Copyright (c) 2007-2024 THE THRASH METAL GUIDE 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z M.A.C.E. (BRAZIL)
A 4-track demo of excellent direct classic thrash/crossover, fast and sharp, with really cool leads, and a great melodic edge on the guitars which doesn't dullen the riffage, but makes it sound even more compelling. Really cool stuff; such good thrashy crossover from Brazil hasn't been heard since the Ratos De Porao's early-90's works.
Apocalypse Now EP, 2006 My Space M.A.C.E. (ITALY)
Based on the demo, these folks provide relatively friendly power/thrash that is still more on the classic side, the guys adhering to a heavy mid-tempo for most of the time, not very fond of the faster-paced explosions. "Fighting" is a cool more diverse shredder with lashing sharp riffage, the vocalist doing his own damage on the side with a semi-sober/semi-clean hoarse croon ala Kermit (Tyrant (Germany)).
State of Excitement Full-length, 1989 M.A.D. (CANADA)
Based on the debut: quite good classic thrash metal which will remind you of many bands from the 80's: Testament, Exodus, Heathen, etc. There's an attempt at a more complex song-writing: some of the tracks are longer with nice technical hooks. The pace is varied, but mostly stays in the mid-tempo except on the crossover joke "Special Olympics", and the intense headbanger "Hold Your Breath". The singer has a slightly indifferent punk-ish timbre, and the bass performance is really impressive.
Generation Zero Demo, 1989 M.A.D. (GERMANY)
Based on the full-length, this act serve vicious intense old school thrash/death along the lines of Merciless and Devastation. This is a pummeling fist in the face that never lets up the threatening guttural deathy vocals notching up the drama, the melee turning to full-fledged death metal on a couple of short outrages ("Epidemic Spreads", "Kill All Masters"), the stomping semi-technicality on "Preachers" a welcome deviation from the no-bars-held bash. Some of the musicians are also involved with the death metal cohort Bloodland, and the gothic metallers Senistro.
Servants of Torture EP, 2016 Official Site M.A.D. (RUSSIA)
This is an intense retro/modern thrash blend with a sterile, mechanical guitar sound and crisp modern production. The guys know their thrash which also comes with appropriately inserted balladic passages (maybe a bit too many) and heavy proto-doomy moments which get overused near the end, where the album loses the speed from the beginning, settling for not very imaginative, repetitive heavy guitars. The singer has a deep clean voice, but ruins his delivery with rough semi-death metal growls. The lead guitar work is good, though, having this surreal spacey feel to it.
Tui Budesh Jit Full-Length, 2009 M.A.D. (UK)
Your "Thrash Grandads" are here, like the title of the opening song suggests, and they will overflow you with cool melodic thrash/crossover rhythms some of them played at the speed of light ("...In Space"; the 1-min of thrashing fury "Blutack Attack"), those numbers contrasting with the imposing progressive closer "Brainwashed By Common Sense" which is a curious blend of fast riffs and more laid-back spacey moments recalling late-80's/early-90's Voivod the resultant mixture lacking coherence and focus disfavouring this otherwise nice effort a bit at the end. The singer has a forceful throaty timbre which suits the intense musical delivery despite its slightly unmelodic nature.
Going Nowhere Fast EP, 2011 M.A.D: GOYA (SERBIA)
Based on "Put Olindrali Avlijanera", these guys come up with cool energetic retro thrash/crossover suffering from the bad brutal death metal vocals. The music is not very aggressive graced also by a couple of catchy shouty choruses, and a few slow heavy passages plus a nice hardcore-ish cover of Venom's "Countess Bathory".
The Number of Beers Full-length, 2003 Official Site M.A.S.A.C.R.E. (PERU)
Based on "En Pie de Guerra", this band offer a cross between classic Bay Area-influenced thrash metal and the groovy aggro-style of Pantera. The sound resembles quite a lot the works of the Japanese band United who operate in the same area music-wise.
Sin Piedad Full-length, 1988 M.A.S.H. (POLAND)
Based on the debut, this band offers very cool aggressive thrash along the lines of Devastation's "Idolatry" and Atomica's "Disturbing the Noise". This is fast hard-hitting music with not many slower "interludes", lashing a bomb after bomb in a merciless fashion, with only "The Faces of the Crime" calming down a bit, but the riffs there are super-heavy. The closing tune is a great lead-driven 1.5-min instrumental ("Distance"). The vocals are forceful semi-death metal-ish coming as a throatier and deathier version of Max Cavalera (Sepultura).
New Power Full-length, 1992 M.B.I. (SWITZERLAND)
Semi-amateurish thrash with Bay-Areasque overtones; the sound quality is really bad making the guitars too fuzzy although the galloping sections on "Bloody States" aren't that bad at all; neither are the more atmospheric escapades on the speed metal winner "Day And Night". The vocalist is an unrehearsed semi-reciter who doesn't really sing recalling the early vocal exploits of Reinhard Kruse (F.B.I.... sorry, S.D.I.).
Demo Demo, 1988 M.I.D.R.A.S.H. (MEXICO)
This is a strange act who base their repertoire around melo-death/thrash rhythms ala Arch Enemy, but exacerbate the situation with very brutal guttural death metal vocals. "Through Torment" is a nice progressive opus with dreamy ethereal qualities, and
"Tears of Blood" brutalizes the environment with less restrained wilder guitars, the guys's sense of melody is simply too
strong to be superseded by any other ingredient: just check the spell-binding leads on "Burning Souls", or the intriguing semi-Oriental
configurations on "Road to Death".
Burning Souls Full-length, 2019 Official Site M.I.S. (SWITZERLAND)
A late comer on the classic thrash wagon served with a pinch of proto-death so don't look for any sophistication ala their compatriots Lunacy: this is
violent bash with touches of crossover, but this is more along the lines of Wehrmacht except for the title-track which is a nice eventful thrasher
with almost progressive nuances the latter also audible on the longer and a bit clumsy "Hungry". "Questions" is a pure death metal outrage at some
point, and the bass is fairly good all over, clearly the highlight on this interesting, but uneven, effort which also boasts a very clear sound.
Some of the band members have recently started another classic thrash metal act, Casatron.
Shut Up! EP, 1993 M.I.S. (USA)
This trio pull out pretty decent retro power/speed/thrash topped by over-the-top high-pitched semi-clean vocals. The sizzling dramatic fiesta is
notched to the max thanks to intense pulverizers like "Manifest Death" and the progressive odyssey "White Noise", but expect also heavy doom-laden
riffs on the officiant "Pseudo Savior". The more welcoming power metal rhythms on "Sellout" are not exactly a sellout, but still pale before
the hyper-active accumulations on "Black Oceans, Yellow Sand", or the polished thrash/proto-deathy brutality of "Live Your Lie".
Kill the Man, Save the Indian Full-length, 2020 Official Site M.K.ULTRA (MEXICO)
This is intense old school thrash assisted by subdued, growling death metal vocals which sometimes receive support from more expressive shouty semi-clean ones. Early Whiplash is a very close call sound-wise, and simplistic direct speedsters like "Distortion Mind" and "Marchurian Candidate" nicely aggravate the archaic flavour of this unpretentious bashing recording.
Born Of Malleus Maleficarum Full-Length, 2019 Official Site M.O.D. (USA)
Billy Milano formed this band after the demise of S.O.D. The style is a direct continuation of the wild hardcore/thrash/punk mixture of the other band.
U.S.A. For M.O.D. Full-length, 1987 My Space M.O.R.G. (PORTUGAL)
Based on the full-length, this is optimistic carefree thrash/crossover which rolls on with sharp, but playful guitars which take more epic proportions on a couple of longer numbers in the middle ("Doom", the more moderate mid-pacer "Nightmare of Sound") where more serious thrashing is guaranteed. The band news is that the 2nd half is much less intense the band exploring their more tender emotions also including one overlong ballad, not to mention the 6.5-min closer "Feelings" which is another serene acoustic piece. A mixed affair as a whole having a lot to do before reaching the upper echelons of the genre, even in their homeland.
M.O.R.G EP, 2009 Youtube M.S.T. (FRANCE)
One of the bands who refused to follow the modern trends of mixing thrash and death metal which was so popular at the same time in France; this is excellent speed/thrash recalling the early efforts of ADX and Killers. There's a certain shade of thrash/crossover at times ala the thrashier Suicidal Tendencies' works ("How Will I Laugh...", "Lights...Camera...Revolution"). This is cool music, fast and energetic, with a huge headbanging potential, and very cool vocals, quite close to Mike Muir.
P.U.C. Mini-LP, 1988 M.S.W. (USA)
Thrash/crossover recalling Carnivore, both vocal and music-wise; heavy and mid-paced, with repetitive riffs and timid attempts at more interesting guitar lines which for some strange reason remind me of the Black Sabbath period with Ozzy ("Call to Arms/Nightmare War").
What's All This Then? Demo, 1987 M.T.G. (ITALY)
This act indulge in right as rain retro thrash, the bashing qualities amply exhibited on the title-track and "Lady of Death" aptly matching the shouty semi-clean passion of the vocalist. The pummeling session never stops here, actually, "Auftragsmord" galloping with the more impetuous horses out there, and "Slavery and Abuses" adding more intricate gravity to the sizzling melee. Welcome some light-hearted crossover tunes with the closing "T.M.C.O.T.P.O.T.A" into your diet as well.
Lobotomized Full-length, 2023 Official Site M.V.D. (GERMANY)
Thrashcore heroes from Germany spicing their routine delivery with sudden blazing leads which nicely decorate some of the short (1-2min) blitzkrieg tracks. The singer shouts his lungs out trying to overcome the lashing guitars which come with a very abrasive noisy edge.
Stagnation Of Thinking EP, 1992 M-102 (USA)
Energetic modern post-thrash with elements of hardcore not far from Pro-Pain; the singer semi-shouts in a warm, friendly manner, and the music isn't that aggressive possessing this semi-hit, sing-along potential again typical for the early works of the Pro-Pains.
The Dividing Line Full-Length, 2015 M-16 (BOLIVIA)
This is aggressive bashing thrash/death played in a live surrounding which contributes to the awful sound quality and the messy delivery which completely lacks professionalism and could be played by anyone... literally. So don't expect to recognize the 2 cover versions thrown in the middle: Sodom's "Agent Orange" and Sepultura's "Inner Self", the latter done a bit more professionally. Anyway, this is purely amateursih music which should only interest fanatic collectors...
YEEEEE Demo, 2011 M-19 (BRAZIL)
The full-length: varied modern/classic thrash with a pinch of hardcore which crosses the light-hearted aesthetics of early Pro-Pain with less bridled death metal sweeps creating plenty of dynamics along the way. The headbangers will by all means be happy for most of the time with the ripping guitars and the screamy leads topped by forceful shouty semi-death metal vocals which are quite comprehensive, and are definitely an asset rather than an impediment. The sound quality is crystal clear making each instrument clearly heard greatly favouring the more melodic escapades like the ones on "Disequilibrium" and the closing "School of Crime" where the leads are the stars of the show.
When a Promise Is Broken Demo, 1994
They'85 Demo, 1992
"Songs for the Ugly" actually deserves its "ugly" title being bland, repetitive groovy post-thrash with harsh hardcore-ish outbreaks, having nothing from the technical/progressive swagger of its predecessor.
The demo contains a really good material some of which found its way to the debut. "Another Perfect World" is an awesome Bay-Areasque shredder with dramatic progressive accumulations and bristling technical guitars, a one-of-a-kind experience with vortex-like rhythmic leaps and bounds not to mention the gorgeous lead section at the end. "Endangered" is a more immediate headbanger with a couple of smattering spiral-like technical decisions, and the title-track is a compellingly chaotic technicaller with a wide array of paces and cool bass support. "Ignorant Advice" is a jumpy thrasher with frenetic tempos and twisted riffy arrangements which continue on "Political Dismay", a nice combination of melody and technicality with a frequent alternation of pace. This is another proof that this act were one of the finest practitioners of the more serious side of the genre in Canada, and also worldwide.
Taboo of the Western World Full-length, 1991
Songs for the Ugly Full-length, 1992
A Plague Caused the Deaths Full-length, 2020
Put Olindrali Avlijanera Full-length, 2006
Cobi's Death/Wrm/M.A.D: Goya Split, 2007
"Versos del Inframundo": the Peruvian heroes are here again, and their inspired antics sound as though the guys are just starting their career. Their delivery has shaken off the detrimental 90's elements and rips through with impetuous cuts like the opening title-track and "Morir de Pie". A few more restrained, semi-balladic pieces ("1985") are also offered carrying a certain power metal spirit with them, but this effort isn't about hard-hitting thrash the whole time, and one should also be able to enjoy more meditative doomy compositions like "La Oscuridad".
Demoledor Full-length, 2000
En Pie de Guerra Full-length, 2004
On The Warpath Full-length, 2006
Versos del Inframundo Full-Length, 2016
"Animal" is a heavy groovy post-thrashy affair sounding quite close to Exhorder's "The Law" and Pantera's "Vulgar Display of Power" matching those two in terms of intensity every bit of the way. Sadly, it came at a time when this particular genre was very well established on the scene, and the guys had nothing new to offer to the already oversaturated post-thrash fanbase.
Animal Full-length, 1995
"Busted, Broke & American": Billy Milano and Co. are back after a decade of inactivity as the Co. part is completely new the man having surrounded himself with entirely new members the majority coming from the Canadian thrashers Mastery with whom Milano had a short spell. The entertainment factor is expectedly high as well as the energy as evident from the ripping title-rack and the speed/crossover delights "Shattered Dreams & Broken Glass" and "They". Fans of the band will be happy all over as the good old crossover will never perish with the veterans always reliant.
Surfin' M.O.D. Full-length, 1988
Gross Misconduct Full-length, 1989
Rhythm of Fear Full-length, 1992
Devolution Full-length, 1994
Dictated Aggression Full-length, 1996
Rebel You Love to Hate Full-length, 2003
Red, White, and Screwed Full-Length, 2007
Busted, Broke & American Full-length, 2017
Nightmare of Sound Full-length, 2015
The Mini-LP is pretty much the same energetic thrash/crossover, but more melodic and simplistic. The tracks follow nicely being fast-paced, albeit a bit samey. The singer will remind you even more of Mike Muir here, as well as the music, which at times is very close to the Suicidals' "Join the Army".
Regeneration Full-Length, 1991
The demo is a very promising beginning for the band comprising ripping classic thrash/death in the vein of Invocator and Assorted Heap. The guys play with confidence unperturbed by the muddy production, and the final result is not very far from the better examples in the genre from their homeland from the 90's. The approach isn't overtly technical, but some hooks pack a punch with style: check out the vortex-like sections on "Crying Out". The lead guitarist acquits himself with a couple of good screamy leads, and the vocalist rends his throat in a forceful semi-shouty/semi-deathy manner even managing to capture a few melodic lines.
Mission: Destroy Full-Length, 2013