very good emotional high clean vocals. Some of the band members are also active with the progressive metal outfit Sinrise although at present they only have one demo released in 2002.

The End of Time Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

HEX (USA)

Two people are behind this creepy minimalistic take on modern technical post-thrash which develops mostly in mid to slow pace, with slightly monotonous but consistent riffage, with a few sudden jumps onto more aggressive moments, but with several adherences to ballads and doom as well. The singer does a good job without shining too bright with his mid-ranged clean voice with a hoarse twist. This isn't bad at all, but more energy and speed could have made the technical passages more noticeable.

Our Synthetic Soul ... Full-length, 2003

Official Site

HEX VORTICES (USA)

This is modern thrash done by-the-book, following the long since established models by early The Haunted and Dew-Scented, the band bashing with abrasion and competence, the latter more evident from the slower material ("Arise Empowered") whereas the faster one ("Inward Shadows", the title-track) is built around more simplistic repetitive riffage. The lead guitar work is quite good all over, and the vocalist tries his best at times to ruin the setting with his rending, overshouty death-oriented tirades. Some of the musicians are also active with the death/thrashers Climactic and the gothic/death metal formation Cold Colours.

Revival Fires Full-Length, 2019

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HEXA MERA (BELGIUM)

This formation play choppy modern post-thrash blended with direct melo-death rhythms. The mixture is at times brutal ("Hear My Call"), at times openly groovy and jolly (The Endless War") the gruff shouty death metal vocals never changing throughout, quarrelling incessantly to a not very positive effect.

Descent Into Decay EP, 2011

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HEXAFIEND (USA)

Heavy modern thrash with a thick stoner/doom flavour dominated by the thundering bass; the guys stomp in a constant mid-pace which reaches proto-galloping heights on "Red Horizon", but elsewhere this may prove too sleepy for the regular thrash metal fan. The singer is a gruff, hoarse semi-reciter, but fits the seismic character of the music.

Hexafiend Full-Length, 2016

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HEXAURUS (ARGENTINA)

An Argentine trio who provide decent retro power/thrash characterized by very good emotional clean vocals. "Saurito's Rage" is a promising energetic speed/thrashing opener, but later on the vigorous delivery decreases expressed in the galloping "Fight Your Fears" and the more diverse progressive closer "Break You Down". The rest clings more towards the mid-tempo side with staggerings in the direction of the semi-ballad, atmospheric not very egdy music.

Saurus Full-length, 2017

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HEXECUTOR (FRANCE)

Based on the full-length, this act serve fast relentless old school thrash which mixes well with more orthodox speed metal ("Hélène Jégado"). The guys produce a masterpiece in the face of "Visitation Of A Lascivious Entity", 8-min of flashy, inspired shreds and blazing leads, not to mention the gorgeous speed/thrash background. The high level musicianship remains for the other cuts elevating "Phalanx Of Damnation" to the ranks of another prime speed/thrashing progressiver, albeit infused with more virtuous melodic tunes. The vocalist is a bit of an acquired taste, though, with his harsh semi-death baritone which he strains at times to unholy shrieky attempts. Some of the band members are also involved with the death metal formation Venefixion.

Hangmen of Roazhon EP, 2014
Poison, Lust and Damnation Full-length, 2016

Official Site

HEXEN (ARGENTINA)

A 3-tracker which is mostly retro power/thrash which sounds more atmospheric and less energy-prone; "Alteracion Febril" boasts a steady pulverizing main motif, and "Doomsday" tries to justify its title with a more cumbersome doom-laden veneer. "Golden Grave" is your regular power metal trudger, the not very convincing clean vocalist doing his best to elevate the pedestrian music to higher pedestals.

Hexen Demo, 1994

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HEXEN (USA)

The debut: a cool power/speed/thrash metal album, fairly intense at times, but containing quite a few nice melodic passages as well. It opens with the nice speedy piece "Seditions In Peacetime" which is full of catchy melodies and nice melodic leads. The next "The Serpent" begins in a nice melodic pagan/epic fashion, but the speedy guitars start later although the epic feeling remains, and is even aggravated by really cool melodic hooks. "Redemption" is a short, softer power/speed metal number, and "Mutiny And Betrayal" slows down in the 1st half producing cool epic power metal ala Falconer; the second half speeds up, but again in a more melodic manner. "Bedlam Walls" brings back the more thrashy patterns from the beginning, but "As The Future Awaits" is softer and more laid-back, looking back at the epic power metal heritage, where half of this album belongs. "Desolate Horizons" is a serious pull-back: a peaceful, "leads vs. acoustic" instrumental with no shades of speed/thrash metal at all. The closer "Heal A Million... Kill A Million" well deservedly carries the album-title being a nice energetic thrasher, still graced by a couple of nice melodic leads. As a whole, this is an encompassing stuff, which will be of interest to a wide gamut of metal fans.
"State of Insurgency" is a better effort, more thrash-oriented, having in mind the original compositions, starting with the heavy mid-paced piece "Blast Radius", which boasts great leads and a strong bass-bottom, and a fine speedy section near the end. The real madness, however, begins with the raging thrash delight "Gas Chamber", which sounds as though directly taken from the Angel Dust debut. "Past Life" thrashes with no mercy as well, cooled down by a slower lead section in the middle. "Knee Deep In The Dead" opens with slower, pounding riffs, but the guys don't want to lose the inertia, and less than a min later the guitars speed up again. "Chaos Aggressor" has a beautiful, acoustic intro, but the mighty galloping rhythms take it over although this track remains the most melodic one. "Bedlam Walls" is the same aggressive thrasher also heard on the debut, but served with a sharper edge and a more technical approach. "The Serpent" is another, slightly reworked version of a song from the previous album, a worthy speed metal killer. "No More Color" is not a Coroner cover, but is a great speed/thrash number with a nice melodic edge. Three more remastered versions of old songs follow, which come almost unchanged, before the explosive closer, carrying the album-title, shoots all mercilessly: exemplary aggressive thrash, with lashing guitars and a great lead performance, accompanying the nice atmospheric, slower break in the middle; watch out for the super-fast finishing moments on this one. The original material is really cool, but who needed those remastered versions?! With the effort put into making these old songs just a bit more "updated", the band could have pulled out another couple of new headbangers; now this work would rather serve more as a reminder of the guys' yet unrealised potential.

"Being and Nothingness": the guys annoyed the last time around with the inclusion of some older tracks left unchanged and not contributing to the band's stature a lot. The band have learnt their lesson well and this time there are no pitfalls of the kind. The music flows in a speedy, clever fashion sounding moderately elaborate without too many unnecessary complications. The opening duo introduces the more complicated formulas, but comes "Private Hell" and things become a bit more relaxed with speed/thrash reigning supreme crossing into a Death territory with the excellent melodic piece "Walk As Many, Stand As One" which features some of the greatest melodic leads for the past several years. "Stream Of Unconsciousness" tones down the speed and settles for more clever arrangements with the leads leading the show once again. "Indefinite Archetype" is exemplary technical/progressive thrash with a few unexpected turns, and "The Nescient" is a more immediate galloper with haunting melodies which here contrast with the harsh death metal vocals. The final "Nocturne" is an engaging 15-min saga which is just too much to swallow and will overwhelm the listener with the very eventful approach. There are a lot of memorable moments, of course, like the stylish use of keyboards in the beginning, among other niceties, but all this comes piled too quickly for the regular fan to be able to grasp it properly. Still, this album seems to be the band's finest hour so far seeing them adding new elements to their delivery without losing their initial speedy appeal.

Heal a Million...Kill a Million Full-length, 2005
State of Insurgency Full-length, 2008
Being and Nothingness Full-length, 2012

My Space

HEXEN MARTYR (USA)

Quite cool obscure effort of energetic classic thrash with lengthy epic compositions where a lot of melody has been provided with echoes of Iron Maiden (check the dual tunes on "The Final High"). Every subsequent song gets longer and more elaborate until the album reaches the 1-min "Black Death" which is mostly on the epic/doom side. Thrash returns for the closing "Faces of Death" which is an intelligent brooding piece with semi-galloping guitars. The singer is a mid-ranged cleaner who could have used more emotion during his performance.

Atonement... Burn the Witch Full-length, 1993

My Space

HEXENHAMMER (USA)

Black, power and thrash metal shake hands on these two demos; the songs are longer: 6-7 min, but the music isn't technical, but by no means boring; it has this slightly black-ish quality typical for some later bands like the Finns Barathrum, or the Swedes Bewitched. The tempo is mostly mid-paced to slow, almost doomy, but the thrashy guitars are always there to keep the listener on his toes. "I'm Alive" speeds up, and despite its monotonous character, has an almost hypnotic effect with its repetitive, but impressive main riff. This is an unconventional interesting take on thrash metal which proved influential on some future acts.

Hexenhammer Demo, 1989
Underground Demo, 1990

HEXENHAUS (SWEDEN)

The finest thrash metal band that the Swedish metal scene ever produced the guys all coming from the more speed metal-fixated outfit Maninnya Blade under which name they produced one full-length in 1986. The band's style is excellent technical thrash of the mid-paced variety with relatively complex song-structures and fabulous guitar work courtesy of Mike Wead: arguably the finest Swedish guitar musician after Yngwie Malmsteen, and the only member of the band from the early days who didn't take part in Maninnya Blade. Their first three albums are a must have representing the 80's European technical thrash metal movement at its best. The band disappeared in the early 90's with Mike Wead taking part in other Swedish bands (Abstrakt Algebra, Memento Mori, etc.). Hexenhaus got together again in 1997 for the recording of their last album "Dejavoodoo" which sounds a lot more like the bands with whom Wead had been involved during the long break; this is progressive power/doom metal with few hints at thrash seeing the band taking a new direction well coordinated with the modern tastes. After that Mike Wead joined the King Diamond team and the rest formed Fifth Reason, a very good progressive power metal band who continued the style of "Dejavoodoo" with more nods to the old Hexenhaus sound.

A Tribute to Insanity Full-length, 1988
The Edge of Eternity Full-length, 1990
Awakening Full-length, 1991
Dejavoodoo Full-length, 1997

HEXENIZER (GERMANY)

This is melodic speed/thrash that straddles between early Exciter and the guys' compatriots Vectom. The execution is simplistic and direct with abrasive guitar work and somewhat raw-ish production which suits the more immediate material, but doesn't quite do justice to the more complex epic developments on "The Fucking Horny Witch of Hell". Playful unpretentious tunes like the ones provided on "The Witches' Table Dance" are strictly for the hard'n heavy lovers, but watch out for the semi-intricate speed metal winner "Riding The Witch", the highlight on this uneven diverse recording with the all-instrumental display of guitar virtuosity "Paganini & Bach" a very close second.

Witches Mentors Cult Full-length, 2016

Official Site

HEXER (USA)

The first cassette is three songs which are pure early Bathory worship, the only difference being in the vocal department, where we have an unholy high-strung rasper of the very scary witch-like type. The second "hymn" moves more towards Emperor in the middle for a change, but this underground sound can not be mistaken: this is a prime take on the very early days of black metal when things were genuinely evil and misanthropic...

Cassette I EP, 2011
Cassette II EP, 2011

Official Site

HEXHORN (POLAND)

The debut: this young Polish outfit specialize in not very exceptional modern thrash/death metal this particular blend already done thousands of times. The guys stick to the more atmospheric, less speedy side of the amalgam with a lot of epic moments, but the approach is more playful and less Viking-prone than the one of Amon Amarth: think the Finns Gandalfand mid-period Cemetary, but without the memorable song-writing of the latter. The singer is a subdued death metal growler who is intelligible for most of the time.
"Before the End" is a more aggressive proposition with death metal sneaked in to exacerbate the setting, with brutal remorseless excursions like "Craftsman of Guts" and "Turn on the Lights" dominating the fiesta which acquires a more bombastic black-ish aura with "Vom". Thrash bravely shows its head on the minimalistic atmospheric "Follow Me", the "old school thrash with a stomping twist" delight "Upon the Scaffold", and the epic Bathory-sque "Before the End"; on the rest it just gets stifled by the aggressive deathy outbreaks for which prosperity the harsh semi-shouty death meal vocals also have big merits.

Waking of Death Full-Length, 2016
Before the End Full-Length, 2019

Official Site

HEXING (FINLAND)

Old school thrash which is built around dynamic speedy roller-coasters ("Shutdown Brain", "Burn This City"), the gruff shouty death metal singer a quarrelsome environment aggravator, his presence probably necessary on the pulverizing neck-sprainer "Servants of Belial", but not so much on the mellower "Choose Me or Choose Death" where the leads will melt your heart. The six stringer is a major performer elsewhere, too, his measured but effective pyrotechnics giving a big boost to the proceedings.

Welcome to Salem Full-Length, 2022

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HEXLUST (USA)

The demo: old school thrash, well done, with fast intense riffage reminiscent of early Kreator with some crossover moments on "Toxic High", and two covers: Sodom's "Sodomy and Lust" and Sepultura's "Troops of Doom".
The full-length is an intense old school thrash "monster" which resembles "Pleasure to Kill" quite a bit in terms of execution: the singer is more on the screechy death metal side, and doesn't leave a very positive impression with his hysterical rendings. The music, however, is nothing short of relentless and will make you headbang till you drop, at times for whole 7.5-min ("Baphomet Dawn"). "Imminent Retardation" is a short violent explosion which influences the remaining cuts which towards the end become just not very sensible bashes also coming with a worse sound quality, probably leftovers from early demo sessions.

Rehearsal Demo, 2008
Manifesto Hexcellente Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

HEXUS (CANADA)

Modern 90's thrashcore which by all means has its more raucous thrashy side ("Stomp Your Deception"), and "Criticism" also means business with its more complex choppier approach. The singer is a shouty hardcore semi-render, but he varies it a bit for some of the more streamlined (the mid-paced stomper "While You Fall") material.

Stomp Your Deception Demo, 1998

HEXX (USA)

Hexx began as a classic heavy/power metal band, but quickly adapted their style to the more fashionable speed/thrash metal sound on their sophomore album. Their initiation into thrash begins with "Under the Spell" which mixes power, speed and thrash metal in a way not too different from Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy". The music isn't too hard-hitting yet, but energetic pieces like "Out Of Control" and "The Hexx" stir the mood well.

The band discovered completely their potential on the "Quest For Sanity" EP, a masterpiece of technical thrash recalling even Coroner at times. This is full-blooded thrash now, no shades of power metal anymore. The guys play intensely on the first three songs which are great crushing thrashers, the last of which: "Mirror Of The Past", features nice technical hooks to suggest at what would come very soon. "Racial Slaughter" preserves the aggression, even goes one level up, but the guitars are simply brilliant, providing a mighty riff-fest all the way. "Sardonicus" follows in the same vein by increasing the technicality. The "Bonus Jam" at the end is, of course, a joke piece.

"Morbid Reality" elaborates on the technical aspect, but the sound has become much more aggressive, at times being all-out death metal. Some songs are great compelling exercises in fast, technical death/thrash: "Birds Of Prey", but the shorter, more accessible and more thrash-based tracks ("Blood Hunter") work almost as well. The guys aren't out for speed only, and some songs are slower, but still quite complex experiences: "Fire Mushrooms", but the other extreme is also covered with the ultra-brutal grinding title-track which, combined with the swirling technical riffs, could cause you a headache. Another joke song, this time longer and better, is included: "Spider Jam" (the guys like those jams), also placed at the end, a surreal psychedelic lead-driven trip. With all these interesting stretches towards more or less expected directions resulting in undisputably fine moments literally at every corner, this album is very close to a masterpiece. The band could have definitely improved on later releases, but this remained their last legacy to the metal world.
"Wrath of the Reaper": the veterans are testing the soil once again to see how many new fans they can convert for their cause. 26 years is a fairly long hiatus to be erased instantaneously although "Macabre Procession of Specters" tries hard to win back the band's very old fanbase, I mean the one from their very early days when the style was more in the power/speed/thrash metal mode. Fast crisp rhythms and soaring attached vocals will by all means convince anyone that the guys still have it in them, and continue down the speed metal path with "Screaming Sacrifice", a sure "Painkiller" leftover the singer acquiring more shrieky Halford-esque parametres. "A Slave in Hell" is an inspiring galloper glorifying the 80's American scene, and "Swimming the Witch" adds more fuel to the classic power metal roster. A string of more power metal-based cuts follows until the arrival of "Exhumed for the Reaping", an impetuous speed/thrashing shredder with fast lashing guitars and a few more intriguing progressive configurations. "Circle the Drain" carries on in the same direction simplifying the delivery a bit recalling the Judas Priest magnum opus again, and "Wrath of the Reaper" is a great more elaborate piece with clever arrangements still retaining the speed for most of the time. "Certificate of Death" stomps and pounds its way being the closer, but expect quite a few energetic implements as well as more engaging riff-formulas. As a whole this is another valuable addition to the guys' catalogue although there will surely be fans who will mourn the band's more technical, death metal-laced days.
"Entangled in Sin" is a true revelation, a smattering mix of power, speed and thrash which begins in the best possible way with the galloping delight "Watching Me Burn", the speed metal flag raised high on the battle-prone title-track and "Vultures Gather Round", before "Power Mad" hardens the course with more aggressive thrashier rhythms. The intimidating pounds on "Internal Enemy" decelerate to not very boisterous heavy/power on "Strive the Grave", but hell breaks loose on the maddening "Touch of the Creature" and the epic-prone sing-alonger "Wise to the Ways World". Quasi-progressive lyricism rises on the pensive doom "Over but the Bleeding", but expect the highlight to befall you right after, the supreme thrashing shredder "Signal 30 I-5", a fabulous diverse roller-coaster-like achievement followed by two more immediate but fairly cool power/speedsters. The veterans have reinvented themselves here, plain and simple, and if they carry on in the same striking vein, few would be those to grieve over their more brutal deathly repertoire.

No Escape Full-length, 1984
Under The Spell Full-length, 1986
Quest for Sanity EP, 1988
Watery Graves EP, 1990
Morbid Reality Full-length, 1991
Wrath of the Reaper Full-length, 2017
Entangled in Sin Full-Length, 2020

Official Site

HEXXED (UK)

Based on the "Transgression" demo, these guys from Belfast play quite cool technical/progressive thrash/death (more death than thrash) metal with bold echoes of Nocturnus minus the valiant keyboard sweeps. The near-9-min long "Azimuth" seems to be the centrepiece of this effort, the band shredding with vision, also incorporating a few more lyrical digressions, the harsh very shouty death metal vocals logically keeping quiet on those latter developments. "Primacy" is a really nice compelling technicaller, with a wide array of tempo-changes, an ambitious atmospheric proposition which gets violated by the more brutal death metal ornaments on "These Are Dark Days", another entangled piece with creepy serpentine riffs and echoes of Death. "To Summon Thirteen" is a short aggressive deathster, still hectic and technical galore, the guys really nailing it at this early stage of their career, showing a lot of promise with their rich multi-textured style.

The guys are finally ready with their full-length, and it would be interesting to see whether they have managed to preserve the compelling complexity from their demo stage. The answer will be different to different fans since now the band has shifted a bit by giving a drier more mechanical edge to their sound with the opening "Engaging the Flow" a vintage modern Coroner's "Grin" puzzle, with the next "The Sound of Thought in Torsion" further aggravating the cold clinical feel with another portion of precise mechanical shreds. Then comes the electronic oddity "The Electric Mind Pt.1" which is 6.5-min of spacey ambience ala Clock DVA and Cocteau Twins, followed by another awkward choice, the quiet dreamy ballad "Rewire". Later on the music returns to the metal patterns, but provides bland repetitive riffs with an indifferent robotic vibe recalling mid-period Meshuggah with "The Electric Mind" killing the album almost completely being another industrial ambient nonsense. The closer "Triclopics" is a cool twisted technical piece, but it will make one even more disappointed hearing the guys wasting so much space previously for nothing. To the thrash metal fan this effort would hardly be a delight except on a very few occasions, but those who look for modern actualized works with a progressive/industrial twist might find something to like here.

Perish The Sacred Demo, 2000
Transgression Demo, 2003
Where Gods Look Away Single, 2005
The Synapse Collision Full-length, 2010

Official Site

HICSOS (BRAZIL)

The demo: intense, still retro-sounding, thrash with hard splitting riffs and a few more technical excursions ("Prophecies") all this evolving around a mid-paced background which gets shattered at the end on the aggressive closer "Cry of Souls". The vocals are angry and shouty, but have their semi-melodic leanings in a way not far from Chris Astley (Xentrix). The production quality is really bad making the guitars too buzzy.

"Technologic Pain" would hardly bring you any technologic pain, the music being right as rain old school thrash without any inventive flairs crossing Sacred Reich with the heavier Slayer period by adding the casual shade of groove ("Urban Scene") here and there. Hard-hitting thrash will inevitably reach you on tracks like "Mea Culpa" and "Violence and Blood", but this is not really the main purpose of the exercise here. The singer has a forceful semi-shouty/semi-angry voice who fits the music and could even be viewed as the highlight at times.
"Eatin' Concrete" is more deeply involved with the modern canons of the 90's, but the classic rhythms still shine here and there on the more energetic material which comes with a shade of hardcore/crossover echoing the early exploits of Pro-Pain.

Suicide Illusion Demo, 1995
Eatin' Concrete Full-length, 2004
Technologic Pain Full-length, 2007
Circle of Violence Full-length, 2013

Official Site

HIDDEN (FINLAND)

This obscure formation specialize in choppy mid-paced thrash with more aggressive death metal vocals. "Pain Under Purity" breaks the idyll with passion being a fast-paced proto-deathster. After it the order is restored, first with the more complex "Hidden To Be Found", then with the crunchy semi-headbanger "Threat" which show a more serious, more stylish, side of the band which, unfortunately, was never given a full display.

Deliverance Demo, 1991

HIDDEN (JAPAN)

Based on the "Embalm" demo, this Japanese act play outstanding progressive/technical thrash which is also served with a crystal clear sound quality. The opening "Lunatic Theater" is a consummate shredding cut bringing the best from acts like Watchtower, Sieges Even, and Realm the brilliant music assisted by very high-strung, dramatic clean vocals. After these 8.5-min of sheer progressive thrash magnificence one would find it hard to imagine a distinguished follow-up, but the guys don't slouch, and here comes the 10-min stomper "Without Soul", a sinister crushing number with serpentine riff-patterns and enchanting melodic, classical leads. "The Beginning of the End" continues with the intricate "carnage" with hectic, overlapping riffs built around fast-paced structures the leads creating breathtaking pictures of melodic beauty rivalling those of Kai Hansen and Andy LaRocque. The final "Baptized by Sorrow" is a captivating balladic instrumental again with a strong classical vibe recalling Vivaldi. This is a truly grandiose listen which may be the most hidden (no pun intended) gem from the Japanese underground, an inspired work of art which should be heard by more.

Trial to Dictate Demo, 1992
Promo the Biginning of the End Demo, 1992
Embalm Demo, 1994

HIDDEN ENEMY (RUSSIA)

Intense raging retro thrash/death which boldly flirts with grindcore, making the amalgam too brutal at times; the execution is quite proficient, and the crisp production only enhances the guys' skills which offer more technical decisions on "Hrupkie Nadejdui". The singer is a gruff death metal semi-shouter, but his antics are comprehensive and add up to the aggressive character of the music.

Prokliatuj Put Full-Length, 2017

Official Site

HIDDEN INTENT (AUSTRALIA)

The full-length introduces an act "intent" on giving a more modern spin on the classic trends, and fans of the rougher side of the Bay-Area (Defiance, above all) will be quite pleased to hear this inspired semi-technical barrage. Things get more dynamic bit by bit, and "Through Your Eyes" is a major lasher which simply crushes with volcanic crunchy riffs which get well translated on the following "Betrayed" and "Die Inside". "Good Friday Thrash" notches up the technicality a bit, and is another ripping piece. A string of more laid-back cuts follows, but the fun on them is still on a high level, and "Creature of Habit" near the end sees off the listener with the final portion of rapidfire riffage since the closer "Black Hole" is more on the progressive, semi-technical side with more elaborate arrangements among which some space for wilder shreds is still left making it a dignified epitaph to this cool roller-coaster. The singer isn't bad at all with his hoarse semi-shouty timbre which borders on hardcore, and his sudden shrieks are a cool addition showing a vocal versatility which should be explored further.
"Fear, Prey, Demise" is a sure-handed slab of hyper-active old school thrash the guys obviously addicted to the music like the song of the same title shows so well. "Seeds of Hate" is a moderate mid-tempo power/thrasher and later on the band further diversify their palette with the semi-balladic relaxer "Waiting Here in Hell" and the doom-laden proto-groover "Petrified" that hold their ground against the explosive "Imminent Psychosis" and the short ball of fury "Drop Bears Are Real".
"Dead End Destiny" shreds hard once again, the guys shooting their rowdy hymns with any ado, with ripping headachers like @Dead End Destiny" and the short exploder "Get A Dog Up Ya" stirring vehement moshpits wherever they may roam, the sing-along crossover joy "Pub Feed" providing the odd more restful passage, the band staying true to their early chosen highly dynamic stance.

Demo Demo, 2012
Walking Through Hell Full-Length, 2013
Fear, Prey, Demise Full-length, 2018
Dead End Destiny Full-length, 2021

Official Site

HIDDEN MENACE (USA)

This band is virtually one person only: the multi-instrumentalist Randy Roland who never took part in any other formation. Based on the 1989 demo, this is cool power/thrash metal which sounds close to Savage Grace, Griffin and Nasty Savage's debut. The music is heavy and mid-paced even acquiring doom metal tendencies ("Born Too Late") at times. It creates a somewhat monotonous impression as there's no speed involved at all, and all the songs tend to merge into one another.

Demo Demo, 1989
Hidden Menace Demo, 1991
Seven Doors of Death Demo, 1992
Corrupted Judgement Demo, 1998

Official Site

HIDDEN REMAINS (HOLLAND)

Based on the "Premature Burial" demo, these obscure guys pull out quite classic-sounding for the time speed/thrash marred by an awful sound quality and not very convincing angry quarrelsome vocals. The music otherwise packs a punch and a few cool riffs (check out the clever moshing death metal-laced closer "Paralysed") can be heard the band having a good sense of changing the pace at the appropriate time without overdoing it.

The debut demo serves four tracks of speedy impetuous retro thrash the guys trying to stand up to par with the Bay-Area standards and at times they have no problems reaching the intensity of works like "Eternal Nightmare" the vocals very similar to those of Chuck Billy (Testament). The relentless fast pace is nowhere broken except at the beginning of the closing "Stitched" which is a very cool balladic lead-driven intro ala Alex Scholnick ((Testament again). The bass plays a very prominent role and the sound quality isn't bad giving a fair share to all the instruments including the very good melodic leads.

Six Feet Under Demo, 1992
Premature Burial Demo, 1994

HIDDEN TIME (RUSSIA)

A good 3-song EP of energetic classic thrash with a slight technical edge and great melodic leads which recall the Swedish metal scene of more recent times, but are too good to be ignored. The last track slows down and takes more power metal-based dimensions. The duel between the main death metal vocals and the clean ones is well done and isn't annoying.

The full-length offers diverse melodic modern thrash/death metal in a heavy mid-tempo, but the "idyll" is abruptly broken with "Fake Life/Real Pain": brutal semi-technical thrash/death of the Swedish variety. "9th Deadly Sin" provides a cool industrial/dance edge ala Rammstein and Pain kind of influencing a couple of songs after it before the arrival of the Bolt Thrower-esque steam-roller "Good Way To Kill", and the excellent cold technical mechanical closer "Fatal Error".
"Special Fuck Off" is just one song, the title is... well, which is groovy atmospheric post-thrash very similar to Prong's "Prove You Wrong" with a catchy chorus, and more brutal, but intelligible, death metal vocals. Some of the guys also play purer death metal with a more melodic edge in Edenbeast.
"Survival of the Beast" returns to the more aggressive modern thrash/death patterns, with venomous hyper-blasts ("The Beast Trilogy Ch. 1 The Man") peppering the landscape. Certainly, there are dark heavy slouchers ("The Beast Trilogy Ch.3 The Resurrected", the soulful melodic pageant "Phoenix"), but this is more energetic stuff as a whole.

Out Of Control EP, 2007
Fake Life/Real Pain Full-length, 2010
Special Fuck Off Single, 2014
Survival Of The Beast Full-Length, 2020

Official Site

HIDEOUS INVASION (DENMARK)

This band is a side-project of the guys from the speed/thrashers Victimizer who here offer more aggressive music of the classic death/thrash metal hybrid. Based on the debut demo, the music is mostly fast with sparse blasts present, and a slight technical edge in the guitar department. Both thrash and death metal are well covered with a good balance between the two styles, with a slight domination of the latter probably also helped by the very brutal death metal vocalist. Watch out for the brilliant melodic gothic/doom exit on "Ancient Warfare".

Death And Satan Demo, 2006
Combat Grind Demo, 2008
Death Lives Again/Combat Grind Split, 2009

Official Site

HIDEOUS PIT (USA)

Based on the full-length, these folks specialize in ripping sprightly old school thrash/crossover, the more technical stop-and-go occurrences on "Assimilation of Systems Deceased" sitting not very comfortably next to the doom/balladic combination served on "Vas a Morir Pronto", the shouty deathly singer stirring his own show behind the mike. Expect a few death metal accumulations to shake your world on "Fuck It, Kill the Hostages!", but don't pass on the merry punky frivolities of "Pandering to Pigs" or the spastic hardcore linearity of "Do You Feel...". Some of the musicians are also involved with the death/black/thrash hybriders Pitchfork, the death/thrash cohort Psychomancer, and the classic thrash formation Summon the Vengeance.

Hideous Pit EP, 2020
A Mental Note of all Exits Full-length, 2024

Official Site

HIDEOUS SUN DEMONS (HOLLAND)

This band was founded after members from the 80's veterans Lunacy and the more recent retro thrashers Incursion Dementia got together. The music here is strictly for the modern groove lovers being a peaceful sleepy mix of power metal, post-thrash and stoner/doom. There are a few leanings towards the ballad both heavier and purely acoustic, as well as inept attempts at funky thrash ("Why Is It?").

Twisted Full-length, 1995

HIDEOUSMASH (CHILE)

One of the most basic and rawest-sounding recordings to ever grace these ears, this effort is so much underground that it has no chances to come up on the surface even million years from now. Otherwise this is evil macabre black/thrash blending doom sections in the vein of Beherit and Barathrum with super-fast insane ones not far from Impaled Nazarene and early Burzum. The sound quality is, needless to say, awful making it hard to believe that there were three people involved here. The singer tries hard to deafen the instruments shouting his lungs out, and creates the impression that he doesn't use a microphone; a natural talent, that is... although his hysterical ramblings may pull you back way before the end.

Crisis Full-length, 1999

Fan Site

HIGH COMMAND (USA)

Based on the full-length debut, these folks provide modern thrashcore which isn't far from the more recent Pro-Pain exploits, but purer thrash comes to stay more frequently here with vicious moshers like "Merciless Steel" and "Forged to Kill" sneaking through the cracks left by the more serious compositions like the atmospheric progressiver "Devoid of Reality", the effective spacey proto-doomster "Impaled Upon the Gates", and the heavy pounder "Visions from the Blade". The singer shouts way too much resembling more recent Mille, going over the top on the more restrained moments which are quite a few, by the way.
"Eclipse of the Dual Moons" has boosted the lead explosions, and the latter are now the highlight, the rest clinging between speedy sprightly cuts (the title-track, "Immortal Savagery") and meandering more ambitious compositions ("Imposing Hammers of Cold Sorcery"), the epic heavy metal anthem "Fortified by Bloodshed" pairing well with the imposing doom-laden tractate "Chamber of Agony". The closer "Spires of Secartha" is a sprawling 12-min saga which covers a fairly wide ground, from speedy rushes to meditative balladic interludes.

The Primordial Void EP, 2018
Beyond the Wall of Desolation Full-length, 2019
Eclipse of the Dual Moons Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HIGH DEFIANCE (USA)

Bland unimaginative modern post-thrash which could attract the Helmet and Machine Head fans, largely on the semi-technical chopper "Fight", but one has to pretend he/she hasn't heard the awful rappy vocals on it. Some cool stylish leads pop up on "Projected Image", and the bonus track "If" tries to enliven the setting with volatile funky/fusion developments, but that's far from enough to elevate this derivative slab towards loftier dimensions.

Lessons From Hate EP, 1993

HIGH HYPNOTIC (FINLAND)

Modern thrash with hardcore vocals which sometimes are mixed with some cleaner ones, and an overall style not miles away from The Haunted, including the Swedes' more experimental period (their last two albums).

High Hypnotic Demo, 2004
Pink Noise Conductor Demo, 2005
Armed and Dangerous Demo, 2005

Official Site

HIGH SCORE PROJECT (RUSSIA)

Thrashy power progressive metal, all-instrumental stuff done by just two people, lead-dominated with not much hard riff-work throughout, but full of great memorable tunes with allusions to other musical pieces, both classical and mainstream. The tempo is mostly mid with a certain number of jumpy/proto-funky moments scattered throughout, and flashy Shrapnel-like guitar work all over even touching Yngwie Malmsteen at times.

Nintendo Metal Full-Length, 2010

HIGHEST PLACE (CANADA)

Based on "Dilemma's", this band offers really complex weird, but quite compelling, stuff which uses early Psychotic Waltz and Watchtower's "Control & Resistance" as a base, but at least half of the compositions here are overdone elaborate pieces with odd time signatures, balladic inclusions, suddenly changing tempos, and more. For that reason the shorter more immediate tracks are way better: the short technical explosion "About Setting Illusions On Fire". The level of musicianship of the guys is unquestionable, but they need to clear out their ideas a bit, something which they have managed to do on the heavy almost doom-ornate progressive thrasher "When It Looks Like An End..." and on the closing curio "Inertia" which is a strange, but listenable combination of hard riffage and melodic progressive leanings (some of the mid variations are really worth hearing, coming with a nice Oriental shade) ala more recent Sieges Even with a semi-jazzy edge. This is music to sit down and listen to, and as such has its merits despite the flaws on the longer songs which can certainly be smoothed on later efforts.

First Sight Full-length, 2004
Dilemma's Full-length, 2005

Official Site

HIGHRIDER (SWEDEN)

Based on "Roll for Initiative", this band deliver uplifting Motohead-ish speed/proto-thrash with a more abrasive, noisier edge. The lead guitar work is quite good giving the album a more proficient aura the latter also provided by the longer, marginally more elaborate material ("A Burial Scene"). The shorter cuts like "Batteries" come with a more stripped-down crossover flair, but the real fun here would be the diverse roller-coasters like "The Greater Monkey" and "Emotional Werewolf" where even the good old rock'n roll can be heard on top of some arcane 70's keyboards. More aggressive sounds can be come across on the impetuous "Roll Dee Twenty", but it's the epic and the doom that shake hands on the closing "The Rope And The Blade" the party aptly assisted by shouty harsh vocals which don't really sing but still provide the requisite pathos with their high-strung rendings.

Armageddon Rock EP, 2016
Roll for Initiative Full-length, 2017

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HILARY MELVILLE

This is wild bashing thrash/proto-death which will drive away the posers with the very first notes from the bursting opener “A Field Full of Coffins”, the band taking no prisoners later with the brutal grindy roller-coaster “Alone” and the speed/thrashing cannonade “Cannot Hide”. The singer is an acquired taste, screeching in a not very easy to categorize hoarse fashion, probably residing closer to the death metal spectre, where also the aggressive downpour “The Day of Your Death Is Coming” and the pummeling title-track belong.

We Are Dead Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HILBERA (SPAIN)

This is cool classic speed/thrash which gets less restrained at times (the death metal-fixated fury "Infernuko Ilargi"), but ambitious epic prog-thrashers like "Oroitzapen Ahaztuak" and concrete tight gallopers like "Mundu Galdua" keep the intrigue fairly high, the heavy crunchy "Genesis" showing another, more tamed side of the band who stick to the hyper-active parametres for a large portion of the time, the decent clean mid-ranged singer marching along his comrades with an assured, not excessively passionate timbre.

Mundu Galdua Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HILD (SWEDEN)

This outfit specialize in classic black/thrash which can be pleasantly psychedelic ("Gondul") at times, the battle-like vigour of "Wodurida" matched by a trio of epic slow-builders in the middle, before "Herfjotur" dissipates the seeming idyll with bursting wild riffs. The atmospheric creeper "Sanngrithr" is a sure minimalistic winner, whereas "Rota" is a mere bashing cruster, the shouty death metal vocalist assisting the sizzling melee with belligerent hoarse determination. Some of the musicians are also busy with the black metallers Myronath.

ValFreiya Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HILOTZ (SPAIN)

Based on the full-length debut, this Spanish trio provide modern melodic progressive/technical thrash/death which can be quite extreme ("Minak Barnean Dirau") and bashing with overt death metal leanings but bears some nice fruit like the progressive headbangers "Hilketa" and the more intense "Iluntasunaren Esklabu" which also boasts great melodic leads. The "Ankerkeria" trilogy shows the band's more lyrical side, but also their more proficient repertoire as part two is immaculate technical thrash with a lot of atmosphere added to the virtuoso performance. Part three is another mind-scratcher with its mazey arrangements and sudden fast-paced sections some of which are pure bombastic black metal to which the screechy raven-like vocals seem to suit the best. The closer "Amildegian" is a moody atmospheric, all-instrumental shredder which closes this very good effort with style making this young formation a hot proposition on the European metal scene.
The "Hil ala Bizi" EP is a more linear achievement the band concentrating on the speed, producing short blistering cuts ("Ezin Atzera Bueltatu", "Amesgaiztoa") with only "Errealitate Ustela" showing bigger musical prowess at this stage. The wide vocal diversity is more of a distraction than an advantage, the guttural death metal presence a particularly debatable one.
"Aske" is a disappointing follow-up the epic progressive title-track opening the proceedings with panache, throwing quite a bit of music at the listener; but that's about it. More direct speedsters ("Pertsona, Terrorista") come cleaning afterwards, but the misplaced hyper-blasts on "Betirako Atsedena" are a detriment, the more complex material ("Zurrunbiloa", "Hiltegira Bidean") lacking an edge and a bite, not to mention the complete absence of technical skirmishes. This is a very ordinary modern thrash recording, much inferior to the more exuberant debut.

Hil ala Bizi EP, 2012
Giza Ankerkeria Full-length, 2016
Aske Full-Length, 2020

Official Site

HIMERA (RUSSIA)

Based on "Hishnik" ("predator", in English), this band play melodic power/thrash metal sounding quite close to the more recent releases of their compatriots Master. This is peaceful mid-paced stuff with cool clean vocals and semi-heavy abrasive guitar work.

Hishnik Full-length, 2003
Agonia Full-length, 2005

Official Site

HIPERION (SPAIN)

Modern/classic power/thrash which is definitely on the melodic side, but outrages like the proto-blasts on "I Am Hiperion" may startle the less prepared, including the more vigorous cuts like the hard-hitting mid-tempo shredder "Inform Me" or the sweeping speed/thrasher "Stinking". "Titan" brings a more complex, progressive delivery, but the closer "Welcome To My Place" is a mood killer with its romantic semi-balladic inclinations. The singer isn't bad with his versatile timbre which usually sits within the mid-ranged semi-clean confines.

Humanoids Full-Length, 2016

HIPNOID (BRAZIL)

Melodic power/thrash metal reminiscent of 90's Flotsam & Jetsam or Amnesia, with good balance achieved between the modern and the classic ingredients. A fair combination of straight-forward and more complex arrangements the guys exercise which is more aggressive on the debut, and more laid-back on the sophomore where the heavy/power metal elements are more prominently featured.

Mankind Full-length, 2001
Chaos Full-length, 2005

Official Site

HIPNOSIS (CUBA)

Modern post-thrash mixed with a heavy doze of doom; this concoction works, actually, at times coming close to Helmet, at others recalling the melancholic gothic/doom heroes Katatonia and End of Green. There's also a certain industrial vibe going through the album ably helped by the very good keyboard background and the abrasive heavy guitar sound. Expect no speedy surprises here, this is mid-paced at best stuff assisted by good emotional clean vocals reminding of Eric A.K. (Flotsam & Jetsam) quite a bit.

The Chosen One Full-length, 2004

Official Site

HIRA (ITALY)

This obscure formation specialize in modern groovy power/thrash which merges with its surroundings simply because it has nothing to offer except rough chugga-chugga riffs performed to no end. "Il Sogno" is a cool look back at the 80's heritage with its more dynamic sharp riffage; and "Spara Cazzate" after it is a nice merry speedster making the 2nd half way more appetizing also thanks to the cool semi-hoarse, clean vocals.

A Mali Estremi... Full-Length, 1995

HIRAX (USA)

The band's vicious style, consisting of short speed/thrash metal outbursts topped up by the wailing high-pitched vocals of Katon W. DePena, remains one of the more impressive moments of the 80's thrash metal scene. 15 years later the band resurfaced with "Barrage Of Noise" which contained some furious thrash of the old school, but this time the songs are longer and somewhat heavier. This was a decent, but not a very impressive release, and no one suspected how hard these guys would hit with their next offering "The New Age Of Terror": a stunning piece of classic thrash metal at its most shining best. With a new EP released in 2007, virtually in the same striking vein, Hirax are obviously getting ready to hit us hard again pretty soon.

"Chaos And Brutality" offers another package of four tracks (these guys seriously want to release prematurely all their tracks from the eventual full-length; will there be any surprises left there at all!?). It starts with a cool heavy, mid-paced, short instrumental ("100 000 Strong") before it starts thrashing awesomely with "Chaos & Brutality". "Lucifer's Infierno" serves as an intermission to the next piece "Walk With Death" which is another cool, mostly mid-paced thrasher. I guess, with one more EP of the kind, the band might not need to release a new album. But one never knows...

Yes, one never knows indeed, and here comes the full-length "El Rostro de la Muerte" which is more than just a pleasant surprise for the fans containing only one song from the last two EP's ("Chaos and Brutality" from... well), the other 12 being an entirely new material. A number of the kind should prepare the listener for a diverse package, but the guys meet all the expectations putting the speed high with the opening mosher "Baptized by Fire" and the blitzkrieg speed/thrasher "Flesh and Blood", and losing it very seldom along the way. "Eradicate Mankind" is only a tad more controlled followed by the aforementioned "Chaos and Brutality" which thrashes far and wide served intact from the EP, before the title-track slows down with pounding riffs and a nice catchy chorus. There's no mercy shown on the furious "Blind Faith", and heads will roll on the aggressive "Horrified" which may "horrify" even the Slayer fans with its uncompromising proto-death laced approach. But take it easy, since the album doesn't acquire any death metal proportions later on, but introduces a fine more controlled short epic instrumental ("Battle of the North"; don't expect Immortal-influenced music here, folks). This less than 2-min serenity is hardly enough since right after the music takes a much more extreme turn with the raging "The Laws of Temptation" where De Pena (who's on top form the whole time) screams his lungs out to an apocalyptic effect. "Death Militia" is a 2-min oddity, containing just lead-driven noise in the first half before it starts thrashing fiercely once again in the second one. "Broken Neck" will deliver its promise to break your neck with its fast intense riffage, and if you survive, the first half of "Violent Assault" will help you recover with much slower almost doomy riffs. A romantic tender piano tune on "Cuando Cae la Oscuridad (When Darkness Falls)" precedes the final "Satan's Fall" (which isn't a Mercyful Fate cover) which closes the album in an expected speed/thrash manner, reducing the speed a bit, also adding a couple of more melodic hooks. There'll be no disappointed with this spontaneous (a word which can't be used too often nowadays, especially when pertaining to veterans' works) slab of classic thrash that is every bit as good as "The New Age of Terror", also seeing an act easily outgrowing the shadow of their early 80's output.
"Immortal Legacy": a 5-year gap is closed with this new release which sees the veterans thrashing like in the good old days. Nothing less was expected from them, anyway, and the beginning is a blitzkrieg assault with fast sharp guitars tearing the air leaving room for some imposing gallopisms on "Victims of the Dead" and the more speed metal-oriented "Tied To the Gallows Pole". More aggressive thrash arrives with "Deceiver" and the more technically-flavoured title-track; before we are served a curious short lead-driven melodic intro named "S.O.W.". Another heads-down thrasher ("Violence of Action") follows suit before another instrumental, the bass shredder "Atlantis (Journey To Atlantis)", provides another surprise along the way. The end is brutal as expected with the shattering bonus track "Mephistopheles" which closes this album in a sure-handed manner. This is a perennial entertainer for the thrash metal fan who will find no moment boring here, and will already remember to start preparing his top ten candidates putting this one on the list.

Raging Violence Full-length, 1985
Hate, Fear And Power Full-length, 1986
El Diablo Negro EP, 2000
Barrage of Noise Full-length, 2001
The New Age Of Terror Full-length, 2004
Assassins Of War EP, 2007
Chaos And Brutality EP, 2007
El Rostro de la Muerte Full-length, 2009
Immortal Legacy Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

HIRELING (RUSSIA)

Based on the full-length, these three Russian folks deliver raw unpolished modern thrashism which is ultimately marred by the buzzy sound quality. The band hardly needs a better one, though, since the musicianship is just above amateurish trying to mix fast and slow tempos on almost every song to an unconvincing, muddling effect. The lead guitar makes sense on "To My Friends", and "I Don't Want To Hurt You" is a passable semi-ballad ruined by the bad unrehearsed semi-clean vocals.

Before the Hell EP, 2013
Society Creates Slaves Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

HIRVIO (FINLAND)

Based on "Hypnos", this act offer fuzzy underground retro death/thrash which hisses its way through a myriad of diverse compositions ranging from brutal ragers like "Vanhojen Jumalten Tuli" to rousing marching doomsters like "Noitavasara". There's a lot of atmosphere permeating the album which has an appropriate very old school production and convincing forceful mid-ranged death metal vocals.

Mustan Kauhun Kuninkaat Full-length, 2013
Vihan Peive EP, 2013
Hypnos Full-length, 2014

Official Site

HISN (GERMANY)

Old school thrash with subdued declamatory vocals; the bashing nature of the opening “Watching T.V.” is deftly matched later, first on the free-flowing headbanger “Keep It in the Family”, and then on sections from the closing “Weltherrschaft”, a varied semi-intricate fiesta with sharp riffs, ruined somewhat by the unrehearsed shouty death metal vocals.

Modercore Demo, 1994

HIT THE NAILS (FINLAND)

Modern-ish thrash/post-thrash which has energy aplenty ("Total Lifewasting"), but watch out for relatively friendlier stompers like "Spiders" and "The Game" which are still nicely carried by the rough, but warm and attached semi-shouty death metal vocals.

In Nails We Trust Full-Length, 2017

HJALLARHORN (NORWAY)

Despite the title of their last demo, this band aren't entirely classic heavy metal defenders. Their music has a certain doze of more modern-sounding thrash, not too far from modern day Overkill, or Metallica's Black Album as well as stoner/doom riffs.
"MercyfulMotorDeth" is more of a classic beast, the band power/thrashing with quite a bit of melody dooming with the best out there ("Rebirth") at times, and generally headbanging surprises like "The Beast Divine" aren't such a frequent phenomenon. "The Conqueror Worm" is a cool moderate galloper, but this is largely radio-friendly peaceful music with the power/heavy metal audience the prime target.

Six Track Metal Attack Demo, 2004
Trilogy of Lightning Demo, 2006
New Wave Of Classic Heavy Metal Demo, 2007
Iron Clad Soldiers Full-length, 2009
MercyfulMotorDeth Full-length, 2015

Official Site

HLTR SKLTR (USA)

Crusty modern thrashcore with shouty hardcore vocals; this is heavy mid-tempo stuff with volcanic steam-roller riffs, the energetic injection titled "Witness the Beast", a semi-moshing pulverizer which is backed up by the bellicose rhythms on "The Sun Won't Shine". Elsewhere we have crunchy bouncy guitars an a few tasty melodic lead sections.

The Mariner Full-Length, 2022

Official Site

HMR (RUSSIA)

Based on the EP, this band plays unpretentious modern post-thrash with heavy and power metal elements thrown in. This is mild stuff with melodic guitars and cool clean vocals which would entertain the heavy/power metal crowd more since there are hardly any attempts at a faster more aggressive play.

Russkaia Stal EP, 2006
Protiv Vseh Full-length, 2008
Prosto i Grubo Full-length, 2009
Kontrolnui Vuistrel Full-Length, 2012
Ad uje Zdes Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

HMR (USA)

The full-length: this act offers modern power/thrash metal of the heavy type with frequent references to stoner/doom. Consequently not much headbanging thrash is to be encountered: "Cockring" is a cool exception being an intense speedy piece, and the opening "The Ultra-Violent Wax" is a cool merry Motorhead-ish roller-coaster, but the rest lacks an edge merging into one heavy, somewhat tedious, whole. "Religion Of The Sick" is 12-min of ponderous clumsy doom bringing the album really down at the end.

The demo is a better offering more deeply immersed in the old school and is a generally good reminder of the glory days of American power/thrash. "Rivethead" is a wild headbanger but later on the guys slow down still remaining heavy and entertaining the closer "Speaking In Tongues" the real winner here with its hard-hitting semi-technical riffs and nice melodic leads.

Therapy for Anger Demo, 1995
Religion of the Sick Full-length, 1996

My Space

HOAX (FRANCE)

Based on "Ego Eater", this is a combination of thrash and classic heavy metal, somewhat similar to mid-period Exciter ("Long Live the Loud", above all) or Hellmasters. Most of the time the pace is quite energetic and the music packs a punch in a jolly playful way.

"Pressure" is a really heavy industrialized affair, having already embraced the post-thrash tendencies producing something not too far removed from their compatriots Treponem Pal's debut. Certainly, the approach is more dynamic recalling the band's vivacious debut at times ("Soul Corridor"), but the guitars are too abrasive shattering all classic illusions quickly. Still, the consistent hammering tone of the album doesn't annoy: the band find a good balance between the steam-rollers and the more playful numbers, the former not shying from doom too much ("One World").

"Brainstorm at Dawn" is in a similar to its predecessor vein, developing in a dynamic industrial, post-thrash direction, the cold mechanical atmosphere now even more accentuated on futuristic cuts ala Killing Joke and mid-period Prong, like "Let it Rip" and "Conscience". Long quasi-progressive draggers like "Little White Sun" could have been left out, though, and could have been replaced by jumpy technical pieces like the closing "Few Days", which show the more stylish, but seldom audible, side of the band.

Ego Eater Full-length, 1991
Pressure Full-length, 1994
Brainstorm at Dawn Full-length, 1995

HOBBS' ANGEL OF DEATH (AUSTRALIA)

This band released a fairly good Slayer-influenced debut in 1988 which offered fast intense music for most of the time, as well as longer more elaborate songs ("Marie Antoinette"), including more melodic guitars and cool atmospheric quiet breaks. Seldom could one catch more stylish semi-technical hooks ("Brotherhood"). It was interesting to see whether the band would give more room to their more ambitious, and arguably more intersting side, but they got lost shortly after this release.

"Inheritance" comes after a long, 7-year hiatus, with very few fans remembering the band. It's far from disappointment, though, with some of the songs thrashing with full force in a great old school way ("Depopulation", the brutal, death-tinged "Skeptics"). The band's more technical side, which remained to be further developed, has found realisation on heavy slower numbers ("Revenge"), but later the diversity is quite big with acoustic instrumentals; pure death metal explosions; the inevitable "flirtations" with the modern groovy sound; tracks with a lighter crossover spirit; and one excellent smashing speed/thrasher as a finishing touch ("Lost Faith").
"Heaven Bled": Peter Hobbs is back with an entirely new line-up having borrowed musicians from the Italian thrashers Violentor. So it should come as no surprise the opening "Il Mostro di Firenzi" titled in Italian, a ferocious death/thrasher ala the Dutch Thanatos and Torture Squad. The madness only becomes bigger on the next "Walk My Path" regardless of the beautiful melodic lead sections; and "Final Feast" is almost a full-blooded deathster making this new opus the guy's most brutal recording blast-beats incorporated at every opportunity even on the longer, more serious title-track. The band's actual musical skills start shining on the two closing compositions, "Hypocrites" which is a cool dramatic shredder with semi-balladic insertions; and "Abomination" which closes the album with heavy doom riffs. Hobbs hasn't changed his effective forceful, semi-clean vocal delivery, and leads the show with panache feeling confident enough to take a more prominent part this time in the new retro thrash revival.

Hobbs' Angel of Death Full-length, 1988
Inheritance Full-length, 1995
Heaven Bled Full-Length, 2016

My Space

HOBGOBLIN (USA)

Heavy, mostly modern thrash with a groovy edge, but not stale, with some more jumpy tracks ("Short Cut") present, a situation spoiled by "Moms on Meth", an awful stoner/funk/hardcore track.

Demo Demo, 2008

My Space

HOBOKNIFE (USA)

Based on "Wig of Flies", these guys serve sinister old school thrash that can be quite ripping ("Starving"), but for most of the time the band entertain with marginally more complex riff-patterns ("View from the Gutter", the epic black-tinged "Bacchanalia"), the more simplistic riffage on "Concealed Blade" reminding of both Motorhead and early Bathory, not to mention the radio-friendly rockabilia "Wig of Flies" which is partly ruined by the very shouty threatening deathly vocals. Some of the band members also play with the black metal outfits Neckbrace and Battlemaster.

Vagrants Full-length, 2015
Wig of Flies Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HOCNIS (BRAZIL)

Modern thrash of the groovy type with very good bass performance which speeds up on occasion: the hardcore-ish "Insane Vision", which is a vicious dramatic piece topped by the expressive semi-death metal vocals.

Demo(niac) EP, 2010

HODOS (ARGENTINA)

A typical for the country friendly conglomerate of power, speed and thrash which focuses on the melody almost exclusively, the epic march “Sobrevivir” influencing the remainder, be it the galloping pageant “Falsas Promesas” or the abrasive fast-paced anthem “No A La Mina”. The good levelled clean singer doesn’t emit too much passion, but his mid-ranged antics deliver in their own way, including the lead guitarist who steals the show on “Bloqueando Tu Realidad” with breath-taking melodious pyrotechnics.

Del Infierno Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HOG (SWEDEN)

This is cool heavy modern thrash ranging from dramatic pounding thrashy doomsters ("Serpent Coil") to heavy volcanic mid-paced shredders ("Remembrance "). "Into the Chasm" is a very good example of the guys' characteristic seismic delivery, and the other cuts follow the model pretty closely the latter spiced at times by more dynamic insertions ("Devoid"). The vocal duel is also on the better side both the shouty death metal and the emotional clean vocals leaving a positive impression.

Arahant Full-Length, 2016

HOKUM (GERMANY)

Based on the "No Escape" EP, this very talented outfit serve fairly capable technical thrash/death with swirling paces, sudden twists, and a few heavy doom-laden passages. The wild piece of technical brutality "Manticore" opens this effort and although it's a largely death metal affair, later on the listener will come across several thrash-prone cuts: the superb technical fiesta "Silent Assassin", a glorious reminder of Pestilence"s "Testimony of the Ancients"; and the creepy Coroner-esque progressiver "Face The End". This isn't "the end", though, which arrives with the two-part "Goats", both compositions (the first one contains a fantastic lead section) jumpy modern listens kind of betraying the more technical tone of the prevalent material again alluding to Coroner, "Grin" in particular. The singer is nothing special rending his throat in a shouty death metal-ish manner.
"Pi" is a strong continuation the band now bringing their level very near the one of consummate "craftsmen" like Atheist, Coroner again, Alarum, and the Czechs Scenery. In other words, we have really good technical/progressive thrash/death devoid of the frequent speedy extremes of the debut EP, but utterly delights with the serpentine twisting sections which acquire a surreal abstract flavour on "Live to Suffer", before "Into the Wall" fills the space with virtuoso bassisms and shattering technical riffs. Comes "Sloth" which is anything but a lazer; this is another perfect display of technical mastery setting the scene for the arrival of the 8.5-min instrumental opus "The Dawn of Change" which is mostly calm jazz and funky intricacies laced by a brutal section near the end; good stuff. The funky infatuations carry on on "How Long", but not for long as "The Key" provides the key to some elaborate progressive thrash with atmospheric lead passages. The title-track, another instrumental, is a great finish with meandering vortex-like guitars and the casual more intense insertion. The singer is more restrained now, again belonging to the death metal genre, but having a more comprehensive and more attached tone.
"The Creation of Pain" is the next in line complex exercise in technical proficiency which this time is completely devoid of death metal preserving the thrash for the opening title-track which marches on in a steady up-tempo, before the serenity settles in with the following "Inexorable", and is seldom interrupted later on as the approach becomes an appetizing blend between Alarum's "Eventuality" and Aftermath's "Eyes of Tomorrow"; so expect mostly minimalistic creepy stuff with standout musicianship mainly in the lead department. The calmness perhaps gets too big in the second half solely shaken by the closer "Eroded" which brings back the thrash with a cool consistent main motif.

First Blood Demo, 2005
No Escape EP, 2006
Pi Full-length, 2008
The Creation Of Pain Full-length, 2011

Official Site

HOLE IN THE SKY (UK)

With the band showing their tribute to Black Sabbath from the get-go, one shouldn't wonder why their brand of post-thrash mixed with stoner/doom sounds like a desirable (that's relative) updated version of the Sabbaths' early days; music-wise only, though, since in the vocal department we have an apocalyptic vicious mean semi-shouter of the whispered type who actually matches the sinister music landscape which consists of heavy mid-paced riffs spiced with the odd sense of melody. This is dark brooding music, a bit monotonous but not completely without merits even recalling the macabre morose experiments on Celtic Frost's "Monotheist".

Hole In The Sky EP, 2013

HOLIER THAN THOU? (USA)

The debut: good fast-paced thrash/crossover: short, explosive tracks, which are not mindless bashing, but come with nice sharp thrashy riffs, and even catchy choruses, albeit of the shouty, hardcore-ish variety. On the most aggressive moments the guys are close to Cryptic Slaughter, but most of the time the music flows in the spirit of Ratos de Porao and early Prong.
"Riviera Sessions" contains a much softer material (apparently sessions on the tempting Riviera can never produce good results...) although the majority of the songs are in the same vein: short intense crossover thrashers with a bigger shade of punk this time, and pure heavy metal jokes thrown in: "Sex & Death", which is a Motorhead cover.

Holier Than Thou? EP, 2000
The Hating of The Guts Full-length, 2001
Riviera Sessions Full-length, 2003

My Space

HOLLOW (BRAZIL)

The debut: these Brazilian "spirit soldiers" thrash in a heavy modern fashion recalling Sepultura's "Chaos AD" quite a bit. The singer is an attached death metal semi-shouter and does a good job energizing the atmosphere which doesn't really go up to the speedy parametres but manages to keep the listener's attention with good pounding rhythms and tasteful semi-melodic guitar work.
"Downfall" is a more intense and more varied offering with a more flexible rhythm-section bordering on the progressive (the melodic roller-coaster "It's Real", the pounding epicer "Kill or Be Killed"). Some inspired impetuous thrashing can be come across on "Let Me Die", and on the battle-like Bolt Thrower-esque "tank" "True War", the highlights here, with the jumpier, semi-technical shredder "Terrorism" not far behind.

Spirit Soldier Full-Length, 2014
Downfall Full-Length, 2018

Official Site

HOLLOW (CANADA)

This band play decent old school Bay-Areasque thrash which is accompanied by noisy hissing production, the guys producing something progressive and semi-technical on "Swastika", the energetic veneer of said composition later picked by the short frivolous "Metropole" and the brisk thrash/crossover joy "Endless End". Bigger mid-paced gravity comes served on "To Die in a Bottle", but it's the closing "Today" which goes away with the prizes, a vivid complex representation which also receives some support from the passable mid-ranged clean vocalist.

Hollow EP, 1997

HOLLOW (CHINA)

This is laid-back post-thrash with a few touches of hardcore which give this otherwise mellow effort a more aggressive colouring ("Grind", which is not exactly grind, and thrashes with a bigger conviction as well at some stage). The singer is clean with a good deep voice who just doesn't fit the picture too well and is consequently not given much space.

Hollow EP, 2007

Official Site

HOLLOW (NORWAY)

A cool mix of post-thrash, more intense modern thrash, and a bit of power metal. The guys are well versed in creating appealing melodic landscapes, and quite a few memorable choruses have been thrown in, ably supported by the good deep clean vocals and the heavy, but laid-back, guitars. The music is mid-tempo all around, but the thundering rhythm-section would be satisfying to the fans: check out the hammering riffs on "Close Your Eyes" which also smells doom. Near the end a lot of hearts will melt on the quiet piano-driven ballad "Twisted Life", the compensation coming right after on the energetic closer "Out Of Control" which lashes riffs with style and catchiness. This is pleasant stuff with a big crossover potential and will remind of the GZR efforts ("Black Science", above all) and a more aggressive version of the first two Volbeat albums.

Dark Thoughts Full-length, 2010

My Space

HOLLOW (USA)

Based on the debut demo: this band is the first vehicle for the guitar virtuoso Ralph Santolla (Deicide, Obituary, Death, etc.). He doesn't have to shine too much here since the delivery isn't very demanding except on the colossal (14-min!) "Storyline" which is still pretty straight-forward for most of the time, and the vivid semi-technicaller "Cry of an Innocent Man". The title-track is an imposing ballad which rivals everything from the Testament and Metallica repertoire in this field, ruined by the rough semi-death metal vocals.

When I Awake Demo, 1993
God in Hell Demo, 1997
Slaughtering the Wicked EP, 2008

Official Site

HOLLOW GROUND (USA)

Modern post-thrash with an alternative edge, calm and pretty uneventful if we exclude the odd jumpy moment, attempting something more progressive with more sprawling balladic sections not too far from Opeth but the latter are clearly overdone stretching into whole songs near the end. In addition, the rough groovy riffs on the rest of the material ruin the intentions as well as the very uneven "duel" between the brutal death and the clean alternative vocals.

Devir Full-length, 2010

HOLLOW HEAD (BRAZIL)

Dark, gothic modern power/thrash which recalls Paradise Lost and mid-period Sentenced quite a bit including in the passionate gruff semi-clean vocals. "Ghosts" livens up the situation with a portion of vivid more dynamic rhythms, and "Dancing with Fire" near the end justifies its "fiery" title with another outburst of less bridled energy before the closing "Time to Fight" wraps it on with impetuous galloping riffs showing a band who should give it more brutal for the future since this is where their real power lies.

Poverty of Mind Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

HOLLOWED (GERMANY)

The full-length: a capable old school/modern thrash hybrid which has its brisk lashing side (“W. M. D.”), but this is largely stomping mid-tempo stuff accentuated by rowdy numbers like “Season Of The Witch” and “2001”, the more energetic layout of “On My Knees” creating some moshing environment for a while. The elegiac “Crysalis” is another intriguing moment, the overall delivery reminiscent of 90’s Overkill, except in the harsh semi-deathly vocal department.

Shattered EP, 2019
Soulkiller Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HOLLY MADDUX (USA)

This act provides an extreme mix of thrash, death and industrial which isn't a total waste if we exclude the slightly boring groovy sections which stand no chance against the dynamic Swedish-influenced passages. The leads are quite cool, both melodic and technical, but the overdone vocal participation is hardly an advantage: one can hear husky black-ish, brutal growly, and even clean female ones at the end.

Homegrown Full-Length, 2009

HOLOCAUST (NORTH MACEDONIA)

This is retro thrash with is right as rain executed and contains a few surprises as a whole, the Bay-Area models seemingly the most courted ones, the leveled mid-ranged semi-clean singer merging with the orthodox music background, the latter coming alive on the diverse sprightly shredder "Domination of Sinners" and the semi-complex "Endless Hate", then majority of the playing time spent in not very impressive mid-paced anthems, the musicians surely doing a better job in the other two formations with their participation, the melo-deathsters Triggered and the technical death/thrash formation Victim Yield.

Ground Zero Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HOLOCAUST (UK)

This legendary NWOBHM act never made it to the first echelon although in the beginning they were right along Iron Maiden, Saxon and Venom as one of the more distinguished representatives of the wave. They lost inertia after the release of their good debut "The Nightcomers", but in the late 80's they decided to pay tribute to the fashionable at the time thrash metal genre. To talk about full-blooded thrash in the band's output, is too farfetched, but this heavy sharp sound will definitely make quite a few extreme metal fans listen with care.
"The Sound of Souls" is a fine small piece of progressive/technically-minded proto-thrash which begins in a fairly intense manner with the energetic speed/thrasher "This AnnihilationX". "I Smash The Void" carries some of the experimental spirit of the Voivod works from around the same time: heavy, almost doomy, eclectic composition. "Dance Into The Vortex" is a superb display of technical avantgarde musicianship which also thrashes with full force, and combined with the abstract riffage makes for a really compelling listen. More heavy eclecticism arrives with the instrumental "Curious" which wakes up in the second half to bring forward great non-conventional energetic labyrinthine guitar work, in other words: expect another, this time instrumental, progressive thrash brilliance. "Three Ways to Die" goes over the top, though, lasting for more than 12-min, combining several styles within its very hard to swallow structure with thrash being the predominant one, but the frequent time changes, the very abstract riffage (these guys are pioneers in the field, only second to Voivod probably; at that time Anacrusis were still bashing in a pretty direct manner), some of which is simply marvelous, not miles away from the vortexes created by the German representatives of the genre (Mekong Delta, Living Death, Deathrow) a few years earlier, will require several repeated listens before one puts two-and-two together. This EP could have been a solid base for a strong follow-up, but...

The band disappeared leaving this short work hanging awkwardly in their discography, a situation not vastly improved by the release of the largely non-metal, let alone thrash metal-bound, follow-up "Hypnosis of Birds" in 1992 after which the guys hid from sight once again, but this time this was followed by an enormous sigh of relief. "Spirits Fly" came four years later, but didn't add up much to the guys' discography as it was a re-recording of its predecessor, plus the addition of several cuts from the 80's and a fairly cool rendition of Metallica's "Master of Puppets". It was "Covenant" in 1998 on which the guys finally remembered that in 1989 there was something started, and left unfinished.

"Covenant" continues exactly where "The Sound of Souls" left off; once the opener "Leper's Progress" starts thrashing in an avantgarde, abstract, but also quite intense way, one knows that this time there won't be disappointed. Well, "Salt Heart" is the exact opposite to the opener sounding like a leftover from "Hypnosis of Birds", but "Return to Dust" grabs you by the throat shortly after with its heavy doomy guitars preparing you for the coming of the progressive, 17-min (!) long opus "The Battle of Soaring Woodhelven" which contains a solid doze of thrash of, expectedly, the more complex type mixed with more laid-back atmospheric sections, dreamy acoustic balladic interludes, and more. Despite the massive length of the song, the guys manage to keep the listener interested in the proceedings, frequently switching moods and tempos. "Valley of Megiddo" is a fairly original mixture of several moods with a great main pounding doom riff which flows into the next "Mount Thunder", which develops the guys' interest in doom further, and the 2nd half comes as a relief turning to speed/thrash for inspiration, finished with a nice progressive passage. "We Shall See Him As He Is" is a slower dark progressive track, whereas "Alexander" (which is another tribute to Alexander the Great, done in a way no worse that Iron Maiden themselves) extends into another progressive song of epic proportions.
"Primal" is the band's most consistent, and arguably best, achievement; it comes as a thrashier version of Kreator's "Outcast", with a more technical edge. It has this unique dark, almost gothic-tinged, sound which very few other works can be proud of. "Iron Will" will grab you with its heavy hypnotic abrasive riffs: watch out for the opening riffs which will throw you into an Anvil direction ("Forged in Fire"). "Black Box" adds more dark atmosphere carrying on in the same brooding, mid-paced manner. "Hell on Earth" is the obligatory very heavy doom-charged number, followed by the shorter, progressive "Transcendence" which is melodic, and kind of off-the-track. "Fools (Bring On The Light)" is a more energetic technical thrasher after which things become more intense, with "Made Righteous" which thrashes in a heavier doom fashion. "It's Your Dream" is not too far behind, but is faster, with a more pounding rhythm section, and a shade of Ministry-like industrial. "They Colonize" is an apocalyptic gloomy composition which speeds up a bit with a monotonous, but interesting, main theme. "Colossus" is the ultimate doom/thrasher, whereas the last (not "lost") "Lost Horizons" finally reminds of the more progressive side of the band's style with a more laid-back, heavy metal riffage which is almost nowhere to be heard on the other tracks.
The music on this album is stripped from the more elaborate decorations and the sprawling progressive songs which may be a drawback to some, but the final result is a tight compact sound which acts as one whole without sounding samey and one-dimensional, with biting sharp numbers which get their message through more directly, without much ado. Whether this would be the dominant tendency in the band's music from now on remains to be seen, but it's really hard to predict the next step of one of the most original acts on the metal scene.

The Sound of Souls EP, 1989
Covenant Full-length, 1998
Primal Full-length, 2003

Official Site

HOLOCAUST (USA)

There's not much aggression to be savoured here, if any at all, this act providing dark somber rhythms seldom leaving the mid-tempo mixing "remnants" form the 80's with the governing trends of the time eventually surrendering to the groove the second half consisting exclusively of dragging groovers full of boring tedious riffs where falling asleep is guaranteed if one doesn't wake up from the scary death metal vocals which break the intolerable monotony with the odd higher shout the latter also intercepted by the dynamic Carnivore-sque closer "Dementia" on which even the singer takes a more melodic turn resembling early Peter Steele (R.I.P.) with the nice melodic leads another fresh element thrown into the otherwise totally stale approach.

Aggression Full-Length, 1994

HOLOCAUSTIC (USA)

The modern thrash/death hybrid is in full swing on this pretty intense recording which seldom switches to a more moderate pace the band intent on generating as much aggression from their repertoire as possible. In fact, nearly every composition here has a more ambitious vibe, especially the brooding mid-tempo creeper "The Summoning" and the dramatic death/thrasher "Psychopomp", the highlight here. The vocal "harsh hysterical vs. shouty deathly" duel is nothing really special, the guy(s) not sparing himself a lot without contributing much to the better musicality. The band members also play with the retro thrashers Visions of Death, and another thrash/death metal hybrider, Horror.

Exhibit C Full-length, 2020

Youtube

HOLOCAUSTO (BRAZIL)

The band's debut was typical for the Brazilian metal scene of the 80's: raw very aggressive and fast thrash/proto-death, quite extreme even for the Brazilian standards with very basic musicianship involved which places it at the bottom of the ladder for 1987, below the works of Sarcofago, Sepultura and Vulcano. "Blocked Minds" very surprisingly softened the course bringing other influences on the table: Prong (the hardcore intensity and the vocals), Razor (occasional faster tracks: "Hunger"). The music is more professionally done, mostly mid-tempo, and the guitars have an interesting dry sound that became much more fashionable later in the 90's. "Negatives" was a huge surprise, a very unexpected, but a truly impressive change into technical/progressive thrash metal ala Voivod. The dry sound of the guitars remains, but the riffs are much more intriguing and interesting, still retaining a strong edge and an energetic pace ("Austroptecus Tecnologicus", "Muted By Fear"). Even the most technical numbers also flow nicely with not much complexity going on ("Negatives", "Congratulations, Mr. Money"). Later the band radically modernized their sound to the point of absurdity and completely lost their significance to the thrash, and even the metal, world in general.
The EP sees the guys return to thrash metal territory also bringing quite a bit of death metal to aggravate the proceedings. This is a total rendition of the debut, primal chaotic bash with brutal guttural death metal vocals. "Escarro Napalm" makes some sense with its more stylish barrage, and "Eu Sou a Guerra" is a cool reminder of early Possessed; but don't expect anything along the lines of "Negatives".
"Diário de Guerra" is a total return to the band's very brutal roots, and as such should be respected to a certain extent. This is barely restrained old school thrash/death/black harsh wound-inducing stuff that at least does away with all the experimental shite the band have been dabbling with. Hammering pummeling cuts like "Zona de Conflito (Faixa de Gaza)" and "Holocausto" are a bit more than semi-messy chaos, but the sheer brutality for the sake of it exercised is worth your attention, especially when more proficient, more thrash-peppered tracks ("Simbolos da Discordia", the moody atmospheric pounder "Ocupacao Hostil") come to the fore, mortifying the impact from burgeoning in-your-face grinders like the wild title-track. Watch out also for the short ripping closer "Pelotao da Morte", a cool overly vehement way to close this very aggressive eye-gouging entertainment.

Campo de Exterminio Full-length, 1987
Blocked Minds Full-length, 1988
Negatives Full-length, 1990
War Metal Massacre EP, 2016
Diario de Guerra Full-length, 2019

Official Site

HOLOCAUSTO (CHILE)

Death/thrash of the heavy pounding variety, crossing the modern and the classic tastes in equal dozes, but seldom speeds up, and at some point one may get tired listening to this one-dimensional wall of sound topped by very brutal low-tuned vocals not miles away from the ones offered by Chris Barnes, maybe a tad more intelligible.

B-316 Demo, 1999

HOLOCAUSTO (COLOMBIA)

The full-length debut: this a really cool mix of thrash and doom on the longer tracks with brutal death metal vocals. The melodic riffs are simply addictive as well as the more quiet orchestral sections. Still, there's plenty of thrash to be heard, especially on short speedy delights like "Destino Final" & "Mental Torture", or the brutal thrash/death cut "Existencia" which bashes violently for just under a min. "Postrauma" is another enjoyable more serious thrasher with melodic hooks the latter a staple gimmick for the band used quite aptly at the most appropriate time. This isn't an uneven effort, on the contrary, both sides are well balanced giving it a nice characteristic sound on its own which has a lot of potential for a future development.
The demo is a rough affair with slower and faster songs mixed awkwardly on a noisy background the band seemingly quite far from the professionalism displayed on their only official release the latter solely displayed on the intriguing melodic dark piece "Iconos" which is a short intense cut with a memorable main theme. The singer quarrels throughout trying to overshout the noisy musical picture and succeeds with his aggro-rendings ornate by a darker deathly shade.
"Seres Inertes" is a heroic power/thrash affair starting with then galloping hymn "Imperio". The gallops are well translated on the following "No Hay Tiempo", before "La Espada De La Muerte" recalls the band's infatuations with doom metal from the debut. "Orcos" thrashes with more passion, but also with more melody being a cool instrumental, and the closing title-track will cause major headaches all around with its furious riffs breaking the morose atmosphere at the end.

Utopia Demo, 1996
Tortura Mental Full-Length, 2011
Seres Inertes Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

HOLOCAUSTO WAR METAL (BRAZIL)

This is the sequel to the legends Holocausto. Based on "Made in War", this extension play fast ripping retro black/thrash which at times is pure blasting Impaled Nazarene-sque rage ("Guerra", "Cartas do Front"), the cover of the seismic Holocausto debut title-track the main respite on this hyper-active recording, which also serves another portion of heavy mellower rhythms on "Exterminio Humano", the hoarse hardcore/deathly vocals playing second fiddle on this eye-gouging slab… definitely not for the squeamish, also closer to their compatriots Sarcofago's first entry in style than the Holocausto repertoire.
The debut is a total take on the militant no-bars-held style of the debut, plus hefty sniffs of the outrages of the Finns Impaled Nazarene. There are few references to the older act's earlier repertoire, this is brutal in-your-face stuff which won't make much sense for the fans of Holocausto, but those who dug their compatriots Sarcofago's first effort "INRI", will rejoice. The flag carrier here is titled "ISIS", though, an aggressive thrash/blacker which is followed by a downpour of aural musical violence, with both "Ex Combatentes" and "Simo Hayha" shattering the senses in a very similar fashion, the short bass-driven punker "Arames Farpados" the only more relaxing moment here, the more seriously-assembled "Sniper_ Alvona Mira" giving thrash bigger chances to shine. The closing "Cobras Fumantes" is perhaps another such oasis to an extent, a more moderate basher with an insistent pounding main motif. The hoarse semi-declamatory hardcore vocalist isn't bad, actually, and can even exude some pretensions at actual singing on occasion.

Batismo de Fogo Full-length, 2020
Made in War Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HOLOCHAUST (FINLAND)

Heavy/proto-thrash of the classic type, soft pleasant stuff which often descends to balladic waters ("I Wanna Lie", the overlong idyll Sad Life Philosophy"), plus a couple of frivolous rock'n roll cavalcades ("Nemesis") also roaming around, the gruff but cool semi-clean mid-ranged vocalist accommodating the radio-friendly potential of this feelgood recording. Later the guys hardened the course as Darcane, and later as Mind-A-Stray, by starting playing harder power/thrash.

Ultimate Metal Trademark Full-length, 1998

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HOLOCROSS (USA)

The band's debut was good Razor-like thrash metal, probably less intensive (compared to "Shotgun Messiah"). The short hardcore-ish opener "Wolf Pak" is surely an eye-opener, but later on the band come up with laid-back mid-pacers ("Warpath") and more optimistic speedsters ("Manslaughter"), the impetuous speed/thrasher "Drill" the seeming highlight with its intriguing melodic embellishments, with "Battle Stations" bashing with reckless abandon, matching the vehemence of the mentioned Razor magnum opus every bit of the way. The only more overt annoyance here would be the vocalist's attempts at the very high, shrieky octaves which don't leave a very positive impression compared to his prevalent mid-ranged semi-clean timbre.
17 years later, the sound hasn't moved a bit, featuring the same aggressive old school sound; this time the guitar work is sharper, albeit a bit dry, and the singer varies his approach more often. The intensity admirably picks a proto-death character at times ("Painful Reminder", "The Bludgeoning"), but the music's more attractive side are the heavier slower pieces recalling early Meshuggah ("Ded Bolt", "Deathrattle") with their impassionate mechanical atmosphere. Some softer power/thrashers (the closing "A.I.M.") are also included to add up to the interesting varied nature of this album.

Holocross Full-length, 1988
Hypercaust Full-length, 2005

Vibrations of Doom

HOLOGRAM (MEXICO)

Based on the compilation, which contains both demos by the way, this act deliver classic progressive power metal which is built around heavy largely mid-tempo rhythms and virtuoso lead sections the latter recalling the guys' compatriots Toxodeth. Music-wise this isn't as adeptly stitched, though, as the compositions lack coherence which is a pity as the musicians definitely know how to lay their instruments including the omnipresent bassist. "Into the Hologram" comes close to being the highlight, a seismic shredder which touches both thrash and death in a complex dramatic manner, but such peaks aren't reached later as the monotony becomes too big except on the shorter material (the choppy melodic thrasher "Ordainer of Reality") which delivers way better. The same, however, cant be said about the insipid one-dimensional vocals the man keeping to a dispassionate semi-declamatory timbre the entire time.

Hologram Demo, 1994
Ordainer of Reality Demo, 1995
Into the Hologram Compilation, 1996

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HOLOSADE (UK)

Power/thrash metal, poorly produced, similar to early Helstar and Tension, with direct nods to classic heavy metal ("Nightmare Reality"), but not as impressive. The singer does a good job with his clean mid-ranged voice which easily picks higher notes without sounding annoying. The guys only seldom thrash with force ("Look Into The Mirror", "Madame Guillotine"), but even those moments come served with more melodic heavy/power metal hooks. "Psycho" is a great speed/power track, though, with powerful riffs and an energetic galloping tempo, and "Welcome To Hell House" isn't too far behind, being more melodic but fast and energetic all over. Still, there could have been more of the kind to make this album more appealing to the thrash metal fan.
"A Circle Of Silent Screams" is actually the band's 1994 demo which was intended as a full-length, but never saw the light of day as such. Here the sound has been improved although the old school feel has been retained all over the guys speed/thrashing with inspiration as evident from the "eagle fly free" galloper "Masquerade" and the excellent shredding progressiver "The Return". "Computer World" is another highlight, a varied speed/thrasher with a few cool melodic licks, and "Eastern Promise" is the progressive power metal composition the band have always wanted to produce, a really good cut with elusive Oriental motifs. "Little Miss", despite its friendly title, is a formidable steam-roller, and "Once Upon A Nightmare" is another hard-hitting opus with an insistent main riff. The closer "Babylon's Burning" moshes around for about 3-min, adding the carefree crossover flair to make this very cool effort a very well kept secret all these years, and a promise for a more prominent presence of the band on the scene.
"Anastasis": that's now an unheralded comeback, from a really worthy in the past act; the guys don't disappoint, on the contrary, this is a really awesome slab of old school thrash, with "7 Seconds" thrashing hard with a fine sense of melody, with more technical rhythms being introduced on "Through the Eyes of Wrath", an exemplary entangled shredder. "Ascension from the Waves" is a heavy mid-paced hymn, but expect multi-layered prog-thrash on "Money to Burn", a nice variegated proposition which can be traced later on the virtuoso-prone "Chaos Takes Control" and "Rise", the fabulous guitar work accentuating the dynamic extrapolations, with "Something Follows" a sure qualifier for the works of any above-average Shrapnel practitioner. Watch out also for the summative 11-min closer "Detonation to Oblivion", a diverse speed/thrashing behemoth which gracefully sums up the album at the end, including the absolutely lofty guitar pyrotechnics. A great comeback this is, a true highlight of 2021.

Hell House Full-length, 1988
A Circle Of Silent Screams Unreleased Album, 2015
Anastasis Full-length, 2021

Vibrations of Doom

HOLOSTOI VYISTREL (RUSSIA)

Based on the first demo: roughly-sounding retro thrash of the heavy type, mid to up-tempo with very cool melodic leads which are kind of awkward compared to the much more simplistic background which doesn't serve the long compositions right, and they can quickly turn into tiring experiences with a little variety offered. The singer is semi-declamatory with a husky low voice, and his unrehearsed performance fits well the amateurish music.

Krestovyi Pokhod Demo, 1990
Vampyr Demo, 1991
Totalnuj Ishod Full-length, 1993

HOLY BATTALION (POLAND)

Based on the debut demo, this act plays pretty decent old school thrash, mostly fast-paced, in a way not far from Paradox mixed with a more aggressive "sting" (there's also a song titled "Scorpion") ala late-80's Kreator. The guys shred well, but the sound quality is really bad marring their efforts quite a bit.
The "Breaking the Face" demo suffers from the same bad sound quality, but the music remains enjoyable, fast and relentless, again staying true to the German metal laws, this time even producing something more thought-out and technical: "The Ballad", which isn't really a ballad but is a nice diverse number with several tempo changes breaking the speedy patterns; "Sinner's Confession", a prime speed/thrasher with progressive overtones akin to Paradox's "Heresy". The speed gets high again on the very difficult to recognize cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" which is turned into a wild Kreator-esque mosher without too many ties to the original.

Cosmic War Demo, 1989
Breaking the Face Demo, 1990

HOLY CROSS (FRANCE)

Based on "Place Your Bets", this is frolic mild power/thrash/speed which carefree character is somehow not quite matched by the harsh semi-clean vocals which could have been more high-strung for this "eagle fly free" kind of music. Heads may bang in agreement on a couple of more dynamic galloping passages but generally this is entertainment for the soft souls, those who prefer their power metal spiced with the odd more aggressive riff.

Under the Flag Full-length, 2009
Place Your Bets Full-length, 2013

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HOLY DEATH (BRAZIL)

This is intense fast-paced thrash which suffers from an awful sound quality which tones down the instruments and puts the vocals up front. Otherwise the band shred with force the bass playing a major role with its constant pyrotechnics, with the leads following suit the latter too short and again, marred by the bad sound. The aforementioned vocals are on the more attached semi-declamatory side and can be quite clearly heard, for better or worse.

Mutants for President! Demo, 1989

HOLY HELL (USA)

This act indulge in heavy squashing modern post-thrash/thrash/death which establishes the volcanic eruption with the 8.5-min opener "God Descends", but later on the style is more dynamic, although genuinely speedy passages are hard to come by, with relatively short bolts of seismic intensity ("Scars & Stripes") taking turns with occasional fast-paced hardcore-tinged outbursts, the shouty semi-death metal vocalist doing his best to accommodate the steam-roller musicality. Some of the band members also play with the brutal deathsters Mortality.

Blasphemous Transformation Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HOLY HITMAN (CHILE)

Pretty decent classic thrash is at play here, with both heavy pounding numbers (“The Purge”) and thought-out semi-technical excursions (“Well Paid Job”) taking turns, the slow-burning atmospheric “Gulag” pairing well with the galloping fervor of “Endlos Blitzkrieg”. “W.L.1” is an effective melodic extrapolation, and the final “Die on Realities” is pure high-octane doom with dazzling melodic leads.

Loss of Humanity Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HOLY MOSES (GERMANY)

The first female fronted thrash metal band from Germany, Holy Moses are often considered the best representative of the genre right after the "holy three"(you name them). "Finished With The Dogs" is a thrash metal classic which established the band as a major force on the German metal scene. Its follow-up took a heavier and more technical, even progressive at times, delivery, but was equally as effective. "Terminal Terror" showed that the band had still more to offer with its sure-handed more technical approach to the style. This was obviously the band's creative peak as their career started going down after this one, first with "Reborn Dogs" where the guys tried to sound more aggressive, even death metal-like, and second with "No Matter What's The Cause" which made things much worse with its groovy modern sound (this is the only Holy Moses album in which Sabina Classen doesn't participate). The new millennium saw the band finding its way to the forefront of thrash metal once again with another string of quality releases.

"Agony of Death" is probably the band's finest achievement since the beginning of the new millennium, seeing the guys (and a girl) thrashing with gusto and inspiration. The compositions are longer than the ones witnessed on previous releases, but in terms of technicality there's nothing too extraordinary. There are moments from the Swedish scene (the slower atmospheric sections on "World In Darkness" and "Pseudohalluzination") as well as a nice keyboard background provided on the excellent "Dissociative Disorder"- some great leads are there, too), and all of the songs end in a more sprawling, but effective manner, with ambient/orchestral themes which for a thrash metal album could be viewed as somewhat pretentious and overdone, especially when they're too long ("Delusional Denial": a great small technical thrasher, a strong reminder of "Terminal Terror"). The tempo is quite energetic (except on the stomper "Schizophrenia"), and the riffs are sharp; Classen sings in a more controlled, but still vicious way. The final offers more aggressive thrashing mixed with clever semi-technical riffs, with "The Retreat", and on the opposite side we have a nice dark mid-paced smasher ("Through Shattered Minds/Agony Of Death") with, again, an overlong ambient outro which closes the whole album, and is actually quite compelling and captivating (it's a popular operatic theme which I have problems recalling).

"Redefined Mayhem": the band try to redefine their mayhem here after another lengthy hiatus, and on the opening "Hellhound" they all sound quite hungry including the "hell"ish Sabine Classen behind the mike. The delivery is a tad more engaging than the one witnessed on the few previous efforts, and the tracks now come with a sophisticated technical edge which comes modernized and boosted, not having much to say on the slower material ("Into The Dark"). However, it reigns supreme on vigorous semi-technicallers like "Sacred Sorrows" and the dramatic headbanger "Process Of Projection". "Fading Realities" is another less ordinary number with its insistent technical motif which turns to pure speed metal on the following "Liars". Run for cover on the shattering proto-deathster "Redemption Of The Shattered" which is a fairly new insertion into the band's repertoire, and may come as quite a surprise. "Delusion" may be somewhat "delusional" with its slow pensive rhythms which also stay around for the closing "One Step Ahead Of Death", an oblivious doom piece with not much relation to the preceding "carnage", and having absolutely nothing to do with the actual, closer: the over 1-min of brutal hardcore under the title "The Dirt". There's plenty of good stuff to be savoured here, and with whole 13 cuts served one would indefinitely find something to frown upon, albeit very rarely.
"Invisible Queen": the invisible queen becomes visible every ten years, and although such sporadic emergencies would hardly increase her reputation drastically, at least it keeps her fans in semi-hot anticipation of her subsequent exploits. The one here by all means deserved more accolades thrown Classen's way, as this is easily the band's most aggressive entry since "Reborn Dogs". This is also a fairly intricate, technical recording, the twisted extrapolations on the opening "Downfall of Mankind" leading the way, the sophisticated mosher "Cult of the Machine" and the non-fussy proto-death shorter "Order out of Chaos" joining the fray with reckless abandon. The title-track adds more fuel into the sizzling furnace, an uncompromising headbanger which instigates a death/proto-death pogo on "Alternative Reality", the more brutal veneer remaining for the rest of the album, with vehement blast-beating motifs entering the Moses' consciousness for the first time, to the audience's utter surprise. No such extremities later but both the fervent galloping "Outcast" and the wild unfettered semi-technicaller "Forces Great and Hidden" contain more than enough fiery licks to pull back the faint-of-heart. Supreme tech-thrashing takes over on the exemplary "Depersonalized", the possible highlight here, before "Through the Veils of Sleep" wraps it on with even more entangled vortexes, a couple of expert melodic leads making this closure even more attractive. Well, the queen is more than alive and well, that's for sure; and her subordinates should rejoice on all counts once exposed to her current lofty exploits.

Queen of Siam Full-length, 1986
Finished with the Dogs Full-length, 1987
The New Machine of Liechtenstein Full-length, 1989
World Chaos Full-length, 1990
Terminal Terror Full-length, 1991
Reborn Dogs Full-length, 1992
No Matter What's the Cause Full-length, 1994
Master of Disaster EP, 2001
Disorder of the Order Full-length, 2002
Strength Power Will Passion Full-length, 2005
Agony of Death Full-Length, 2008
Redefined Mayhem Full-Length, 2014
Invisible Queen Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HOLY ORDER (CANADA)

First-rate technical thrash along the lines of early Coroner and the guys' compatriots Obliveon and Dyoxen; this is great music as the guys aren't strangers to more aggressive riffage ala Slayer ("Hateful Rage") or fine speedy smashers ("Crack Down") of a more immediate nature. This is an encyclopaedia of expertly crafted classic technical thrash metal, highly recommended.

Hateful Rage EP, 1990

Fan Site

HOLY PAIN (FRANCE)

This French act specializes in classic power/speed/thrash straddling the road somewhere between Manticora and mid-period Blind Guardian. "Among Religions" is an energetic affair with more concentration on speed metal, and as such will bang the heads quite often. There are a few more modern insertions with echoes of Children of Bodom and more recent Lyzanxia ("Let Me Die"), as well as the odd slower cut ("Agony"), all sustained in a heavy, hard-hitting fashion with a very clear, boosted guitar sound. The vocalist isn't bad with his authoritative mid-ranged timbre reminiscent of Matt Barlow (Iced Earth).

"Rebellion" is the lesser achievement the guys having become much more modern-sounding, having lost the speed as well, sticking to chunky, jumpy riffs leaning strongly towards the Gothenburg scene on quite a few moments which in its turn leads to plenty of melodic hooks that should keep you entertained some of them coming with nice Oriental "ornamentations". "Family Secret" is a cool speedster of the more laid-back type, and the title-track is a more serious thrashy shredder but the rest merges together into one passable modern power/thrash metal opera without too many ups and downs.

Last Sigh Full-length, 2006
Among Religions Full-length, 2008
Rebellion Full-length, 2010

Official Site

HOLY PRISON (ISRAEL)

This is old school thrash done competently with ripping riffs and fast tight tracks. The band keep it both simple (the direct smasher "Killinghood") and complex (the long elaborate lasher "Above Death") the energy never lost even on the happy power metal anthem "Roads To Freedom" and also nicely blended with a more technical play on the closing "The Darkest Side". The singer is a bit of a pullback, though, with his hardcore shouty timbre.

Bloody Hell Demo, 2012

HOLY SCEPTRE (USA)

This is pretty good retro speed/thrash in the vein of Agent Steel's "Unstoppable Force" and later-period Laaz Rockit. "Dark Deeds" is a ripping opener, a dramatic speed/thrasher with solid galloping riffs and soaring vocals ala Bruce Dickinson. "The Return" also leaves a trace boasting a good "duel" between the leads and the thundering bass which is obviously the guys' leading instrument. "Modern Day Jesus Freaks" is 3.5-min of heavy crushing riffs, a vintage thrasher with dramatic tempo changes; not even a rehearsal for the magnum opus "Demoniac" which is a larger-than-life piece with numerous pace alternations, nice melodic leads, hard thrashing moments, and a very good bass intro reminiscent of Cliff Burton's (R.I.P.) "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" from the Metallica debut. "Infanticide" is a wild technical shredder with thunderous bass support and shades of death metal. The aggressive technicality continues on the final "Condomnation" which also brings back the awesome galloping riffage from the beginning, along with furious proto-death sections which see the guys equally as capable of pulling out more brutal stuff when needed. Anyway, regardless of how good the music was, and how many influences were well embedded into it, this talented act never managed to develop them any further.

Knowledge of the Holy EP, 1994

HOLY TERROR (USA)

Holy Terror were founded by the former Agent Steel guitar player Kurt Kilfelt. His new band impresses in a manner no worse than his old band, offering a pleasant deviation from the standard thrash formula, and are one of the more respected American speed/thrash metal bands. Their style is speed/thrash with NWOBHM elements and guitar harmonies which will remind you of Iron Maiden. On top of that we have very interesting vocals which range from nice clean ones to proto-death growling, to slightly strained, but effective husky ones. This guy is a real find with his unique ability to create some of the most infectious choruses; they're not exactly melodic and sing-along, but the way he delivers the lyrics on them is one-of-a-kind.

"Terror and Submission" starts in an uncompromising speed/thrash fashion ala Agent Steel's debut with the lightning "Black Plague". Later the album offers another, very interesting material: the galloping power/thrasher "Evil's Rising", the speed monster "Mortal Fear". For a while the sound descends to more common, but still impressive heavy/power metal ("Guardians of the Netherworld", "Distant Calling"), before returning to the speed/thrash metal field with "Terror & Submission". "Tomorrow's End" excels in speed (the album stays more on the speed metal side, but this is hardly a complaint), and "Alpha Omega" closes the album in a remarkable way featuring superb dual lead guitar attack.
"Mind Wars" also starts in a fairly aggressive way with the smashing fast "Judas Reward". The speed even increases for the follower "Debt of Pain", and later the guitars become sharper and heavier, and the songs longer. Again there are classic heavy metal tracks roaming around ("The Immoral Wasteland") but the rest is speed/thrash at its best: check out the killing aggressive smashers "Do Unto Others" and "No Resurrection", and the glorious album closer "Christian Resistance", a speed metal classic seldom surpassed after all these years. With these two albums this band quickly joined the front echelons of speed/thrash metal, but like many others from the same time didn't last long to enjoy this status more.

Terror and Submission Full-length, 1987
Mind Wars Full-length, 1988

Official Site

HOLY WAR (GREECE)

The noisy guitar background may be an annoyance to some who may not be able to enjoy a lot from this otherwise capable take on the old school thrash idea which "flirts" with Vio-Lence's "Eternal Nightmare" except on the moments where it suddenly gets too officiant and stomping ("No Future (React)"). The end is preserved for a cover of the Greek hardcore legends Xaotiko Telos ("Zoume Sto Skotadi").

Demo Demo, 2011

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HOLYCIDE (SPAIN)

Based on the full-length debut, this act provide intriguing classic thrash which is quite scattered and semi-technical on the opening "Afterworld Remnants" the band also throwing in some death metal into "the furnace". The title-track follows the same path with brisk speedy riffs, but the technical pretensions gradually disappear replaced by more orthodox headbangers ("Eager to Take Control", "Motorhead"). "Losers" near the end is a Detente cover adding more to the carefree roller-coaster feel of the album despite the gruff not very passionate semi-death metal vocals. The musicians also play in the death metal veterans Avulsed, and the doom/death formation FamishGod.
"Fist to Face" takes no prisoners once again, the band knowing their craft, thrashing with style, the opening title-track setting the tone with its impetuous galloping vigour the latter handsomely picked by "Empty Cyber Life" and the more intricate delight "Vultures". "Nuclear Fallout" is the definitive headbanger of the new millennium, ripping old school thrash to the bone, and "Trapped by the Crappy Trap" tries a more brutal proto-death therapy for a bit before "Mentality Packs" offers something more sophisticated and technical. "The Aftermath" is a cover of the legends Recipients of Death, aggressive in-your-face Slayerism which contrasts with the more cleverly-performed roller-coaster "Napalm Sweet Napalm" and the melody and leads-happy closer "Innocent Hate". The guys have done a very good job here, adding to the very positive impression left by the year 2020 at this early stage.
“Towards Idiocracy” follows the same hyper-active trajectory, with more dramatic proto-death vistas drawn on “A.I. Supremacy”, with both “Remote Control” and “Lie Is the New Truth” following suit with firm headbanging determination, the more stylish riffage of “Technophobia” not finding a match elsewhere, the speedy spinning histrionics of “Angry for Nothing” gelling well with the vitriolic rhythms of “Pleased to Be Deceived”.

Toxic Mutation EP, 2015
Annihilate... Then Ask! Full-length, 2017
Fist to Face Full-length, 2020
Bazookiller EP, 2023
Towards Idiocracy Full-length, 2024

Official Site

HOLYWARS (SWITZERLAND)

A capable outfit who specialize in all-instrumental retro thrash, something which other acts (Mastery) have tried previously, more or less successfully. The delivery is both simplistic and complex as both sides alternate the latter more thoroughly represented on the longer numbers ("R'e9solution", the Metallica-worship "Psychose"). The problem is that the guitar work is exactly the same on every track: hard-hitting chugga-chugga riffage with very little melody present, no leads at all, a regular alternation of fast and slow tempos, and that gets repeated over and over the sole exception being "Purgatoire" which serves a couple of more melodic motifs near the end. This is all professionally done, but ends up sounding too one-dimensional and mechanical in the long run.

Requiem Full-Length, 2013

HOME STYLE SURGERY (FINLAND)

The full-length: these Finns specialize in quite cool varied classic thrash which has its more intense side (the raging proto-deathy "bullet" "Moshbusiness") and seldom lets the tempo down with some curious twisted technicality ("City that God Forsook") also "roaming" around. The more complex moments grow into the stylish longer closer "Three Mothers" which also resembles the more elaborate "flirtations" of early Destruction with its dominant speedy approach and the frequent change of pace. The production is suitably rough with echoes from the past, and the only minor throwback would be the gruff low-tuned death metal vocals which at times shout and scream randomly creating a lot of "painfilled" noise.

The "Two Essays of Disturbing Human Behaviour" demo is exactly two essays of precise technical thrash which weave their tapestries in a way not far from Megadeth's "Rust in Peace". The songs are full of unexpected time and tempo shifts with plenty of fast-paced rhythms to satisfy even the most pretentious headbanger. "Sachiko Ever After" is built around vigorous galloping riffs which later metamorph into spastic atonal guitars and a few other weird decisions. This is a great hint at what may befall the listener on a subsequent full-length, and an album of similar music would be a sure winner on the metal scene, even worldwide.
"Trauma Gallery": the sophomore finally arrives, and the fanbase should be happy with this quasi-progressive thrash carnival which on the opening "Explore the Dimension" is presented in a fairly energetic manner with nice melodies flying around. Both the energy and the melody stay around for the hyper-active roller-coaster "Atomosphobia" before "Sachiko Ever After", already heard on the preceding demo, comes perplexing the listener with the weird time-signatures and the quirky rhythm-section, an amorphous masterpiece which influences the following "The Red Ripper Case", a creepy volatile shredder sustained in various paces. Later on the delivery isn't as intriguing the guys moshing wildly on "Haunted Mindscape" with slightly misplaced blast-beats, and squeezing a bit of intricacy from the short spastic "Verge of Confrontation", overdoing it to an extent on the overlong closing title-track with too many nuances embedded to a disorienting effect.
"Brain Drill Poetry" is a really cool stylish affair, the opening short spastic title-track setting the tone for this enjoyable saga which later offers both similar brief hectic technicallers ("Necrodecoration") and lengthy contrived excursions ("434") where quite a few nuances get tossed around to the listener's delight. The mosh becomes big on impetuous pieces like "Actio in Distans" and "Fade into Grey", these cuts a also containing enough entangled moments to satisfy fans of Toxik and Realm. Please welcome the not very heralded tech-death/thrash expletives on "Exit Homunculus", another excellent less ordinary saga, "Surgical Sculpture" also retaining some of this more brutal edge for a sizzling intricate journey with numerous both contrived and hyper-active passages.

Painfilled Noise Full-Length, 2013
Lethal Experiment EP, 2013
Two Essays of Disturbing Human Behaviour Demo, 2014
Trauma Gallery Full-length, 2018
Brain Drill Poetry Full-length, 2021

Official Site

HOMESTELL (FRANCE)

Based on "Desecrated Empyrean", these guys play heavy crushing groovy thrash/death metal which at its most dynamic recalls early Fear Factory ("Murderous Factory": the name may be an allusion to the Americans; "Schematic Century"), but there are moments where the music softens down bordering on alternative. Still, there's a lot of thrashing of both the fast and the pounding mid-paced type, and "Autopsy" is a cool touch being an industrialized doomy instrumental.

Desillusions Full-length, 2007
Desecrated Empyrean Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HOMICIDA (CHILE)

These Chileans pull out four tracks (the debut demo) of energetic retro speed/thrash recalling the early Overkill efforts; the music packs a punch despite the fuzzy guitar sound, but the singer doesn't leave a very positive impression with his harsh throaty shouts.

"Renacer Satanico" is a 4-tracker which delivers in the same way: intense uncompromising speed/thrash of the old school, played on full-throttle, but ruined by the bad unrehearsed vocals which shout drunkenly all over. The riffs cut without too many melodic adherences seldom "disturbed" by the short screamy leads.

Sacrificio Demo, 2009
Matando Cristianos Demo, 2009
Renacer Sat'e1nico Demo, 2010

Official Site

HOMICIDE (CANADA)

Based on "Left for Dead", this band play raucous classic thrash which lashes with both speed ("Shot to Hell", the Slayer-esque ball of fury "Nightmares of the Apocalypse") and sophistication (the morose mid-pacer "Enemy of the State"), the intense semi-shouty/semi-clean vocals assisting with all the authority they can summon.

Malice and Forethought Full-length, 1995
Left for Dead Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HOMICIDE (ITALY)

The Promotape is just two tracks of groovy, industrialized post-thrash with bad shouty vocals. The music isn't very eventful being jumpy, but derivative, sounding like a poor man's Fear Factory ("Mother Pulse Machine", which is an obvious nod to the Americans' "Scumgrief" from "The Soul of a New Machine") on the more inspired moments.
The "Retaliation Fall" demo is a gem which offers some of the best retro thrash to ever come out of Italy. "Misleading Reality" is a ripping cut with clever progressive guitar work which on "Darkness Vortex" becomes slower and choppier, but equally as enchanting. "W.O.W./Pepite II" is a short bubblegum/punk joke, but the next "Shadowed Truth" is a virtuous technicaller with ripping guitars and swirling rhythms. The closer "Flying on the Wings of Time" is another standout progressive thrash number recalling Paradox plus an added more brutal proto-death boost and several very cool bass implements. This is a really great obscurity which remains one of Italian metal's finest moments.

We on the Cross Demo, 1992
Retaliation Fall Demo, 1993
Self Determined Breed Demo, 1995
Promotape Demo, 1997

HOMICIDE HAGRIDDEN (ITALY)

Based on "Dead Black Sun": Slayer-worship done with style (think their late 80's period); the vocals are in the hardcore camp with the exception of the ones on the dark, haunting opener "Dead Black Sun", and at times resemble the ones Tom Araya himself was using on "God Hates Us All". The guitars are both sharp and with a nice melodic edge, and the music never gets too aggressive, and fast-paced numbers like "The Hunt" and "Screams" are not quite common. The guys concentrate on heavy, but also semi-technical riffs ("Constriction") with a distinctive dark edge. "Scorn" is a particularly impressive song starting in a funereal doom metal fashion before turning into a much more intense thrasher.

"US" isn't far stylistically from the debut now even sounding closer to Slayer including the Americans' updated modern-ish transformations during the 90rquote s. This is good energetic stuff all over the singer now impersonating Tom Araya down to the -T- to the point that one may think that Tom has lent his vocal abilities here for a change. After the dynamic opening duo of tracks the band produce the dark/black creeper "Black as War", but the guys" adherence to speed this time seldom gets challenged; even the relatively lengthy 5-min shredder "Dimension Zero" rarely comprises a staggering slower section. The other calm moment on the album would be the meditative doom/thrasher "Sign Of The Death" at the end which closes the album with a nice stylish bass-driven balladic outro. The huge 8-year gap is hardly felt here the band thrashing like in the good old days, content enough to follow faithfully one of the genre's biggest heroes.

"Effect Lucifero" continues the infatuation with Slayer now impersonating them even more, the singer displaying more versatility with cleaner, less shouty deviations this time. No complaints, though, because there are enough motifs here for one to see that the guys aren't mere copycats and the good clean vocals springing up here and there are just one indication of that. The mosh is very extensively covered with lashing riffs waiting at every corner, and few will be those to sit tight through pieces like "Lie to an Angel & "Lethal Agreement" the latter notching it up to a death metal intensity even, the highlight on this effort the closing progressiver "The Unsaid" a close second. The band don't disappoint, and their old fanbase should be kept thoroughly satisfied as well as those who love the good old Slayer to bits.

Where Angels Work EP, 2000
Dead Black Sun Full-length, 2004
US Full-Length, 2012
Effect Lucifero Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

HOMINIDOS (UKRAINE)

This act serve modern thrashcore which is firmly on the wild bashing side with short fiery pieces that often descend to pure unbridled hardcore ("Jytie Gute", "Instinto Do Vida"), the headbanging merits of this short recording undisputable, the pounding choppy "Zabic Tebe" the only seeming respite here, the very shouty hardcore/death singer a major performer, rending his lungs at every opportunity. Some of the musicians are also active with the retro thrashers Reabilitator.

Hominidos Era Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HOMO PRIMITIVE (SLOVAKIA)

Modern thrash/death with rending death metal vocals; not the most innovative compilation in the world, the band combining dramatic melodic mid-pacers ("Feast Beast") with more aggressive violators ("Hippocampal Loss"), the slow-burning pounds of "Jungian Shadow" cancelled by strings of fast-paced rippers ("Death Awaits All Human Scum", the more melodic "Blurr").

Existential Horror Full-Length, 2024

Official Site

HOMO SAPIENS (GREECE)

This act indulges in cool, energetic speed/thrash of the old school. The guitars are crisp recalling the ones from Pile Driver's "Stay Ugly", acquiring a more galloping aspect ("Hypnosis") on occasion. The rest is pretty speedy, "Shark Attack" (which isn't a Wehrmacht cover) being a furious piece with raging riffs, followed by the more controlled speed metal-based closer "War Infection". The singer has a convincing semi-clean timbre which he uses in a detached, semi-declamatory manner.

Hypnosis Demo, 2011

My Space

HONESTY (MEXICO)

This power trio from Mexico City serve cool classic thrash which alternates short immediate roller-coasters ("Paranormal") with marginally more elaborate exercises in power/thrash ("Humans Fall") the latter side being not eventful, and definitely not as exciting as the shorter material which also comprises the furious headbanger "Aggressive of Destruction" and the quirky melodic hecticer "Never More". The vocals range from spiteful semi-clean to more attached clean the two aspects taking turns a bit awkwardly without following the music swings.

Honesty Full-length, 2018

Official Site

HONEY (USA)

Based on the full-length, this band play stuff strictly for honeys, sticky gluey classic thrash/crossover topped by very high-strung shouty but suitable clean-ish vocals. The hyper-active title-track opens the proceedings, a wild shredder with swirling soaring leads, "Eye for an Eye" moshing with a bigger sense of thrashing aggression, the stomping mid-pacer "Dancing with Death" calming the situation to an extent, before the latter erupts in a fountain of speedy expletives on the more speed metal-oriented "The Insurrection". "Deceiving Is an Art" is a moody doom all-instrumental creeper, but run for cover on the frenetic "Plagued by Demons", a not very restrained cut which leads to the strange semi-technical "Sink", a not very orthodox combination of thrash/crossover and more intimidating deathly accumulations, the final "Relentless" justifying its title with another portion of ripping neck-spraining riffs.

Nightmare Come to Life EP, 2020
Forever Fire Full-length, 2021

Official Site

HONEYBUNCHES OF DEATH (USA)

Modern power/post-thrash which brings nothing new to the table but might entertain the audience with its flippant Faith No More-sque veneer, the band rolling from pedestrian bouncy groovers ("Bottom of an Endless Pit") to rowdier steam-rollers ("Ooey Gooey") and catchy sing-alongers ("Alone"), the vocals trying to cover the musical swings, stretching from passable clean tirades to hardcore shouts and some intriguing semi-recitals.

Honeybunches of Death Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HOPE (CROATIA)

Based on "Battle Within", this is a Christian band who play modern thrash/death metal which boasts nice speedy headbangers ("Eyes of the Deceiver", "Redemption") along with cool deviations like the epic-tinged "In Temptation (Homage a B.S.)", or the gothic, Lake of Tears-like "Unconditional Love". And let's not forget the brilliant intro and outro which are more than just artificial ways to begin and end an album.

More Than Words Full-length, 2003
Light of the Salvation Full-length, 2005
Battle Within Full-length, 2007

Official Site

HORCAS (ARGENTINA)

Horcas are the one of the three most significant thrash metal bands from Argentina. Their style isn't too different from the one of the other two (Lethal and Hermetica), being speed/thrash/power metal with nice guitar work and good vocals. After two fine albums the band took a break, and five years later were ready again with a new offering; the style was slightly adapted to the modern tendencies, but quite a few of the songs were still hitting as hard as their older material.

"Reviviendo Huestes" begins quite intensely with the first two tracks being prime speed/thrashers. Later on predictably the album courts power metal, but without losing completely its aggressive edge. Unfortunately pleasant surprises are nowhere to be found except for isolated sections from separate songs, and the final remake of their old hit "Solucion Suicida" which preserves the fine galloping tempo of the original alongside the addictive chorus.

"Por Tu Honor": the uplifting "eagle fly free" approach of the Horcas is in full swing here, and the guys haven't sounded so classic in ages which should by all means be a plus. Still, there's not much thrash to be savoured the band early settling for the not very eventful mid-paced delivery which occupies a healthy space from the middle before "Sembrando Venganza" comes speed/thrashing down in the second half, an approach which doesn't quite find the needed support later on another, and the final, outburst of energy being the closer "Guerreros". Fans of the band shouldn't be disappointed, especially now that they're not such a regular presence on the scene anymore.
"Gritando Verdades" is a marginally more intense, and consequently better recording than its predecessor, the guys commencing their headbanging conquest with the virulent opener "Soberbia", a most assured speed/thrasher which later leaves room for radio-friendly rockers (the title-track), welcoming semi-ballads ("Rabia"), and soulful balladic outtakes ("Silencios"). "Infame" is another gust of energy, a confident speedster which impetuous march is later partly supported by "Primitivo" and the lively "Sindrome", but not quite by the doom steam-roller "Calma Infernal". "Mundo Caos" is a formidable near-thrasher, infecting the closing "Prision Mental", a dynamic optimistic epitaph with a wider range of rhythms. The vocals remain on a fairly high level throughout, passionate clean croons that soar above the perfectly acceptable musicalities. This is the good old Horcas, no unpleasant surprises, no wayward transformations... the way of the hardened reliant warrior.
"El Diablo" is a milder meeker affair, the opening "Ciego Para Ver" pouring a lot of optimism into the cauldron initially, the title-track showing the guys' more tender heart with mild rock-ish rhythms, the balladic sway "Ya No Hay Dolor" not doing much to put this effort back on the fast-paced track, with another soulful presence ("El Infierno Que Inventás") later in the second half putting the approach towards the sleepy parametres, with only "Padre Nuestro" with bigger verve at some stage, "Espiral" adding its fair share to the hardening of the course with another doze of more aggressive riffs.

Reinar'e1 la Tempestad Full-length, 1990
Oid Mortales el Grito Sangrado Full-length, 1992
Vence Full-length, 1997
Eternos Full-length, 1999
Horcas Full-length, 2002
Demencial Full-length, 2004
Asesino Full-length, 2006
Reviviendo Huestes Full-length, 2008
Por Tu Honor Full-Length, 2013
Gritando Verdades Full-length, 2018
El Diablo Full-length, 2024

Official Site

HORD (FRANCE)

Modern thrash/death metal with an abrasive synthesized guitar sound; the approach is dynamic, constantly switching between fast frantic and slower heavy sections the latter slightly dominating giving this effort an atmospheric gothic shade.

The Waste Land EP, 2010

HORDA (HUNGARY)

Based on the full-length: industrialized cold groovy post-thrash sitting somewhere between early Treponem Pal and Puncture; expect meaty crushing riffs and a few more dynamic tempos which may satisfy the headbangers although the delivery is dry and mechanic loosening up a bit on the closing "Az Ordog Kozenk Cult" which features a nice balladic lead-driven section and is the only more melody-tinged composition.

The demo doesn't break any new ground, but is intriguing enough with its alternation between fast and slow moments always retaining the crushing steam-roller heaviness of the guitars which only falters on several more laid-back passages ("Venomous"). The singer has a suitable harsh semi-death metal tone reminiscent of Lars Goran Petrov (Entombed) and Al Yurgensen (Ministry) and possesses enough drama despite his dominant semi-declamatory/semi-shouty delivery.

The self-titled full-length is in tone with the band's dominant style the robotic mechanical riffage ruling the proceedings from beginning to end containing a fair amount of atmosphere. "Thrown Down Disguise" is a cool industrial headbanger which inserts a solid doze of dynamics which is later dissipated, but in a great lead-driven manner, on the excellent atmospheric closer "Matter Of Taste".

Horda EP, 2000
T'edz Elet Full-length, 2008
Demo Demo, 2012
Horda Full-Length, 2012

Official Site

HORDE OF ANACHRON (CANADA)

A mix of death and thrash metal sounding like a thrashier Deicide; technical stuff as well and quite diverse constantly changing tempos from fast to slow and vice versa. "Fixed to the Volatile" is a bit more modern with melodic Swedish leanings, but watch out for technical opuses like "The Forged Sky" and "Celestial Demise of the Impure", or the black metal-tinged fury "The Chamber Beneath the Bard". The shorter numbers ("In the Path of the Tyrant", "Dawn of Invincibility", the closing "Funeral Winds" which also has a strong black metal shade) are straight death/thrash bullets without many deviations except for the very good melodic leads which are strong rivals to the sharp technical riffs for the highlight on this cool varied effort.

Aeons of Damnation Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HORDE OF TORMENT (USA)

This band were known under the name Pestilence earlier. The style here is better, good aggressive thrash with somewhat strained hardcore-ish vocals. The music is in the vein of the Canadians Overthrow, or Violence's "Eternal Nightmare", but the guitars at times have this genuine technical edge, plus the occasional adherence to death metal. It's albums like these which tried to keep up the flame of classic thrash metal alive in the early 90's.

Product of a Sick Mind Full-length, 1991

My Space

HORDEARII (HOLLAND)

These lads were earlier known as Tribal Spirits when the style was more on the thrash side; here the delivery has been brutalized with a hefty doze of death metal with blasting outrages ("Limbo") peppering the landscape, "irritating" more officiant less intense stompers like "Thousand Yard Stare". Thrash invariably takes the upper hand ("Acceptable Intolerance") here and there, but the album is evenly split by the two genres the quarrelsome shouty singer firmly stepped on deathly ground. Some of the musicians are also involved with the Dutch death/thrashers Shinigami.

Styx Full-length, 2018

Official Site

HORDES OF THE APOCALYPSE (SWEDEN)

The full-length debut: crusty modern thrash/death done by two guys who vary their blitzkrieg approach with more moderate numbers and create a cool party atmosphere not far removed from Motorhead or Tank, in the second half even serving radio-friendly hard'n heavy to a slightly disorienting effect. "Chainsaw Scumfuck" thrashes harder with a few speedy escapades, but this is more of a hit-and-miss affair which doesn't exactly know which audience to centre on.
"Une Nuit Dans Le Cimetiere": the prolific Swedes waste no time, and after a string of demos arrives the full-length to put an end (at this stage) to their never-ending supply of jolly feelgood speed/proto-thrash which suddenly gets too aggressive with shades of sinister death metal on "Night of the Amnesiacs". Elsewhere the guys remind of Voivod's more friendly period ("Fleshy Blonde She-Zombie"), or plainly exit the speedy metal field with soaring epic arrangements ("A Cult of Blood-drinking Aristocrats") the latter gracing at least half of the songs. This is party stuff the guys obviously having fun jumping for joy along with the punk and the hard rock fraternity.

Now They Are Everywhere! There Is No Escape! Full-Length, 2015
By Sword, By Pick, By Axe, Bye Bye EP, 2016
The Melting Body Horror Experience EP, 2016
A.I.D.S. EP, 2016
Une Nuit Dans Le Cimetiere Full-length, 2016

Official Site

HORDES OF THE BLACK CROSS (AUSTRALIA)

Based on the full-length, these Aussies play an epic bombastic form of black/thrash which opens in a more linear thrashy manner with "The Stalker's Poison", but black metal slowly takes over and establishes the atmospheric orchestral arrangements and the hyper-blast insertions. Shades of Bathory ("Storms In The Abyss") can be felt on the more laid-back material, but there's too much blasting here to please the level-headed thrash metal fan if we exclude the cool Alastor-esque "Law Of Death". The vocals are, needless to add, of the shouty raven-like type and "croak" their way with authority and quite comprehensively.

Hordes of the Black Cross EP, 2011
Dawn of War, Nights of Chaos Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

HORFIXION (CANADA)

A very worthy technical death/thrash metal band, another fine addition to the very technical Canadian metal scene. The band's style kind of reminds of another Canadian band, Martyr, but is less adventurous and more deeply rooted in thrash. "Disynchronize" is a great debut with not very long technical numbers circling around the mid-tempo. Although this isn't the band's most complex release, great technical riffs are present all over (the title-track, "Human Machine") along with the direct headbanging ones ("Rage"). "Tears of Sand" is a very stylish track with calmer dream-like guitars.

"Instigators of Chaos" begins the way Death's "Symbolic" did, in an energetic and technical manner. But after that the sound takes an even more technical direction for a while with the brilliant twisting "Different Man": a masterpiece of technical thrash/death. Then the energy comes back, even accompanied by blast-beats ("Minefield", "Misfortune") this time and superb melodic guitar work ("Emotional Storm"). Later come two longer more elaborate songs with strong nods to Martyr and Death followed by two short deviations: the less-than-1-min grindcore bomb "V.A.B.", and the marvelous acoustic instrumental "Magma".
"Self Inflicted Hell" is the band's thrashiest effort with great headbanging sections all over which dominate over the technical ones. The guitar sound is thicker and heavier recalling late-80's Slayer ("Digitalized Existence"). Their fans might have been a bit disappointed as the guys have abandoned the technical exuberance replacing it with more standard thrash patterns which also work well for most of the time.

The band got lost for quite a bit, but their more stripped-down approach from "Self Inflicted Hell" is intact on "The Art of Agony" which again may be a disappointment to the fans of the old works since there's less technicality involved, save for the longer more meandering opener "Black Door 666", and the contrived speed/thrashing roller-coaster "Died in a Corner". This is mostly direct vicious old school thrash metal with elements of proto-death (the vicious "Burn to Death", the Death-laced "The Dark Judgement of Men"), still well played, fast and tight reminiscent of more recent No Return (minus their last release "Manipulated Mind"), but in the sea of similarly-styled efforts of more recent times this one is hardly the highlight. With 13 tracks presented here the guys haven't quite felt the urge to pull out some of their staple awesome technical hooks on more regular bases, relying instead on good steady, but hardly very original or impressive guitar work.

Rage EP, 1999
Disynchronize Full-length, 2000
Instigators of Chaos Full-length, 2002
Self Inflicted Hell Full-length, 2004
The Art of Agony Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HORLET (USA)

Based on the full-length, this band offer standard modern thrash/death which is modeled after the Gothenburg patterns seldom surprising with something out of the box (the nice heavy dramatic progressiver "So Far Away"; the unexpected blasting sections on the diverse shredder "Gypsy"). The band don't rely on speed too much and their more epic approach may tire at some stage as well as the frequent acoustic/balladic intros/outros inserted among the songs. The singer is the staple subdued shouter in the vein of Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity). Some of the guys took part in the death metal formation Dead Broke before they apparently went "dead broke" and disbanded a few years earlier.

EP EP, 2010
The Keys of Life and Death Full-length, 2013

Official Site

HORN OF THE RHINO (SPAIN)

Based on "Grengus", these guys offer a more dynamic thrashier version of the good old sludge/doom; a ground already well covered on their first two recordings which were released under the name Rhino. Certainly, the music stays closer to doom with several more energetic passages roaming around to make the head bang (the speedy delight "To Ride the Leviathan"; the few death metal sections on the closing "Waste for Ghouls"). The singer is expectedly rough and hardcore-ish in a way not too far from Mike Williams (EyeHateGod).

Weight of Coronation Full-length, 2010
Grengus Full-length, 2012

Official Site

HORRESCO REFERENS (FRANCE)

Based on "...Of Our Souls", this band offer a very diverse blend of styles: the base is 80's thrash metal akin to early Metallica and Exodus but there are furious death/thrash attacks as well as atmospheric black metal moments; oh, and let's not forget the classic heavy/power metal riffs which pop up here and there. The singer should be given a medal for his talent to change his vocal style according to the music at present. The overall atmosphere is somewhat operatic, something which formations, who have gathered with the clear intention to make a metal opera, have failed to achieve.
The debut is a marginally more homogenous fare with thrash leading the way, the delightful blazing lead sections on "Ahmanem VI" later finding some support on the progressive extravaganza "Outlive", a melodic epic pageant ruined partially by the gruff death metal singer. More progressive melo-thrash on the "Everlasting Climax", before "Dimension Zero" steps in firmly with a heavier more officious delivery, courting both power and doom along the elephantine way.

The Cesspit Full-length, 1999
...Of Our Souls Full-length, 2003
Deus Sex Machina EP, 2005

Official Site

HORRIBLE CREATURES (CZECH)

Based on the full-length, this act specialize in a modern/classic thrash blend which displays some intricacy ("Prisoner of Disease"), but the more simplistic formulas bordering on hardcore ("Chaos") are just around the corner making this effort a slightly uneven affair regardless of the presence of primal headbangers like "Choke". The vocals are very shouty reaching the hysterical confines but somehow suit the modern abrasive guitars.

Depressive Hunt EP, 2015
Pitfall Full-length, 2017

Official Site

HORRID (SWEDEN)

Classic thrash/death, violent stuff as a whole, not for the faint-of-heart, the guys moshing with virulence, shooting full-fledged tributes to death metal ("Murder") with ease, the guttural semi-shouty singer another sinister presence, "The Cause" showing some thrashy semi-technical valour in order to collect the laurels for the highlight on this brutal unpolished obscurity.

Pure Hate Demo, 1992

Youtube

HORRID (USA)

Based on the full-length, these guys play pretty cool tightly executed classic thrash/death with major echoes of Death's seminal "Spiritual Healing" and Pestilence's first two efforts (think "Consuming Impulse" more), showing maturity in the musical department whereas vocal-wise the album has a lot to do to catch up: these scary death growls are not an exact match to the superior music. The band play on with displays of technicality dispersed throughout ably assisting the fast-paced riffage also helped by the expert blazing screamy leads. Thrash/death can seldom come more compelling than here nowadays: just listen to compulsive headbangers like "Evisceration" or the more straight-forward basher "Invokers of Satan" which stand well next to more elaborate offerings like "Possessed by Death" and "Infernal Crucifixion". No complaints that for most of the time the album is more on the death metal side with "Torture" near the end excelling in a more thrash-fixated shredding except for the horrifying blasting section at the end. Hats down for the engaging closing title-track which lashes intelligent fiery riffs for nearly 9-min making this band one of the hottest propositions on the US scene right now.

Worship of Death/Invokers of Satan EP, 2008
Horrid Full-length, 2011

Official Site

HORRID SIGHT (MEXICO)

Based on the full-length, this act serve very cool ripping aggressive old school thrash/death which is both atmospheric and technical on "Sunk Ship", and morose and sinister on the doom-laden march "World of Slime". 'Even Want" is a furious blitzkrieg roller-coaster, and "Infested Land" elicits atmosphere and style for a thrilling Vektor-esque ride. "Dark Hallucination" again emphasizes more on the bashing side, and the closer "Somber Dust" is a supreme exercise on clever spastic tech-thrash, a varied eventful masterpiece with flashy lead sections and numerous twisted riff-patterns. Some of the band members are also busy with the thrash/death hybriders Inimikal.

Dark Hallucination EP, 2022
Sunk Ship EP, 2022
Evil Made Flesh Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HORRIFIC (SPAIN)

Based on the full-length, this is retro speed/thrash which cites the early German movement (Destruction, Necronomicon, Vectom) as a major influence, the inspired gallops on "El Vals de los Muertos" leading the album out of these waters, with "Crystal Lake" even introducing a few more aggressive death metal rhythms to the fore, a realm which also claims the harsh shouty vocals. "Plainfield Gore" is a sharp hard thrasher, and "Que el Tormentosea Lento" is a potent more complex odyssey.

Creado en el Infierno EP, 2019
Capítulo 1 Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HORRIFIC DISEASE (JAPAN)

Based on the full-length, these Japanese samurai play old school thrash/death which is fairly aggressive, including in the vocal department where the guy shouts deafeningly overshadowing the instruments. "Hateful Praying" is a more moderate mid-paced smasher, and later on "Your Own Justice" is another seeming respite from the dominant "carnage" which finishes with the entertaining melo-thrash/deathster "The Pissed Punisher".

Disease from Hell EP, 2012
Outbreak Full-length, 2015

Official Site

HORRIFIER (USA)

A decent entry into the retro power/thrash metal catalogue of recent years; the album starts with the instrumental speed/power metal happiness "The Ultimatum" which doesn't promise much thrash, bit is vigorous enough to prepare the listener for the next "E.B.E.", intense headbanging thrash with a few slower relieves. "Premonition" is a heavy stomper with outstanding lead guitars, followed by a string of more ordinary power metal hymns which lose the thrash metal idea until the closing "Stalingrad" which speeds up with energetic galloping rhythms. The beginning and the end are way superior to the middle the latter still a good reminder of the American 80's power metal scene's heydays.

Grim Fate Full-length, 2010

Youtube

HORROR (RUSSIA)

Based on the debut demo, this obscure act pulls out capable retro thrash of the dark brooding kind with brutal death metal vocals and a couple of atmospheric orchestral implements. The music is mostly mid-paced, but watch out for intense technical speedsters like "Animal in Human's Skin" the latter compensated by the rough exercises in early Celtic Frost ("I See"). The sound quality is fairly primitive, but these guys had some good ideas bordering on the progressive, and it would be good to check whether those tendencies had been developed on the second demo. Some of the band members also play pagan black metal in Mor.

Zone of Violence Demo, 1995
Zlye Miry Demo, 1997

HORROR COSMICO (BOLIVIA)

This is quite cool technical/progressive old school thrash which begins boldly with the intricate instrumental "DPM" before the steel precise shreds on "Demencia Astral" arrive furtively, this number also introducing the not very impressive, dispassionate semi-declamatory vocalist. "Fuera De Orbita" is an engaging progressive opus with a wide coverage of rhythms and moods, a fairly energetic representation which flows into the brilliant tight tech-thrasher "Ineficiente", a virtuous closer to this excellent short introduction to the guys' admirable skills which were also on display earlier on the works of the now-defunct tech-thrash formation Genetic Infection.

Prefacio EP, 2020

Official Site

HORROR FACTOR (USA)

This band play modern 90's power/post-thrash which shares traits from both The Black Album and Flotsam & Jetsam's "Quatro". "Raging Emotion" is ironically just a mild quasi-groover, and "Crunch-Oxygen" is a successful tribute to the doom metal realm. In other words, expect no fast-paced surprises anywhere although the bouncy crunchy riffage should keep the 90's fans hooked, including with the rough semi-clean, drunkard-esque vocals.

Coughing Ink Full-length, 1995

HORRORSCOPE (POLAND)

A capable band playing modern thrash metal of the more laid-back variety, not very fast and dynamic, but cool enough, with recent Overkill and Annihilator being obvious influences. The style doesn't change a lot throughout the albums; maybe the later works have become a bit more aggressive, somewhere along the lines of Testament's "The Gathering".

"Delicioushell" carries on thrashing the hard way with dry mechanized guitars, and as such doesn't sound too different from its predecessors except for several more classic-sounding moments: the intense proto-death shredder "Avoid the Counterfeit"; the energetic speedsters "The Scar" and "World Remains Insane"; the more technical Bay-Area thrasher "World Remains Insane", again recalling Testament. This is by no means a bad effort, professionally done and all: it's just that there are quite a few acts at the moment offering similar music, and it would take more effort and originality for the guys to manage to stick out of the sizeable pack.
"Altered Worlds Practice" continues in the same direction, intense modern thrash with a bigger number of mid-paced abrasers ("Chaos Approved") and with a couple of more amorphous progressive tracks ("Delicioushell", no track of that name on the preceding opus; the more lyrical semi-balladic "JINX"). "Direction Backwards" is a nice cold dispassionate shredder with echoes of Darkane and Altered Aeon, and the closing "Wolverine Blues" is, of course, a cover of Entombed done in the same heavy doom manner without any alterations.

Wrong Side of the Road Full-length, 1999
Pictures Of Pain Full-length, 2001
The Crushing Design Full-length, 2005
Evoking Demons Full-length, 2006
Delicioushell Full-length, 2014
Altered Worlds Practice Full-length, 2017

Official Site

HORSEMAN (GERMANY)

Based on "Of Hope, Freedom and Future", these lads serve modern thrash/post-thrash which is more on the melodic, mid-paced side of the spectre, the over-shouty, hysterical vocals the only more intimidating ingredient. The livelier moments ("Teach Them to Question") strictly belong to the Swedish melo-death movement although the finest appearance seems to be the one of the cool semi-balladic instrumental "An Open Mind Breaks Down Walls ". Some of the band members are also active with the progressive death/thrashers Devil's Fate.

Centaurus Full-length, 2010
Distortion of Liberty Full-length, 2012
Of Hope, Freedom and Future Full-length, 2018

Official Site

HORSEMEN (BRAZIL)

Based on the full-length: five "horsemen" from Brazil are riding the winds of the classic thrash movement, doing a fairly good job, especially in the more elaborate sector where stylish shredders like "Nutcracker" and "Fueled Brutality" belong. "Imminent Colision" diversifies the band's palette with less speedy, stomping rhythms which fortunately doesn't become a dominant tendency in the second half, the band gaining inertia again with brisk speedsters like "My Onslaught" and "Self-Destruction". "Speed Demon" is pure 80's speed metal joy, but the final "Splintered Steel" is an assured hard-hitting thrashing anthem making this effort a cool entry into the retro thrash fodder from the South American scene.

Wish of Rebellion EP, 2013
Thrust with Full Force Full-length, 2017

Official Site

HORSEPLAY (USA)

Messy chaotic thrashcore sounding as a not very serious rehearsal due to the amateurish musicianship and the careless attitude. These are short cuts, neither of them finished, in various tempos including a few grindy outrages, topped by violent shouty quarrelsome vocals.

Booze, Blow And Horseplay EP, 2010

HORSES HAVE PEOPLE TEETH (USA)

This is weird stuff based around modern semi-technical thrashcore which is full of both jumpy and dissonant riffs, plus the odd stoner flavour ("Sympathy For The Flies") added. It definitely has echoes of the stylish sludginess of Mastodon, but here it's served with a less serious attitude (also reflected in the relatively short song-length (2-2.5min)) and a pinch of industrial (the diverse progressive crossover piece "Flat Black"; the Neurosis-like doomster "Black Shepherd"). The vocals are too noisy shouting not very pleasantly the whole time, and some refinement in this sector would only increase the band's potential in the future.

Ugly Animals Full-Length, 2011

HOSPITAL OF DEATH (UK)

This band pull out (based on the debut) a good blend of energetic, riff-based power/speed metal ala "Painkiller" and thrash; cool and catchy stuff, with the traditional infectious choruses, but this is where the cheesiness stops. The rest is a riff-fest which beats other "Painkiller" imitators, like Centvrion, Iron Saviour, etc. The guitar work is excellent often displayed by fast, but also melodic, leads. Of course, there is a ballad, but it's quite good: "We Go Together", which nicely opposes to the quite fast tempo of the other material where one can find truly impressive smashing speed/thrashers: "Fear the Ambulance" (these guys have really embraced hard the medical/hospital idea- no kidding!), "Ooh, That's It" (this song features a magnificent lead guitar section in the middle!).

"Surge Kill Steal" follows the style established on the debut faithfully, but the sound has moved away from the "Painkiller"-worship a bit, for better or worse, and now quite a few moments from the 80's American power/thrash metal scene can be heard: Helstar, Liege Lord, Attacker, etc. The 90's power/speed metal happiness is captured on a couple of more moderate tracks ("The Iron Matron", "Deadly Wheels Of Steel"), but the galloping horse power of songs like "Let's Go Apeshit" and "Helms Deep" can't be denied. "Stairway to Hell" begins in a disappointing clumsy mid-paced manner, but near the end it turns to raging thrash which remains the most aggressive part of the album. Compared to it the rest of the material is mild to say the least, offering not much thrash, and consequently ending up sounding not as striking and full-on as, say, Cage's "Science of Annihilation", settling for a calmer power/speed metal sound. By no means a bad album, it would find a wider audience than just the average thrash metal fan.

Beer, Bithces, Blood Full-Length, 2008
Surge Kill Steal Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HOSTAGE (USA)

Hardcore-ish modern post-thrash with very unpleasant hysterical shouty vocals; the music isn't completely without merits the band capturing the magic of early Pro-Pain on more inspired cuts like "Year Of The Rat" and "Repeat Offender". Still, the delivery doesn't hold any surprises for the more initiated the mid-paced riffs wearing out by the end. And these vocals...

Desensitized To Violence Full-Length, 2011

HOSTAGE OF FATE (GREECE)

The debut: two Greeks are behind this interesting album-title and otherwise not very striking modern melodic thrash/death metal which tries to find its own face by inserting moody atmospheric moments (think Nightfall, Rotting Christ) into the Swedish formula, but they mostly succeed in breaking the pattern on the cool technical mid-pacer "In Your Darkest Hour", and less successfully on the larger-than-life 10.5-min closer "At the End, God Refused to Die" which is instrumental-only and comprises sprawling meditative passages suddenly broken by rude headbanging awakenings this amalgam creating a somewhat incoherent feeling with a few interesting ideas left unfinished.
"Blessed Light Blue" is a more aggressive entry, with death metal more accentuated on. "The Constant" is a brutal reminder of the guys' earlier efforts, a cool twisted violator which less ordinary layout later gets traced to the spastic cruster "Through Us" and the melo-technicaller "Flawfull Words". There are a few short hectic cuts towards the end, among which "Meteor" is a nice complex jump-arounder.

At First, Man Tried to Create God and He Succeeded. Full-Length, 2013
II Full-length, 2016
III - To Bring You Back Full-length, 2016
It Takes Life EP, 2016
Blessed Light Blue Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HOSTIL (PERU)

Energetic roller-coaster old school thrash the guys thrashing with passion, adding the casual more technical hook ("Nevermind Nevermore") to their hyper-active approach which also tolerates the odd stomping motif ("Trial", the more subdued, more diverse closer "Usurpador"). "Hell" is by all means the highlight, a rousing speedster with genuine technical embellishments which doesn't involve much the shouty death metal vocals.

Infernal Rites Full-length, 2018

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HOSTILE (UK)

Modern post-thrash with shades of groove and metalcore; "Dig Up The Power" is a more energetic thrasher with a retro feel, but the rest is just jumpy rehashed riffs, much inferior to the really stylish lead guitar work which this pedestrian effort simply doesn't deserve.

Eve Of Destruction Full-Length, 2011

HOSTILE RAGE (USA)

Based on the "On the Rampage" demo, this band plays glorious speed/thrash metal which sounds quite close to the German school: Paradox, Toxic Shock, early Exumer, with moments from the American power/thrash metal scene present, too. The tempo is fast, but the sound is quite heavy, with an excellent deep bass bottom. "The Last Temptation" slows down a bit, but introduces fine technical riffs ala Testament and late 80's Metallica, before it speeds up near the end.

The debut demo is more faithful to the American standards rather than the early German scene, now sounding close to early Whiplash and Blessed Death, with a pinch of more playful speed metal ala Exciter ("Dead Meat" which could be placed on "Violence & Force" any time).

The "Uncontrollable Urge" demo is another potent underground release sustained in a more carefree crossover manner with short uplifting tracks which still possess the "sting" to bite excluding the jolly punk number "Bodies" which is a sure reference to Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK". "Life With Honor" is a more full-blooded speed/thrasher, also featuring some inspired leads, which shows a band not willing to make any compromises with their staple sound regardless of the vogues of the time.

Demo Demo, 1988
On the Rampage Demo, 1989
Adrenalin Flow Demo, 1990
Furious Brutal Loud Demo, 1994
Uncontrollable Urge Demo, 1996

HOSTILE REACTION (SWEDEN)

Modern industrialized thrash metal, well done, with nice melodic choruses and a heavy, almost doomy tempo; quite atmospheric at times, too. The vocal style varies quite a bit as well; the sound might remind you of another Swedish industrial band- Misery Loves Co., but here the music is less aggressive featuring really cool riffs.

Demo Demo, 2004
Demo Demo, 2005

Official Site

HOSTILIA (SWEDEN)

This is a 3-tracker (the single), the intro "Hostilian Dream" being a min-long lyrical all-instrumental idyll, before the lads brace themselves for some inspired energetic old school power/speed/thrash with the title-track, the composed semi-declamatory vocalist racing with the steel gallops unleashed at some stage, the proficient leads stealing a couple of points as well. "Eternal Death" switches on more full-blooded thrash throttle, the band moshing with suppressed moderation, the crystal-clear sound quality another plus in this young but definitely promising resume.
The EP comprises the well-measured mid-paced title-track, the steady Bay-Areasque tribute "Let off Some Steam", the short acoustic interlude, and the early-Metallica worship "Final Breath", this last cut the most energetic representation on this otherwise not very dynamic entry.

Power Out Single, 2022
Atomic Thunder EP, 2023

Official Site

HOSTILIDAD (ARGENTINA)

Based on the 2009 demo, this band plays old school thrash/death metal mixing slow doom-laden with fast aggressive passages. The guitar work is quite stylish adding nice Oriental "ornamentations" from time to time as well as the odd technical riff. The singer unleashes a really brutal low-tuned growl which better suits the slower parts which in their turn are reminiscent of Bolt Thrower.

The debut demo is strictly on the slower side consequently being more melodic with the faster parts going straight for the Swedish death metal camp. There's not much Bolt Thrower to be heard this time, the guitar work being much less heavy and not as battle-like, the only reminder of the Brits being the guttural Karl Willets-like vocal delivery.

Demo Demo, 2007
Demo Demo, 2009

Official Site

HOSTILITY (USA)

This band, who later had a more lasting career under the name of Pale Horse, play an intriguing mixture of Floridian death metal, thrash and doom which manages to sound quite complex at times. The style is even more appealing than the one of Pale Horse being of a less ordinary nature with really stylish moments present here and there.

Soon Comes the Return Demo, 1991

HOSTILITY (USA)

Run-of-the-mill groovy post-thrash with stoner/doom moments; sleepy mid-tempo, boring uneventful guitar work, and one cool tender ballad: "Goodbye", where the angry shouty vocals are replaced by a fine clean voice.

Brick Full-Length, 1995

HOSTIS (MONTENEGRO)

Modern thrash which starts with the ambitious instrumental title-track which thrashes with passion. The vocals hit on the next "Beneath The Machinery Of Demise", and one may be pulled back due to their brutal guttural deathly flavour. The thrashing carnage is on full-throttle, though, the guys dissipating the rigorous riff-patterns with tasteful melodic leads. "In Shadow of the Crucified" goes towards more progressive Paradox-esque waters, and the closer "Gods Are Dead" follows the same direction adding more impetuous Swedish death metal leanings to the diverse saga.

Hostis Full-Length, 2016

Official Site

HOT BUTTERED ANAL (USA)

The debut: the band name might pull back some, but the music could win fans of the more melodic punk-ish side of 80's thrash/crossover. The music is an enjoyable jolly blend of The Offspring and Lawnmower Deth. A very surprising touch is the two excellent acoustic ballads "Magnum" and "Heads in the Garden", the highlights of the album.

"Lies" is another thrash/crossover parade coming with both melodic punky and brutal grindy sections. At times the riffs acquire a dry sterile Voivod-ish character ("Just Try It") and things become more interesting for a while. Still, one shouldn't expect too many "distractions" from the band's formula the other one being the jolly country cut "Duct Tape and Sausage" which sounds as though having been intended for another act.

Please Kill Me Full-length, 2007
Lies Full-Length, 2008

Official Site

HOT GRAVES (USA)

Based on the "D-Beat Death Dirge" demo, this act offers crusty abrasive thrashcore with heavy doom-laden implements recalling both early Celtic Frost and Amebix. These guys' approach is more aggressive, though, bordering on proto-death ("Rotted") at times, although melodic "reliefs" are also provided: the merry cover of Bad Religion's "Yesterdays" at the end to which the brutal death metal vocals are hardly the best "solution".
The "Desecration Time" demo offers a similar mix between crusty thrash/deathcore and seismic doomy riffs; the approach is generally up-tempo with the slower passages being short and secondary.

"Knights in White Phosphorus" is a crusty portion of death/thrash which develops in the same abrasive up-tempo from beginning to end, sometimes sounding pleasantly thrash/crossover-ish, sometimes grinding with passion ("I Claim Your Blood (In The Night)"). The odd exception to the rule is the thunderous doom/deathster "Dirge ov the Apokalyptik Horde", which remains the best song with the closing melo-death corer "Desecration Time" a close second.
"Plaguewielder" bears no surprises but the energetic delivery and the appealing crusty vibe elevate this offering to higher pedestals, the more extreme accumulations of "Infinite Glimmering Chasm" winking at the black metal community for a bit. Watch out for the sprightly speedy developments on "Temple Compromised", and for the mellower epic complexities of "View from the Gallows".

D-Beat Death Dirge Demo, 2008
Goatshed Deathrash Annihilation Demo, 2008
Demo Compilation 2008/2009 Best of/Compilation, 2010
Desecration Time Demo, 2010
Knights in White Phosphorus Full-length, 2011
Desecration Time 7" EP, 2011
Magnificent Death Full-length, 2015
Plaguewielder Full-length, 2023

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HOTH (USA)

This American horde pull out dynamic modern thrash which develops in a both energetic and fairly melodic manner the generally serious approach to song-writing reflected in relatively short numbers which hit admirable heights in the 2nd half on the excellent orchestral "The Frozen Wastes of Hoth" and the intense Voodoocult-esque shredder "Torn Asunder by a Wampa" before the progressive complexity of the closing "The Rancor" embraces the listener with a portion of dreamy balladic tunes the latter the best contrast to the rough guttural death metal vocals.

Infinite Darkness Full-Length, 2012

HOTOPSY (FRANCE)

Generic 80's thrash metal, made a few years later; this is energetic stuff and all but other bands have done a better job. The guys are all over the place trying to sound varied and interesting; the music is sometimes jumpy and chaotic, sometimes with a softer power/speed metal flavour. Of course, there are times when they thrash aggressively which is their most appealing side, and this is when the sound comes close to Demolition Hammer even. A genuine technical edge sparkles here and there, like on the best song on the album that is the title-track, but those moments aren't too many to make this opus really stand out.

Follow The Light Full-length, 1992

HOTROD MAYHEM (GERMANY)

This young formation play typical modern thrash with sharp lashing riffs which don't stay in the fast-paced confines for too long but mostly move forward in a heavy seismic fashion surrounded by frequent melodic "decorations" which only disappear on the short headbangers ("Contermination Overdose", the closing hardcore outrage "Where Do You Go"). The vocals are the staple for the genre death metal shouts. Some of the band members also take part in the thrash metal outfit Caress, and the much more renowned thrashcore stalwarts Undertow.

We Are at War Full-Length, 2014

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HOTZIKARA (SPAIN)

These Spaniards pull out your average post-thrash spiced with hardcore which is of the calmer, mid-paced type; and that's sad since there's never any temptation at a faster play. From the aggro-vocals, to the groovy patterns, to the jumpy breakdowns: everything sounds all too painfully familiar and unimaginative for anyone to pay attention the whole way through.

Hotzikara Full-Length, 2011

HOUSE MASTER (ITALY)

Pretty decent retro power/thrash akin to early Megadeth and Laaz Rockit's "Know Your Enemy"; the songs are all nice mixtures of fast blitzkrieg riffs and heavier mid-tempo ones: check out the awesome power/thrasher "Twisted", or the brilliant title-track which after the nice slower mid-paced crush in the beginning turns into a furious speed/thrash crescendo at the end. "In Times of War" is pure unadulterated headbanging thrash, and the closer "The Hell Swallow You!" is a wonderful semi-technical speedster in the best tradition of Megadeth. Mentioning the latter, one should also say a few words about the singer who does a very good job with his dramatic semi-high melodic delivery seamlessly crossing Dave Mustaine with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (Overkill).

J.B. Demo, 2008

HOUSE OF SUFFERING (USA)

Katon W. DePena from Hirax entertains himself here with three other buddies for the recording of this 2-song demo of semi-balladic 90's post-thrash which isn't completely bad, but is light years away from the super-fast blitzkrieg thrash of his main act. He sings in a restrained pretty low-tuned manner with a gruffer hardcore-ish shade to better suit the uneventful peaceful music.

Wired/Youth Single, 1992

HOUSE OF THUMBS (AUSTRALIA)

The full-length: chaotic modern thrash/death metal which, despite the obvious dynamic attitude, fails to deliver relying too much on metalcore to pull it through, with very sudden switches from very fast grinding to slow proto-industrial sections and vice versa the whole time except on the last two compositions where the music stays within the dry mechanical semi-technical confines, and delivers in a way no worse than mid-period Meshuggah and Baghead. The problem is that the previous material isn't even half as interesting leaving this effort hanging more on the duller side of things.

The "Strangle Fiction" EP is very similar style-wise to the full-length delivering a bit better with more concentration of clinical sterile riffage without too many unnecessary metalcore intrusions. The problem is that this jumpy semi-technical music evolves in a constant mid-pace which may tire the listener if lasting longer, but in this case those 5 tracks would be a safe pick for fans of Voivod's "Phobos" and heavy industrial stuff in the vein of Soulstorm and Godflesh, and even later-period Skrew (the more dynamic stomper "Centipede").

Strangle Fiction EP, 2007
Crossing The Rubicon Full-Length, 2010

HOVNO (POLAND)

A dirty sound makes this effort not very attractive; the music is otherwise a contrasting mix of 90's groovy post-thrash and more aggressive thrash/death metal of the old school where the guys don't shy away from the casual blast; the guitar sound is very thin, however, having an annoying echoing, drilling impact. The singer is an awful synthesized shouter, and the bad news is that he tries to play a very important role here singing almost the whole time to a repelling effect.

Prt Nebo Smrd Demo, 1994

HOWITZER (USA)

Based on "The Echoes of Prometheus", this band specialize in modern post-thrash with stoner/doom elements thrown in. The resultant sound is seismic and super-heavy the guys having fun straddling the path between Crowbar and Lair of the Minotaur with ease providing both intense thrashy and volcanic doomy moments even winking at the more technical side of the genre ("Clarity"). The singer shouts in an angry attached manner and leaves a generally positive impression suiting well this earthshaking effort which is stylishly finished with the more spacey Mastodon-esque cut "The Traveler".

Rise to Power Full-length, 2008
In Our Name Full-length, 2010
The Echoes of Prometheus Full-Length, 2012

Official Site

HOWLIN' MAD (GERMANY)

Heavy thrash reminiscent of Holy Moses and mid-period Accuser, with slightly unpleasant gruff death-ish vocals; good stuff with Sabine Classen guesting on vocals on "Drunk Till Emptiness". The riffs actually crush admirably, and the majority of the tracks are nice up-tempo thrashers, which stir the mood, although they flow in the same vein without any variations.

Insanity Full-length, 1990

HOWLING (USA)

One of the most hard-working figures from the US underground, Mr. Elektrokutioner (Beyond Hell, Eternal Suffering, Loathsome, Festered, among many other acts), has summoned under a new banner some of his comrades from those other bands he is/was involved with including the infernal female growler Vanessa Nocera (also Loathsome, Scaremaker, Wooden Stake, etc.) who provides hellish semi-shouty intense death metal vocals which make her the most aggressive female vocalist on the scene at present. The music favours thrash metal more staying more on the modern side the guys (and a girl) not shying away too much from the familiar Gothenburg formulas bringing the winds of classic thrash ("Traumatic Transmutations") on occasion. The slower doom variations work almost as well (check out the great melodic licks on "A Night in the Crypt") and overall the mood is varied the speedy numbers dispersed among a group of solid atmospheric pounders the latter containing nice melodic lead guitars (check out those on the closing "When the Hills Ran Red"). Elektrokutioner is mostly notorious for his involvements with extreme death and black metal acts, but this effort may just be his best one so far: there's quite "a beast conceived" here which still has a potential for growth although the musicians' preoccupatons with numerous other outfits makes the band's future uncertain.

A Beast Conceived Full-Length, 2013

HUERIS (NORWAY)

3 songs of primal retro thrash which is intercepted by several atmospheric gothic interludes and several stylish melodic leads. Otherwise this is stuff right as rain played with more focus on speed and nods towards the Bay-Area. The singer has an attached semi-declamatory voice and his antics are often supported by the other band members for the creation of a few shouty choruses.

Demo Demo, 2011

HUGE BABY (UK)

These "huge babies" offer alternative post-thrash of the quasi-industrial variety with grunge and avantgarde decisions thrown in, more or less expectedly. There isn't much energy at display "Rollacoasta" being the sole exception the closing "Black Mama" proudly entering the doom metal field surrounded by imposing noisy landscapes.

Portait Of Ahead Full-Length, 2013

HUINCA (CHILE)

Based on "Sic Semper Tyrannis", these Chileans play modern post-thrash which is both melodic and edgy clinging more towards the former side topped by acceptable semi-clean hardcore vocals. The tempo is mostly mid and may wear out at some stage since the band seldom offer anything more stylish or more energetic. The approach gets more eclectic and calmer in the middle where the guys try to experiment more with sounds resulting in a few funky/grungy/alternative mish-mashes. The second half is a bit more interesting with the intense mechanical headbanger "Rapa Nuir", the intriguing progressive/crossover extravaganza "Guerrero", and the thrash/crossover closer with a mid-90's Voivod flair "Who Is Next?". The band were previously known as Stonehenge when they played classic speed metal and released a solitary demo in 1998.

Huinca Full-length, 2006
Sic Semper Tyrannis Full-length, 2012

Official Site

HUMAN (SPAIN)

Pedestiran modern post-thrash which holds a few more pleasant surprises (the energetic classicer "Perspectiva") but generally the guys haven't tried very hard to be anything than just a run-of-the-mill addition to the dying 90's species. At least the singer doesn't quarrel that hard, even tries to sing with a cleaner timbre at times.

Perspectiva Full-Length, 2004

Official Site

HUMAN ABSTRAKT (USA)

Modern groovy post-thrash which sounds like a very unsuccessful blend of Tourniquet's "Vanishing Lessons" and Eidolon/Nevermore; there are attempts at a more meaningful play, but they get lost in the blatant generic music. On top of that, there are very strained shouted hardcore-ish vocals involved which, if the music hasn't pulled you back completely, would finish you for good.

Psychological Blindness Full-length, 2002

Official Site

HUMAN BASTARD (GERMANY)

This band features Rudi Goerg, the singer who once was a member of the progressive thrash metal act Lost Century. The music here is a little more than modern thrash/death metal, recalling the Swedish practitioners of the genre and their compatriots Dew-Scented with more complex song-structures which should be perfected on future efforts to make this band stick out.

A Plague Called Humanity Full-length, 2002

HUMAN CHAOS (BRAZIL)

Based on "Unfree Will", this Brazilian trio specialize in modern post-thrash/thrashcore that can be friendly and welcoming (the playful heavy rocker "The Hanged Man"), but the confrontational death metal vocals exacerbate the setting at will alongside the more dynamic material ("Reflections"), the doom-soaked "Ghost" also boasting a few really delectable lead sections. "Life" is an efefctive dramatic pounder with volatile speedy undercurrents, and "Things I Don't Understand" is a bumpy thrashcore energizer with a subversive semi-technical engine.

Human Chaos Full-length, 2020
Unfree Will Full-length, 2024

Official Site

HUMAN CLUSTER (ITALY)

A 3-track promo of modern thrash/death which has its moments: the speedy intense "Losing Time", but this is nothing that hasn't been done so many times before.

Promo Demo, 2007

Official Site

HUMAN DECAY (ITALY)

Based on the full-length, this formation play fairly stylish technical thrash/death with beautiful melodies ("Vampiri") some of which are simply addictive. Melody and technicality come seamlessly "married" on the superb "Sbornia" which grows into the formidable stomper "Meschini Traditori". The technical cavalcade continues after that, first with the jumpy "Brucia!", then with the slightly more linear thrasher "Sperma Benedetto". A commendable achievement is the 7-min progressiver "Frammenti di se Stessi" which is later followed by a more twisted version of the previously mentioned "Sperma Benedetto". This is a very cool effort which sees Italian metal having picked quite a bit of inertia in front of the rest of Europe for the last 5-6 years.

Figli di Dio EP, 2014
Cleptocrazia Full-length, 2015

Official Site

HUMAN DEVASTATION (ITALY)

A 3-song demo of rough aggressive classic thrash topped by unpleasant subdued death metal vocals; this is stuff of the one-dimensional bashing variety, but one can discover more intriguing melodic hooks on the Oriental-infused "Scarabs Infestation". Still, this is semi-amateurish music which sees the performers at a starting phase in their development.

Demo Demo, 2011

HUMAN DIRGE (ITALY)

Based on the demo: 3 tracks of good intense thrash/death metal with technical pretensions; the singer has a cool clean pitch and suits the aggressive music quite well. He especially shines on the slower Bolt Thrower-like passages (check out "Unclean Alb") where he starts to wail in a way no worse than Messiah Marcolin (Candlemass, Memento Mori). The music is close to early Pestilence with perhaps more melody involved. The sound quality is also very good with crisp biting guitars.

Embryo EP, 2007
Seventy Times Seven Demo, 2009

Official Site

HUMAN DUST (GERMANY)

This lengthy 7-track EP presents another practitioner in the 90's post-thrash saga which here is served with a good sense of melody which results in a couple of cool atmospheric moments that take away from the guitars' heaviness, but this is hardly a pullback since this same heaviness had been featured on hundreds of other albums at the time as well as the aggro-vocals which here come more forceful, death metal-tinged. "Black" starts thrashing more intensely, but the dominant tone is mid-tempo with a few doomy staggerings (the excellent melancholic "The Breed").

Moribund EP, 1998

HUMAN EVIL (USA)

Out of the 6 songs on this demo, 3 are covers: "Lesson in Violence"(Exodus); "Creeping Death"(Metallica); "Die by the Sword" (Slayer). The guys' musicianship is much inferior to any of those great bands and the covers are simply awful, especially "Creeping Death" which has nothing of the technical flamboyance of the original, and is just laughable. The 3 remaining original tracks are a lot better showing an obvious fascination with the aggressive thrash of "Reign in Blood", but the songs are longer and more varied (with slower heavier rhythms involved).

Rehearsal Demo, 1988

Fan Site

HUMAN FAILURE (SWEDEN)

Based on the follow-up, this band play modern atmospheric thrash metal with gothic elements and dual vocals: one death metal-like, the other clean recalling the German doom/core masters End Of Green. There's some stylish guitar at work, and the tempo changes including one pure doom metal number at the end: "Doomed To Forever Wander".

Human Failure Full-length, 2002
Tales From A Hollow Eternity Full-length, 2003

HUMAN HATE (BRAZIL)

Evil intense Possessed-esque thrash which looks towards the early proto-death models ("Nocive For Your Brain") on occasion although the other extreme is handsomely reflected in the quite good Black Sabbath cover of "Fairies Wear Boots", the vocalist delivering a surprisingly acceptable Ozzy-like croon compared to his dominant gruff semi-declamatory singing.

Human Hate Demo, 1987

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HUMAN HEAD (MEXICO)

Based on the full-length, this act pulls out old school thrash with an abrasive guitar sound and angry semi-death metal vocals. The songs contain both fast and slow moments, sometimes mixing both tendencies into one song ("Inner Tyranny"; the cool galloping power/thrasher "Senile Dementia") to a positive, cumulative effect. The final "The Head" is a mellow crossover cut also introducing sparse modern elements ala more recent Pro-Pain. Some of the guys can also be seen in the progressive death metal formation Under Moonlight Sadness.

Bipolar Disorder EP, 2008
Inside the Head Full-length, 2010

Official Site

HUMAN INFECTED (CHILE)

Three tracks of intense speedy retro thrash ala Devastation and Torture with slightly unpleasant shouty semi-death metal vocals; the energetic riffs are spiced with good short melodic leads. "Humankind Extermination" turns to brutal blasting death metal for a while in the middle, and may be a bit scary for the unprepared breaking the consistent monolithic thrash sound.

World Genocide Cult EP, 2010

HUMAN INFECTION (USA)

Based on "Curvatures in Time", these folks specialize in aggressive technically-minded thrash/death which is "plagued" by frequent blast-beating sections, but this only ensures the big dynamics of this recording which also introduces a brutal guttural throat that leads the proceedings with authority and panache recalling Chris Barnes (Cannibal Corpse). Expect no merciful slow passages here, everything has been carefully measured up to guarantee the listener's hammering into oblivion. For the more serious "customers" comes the closing title-track which is an overwhelming cavalcade of super-fast technical sweeps even beating the Cryptopsy exploits in this field. The band members are involved in numerous other projects: the deathcorers Carnal Deformity, the death metal cohort The Pear of Anguish & War Without Reason, etc.

Infest to Ingest Full-length, 2011
Curvatures in Time Full-length, 2014

Official Site

HUMAN PARANOID (GERMANY)

Based on the demos: this is well executed aggressive old school thrash calling to mind Slayer, Kreator, Necrodeath. The guys play fast and intensely for most of the time, very seldom crossing the border towards death metal: "Anal Rippers". "New Frontiers" is the sole exception, where the band slow down, coming up with heavy, slower, gothic-tinged riffs ala later period Cemetary; the vocals are also along the lines of that band, very similar to the ones used by Mathias Lodmalm on the early Cemetary albums.

"Breed Of Cain": if we exclude the abrasive hoarse, semi-death metal vocals, the rest is worth checking out. The album takes off with two fast-paced Slayer-esque numbers, before turning to heavy doom with "Sch'f6ne Jugend". These "underwater stones" are on the way later on ("Human/Paranoid"), but can hardly stop the attack from carrying on, with "Thrash Till Death", "The Pillager", "Symbols Of Progress", and others. A very unnecessary version of the heavy doomster "Human/Paranoid" is placed at the end with the only difference from the original being the added female vocals which are quite good, by the way, but to listen to these monotonous slow riffs for a 2nd time on the same album, is hardly the best choice for a thrash metal fan's entertainment.

"Stillborn Resurrection" starts again in a sweeping tempo with the knock-out title-track and "Darkroom Alliance". The vocals this time are all-out death metal acquiring very vicious tones at times. The guys' infatuation with doomy sounds is fast to appear on "New Frontiers", cancelled by the following group of smashing thrashers. "Myrmidons Of Paranoia" could be considered the next stop from the thrash bus, and although there's enough doom in it, it provides several interesting creepy moments, along with cool melodic leads and a faster galloping rhythm. Another moshing trio comes after that leaving room for the closer "Shock Blower" which is another dark sinister slow piece of the more laid-back, dreamy type.

Promo Mai 2003 Demo, 2003
Pathogenes Of War Demo, 2004
Breed Of Cain Full-length, 2006
Stillborn Resurrection Full-length, 2008

Official Site

HUMAN PRICE (POLAND)

Not a bad mix of classic and modern thrash coming close to Exhorder's "Slaughter in the Vatican" on the best moments; there's a good balance between the fast and the heavier sections, but the angry breaks kind of come a bit too much for just a 5-track demo...

Sell Out Demo, 2008

Official Site

HUMAN RAGE (SWEDEN)

Groovy 90's power/post-thrash metal with angry vocals and guitar work which is more melodic, and manages to pull out some good tunes. The clean vocals which can be heard at times, are cool, with a deep doom-soaked timbre and kind of better fit the soft music. The delivery is mid-paced at best with references to the stoner/doom metal scene.

Birth Full-length, 1997

HUMAN SHIELD (ITALY)

Four tracks of heavy modern thrash with classic Bay-Area overtones (think Defiance and Metallica); the influence of the Black Album is more than obvious as well as the one of mid-period Meshuggah on the drier more unmelodic sections ("Camp Delta") which in their turn are compensated by melodic rockish/bluesy tunes ("Game Of Shame"). There's good bass work all over, and the singer isn't bad with his semi-clean proto-James Hetfield tone.

Human Shield EP, 2008

Official Site

HUMAN SLAUGHTER (GREECE)

This is raw, primal retro thrash of the unpolished, less developed kind with crossover aesthetics topped by throaty semi-death metal vocals. The guys bash hard, but pretty one-dimensionally, honouring one of their idols: the Brazilians Ratos de Porao with a cover of one of their early hits "Lou Lou Lee" which is 1.5-min of pure punk/hardcore joy.

Victims Of Ignorance Full-Length, 2010

HUMAN SUIT (GERMANY)

Modern death/thrash metal of the Swedish school, at times paying tribute to the legendary At the Gates with more inspired intense sections ("Puppet on a String"), at times revealing more technical surprises: the melodic sophisticated "Revenge of the Toy Soldier", at others bashing out to the death ("When Disspossesors").

Demo Demo, 2007

Official Site

HUMANS' DESTROYER (COLOMBIA)

This formation offer fast proto-death thrash which is varied and generally interesting with the melodic hooks inserted and the fast riffage which mostly holds onto the Germanic patterns in the field (early Destruction, above all) the dynamic delivery somewhat hampered by the muddy sound quality which doesn't give the guitars the desired sharp edge. The singer is messy shouting awkwardly at times, at others sticking to a brutal deathly semi-growl never managing to sound convincing and on par with the better music.

Demon's Thrash Eon Demo, 2009

HUMANICIDE (USA)

Thrash/crossover, quite fast and heavy at times, with meaty crushing riffs reminiscent of Hatrix, but more simplistic, and with a more aggressive attitude.

Impressive Incision Demo, 1988
Human Right/Sick EP, 1991

HUMANISM (GERMANY)

Interesting choppy modern thrash/death which is graced by a not very pertinent core sting, the latter side-lined by brutal death metal accumulations on “King of Nothing”, an admirable technical riff-fest; the spastic volatile character of the psychedelic shorter “Toxic Rivers” a surely nice touch, recalling the UK one-album wonder Blood from the Soul. “Incinerate” bats on heavy elephantine grooves, and manages to win in the end, its stiff nature overwritten by the brutal lashing riffs unleashed on “Reclamation”, another strife at the deathly realms, its hyper-active engine assisted by the threatening shouty death metal vocalist.

Wilt EP, 2023

Official Site

HUMANUM (ARGENTINA)

This act indulge in abrasive classic thrash that is boosted by the harsh hardcore singer and the implementation of thick pounding riffage, the more atmospheric approach of “Humaquinas” dissipated by the speedy shorter “Sentenciando mi Vida” and the especially by the short speed/thrash delight “Abismo”. The good taste nearly gets crossed over on the more aggressive outrage “Apocalipsis”, but all’s good with “Solo Vivo” which provides stylish more technical decision on a still volatile hyper-active base. Earlier some of the musicians are playing in the retro thrash outfit Mutilador.

Neural Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HUMBUKER (MEXICO)

Three pieces of raucous intense classic thrash, the abrasive choppiness of "Gizzo Fytal" standing dignified next to the rousing galloping urgency of "Humbuker", the dark atmospheric undercurrents of "Instinto Asesino" built on a contrasting "pounding vs. speedy" symbiosis, the rough semi-shouty/semi-declamatory vocals standing their ground with a surprisingly attached albeit noisy and not always focused performance.

Parabellum EP, 2020

Official Site

HUMONGOUS (USA)

This is amateurish raw barrage which is reminiscent of early Exciter except in the vocal department where the guy sings in a less shouty fashion also semi-reciting quite a bit. The band bash with no mercy but with little sense as well turning to more aggressive thrash: the last "Proven Ineffective" which also recalls the hardcore practitioners from around the same time (DRI, Rumble Militia, above all).

Persecute the Unfaithful Demo, 1987

HUMUNGUS (USA)

Based on the full-length debut, this act provide playful uplifting, roller-coaster speed/thrash which is more on the speed metal side probably resembling the Brits Blood Money and the Germans Tyrant the vigorous music aptly supported by cool high-strung clean vocals. "Martial Law" is an infectious galloper with good screamy leads, and "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" is the radio-friendly distraction being a catchy heavy metal hymn kind of influencing the following numbers which never quite manage to find the way to the bloody thrash roots. Still, this album remains pleasant fun of the more laid-back type which will also catch the attention of fans from other walks of metal.
"Balls" covers intense thrash territory more widely, and although "Shadow Creeper" is a terrible poppy crowd-pleaser, there's little to complain on vigorous bullets like "Night Bullet" and "Sewer Wolf", the guys holding onto the speed metal canons later, but again one must be an incorrigible cynic to not smile at least a bit on sincere speedy outbursts like "Skull Dirt" and "Crucial Vortex", the very good soaring vocals adding more to the uplifting atmosphere.

Drinkin' a Beer EP, 2011
Shark Castle EP, 2012
Warband Full-length, 2015
Balls Full-Length, 2019

Official Site

HUNGARICA (HUNGARY)

Hungarica is a side project of two members of the veterans Moby Dick. The music here is modern, groovy and melodic, a mixture between heavy metal and thrash, not too far from the more recent Moby Dick offerings.

Nem Keresek daj Haze1t Full-length, 2007

Official Site

HUNGER (BRAZIL)

Based on the full-length, this act serve modern sterile thrash which exudes both pounding atmosphere ("Demons in White") and headbanging urgency ("The Dead Are Not Afraid to Die") as the former aspect is more pronounced also reflected in the friendlier, more memorable nature of "From Hunger to Hate" and the stoner/doom ponderousness of "Winning Without Defeating". "Full of Emptiness (Anhedonia)" is a choppy semi-technicaller with echoes of Altered Aeon and Nevermore, the highlight on this recording which is supported by harsh semi-clean vocals those attempting something more brutal death-like on occasion.

Misanthropic Songs EP, 2010
Hunger Feeds Misery Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HUNGER (USA)

This band enjoyed the presence of Ron Rinehart and Eric Meyer from Dark Angel after the latter split up. Traces of the heavy technical style displayed on the last Dark Angel release are nowhere to be found here; based on the demo, this is a typical 90's product: groovy post-thrash, slower and groovier than the early works of Pantera and Machine Head, a small curiosity due to its creepy, not very expressive character. "Face First" is an intriguing post-thrasher with a couple of semi-technical twists, a bouncy layout that has more in common with Sepultura's "Chaos AD". "Hear the Pain" is just a noisy groovy hymn with terrible shouty choruses, Rhinehart rending his chords selflessly, but there's no point in anyone to perform even semi-adequately since this is really tedious stuff, the slightly livelier "Caged" another bow to father groove. It's really good that this project was shelved shortly after.

Demo Demo, 1993
The Official Demo Series Vol. 1 Split, 1999

HUNGRY WOLF (RUSSIA)

Based on "Burden", this Russian trio serve crusty speed/black/thrashcore which has its overt brutal side ("Black Petersburg"), but dirgy corrosive strolls like "Wear Your Wounds" are by all means equally effective, the deep dark Type-O-Negative's Peter Steele (R.I.P.)-sque vocals working to everyone's advantage. The unbridled rage unleashed on "Across The Horizon" much better fits the main shouty black-ridden singer who still plays second fiddle on the assured steady thrasher "Gone with the Decadence" and the psychedelic atmospheric closer "Bitter Loneliness".

Sounds from the Grave EP, 2014
Forgotten Frozen Lands Full-length, 2021
Burden Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HUNTED SCRIPTUM (PORTUGAL)

Old school thrash/death which moves along thick heavy lines, the headbanging properties of cuts like "Schizophrenic Proclamation" and "Cursed Reflection" well noted, but there's also this archaic doom vibe ("Sanatoria", "Slay, Kill and Torture") permeating at least half the material, the growling guttural deathly vocals also helping in this gloomy direction. The more technical expletives of "Hunted" remain the only ones of its kind here, but this is still a thought-out carefully-plotted recording.

Paracusia Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HUNTER (POLAND)

One of the lesser bands from the Polish metal scene, Hunter mix thrash with traditional heavy metal; their debut is their thrashiest and best effort, whereas on the other two the mixture clings more towards the heavy metal side. "HellWood" is more in the speed metal camp and is rich on catchy melodies and balladic interludes. There isn't much thrash to be heard, and whenever the latter comes to the fore, it's of the less impressive modern groovy variety.

"Krolestwo": the guys keep reminding of themselves, albeit not very frequently, and this album is another chapter from their discography. The sound is again a hesitation between post-thrash, power metal, and of course full-fledged thrash. A stylish use of violin can be noticed now which goes well with the dry dynamic riffage as the culmination of the symbiosis is reached on the quite cool "Sztandar". The bad news is that this song overshadows the rest by miles and the remaining material would sound plainly bland compared to it. The band don't bother reaching any musical heights, but even as merely passing practitioners they have a lot of catching up to do.

"Imperium": the guys are apparently quite content being shadows of their peers Turbo (from the same country) since they follow exactly the same pattern of modernized, radio-friendly power/post-thrash which is boring and disposable even by the 90's standards containing nothing to make it recommended even to the most unpretentious fanbase.
"Arachne" is a decidedly more dynamic thrashier affair, at least at the beginning, with the ripping "Gollum" leading the pack although the thrashing comes epic-decorated for most of the time, with alluring Oriental motifs flying around on top of pompous balladic arrangements ("Casus Belli") and the staple for the band playful proto-groovy ("Sauruman") rhythms.

Requiem Full-length, 1995
Medeis Full-length, 2003
T.E.L.I... Full-length, 2005
HellWood Full-length, 2009
Krolestwo Full-Length, 2012
Imperium Full-Length, 2013
Arachne Full-Length, 2019

Official Site

HURLANT (USA)

An obscure demo still rooted in classic thrash metal sounding like a more technical Anthrax, or the one-album-wonder Wrekking Machine. The riffs are sharp and semi-technical, and the pace is energetic, without being very fast or aggressive, with some nice twists. The singer might be a bit of a pullback, though, with his slightly dispassionate voice, but he's hardly a distraction from the good music.

Hurlant Demo, 1991

HURME (FINLAND)

This act pull out decent old school thrash which races with the speed of light ("Desecration") on occasion, the hoarse death metal singer not standing too much on the way of the dynamic music, the latter keeping to the headbanging parametres thanks to vehement pieces like "Gorge on Humans", a string of meeker mid-tempo cuts breaking the stride in the middle. "Kuolema Minut Korjatkoon" is an atmospheric more technical proposition, boosted by the lively speed/thrashisms of "Sadistic Symphony". Some of the musicians are also occupied with the death metal formations Carnal Slaughter and Corax.

R.I.P Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HURON (UK)

Based on "The Dead Stay Dead", these guys indulge in modern progressive thrash which tries to capture the manic flamboyance of their compatriots Biomechanical, but their more appealing side are the straight-ahead thrashers ("Santa Muerte", "Psychosis") which deliver better with their lashing direct riffs. The hyper-active numbers ("Bastard King") are a bit overdone bringing the delivery close to any other extreme progressive metal act nowadays excluding the closer "Solace" which is cleverly concocted with ripping guitars and a few not very predictable turns, not to mention the excellent screamy lead section. The vocalist shouts in a forceful manner, even managing to actually sing on the casual more lyrical passage.

Cheyne Stoking Full-length, 2009
Mary Celeste Full-length, 2011
War Party EP, 2012
The Dead Stay Dead Full-length, 2015

Official Site

HURRACO'S MASSACRE (SPAIN)

Based on the full-length, this act specialize in modern progressive sterile thrash which surely has its headbanging side ("There is Nothing Left"), and generally the delivery is pretty vivid, built around diverse amorphous shredders like "Circle of Fear", although to these ears the more dynamic faster-paced material (the death-prone "Hakan", the short semi-technical "Entropy") is more convincing, compensating for the cumbersome doom-laden arrangements on the final "Kaala Aag Ka Raag". The vocalist is a shouty deathster, emitting rowdiness in spades when in action.

The Night of the Madness EP, 2016
Chaosmology Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HURTLOCKER (USA)

Based on "Embrace The Fall", this is modern thrash metal with more intense death metal-sections ("They", "Disgust"), and an overall style not too far from Carnal Forge, for example. The bad news is that at times the sound smells metalcore, but not too often to "force" the hard-core thrash metal fans to "crucify" them.

Fear in a Handful of Dust Full-length, 2006
Embrace The Fall Full-length, 2007

Official Site

HUSH (FRANCE)

Based on "Fury", these folks unleash classic power/thrash which settles for the mid-tempo parametres with sudden flashes of speed ("No Faith No Soul", the optimistic roller-coaster "Burn the Money") which are too far in-between to make any impact. The vocalist does a decent job with his horse clean-ish tenor recalling Kerrmit from The Germans Tyrant.

Erotic Game Full-length, 2008
Fury Full-length, 2016

Official Site

HUSKVARN (LATVIA)

The band's debut is excellent, technically-minded thrash metal similar to Torture's "Storm Alert", but heavier and slower. The opener "Dark Side" is an imposing dark, pounding track, but the next "Last Scream" adds some intensity which is present on almost every song afterwards accompanied by heavy riffage, and is only lost on the album closer "On The Road" which is a more light-hearted heavy/power metal number, a slightly underwhelming way to end this otherwise cool album.

"Bomb Brain Melodies" is a shift more in a death metal direction, but the music remains of a high quality. This is still not very brutal stuff despite the presence of a few scattered blast-beats. The pounding guitar sound remains and this brings this work close to the Dutch Asphyx. There's one cool ballad as well: "Follow Our Trail", accompanied by a great acoustic guitar which is immediately compensated by the most brutal and fastest song "Progressive Epidemic". Afterwards the slower tempo returns "broken" by occasional exercises in a more dynamic play: the cool technical, Death-influenced "Crazy Death". The last number "Zudusais Laiks" is pure funereal doom with a faster break, quite appropriate, having in mind the overall heavy dark nature of the album.
The "Sadistika" EP is a bland modern post-thrash offering which has very little to do with the styles on the full-lengths; if we exclude the more aggressive, and occasionally more classic-sounding, shredder "Riska Robeza" the rest is one aggro, groovy non-sense that it's probably good the that guys hid from sight afterwards, never developing those tendencies any further.

On The Road Full-length, 1991
Bomb Brain Melodies Full-length, 1995
Sadistika EP, 2006

Official Site

HYADES (ITALY)

This band are one of the wave of retro thrash metal bands from Italy which flooded the scene in the past 6-7 years. Hyades' sound is firmly Bay Area-based with touches of Annihilator and Megadeth. Their debut is perhaps the better release with sharp guitars and really good technical moments: "Picture of a World" (which contains riffs directly taken from Artillery's "Khomaniac" from "By Inheritance"), as well as several headbanging winners: "Abuse Your Illusions". Bland misplaced heavy metal hymns will surprise you: "Fight For Your Right", with their non-thrash nature, but fortunately they are kept to a minimum. The follow-up introduces modern "updates" ala the new Exodus, but the classic sound still dominates, and up-tempo thrashers like "Buried in Blood" and "Pharmageddon" deliver the goods in a major way. I don't know about the worst (pun intended), but the best from these guys is yet to come unless, of course, they vote to delve deeper into modern thrash...

"The Roots of Trash" may not show you "the roots of trash", but will at least try to lead you to "them". This effort crosses a few influences once more with the Bay-Area sound leading the pack again pinched with a certain doze of modern elements which on the opening "I Belong To One" can hardly stand on the way on the intense headbanging riffs. Then comes "A.F.M.S." which pounds in a heavy mid-paced manner to a point that it carries away the next "United In The Struggle" which makes attempts at winning the top prize for "metal hymn of the year" with its catchy chorus and cheesy attitude. "Worse than The Silence" is a cool short dynamic thrasher, but it's "The Great Deceit" which goes away with all the "laurels", thrashing far and wide, alternating fast and slower moments, even adding a couple of more intriguing riffs. It overshadows the rest which consists of two thrash bombs ("Still In The Trash" & "Alive But Dead"), the softer but still dynamic power/thrasher "The Moshing Reel", and the cover of The Offspring's biggest hit "Come Out And Play" as a finishing touch. The band's drummer and bassist are probably one of the most hard-working lot on the Italian scene, also keeping alive two other formations: the modern death/thrash outfit Subliminal Crusher with whom they already have whole three albums released, and their first band: S.R.L. started in the distant 1995, again more modern-sounding, but coming close at times to the material heard on the Hyades releases.

"The Wolves Are Getting Hungry": "the wolves are getting hungry" for some more thrash, and it shows from this new affair. The music is a cross between the classic and the modern trends, not radically different from the one already heard on the band's previous efforts. The modern leanings may come as a bit too much for the more hard-core fans, but biting cuts like "The Apostles of War" and "Heavier Than St (Hyz IV)" should keep them happy with their cutting, fast-paced riffage. The rest of the material is less impressive, mid-paced and kind of repetitive without any particular highlights seeing the Italians content enough to tread on the modern day Exodus and Onslaught path. It may take a bit of time for the "wolves" to feel full again...

No Bullshit... Just Metal EP, 2002
Abuse Your Illusions Full-length, 2005
And the Worst is Yet to Come Full-length, 2007
The Roots of Trash Full-length, 2009
The Wolves Are Getting Hungry Full-Length, 2015

Official Site

HYBRID (GREECE)

A potent mixture of semi-technical thrash, modern day Annihilator, and straight heavy metal; there are more than necessary quiet balladic moments which bring the sound close to Iced Earth at times; "Ruins of Mine" will remind you of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan". There are quite a few heavy crunchy riffs ala Nevermore and Eidolon, but they are usually followed by more melodic passages which tone down the thrashiness a bit. "The Will to Create" is a nice up-tempo number, but the rest doesn't leave the mid-paced field. The vocals are a find sounding like a very good mixture of Matt Barlow (Iced Earth again) and Roberto Dimitri Liapakis (Mystic Prophecy).

The Will To Create Full-length, 2007

My Space

HYBRID (UK)

Three tracks of energetic Bay-Areasque thrash: think Metallica, Testament, and respectively Xentrix. Sharp crisp riffs, cool attached clean-ish vocals, quite impressive technical "excursions" ("Discriminated", na great dynamic speedster)... everything is done with professionalism to ensure the listener's entertainment who will also savour the more elaborate arrangements on the interesting, not very predictable "Death's Door".

Passive Solution Demo, 1988

HYBRID HEAVEN (MEXICO)

First-rate technical thrash/death metal which will remind you of another technical act from Mexico: The Zephyr (their sophomore release, in particular). The music isn't too aggressive, but is full of energy, and apart from the precise technical riffs there's a big amount of melody present, both in the lead and the riff sector. "The Rise of the Wrath" is an excellent multi-layered opener, introducing both the technical and melodic aspect of the band's style. "The Mask" is a nice speedy track, emphasizing more on melody, but all is made up in terms of technicality on the fine "Anchored to the Blindness": complex hectic technical thrash/death with very sudden time changes. "Passed Futures" is dry mechanic technical thrash deprived of the melodic decorations heard previously, but sounding quite cool relying mostly on the great elaborate riffs to pull it through. "Marking Passage With Blood" speeds up again to quite fast dimensions recalling the Swedish scene with a technical twist. Time for more complex technical shredding with "The Sores Of Roots" which allows some fine melodic hooks to sneak into its structure. "Solitary And Weak" is a nice fast-paced technical death/thrasher, but watch out for the final "Pretending Fullness", a technical riff-fest of the highest order shredding in a great retro speed/thrash fashion with numerous vortex-like twists and turns ala Sieges Even and Mekong Delta. The sound quality is top-notch, and hopefully the guys will surprise us with a new material on the eventual full-length, rather than re-recording the songs heard here. Whatever the decision they make, rest assured that music of such quality will never disappoint: fans of thrash, death and progressive metal, stay put.
The EP is just two songs the title-track a superb disorienting cut with some of the most eccentric time-signatures this side of Martyr and Theory in Practice, a jarring hallucinogenic listening experience that never settles for one single rhythm for longer than a few seconds, on top of great jazzy configurations. "A Subtle Perfidy" comes from the Necrophagist school of dazzling guitar acrobatics the band still serving the obligatory dizzying time and tempo changes the latter concentrated in the middle, making this tractate not very easy to swallow, the leads pacifying the situation providing the necessary melodic respites. Another amazing short instalment from one of the most original acts of recent years which will sadly remain their last legacy as reportedly they had split up recently.

The Textures of Spirit Full-Length, 2008
A Seductive Addiction EP, 2010

My Space

HYBRID MOON (SPAIN)

This band deliver modern thrash/death which alternates more laid-back atmospheric abrasers ("Love") with more vivid energetic shredders ("From The Ashes"). The groovy proto-doomster "When Life Means More" is an effective addition, but it's the seductively jumpy Meshuggah-esque closer "Name On A Stone" which is the highlight, the minimalistic subdued, guttural death metal vocals generating more accolades due to their openly hostile character.

Evolve Full-length, 2020

Official Site

HYBRIDIZED (ITALY)

This band pull out a decent retro/modern thrash blend which is built around thick heavy rhythms that don't let through too many speedy sections, but tolerate the vigour of "Live in a Lie" and the semi-headbanging aesthetics of "Slaughterer". The singer clings more towards the death metal side with his throaty sinister, not excessively passionate baritone.

Hybridized Full-Length, 2020

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HYBRIS (POLAND)

These Poles offer complex modern thrash/death which is reflected in three lengthy compositions among which "Egyptian Darkness" is a particularly impressive galloping shredder. "Mystic Circle" is a creepy technicaller ala Atheist and is another highlight despite the slightly generic nod to Death made at the end. The singer is a deathly shouter, and his efforts are somehow clouded by the not very clear sound quality.

Blinded Thoughts EP, 2014

Youtube

HYBRIS (UK)

This new act are here to make a difference with their hard-hitting, but also stylish and technical, delivery which relies on a speedy base and quite a few quirky elaborate arrangements to pull it through the latter needing a little bit to reach the heights where Toxik and Realm belong. Still, the ironclad character of the music never disappears and intense shredders like "Collision" and the formidable galloper "Insidious" will make any fan's day with ease. "Emperors" is more on the heavy jumpy side, and "Volcano" gives a strong technical boost to those jumpy sections. "Hubris" is an intelligent headbanger with very good leads, and the final "Cult of Doom" tries to justify its title with a portion of doom-laden riffs and dark balladic passages. This is good original stuff also gaining from the good consistent mid-ranged clean vocals. Some of the musicians play an entirely different kind of music with the sludge/doom formation Centurions Ghost.

Heavy Machinery Full-Length, 2013

Official Site

HYD (USA)

This band was founded by two future members of the doom masters Solitude Aeturnus, just shortly before the career of the more renowned band had started, and this is the reason why they had only managed to make this recording; which is a pity since the guys pull out good power/thrash with a certain technical edge. "Awakening & Rise Of The Black Witch" is a crunchy heavy number with an epic shade, followed by the great faster, galloping "Dimmendark" in the best tradition of Helstar and Deadly Blessing; the guitar work on this one is simply amazing and could put to shame even some of the Shrapnel performers. "Sanctuary Lost" slows down a bit and will indeed remind of Sanctuary, ornate by a nice atmospheric acoustic break. "A Perilous Quest" returns to the more technical patterns nailing crushing riffs and superb bass bottom; another quiet section awaits you in the middle before the track speeds up. The singer is not bad, but music of the kind would benefit from a more emotional dramatic delivery; he sings one-dimensionally with levelled mid-ranged clean vocals. No too many overt traces of doom on this one, and there's no evidence as to whether this formation was later transformed into the other band although some of the band members gave themselves another chance under the Omega Thesis moniker (one demo released in 1995) where the style was reportedly a more technical brand of doom akin to Confessor.

Sanctuary Lost Demo, 1988

My Space

HYDRA (ITALY)

Based on the "Into the Crypta" demo, these Italians pull out cool inspired, technical old school thrash the guys already showing their skills which would later make them one of the finest technical death metal outfits in the world under the name Aydra. The approach is dynamic with a frequent change of tempos as evident from the diverse shredder "Skeleton's Messenger" where some great melodic leads spring up as well. The band take a more progressive shift on the last string of songs where the final "Crypta" is also a wild headbanger with massive complex riff-patterns. The only complaint comes from the vocalist who rends his throat in a not very pleasant shouty, hardcore-ish manner.
The full-length arrives to see the band resurrected for a few more efforts, but the official stage has been reached without the guys' previous technical prowess. The sound on display is dry, mechanical and modern power/thrash and contains very little from the stylish riff-patterns that the band were throwing at will at the listener in the past. The title-track is a more intriguing sterile shredder, and "Circles" is an interesting melodic progressive/semi-technical instrumental; alas, the rest is just moderately exciting the band now sounding as just one of the many modern thrash metal practitioners.
"Unknown Gods" is a more original and more interesting than its predecessor, the opening "Blasphemous Flutes" stirring some brooding surreal drama which is quite close to mid-period Holocaust, and when the avant-garde quirks on "Signs" become another really stylish episode, the band listener will have to start adjusting his/her radar, which will have no problems catching the more vivid semi-technical pounder "The Call", by all means the brief straight-to-the point "The Key". "Surrender" is a minimalistic creepy dirger with abrupt speedy escapades, and "Polaris" is a stomping epic without any particular highlights.

Near the Graveyard Demo, 1988
Sons of Rhan Demo, 1989
Into the Crypta Demo, 1991
Heaven's Tree EP, 2012
Darkchild Full-length, 2016
Unknown Gods Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HYDRA (JAPAN)

Based on the debut, these Japanese warriors indulge in excellent progressive/technical old school power/thrash which resembles Attacker's "Soul Taker" providing a similar blend of immediate fast-pacers and more serious, ambitious longers. The music packs a punch despite the slightly uneven disposition of the compositions throughout, but one can't possibly ignore the dramatic power of the rising hymn "Computer Syndrome" which also acquits itself with a furious speedy passage somewhere in the middle. Even the mid-paced shredder "The Undertaker" has its charming moments, like the jazzy ending, etc. More drama comes with the epic progressiver "Changes For Primary Form", but the following "Dark Seed" is a short sweeper, before the balladic opus "Phantom Of Carnival" engulfs all. "Stone" is a choppy progressive thrasher with several virtuoso passages, and "Mind Wars" is a jumpy proto-galloper with prominent bass cuts, another ambitious, not very easy to swallow piece. "Purgatory Way" is a consummate technical track, the highlight here; the guys finally manage to achieve a symbiosis between their interesting ideas and the clever execution of the latter that greatly recalls old heroes like Realm, Toxic and Sieges Even. After such a climactic song there should be time for rest, and the closing "Guardian Angel" is a cool acoustic ballad which sees the otherwise very high-strung clean singer in a more laid-back lower-pitched, and arguably more preferable, side. The guys have done a very good job here, and one may invest some time in finding the follow-up...

"Long Way to Lord and Other Stories" starts in a raging fashion with the very appropriately-titled "Anger", direct blitzkrieg thrash with some virtuous guitar work which gets nicely translated on the following "Naked Kingdom" that is more complicated, but by no means more laid-back. "Loveless" calms the ball down and introduces a heavy pounding rhythm-section which stays around for a string of officiant epic compositions which influence the remaining cuts which are more on the mellow power metal side the saga finished with the 10.5-min "Children Of Sun", a cool, albeit too overlong, nod to Queensryche. As a whole this album isn't as striking focusing on progressive metal more abandoning the more aggressive patterns so well incorporated on the debut.

Exhibition of Malice Full-length, 1999
Long Way to Lord and Other Stories Full-length, 2009

Official Site

HYDRA VEIN (UK)

This is probably the only British band who sound like their German counterparts. The style on both albums is fast and energetic with frequent more technical passages recalling Destruction's more technical period. The debut is an energetic abrasive affair, shooting the brief ripping "The House" first, an uplifting cut with crossover ambitions, "Rabid" justifying its title with another portion of speedy vitriolic riffs, a prime moshing headbanger with echoes of early Destruction, the German legends also honoured with the raging "Crucifer". Comes "Right to Die", though, and changes the scenery with a more carefully-laid out approach, a complex but equally vehement representation; the title-track bringing back the more immediate bash, setting the scene for the arrival of "Misanthropic", a brutal proto-deathy shorter winking at the Kreator heritage. The more technical, more ambitious "Harlequin" can be considered a welcome respite, before the closing "Guillotine" shooting everyone at close range with the exiting gust of fast vehement riffs. The singer is a rough semi-declamatory presence, the man lurking in the background with brooding authority.
"After the Dream" is a more accomplished, more polished affair the band toning down the speed, acquiring a more elaborate approach, "7-USC" shredding with dexterity, overcoming the buzzy abrasive production with ease. "Pro Patria" returns to the more aggressive patterns from the debut for a fine moshing showdown, but again this is a more entangled delivery bordering on the technical, "Born Through Ignorance" thrashing wildly, trying to steer away from any more elaborate histrionics. "Passed Present No Future" is another more ambitious roller-coaster, the band moshing with reckless abandon at times, but always aware of their bigger musical proficiency, the latter expressed through frequent time and tempo-shifts and a couple of entangled riff-knots. "Turning Point" follows a similar trajectory and packs several clever decisions within a shorter time frame, the choppy hectic rhythm-section even hinting at lofty Coroner-esque configurations. The title-track is vintage late-80's Destruction, an eventful trip with stylish sharp riffage and dense tight shreds, a nice admirable epitaph to a very satisfying album with a great atmospheric keyboard-ornate finale.
"Unlamented": just as I was thinking the other day that this team remained the only one from the old school UK thrash cohort who haven't reformed, comes the album here... spontaneous clairvoyant abilities aside, the guys have done a decent job, largely for those who dug the debut, the more immediate, more ripping slab. The new vocalist has been taken from the heavy metal formation Silvaticus with whom the band founder and bassist Damon Maddison has been involved for quite some time. The man provides a raucous hoarse hardcore-ish baritone as an accompaniment to the intense music, which reminds of the more complex histrionics from the sophomore on the opening diverser "Does the End Justify the Means?". The mosh carries on unabated throughout, the title-track a prime headbanger, slightly overshadowing the mid-pacer stroller "Eradication Zone". The two sides alternate in the second half, "Age of Plague" another sure-handed ripper, the virtuoso leads of Danny Ranger, the other original member, by all means one of the highlights here, disturbing the boosted modern production. "Blood Eagle Dawn" notches up the complexity a bit, the final "Twilight" another less ordinary shredder with a more varied arsenal served. The only seeming filler on this cool reunion stint seems to be the feelgood rock-ish hymn "Mano a Mano", a respite from the guys' rowdy retro thrash credo.

Rather Death Than False Of Faith Full-length, 1988
After The Dream Full-length, 1989
Unlamented Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HYDROGEN (SWEDEN)

Modern thrash meets hardcore with gothic/doom standing on the side, ready to interfere at every opportunity. Varied interesting stuff as a whole with sudden headbanging outrages alternating with heavy stomping motifs the latter not far from Katatonia and mid-period Cemetary. The vocalist tries to balance between

Now Is No More Full-length, 2007

Official Site

HYENA (BELGIUM)

An excellent demo of fast-paced intense thrash along the lines of Kreator, Destruction and Hypnosia; this is great headbanging stuff with smashing hard riffs and an uncompromising speedy delivery. The sound quality is a bit muddy, but the sheer intensity and inspiration put in the recordings more than makes up for it.

Seconds To Death Demo, 2007

Official Site

HYLIDAE (BRAZIL)

Based on "Unbreakable Curse": a diverse classic/modern thrash amalgam; we have a few admirable headbanging delights ("Hell Is Hollow", "Home of Souls") with twisted semi-technical tendencies; we have explosive on-the-verge-of-death shredders ("Weak Minds") with a hefty Carcass-ian flair; we have we have heavy quasi-groovy walkabouts (the title-track)... there's quite a bit thrown at the listener who will also marvel at deviant more modern thrashy twisters ("Losing Myself"), and by all means at the creepy crunchy mid-pacer "Peoples Temple", a rarity among the dominant hyper-active expletives. "Serial Killer" is a true revelation, a smashing technical speedster, an amorphous entity with a couple of slower stopovers, the atmospheric layout of "Aleph" another relative respite. "The Ghost of Hank Williams" is a larger-than-life finale, a progressive thrash saga that also epitomizes the screechy Jeff Walker-esque (Carcass again) vocals more fully, those emitted by a girl.
"Promiscuous World" is another entertaining roller-coaster which thrashes with gusto (Alive but Dead"), becomes lyrical on occasion with soulful poignant ballads ("Bleeding Out"), or creeps sinisterly with heavy semi-technical riffs ("Malism"). The centre of album are the two lengthy compositions, "PW" and "The River", multifarious rides with dazzling virtuoso leads and entangled riff-patterns recalling Death. "Scarlet Moon" attempts something as intriguing, but the guys (and a girl) prefer to keep the mosh going by serving the energetic shorters "Everyday I Die" and "Evil Serpent".

Promiscuous World Full-length, 2012
Unbreakable Curse Full-Length, 2021

Official Site

HYPER AS HELL (CANADA)

Based on "Primer at this End", these lads pull out this act serve very roughly-produced thrash/crossover which sometimes swings towards the overtly bashing hardcore side ("Mankind"), sometimes produces something marginally more serious and dramatic ("Train of Thought"), the shouty hardcore vocals making mostly noise. The latter are absent from the quite good stylish instrumental "Seizure Salad", a semi-technical trip with intriguing musical decisions.

Primer at this End Demo, 1987
Rock'n'Roll Liberation Front Demo, 1989
Mr. FixIt Demo, 1993

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HYPERFANG (USA)

This US trio pull out modern thrash/post-thrash that plays with more expansive progressive possibilities ("Mouse and the Hand", the subversive jumpy "Dark Heart"), the academic chugs of "Worst Pain" and then up-tempo urgency of "Half-Breed" diversifying the palette big time, the levelled semi-declamatory clean vocalist doing a good job in assisting the musical parade, the latter acquiring full-fledged thrash tendencies on the volatile shredder "Lost at Sea".

Levitate Full-length, 2023

Official Site

HYPERIA (CANADA)

This outfit is the extension of the symphonic power metallers Sahasrara; based on the EP, the style this time is more on the thrash/speed metal hybridization side the diva behind the mike, the name Marlee Ryley, screeching her lungs out on the more brutal, deathly side of the vocal entertainment while providing the more tender, cleaner side of it both aspects fighting throughout these three cuts, the infectious gallops on "Mad Trance" siding well with the shredding frenzy on the hyper-active "Fish Creek Frenzy" and the purer speed metal aesthetics on "Evil Insanity". There's neither energy nor drama lost on this promising shorter which would hopefully see a follow-up soon regardless of the band members' involvement with the folk/death metal formation Skymir.
The full-length elaborates on the effective style from the EP with the backbone provided by the compositions from there. "Starved by Guilt" is pure speed/thrashing frenzy, but expect more controlled drama on the excellent diverse "Asylum" and the pounding saga "Unleash the Pigs". Some friendlier power metal can be heard in the second half, but the speed/thrashing symphony unleashed on "Dystopia" is truly an eye-opener, soaring high above the ill-advised proto-death brutality spicing "The Scratches on the Wall".
"Silhouettes of Horror" bets on the speed, and surely wins thanks to impetuous sweepers like "Intoxication Therapy" and "Experiment 77", "Severed" boldly introducing sniffs of melo-death, the latter popping up ("Prisoner of the Mind") elsewhere later, but rest assured that this never becomes a boring power/speed/death amalgam along the lines of hugely spread such ones currently, with "Whitecoat" ravaging the neighborhood in just 3.5-min with its fast lashing riffs; and "Operation Midnight" presenting the retro speed/thrash hybrid in its most scintillating form.
“The Serpent's Cycle” is another invigorating speedy odyssey, the guys shooting the restless winner “Automatic Thrash Machine” before “Prophet of Deceit” brutalizes the environment to the point of proto-deathiness. Blazing virtuous leads fly from all sides, the title-track incorporates a few moments from the deathly realms as well, influencing the remorseless shredders “Spirit Bandit” and the marginally heavier and more complex “Eye for an Eye”, the short speed metal delight “Binge & Surge” a solid precursor to the equally shattering “Deathbringer”, an epic progressive with a fever-ish hyper-active base.

Fish Creek Frenzy EP, 2019
Insanitorium Full-length, 2020
Silhouettes of Horror Full-length, 2022
The Serpent's Cycle Full-Length, 2023

Official Site

HYPERTENSION (SWEDEN)

The debut: a power "hypertense" trio from Sweden which death/black/thrashes in a way akin to Deceased and later-period Destroyer 666 with fast melodic guitars which acquire nice galloping dimensions ("Across The Holy Graves") here and there. There's plenty of energy at display on the shorter material, and vigorous speedsters like "Everlasting Exile" and "The Pandemic Has Begun" will make many fans' day in no time. So there's indeed "hypertension" to be experienced, especially towards the end the assault stopped by the closing 8.5-min title-track which is an epic cut with operatic arrangements and several sincerely speedy passages. This is a nice offering with a few contrasting sides incorporated without disturbing each other a lot strengthened by forceful semi-shouty death metal vocals. Some of the band members also play in the death metal formation Decay.

"Distant Thunders Call" is another old school basher although the melody has been increased quite a bit cancelled at times by furious blast-beats ("Creation Dies", the chaotic delight "The Tension Rises"). Still, it's business as usual on carefree speed/thrashing cuts like "Nightlife Survival" and "Salvation Of Steel" where the flag of the good old speed/thrash metal is raised high with dignity. Time for grieving with the morose sombre doomster "Ferocious Oppressors Forgotten" before the speed metal joy returns for the final two cuts the final "Cross Of Time" calming down a bit with a portion of softer less intense guitars.

Primeval Tyrants Prevails Full-Length, 2013
Distant Thunders Call Full-Length, 2014

Official Site

HYPERTHERMIA (USA)

Based on the "True Freedom" demo, this unknown trio indulge in stomping retro thrash which is characterized by clever semi-technical patterns not far removed from Forced Entry, and attached clean vocals which constantly "meander" between the mid and the high registers. The band complicate things at times more than necessary (check out the chaotic shredding on "Liberty Or Death"), but fail to achieve the desired result settling instead for calmer more peaceful rhythms on the balladic "Suicide (Sweet Death)" where, for some very mysterious reason, the otherwise cool singer has decided to acquire a harsher, not very suitable, tone. "Don't Tread on Merd" at the end is finally a more coherent technical number lashing stylish riffs in a dramatic mid-tempo, reaching heights reminiscent of Nasty Savage's "Penetration Point" and early Coroner.

The guys disappeared for whole 13 years before re-emerging with "Ballistic Mindshades", an effort which hardly sees them in the brightest light. This is bland noisy groovy post-thrash which wouldn't have struck a cord even back in the 90's. The constant dry sterile guitar background would tire the listener well before the end since to distinguish one song from another would be a nearly impossible task. The only more energetic cut is the 1.5-min closer "Empty" which is a rough hardcorer ala Madball; the rest is just unpleasant quasi-industrial noise without any merits.

Warfare Demo, 1989
True Freedom Demo, 1991
Ballistic Mindshades Full-length, 2004

HYPNOS (CZECH)

Based on "The Revenge Ride", this act specialize in muscular intense thrash/death which rips through the speakers with might containing the compulsory for the time technical "sting" (the excellent shorter "Evil Awaken"). The band spice their venomous approach with some slower pounders ("Journey Into Doom", "I Am The Wind") as though to alleviate the "pain" from all-out ragers like "Endorsed By Satan" and "Spider-Werk". The vocalist is a forceful death metal growler who fits the aggressive musical delivery just fine.

In Blood We Trust Full-length, 2000
The Revenge Ride Full-length, 2001
Rabble M'e4nifesto Full-length, 2005
Halfway to Hell EP, 2010
Heretic Commandoendash Rise of the New Antikrist Full-Length, 2012

Official Site

HYPNOSIA (SWEDEN)

Even if this band never record again, there would be hardly a thrash metal fan of more recent times who will fail to recall their merciless blitzkrieg approach to our favourite thrash. Their only album and the EP are exemplary intense semi-technical old school thrash which is quite impressive from a relentless, fast-paced point-of-view. The base of the band's aggressive sound is Kreator, but you will also hear Slayer, Sepultura, Violence, Dark Angel, Necrodeath. In other words, this is an encyclopaedia of high quality retro thrash.

Violent Intensity EP, 1999
Extreme Hatred Full-length, 2000

Official Site

HYPNOSIC (SERBIA)

So there were Serbian bands who hadn't remained indifferent to the great German acts like Destruction, in this case. A 4-song demo of first-class speedy thrash akin to early Destruction; the swirling Destruction-like riffs are all over the demo, making this an essential listen for fans of the German band. Listening to this, you would probably start recalling moments from the Destruction albums, which the riffs here remind you of ("Bored", for example, is quite close to both "Total Disaster" and "Mad Butcher"). The vocals could be the only downpoint sounding like a not very good shouted version of James Hetfield.
"Art Of Terror" moves a bit away from the Germanic patterns, now also courting Sepultura ("Arise"), and as a whole the music has become more aggressive with shades of proto-death: "Treat Surprise" is a nice reminder of Death's early period, and "Savage Thrash Brain" is a "savage" piece of intense thrash/death well supported by the gruff, but comprehensive, death metal vocals which come with a pinch of Max Cavalera.

Demo Demo, 1989
Art Of Terror Demo, 1990

HYPNOSIDE (SPAIN)

Based on "Tattooed Angels", this band specialize in modern power/thrash with epic overtones with friendly riffs which don't go for the speed a lot, but should please fans of later-period Iced Earth, above all, with their heavy rhythm-section which branches at times into more dynamic galloping crescendos ("Betrayers of Blood") with echoes of Cage. The singer leaves a positive impression with his dramatic clean timbre handling the higher registers with dexterity.

45 Minutes to Born & Die Full-length, 2010
Tattooed Angels Full-length, 2013

Official Site

HYPNOSIS (CANADA)

Three songs of dark sinister thrash in various paces with echoes of their compatriots Infernal Majesty, and Morbid Saint on the more immediate "No Escape to Death". "No Escape (You're Sure To Die)" is a brilliant progressive thrasher with plenty of twists and turns some of which can be even worthy of acts like Atheist, Hellwitch, and Disciples of Power. The muddy sound quality can't stand on the way of the inspired musicianship which is also nicely accompanied by very good forceful semi-declamatory vocals ala Chris Bailey (Infernal Majesty again). A nice obscure gem from the always reliant Canadian metal scene...

No Escape to Death Demo, 1991

HYPNOTHETICALL (ITALY)

This is some kind of a supergroup with former members of Power Quest, Arthemis, and Gory Blister, among others, having gotten together to produce this progressive power/thrash "opera" (based on "Dead World") which is quite similar to the more recent efforts of their compatriots Eldritch, the main difference being the bigger length of the separate compositions and the relative lack of speed. This isn't very engaging since the heavy riffage gets too repetitive by the end only missing on the closing ballad "Bloody Afternoon" which is a purely acoustic instrumental. The singer is a dead ringer for Terence Holler (Eldritch) having the same passionate emotional timbre.

"A Farewell to Gravity" is more laid-back now being pure modern progressive metal without too much thrash to be heard except on a few genuinely shredding moments ("Brainstorming Line" which is a clever puzzler even recalling Coroner).
The "Thorns" EP is a truly arresting listen on all counts, comprising an all-instrumental part: a lyrical breath-taking intro and outro, and a superb diverse shape-shifting speed/thrashing piece, the title-track; and a vocal-guided part, this one occupying more than half an hour. It does cause all the three compositions from it are gigantic, over 10-min long tale-telling encyclopaedic journeys with each concentrating on a certain nuance form the music spectre: "Amazing Trip" is a jumpy frenetic trip with a pronounced bass, an overflow of brilliant, addictive melodies, and winks at the modern 90's toolshed; "Defeated" defeats you with heavy squashing riffs and imposing epic arrangements, a cumulative slow-building saga with quiet oblivious escapades; and "Perfect Statue" is a near-perfect array of dazzling virtuoso etudes, with clinical technical shreds taking turns with fusion/jazzy extrapolations, a dizzying display of musical dexterity with an all-instrumental first half, vintage "Life Cycle". This is a sheer gem of complex mind-stimulating metal that is a highlight even on the very competitive Italian metal corcuit.
The demo is another no-brainer, comprising three compositions of intricate multi-layered progressive thrash with resounding echoes of pillars like Deathrow's "Deception Ignored", Sieges Even's "Life Cycle", and Toxik's "Think This". "The Silent Masquerade" is a hectic busy shredder with beautiful melodies floating around, plus absolutely surreal dreamy clean vocals which also soar above some seriously aggressive thrashing. "Odour of Sanctity" is a more laid-back cut with shades of Opeth at the beginning, an appetizing blend of quiet lyrical etudes and hard-hitting puzzling passages some of the latter accompanied by gruff deathy shouts. "Like a Lamb... To the Slaughter" is a superb fast-paced, also psychedelic piece with the deathly vocals springing up again, the band moshing with precision and dexterity for the creation of a high-octane ride which also receives a nice virtuoso lead-driven ornamentation. The first two efforts of these lads are first-rate works of art, very highly recommended.

In Need of a God? Demo, 2002
Thorns EP, 2003
Dead World Full-length, 2009
A Farewell to Gravity Full-length, 2013

Official Site

HYPNOTIC FACE (CZECH)

Hypnotic Face play a modern mixture of heavy metal and thrash along the lines of recent Annihilator. There are intense groovy parts and an interesting use of clean Burton Bell-like vocals. Unfortunately, the thrashy moments aren't too many to keep the thrash metal fans' interest for long.

Written by Life EP, 1999
The End Of Sanity Full-length, 2004

Official Site

HYPOCRITE (NORWAY)

Retro thrash/crossover with gruff subdued death metal vocals; simplistic unpretentious music with energetic rhythms ("We Shall All Die (Once)"), and a short attempt at moderate thrashcore ("Corrupt Society").

Settlement with Death Demo, 1990

Youtube

HYPOCRITE PROJECT (TURKEY)

Cool modern industrialized thrash, quite atmospheric and creepy with nice, but sparse lead guitar work and devilish black-ish, semi-whispered vocals; the music is full of intriguing gimmicks typical for the industrial scene, suggested from the very start with the haunting highly-charged "Intro" and the dark industrial thrasher "Hypocrite" in the best tradition of the industrial thrash experts Malhavoc, and the mid-paced, not very sharp riffage perfectly matches the minimalistic tendencies of the album. There's even time for more intense faster moments ("Hyper Hypocrisy"; the progressive, keyboard-laced "The Mountain"), two very cool Celtic Frost-like numbers ("Ice & Fire" and "A.T.O.D"), one very interesting industrial semi-ballad "The Long Way", and one excellent dynamic cyber-thrash closer ("Perseverance") ala The Kovenant's "Animatronic".

A Full-Length, 2008

HYPOKRAS (FRANCE)

An aggressive fusion of thrash and death metal not miles away from the pioneering works of their colleagues (and compatriots) Agressor, Loudblast, Massacra; these guys excel in aggression and speed, and "court" death metal more frequently, inserting blast-beats whenever an opportunity arises, and tracks like the slower steam-roller, Bolt Thrower-influenced "Heretik Whores" are not that many. "Humanicide" stretches towards grindcore near the end, but the fine peaceful closing instrumental "Ars Moriendi" provides the needed "calm after the storm".

Dead and Hungry Full-length, 2002

HYPOXIA (USA)

Based on the full-length, this formation serve brutal thrash/death with gurgling death metal vocals; scary stuff. The delivery is fonder of death metal and thrash doesn't have too many chances to shine stifled by the frequent blast-beats and the even more regular nods to the Floridian movement. "Unspeakable" is a nice hint at things more technical, but elsewhere the approach is pretty orthodox still played with admirable professionalism.

Public Execution EP, 2013
Despondent Death Full-length, 2015

Official Site

HYPOXIC (NORWAY)

Crusty abrasive 90's thrash/post-thrash which has its fine moments (the steady mid-paced march "Toxic Worms"), but the dragging uneventful strokes are all over the place as well, like the unimaginative groovy chugs on "Havoc", the heavy doom thuds on "Dod", the overlong balladic saga "Morkets Tjern". The acceptable gruff semi-clean vocals do their thing, becoming marginally more dramatic on the thrashier material ("I Owe You Pain", the vivid "Psycho War"), the second half coming alive thanks to the semi-technical shredder "Hunter and the Prey" and the short headbanger Killdozer".

A New Way Of Death Full-Length, 2021

Youtube

HYSTE'RIAH GBC (SWEDEN)

This band were formed when two Swedish thrash metal acts (God BC and Hysteriah) merged together. This album beats in quality the previous achievements of the two bands; this is fairly good 80's thrash with semi-technical tendencies, not too far from Hydra Vein, or the Erosion debut. The combination of fast, intense and technical riffs works fine on every song, sometimes coming with a jumpier tempo and a strong bass bottom: the nice "Land of Democracy". "Cafe Of Hope" is the odd, slower, heavy track, quite good as well; the rest is a blistering display of speed and technicality put together also recalling their compatriots Midas Touch.

Snakeworld Full-length, 1991

HYSTERESIS (FRANCE)

The EP: semi-technical thrash still rooted in the 80's; "Sun Black Deed" is a stylish opener sounding both dynamic and technical providing interesting rhythms and riffs. Then the music gets less interesting for a couple of songs which are mid-paced and more ordinary. "DTRT" is the other piece where more thought-out metal can be heard, but the pace is too one-dimensional and the overall approach is less striking. The title-track is a shocking closer betraying the classic sound served so far: an industrial techno dance track ala KMFDM and Rammstein.
The full-length is a boring rehashed affair sticking to dull, repetitive groovy chugs and frequent references to industrial and electronics; which only merits are the beautiful Oriental motifs on "Ru 486", and the energetic, faithful cover of Discharge's "State Violence-State Control" enhanced by a few very good leads.

Art Is Entertainment EP, 1994
Screen Anarkia Full-Length, 1999

HYSTHERESY (FRANCE)

Old school thrash/death metal which clings more towards the British scene of the late 80's/early 90's (think Benediction, Bolt Thrower), rather than the more prolific French one from around the same time. The guys insert orchestral atmospheric moments and softer passages where the guitars take a more melodic edge. Although the music stays closer to death metal most of the time, it's not very fast or brutal, and the nice rhythm guitar-driven sections ala Bolt Thrower are quite common with some of the songs possessing the same battle, war-like atmosphere ("The Past, My Last", which could perfectly fit into "...For Victory", for example).

Insane Dreams Full-Length, 2008

HYSTERICAL VISION (CANADA)

A very obscure, but worthy band; this is excellent progressive atmospheric thrash/death (the full-length) which could be compared to the French act Misanthrope, but more thrash-oriented (at the time when this album was released, the Misanthrope efforts were still quite avantgarde and eclectic, and they switched to that style a few years later). Fans of the less compromising nature of metal might be disappointed as here the concentration is clearly on atmosphere and melody rather than aggression and sharp riffage. The slower atmospheric sections "decorate" every song here and are perhaps a bit overused, but the brilliant lead guitar, the stylish technical riffs and the original musical decisions largely compensate for that.
The demo contains stupendous technical/progressive thrash/death metal the band at this early stage obviously seriously thinking over the prospect of joining the cohorts from their homeland although the delivery remains more thrash-fixated with the brutal shouty death metal vocals the main more aggressive ingredient. "Stress" is a "stressed out" technicaller with labyrinthine configurations and blazing melodic leads, and the title-track is an even more complex shredder with stomping passages creeping forward their stride intercepted by sudden speedy sweeps the latter smelling death metal quite a bit even beating acts like Pestilence and Quo Vadis at their own game on the most stylish moments. "Free-lance" is the next in line exemplary technical riff-fest with slower, but equally as mazey, applications the guitars weaving tapestries of infernal complexity worthy of Martyr and Theory in Practice. "Heart Beat" is a marginally more orthodox offering the guys concentrating on the speed more for a change although the highlight again is the not as intense atmospheric, also quite intricate, mid-section and the beautiful melodic lead pirouettes. Although the full-length is another commendable work of metal art, from an entirely different aspect though, this short effort here is a true milestone in the annals of Canadian metal.

Body Stranger Demo, 1994
Les Inteats Humains Full-Length, 1995

HYSTORY (CANADA)

Quite capable old school thrash supported by guttural death metal vocals; the title-track opens the proceedings with meaty technical riffs, a noteworthy prog-thrasher which is superseded by the creepy but equally effective "Evil Mind" and the dark atmospheric shredder "In Their Cell". The "Indifference/Genocide" combo is woven of tight staccato riffs and enchanting lead inclusions, the twisted steam-roller "Welfare State" another welcome less ordinary addition to this excellent recording which also boasts a heavy slow-burning "Instrumental" and the multifarious progressive thrash marvel "Senseless Fate", a nice reminder of the band's compatriots Last Breath.

Final Way Demo, 1993

Unofficial Site

HÄMATOM (GERMANY)

Based on "Wut", this act provides dry, sterile post-thrash with strong industrial undercurrents. The riffs are steam-rolling and heavy, and a few cool Oriental motifs can be heard ("Fremd") which bring a nice digression from the cold mechanical guitar "attack". There are borrowings from the Metallica Load/Reload era, several dancey tunes akin to Rammstein, and two peaceful acoustic ballads on which the angry synthesized vocals acquire a fine clean shade.

"Wenn man vom Teufel spricht" (the full-length) is another merry affair, a bit more vivid than the previous efforts and a tad less mechanical in its execution. The music becomes too uplifting and melodic in the second half "flirting" with folk melodies from various countries; before the hammering closer "Man Muss Nicht Sterben Um In Der Hulle Zu Sein" wraps it up in a surprisingly aggressive fashion with references to Rammstein and Die Krupps on a pompous operatic base.

Nein Full-length, 2005
Wut Full-length, 2008
Stay Kr'e4nk Full-length, 2010
Wenn man vom teufel spricht EP, 2011
Wenn man vom Teufel spricht Full-length, 2011

Official Site

HELL BELL (MEXICO)

Evil gloomy black/thrash metal with early Celtic Frost the most obvious influence; at times the music takes more playful dimensions not far from mid-period Venom, but on the other hand tracks like "Pain Crew" are pure misanthropic doom bile ala Khold and early Barathrum. "Wolf Command" contains more dynamic riffage, and "Back to the Grind" is typical Exciter-esque speed metal with a very abrasive guitar sound. The singer tries to imitate the early Tom G. Warrior style, but quite often just spits hatred in a gruff death-y manner.

Devilish Metal Demo, 2005
Praying for a GOoD Fukk. Demo II Demo, 2009

My Space

HEMSYTHREIXCK (FRANCE)

There's a really high quality to be found in the French underground metal scene of the 80's. This is exquisite technical/progressive thrash with great sharp, also quite aggressive riffs, and nice lead guitar work. The delivery is fairly intense and mostly up-tempo with occasional proto-death breaks. It opens in an admirable way with a cool instrumental piece ("Codex Popuhl-Vuh") which is followed by the superb technical masterpiece "The Gaudriole" where the guitar work will make even some of the Shrapnel heroes envious. "Don't Kill Mandjaro" is a surreal trippy thrash/crossover delight, blending Voivod with the Swiss Lunacy and a healthy pinch of proto-death, leaving the more brutal shredding for the brilliant title-track, a moshing, also quite technical riff-fest that goes on unabated on "No More Dreams", a virtuous headbanger with loads of stupendous complex rifforamas. The vocals are a bit on the dull side with an dispassionate listless timbre slightly recalling Efstathios "Staffi" Agoropoulos (Rumble Militia). If having been given the chance, these guys could have been worthy competitors even to ADX and Massacra.

Le Christ Pantocrator Demo, 1988

H0WLER (COSTA RICA)

Based on "No More Circus!", this act serve melodic retro power/thrash which doesn't shy away from the progressive developments ("Empire of the Clowns"), either, the more immediate speedy cuts ("The Dying Rooms") kind of delivering better with their overt attacking stance. There are a couple of less exciting moments (the dragging mid-pacer "Nuke the Circus"), but diverse propositions like the semi-balladic "Behind the Green Mask" and the semi-technical shredder "Entrance to Hell" propel this album forward, another positive occurrence being the closing "If You Want Peace, Prepare for War", a diverse progressiver with a wide array of tempos and moods. The vocalist is not a dropout with his intense semi-clean timbre which he strains sometimes towards the higher registers.
"Descendants of Evil" comes served with a boosted more modern sound, and generally the delivery is more dynamic, the brisk headbangers "The Last Days" and "Cycle of Violence" moving things around, the excellent short lead-driven instrumental "Supernova" a really welcome insertion. "Sleeping with the Devil" is a wild ripping piece with shades of crossover, and the final "Live to Party, Party to Live" is an optimistic unpretentious heavy rocker.

Sign of the Lost EP, 2012
Back to Madness Full-length, 2014
Phantoms of Society EP, 2017
Fallen But Not Forgotten Full-length, 2018
No More Circus! Full-length, 2020
Descendants of Evil Full-length, 2022

Official Site

HÆ? (NORWAY)

This is the earlier incarnation of the modern thrashers Audiopain, and the first vehicle for the talented bass maestro Petter Berntsen (also Virus, Ved Buens Ende, Manimalism). The approach on display is quite diverse, moving from unrestrained death/black metal madnesses ("Father") to short lyrical etudes ("The Alabandist"), to clumsy doom-oriented all-instrumental oddities ("You'll Never Know"). Not much to get from here, save for the few more engaging configurations on "Devoured", everything seems to be on a rehearsal stage, including the hoarse semi-declamatory hardcore vocals.

LVT Demo, 1997

Youtube

H-GEORGE (ITALY)

H-George is the vocalist and guitarist in this Italian quartet who specialize in modern power/thrash metal (based on the demo) not far from more recent Annihilator mixing fast and slower numbers in a similar fashion. The sound quality is crystal clear, and although the guitar pyrotechnics can't reach the level of Jeff Waters at this stage, they still manage to shred with passion producing the necessary amount of sharp biting riffs.

Neurotic Demo, 2008
Slave Of Society Full-length, 2010

Official Site


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