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 U.F.D. (PARAGUAY)
This band play corrosive abrasive thrashcore which is suitably fast and relentless (“Countdown to the Grave”, “Colinicide”), the very short numbers not amounting to much save for one incessant one-dimensional barrage, the shouty hardcore vocals adding more to the noise generated, the more frivolous “Designated Drinker” adding an expected punky flair to the very unpretentious showdown. Some of the musicians are also involved with the heavy metal outfit 220 Voltios and the thrash/crossover unit Scratchy Noise.
Garden of Madness Full-length, 2024 Official Site U.G.F. (GERMANY)
Based on "Asebeia. Ataraxis.", this act provide abrasive modern post-thrash with elements of thrashcore on the faster moments which are quite a few, by the way. "Vast and Hollow" is a surprisingly nice ballad ruined by the not very pleasant shouty death metal vocals; and "Siege" is a highly dynamic headbanger, but the rest resides in the mid-tempo parametres despite the active guitar work and the versatile riff-patterns.
Fairy Tales from the Underground EP, 2007 Official Site UAAR (NORWAY)
A classic black/thrash compendium which moshes on with reckless abandon, staying closer to the black metal parametres,
the hellish death metal vocals aggravating the atmosphere further the latter acquiring more futuristic dimensions on the
short but effective and intriguing "Bespottelse".
Den Skitne EP, 2019 Official Site UBERGEHEN (COLUMBIA)
These Columbians pull out fast retro speed/thrash metal with slightly noisy guitars. The approach is close to early Whiplash including in the screechy vocal department. The music is a bit more complex, though, trying to come up with nice melodic hooks for which the thin fuzzy guitars are hardly the best tool. Some of the musicians are also involved in the classic heavy metal formation Regnvm.
Visiones de Horror EP, 2007 Official Site UDK (CHILE)
Groovy post-thrash (based on the debut) which offers nothing new but heavy, rehashed riffs, and the refusal of the guys to add more up-tempo elements, makes this album a really tiring affair. The band were previously known as Trauma, back in the early-90's, when they were playing classic thrash reflected in a few demos released.
Hand That Feeds Full-length, 2003 My Space UFRAT (BRAZIL)
Based on "Global Devastation", these folks serve intense old school thrash obviously modelled after Germany's holy three, but the melodic undercurents on "Unceasing Torment", for instance, and the more relaxed speed metal-ish clout of "Bastard Blood" suggest at bigger versatility including with the epic power/thrasher "Cruel Faith" the latter somewhat ruined by the shouty death metal vocals.
Welcome to Reality Full-length, 2014 Youtube UGANGA (BRAZIL)
"Caos Carma Conceito": laid-back modern thrashcore sitting somewhere between Madball and Pro-Pain relying both on more speedy and more varied elements (semi-rap, groove, blues/ballad) to produce uplifting unpretentious stuff slightly spoiled by the angry gruff vocals.
Atitude Lótus Full-length, 2003 Official Site UGLOR (USA)
This obscure formation specialize in twisted, chaotic thrash/death which combines the less polished side of early Celtic Frost
with the rehearsal tapes of Atheist to an apocalyptic effect on the brutal puzzler "Wigature" which could easily qualify for the Hellwitch debut as well. "Beefy Choad" is a really weird Voivod-ish shorter, and "Gut Reactions" is just a tad less mind-scratching being purely instrumental with offbeat rhythm changes which grow into the violent shredder "Comatose". "Wasted Time" is a supreme technical piece with abrupt time and tempo-changes on a more relaxed crossover base; and "Eleventy Two" is another short cut of a more conventional this time nature. The final symbiosis "Bub's Revenge/Shibby Hoax" is a noisy epitaph not featuring much music except for the several bluesy chords. The vocals are all over the place being calm, clean, shouty, deathy, and even hysterical on a few high-pitched screams. This is an original, avantgarde, albeit fairly unpolished, work which would take a couple of listens before it settles down, but like the good wine... Previously the band were known as Warmonger when they only managed a solitary demo in 1985.
The Wild Boar Full-Length, 1990 Official Site UGLY BUT PROUD (USA)
Based on the full-length, this act plays a feelgood mix of the good old thrash/crossover and a bit of the 90's post-thrash. The music is light-hearted relying on both speed and melody as the former never goes beyond the friendly Motorhead-ish boogie. "Born To Thrash, To Suffer, To Die" would be a "rude awakening" with its intense galloping riffage, but the pressure would be majorly relieved with the following "Brother Song" which is a soft acoustic ballad. "Idle Thoughts" is a cool heavy power/doom metal cut, but right after another "bomb" awaits you: "No Hope For Redemption", a more energetic thrasher with playful rock-ish leads which are quite proficient everywhere, by the way. The singer has a drunken semi-clean tember which is not completely devoid of melody and seldom shows his more emotional "colouring" staying more on the hardcore side of things.
Knuckles From Nowhere EP, 1987 My Space UGLY DEADMAN (RUSSIA)
This "ugly" formation specialize in friendly optimistic thrash'n roll, nothing really "toxic" here, as the soft approach may not keep the fans perennially happy although cuts like "City of Red Nights" will move the heads, albeit in a dancey rocky manner. The hysterical rending vocals are too extreme for this kind of music, and would definitely be more suitable for the black metallers Demons of Guillotine, the other band the guys are involved with.
Toxic Legacy Full-length, 2017 Official Site UGLY GOD BASTARDS (ITALY)
The EP: these perverted tales are woven of timid power/thrashy rhythms which seldom leave the mid-tempo confines, the band having fun with these unpretentious constructions, "Cinderhella" bordering on doom and ballad, and "Handshell & Grindtool" being a more convincing pounding thrasher. "Little Red Riding Flood" flirts with the opening motif from Slayer's "Black magic", but later does nothing with it opting instead for a more conventional speed/thrashing roller-coaster, the intense semi-declamatory deathy vocals delivering the scary message without too much unnecessary drama.
Ugly Fairy Tales EP, 2019 Official Site UGLY OGRE (ESTONIA)
Speed, thrash and pagan metal are blended here impeded by the not very clear sound quality; fast and slower compositions are mixed together in almost equal dozes both sides offering energetic, albeit buzzy, guitars topped by rough death metal vocals. The pagan atmosphere is well created despite the lack of many musical merits.
Vihkan Ilu Full-length, 1999 My Space UHF (FRANCE)
A very badly-sounding, and generally an amateurish effort of fast brutal thrash with proto-death merits, but the awful sound leaves nothing to be heard from the vocals and from the bass also giving the guitars a screechy thin sound, and the suspicions are immediately for a one-man-show who may be drunk or stoned, or maybe just learning how to play half a dozen instruments simultaneously.
Demo Demo, 1985 UGRA KARMA (NEPAL)
Based on "Photonic Death", this Nepalese act play ripping wild retro thrash/death which is largely bashing headbanging stuff ("Kathmandu Khukuri Carnage", "Siddharthic Nihilism") the thundering omnipresent bass and the scary guttural death metal vocals creating oppressive claustrophobic atmosphere. The more twisted technical expletives on "Galactic Cannibalization & Stellar Innards" will remind of mid-period Carcass, whereas the stripped-down proto-grinding simplicity of "Vernichtung" would make the moshers perennially happy. Some of the musicians also exercise brutal grind/death with their other outfit Binaash.
Blood Metal Initiation Full-length, 2001 Official Site UIGG (CANADA)
The debut: black/thrash of the fast aggressive type; the music is all-out retro thrash metal for most of the time, if we exclude the couple of more intense blasting parts, and overall the delivery is not too distant from Deathwitch or Desaster. "Sadistic Reprisal" is a stylish minimalistic mid-paced stomper with a few technical leanings, and although the other songs are all faster, each one has at least one slower pounding section. The last "The Harbinger" is 13-min long, and apart from the intense classic thrash riffs one can enjoy (surely depends on the taste) a 5-min quiet atmospheric mid-break and a much shorter furious black metal passage, to which the vicious raspy black metal vocals suit better. Half of the line-up also takes part in the more aggressive death/thrash metal outfit Church.
To Punish and Enslave Full-length, 2008 Official Site ULAMOG (USA)
Based on the full-length, this band pull out a classic/modern thrash hybrid that elicits quite a bit of energy due to the presence of intense fervent numbers ("Falter to the Squall", the proto-death pulverizer "Cursed by the Gods"), the forceful shouty semi-death metal vocals leading the sizzling melee with aplomb, sounding meaner and throatier on the creepy menacing mid-pacer "Wrath of Sam", and on the more laid-back pounding closer "Unconquerable Soul".
The Urge to Feast EP, 2021 Official Site ULCUS MOLLE (NORWAY)
Based on the "Yggdrasil" demo, this act serve typical modern 90's post-thrash, the steam-roller semi-technicality of "Virtual Reality" leading the small pack, the doom-laden trudger "Egocentric" also woven of cool infectious melodic hooks. The harsh shouty hardcore/deathly vocals disturb the surroundings with their vociferous presence but there's more niceties to be come cross, like the fast-paced skirmish on the otherwise atmospheric doom title-track, for instance. Some of the musicians are also busy with the melodic black metallers Vreid, symphonic black metal cohort Ulcus, and the viking/black hybriders Windir.
Yggdrasil Demo, 1995 ULTHRASH (SPAIN)
Based on the "Innocence's Corpses" demo, these guys offer heavy thrash/death metal akin to Asphyx and early Death. The songs mix slower and faster guitars the whole time seldom adhering to blast-beats and stomping doom-fixated sections. Some of the musicians also play purer death metal with Invadeath which is a continuation of the more thrash metal-based act Knife.
Vital Abhorrence Demo, 1992 Official Site ULTIMA SENTENZA (ITALY)
Old school thrash which goes straight for the throat with the bursting opener “Sporca Uniforme” and the speed metal delight “Lacrima”, the pogo pretty much incessant, “Insolite Verita” an unrelenting hyper-active extraction. The compromise form the nor is titled “Chiusi Dentro”, a heavy slow-burner with cool creepy riffs, its significance severely disputed by the short to-the-point headbangers “Il Male” and the more technical puzzler “L'ultimo Uomo Di Mahana”. The vocalist is a threatening semi-reciter, leading the show with the requisite subdued authority. Some of the musicians are also busy with the progressive deathsters Condanna and the classic thrash veterans Thy Gate Beyond.
Mondi Fatti di Carta Full-length, 2024 Official Site ULTIMATE (BRAZIL)
Modern thrashcore/post-thrash which grooves its way around with "Forbidden", the long dragging "The Blood Is on My Way" killing the little inertia that has been accumulated theretofore, the more vivid "By My Way" meaning business in the middle, but the anti-speed "Speed Demon" and the quasi-doom tedium "You Can't Take My Soul" bring the setting back to the boring banal norms, where also the shouty quarrelsome singer belongs.
U.G.F. Full-length, 2014
The Taste of Rust EP, 2015
Asebeia. Ataraxis. Full-length, 2016
"From Sacred to Profane" is a more aggressive affair thrashing more intensely on occasion. The singer is a pretty brutal death metal growler who dominates the seismic musical landscape which shies neither of doom nor of a few balladic lyrical passages ("Black Dressed System") which are graced by surprisingly catchy melodic tunes (check out the exiting "Outro (The Bitter End of Pain)": melancholic proto-doom with a genuine Katatonia vibe.
"Burnt Cradles" is another diverse recording the band marching on with both doom and atmosphere increased except for the several dynamic blitzkriegers ("Like Rats") which try hard to compensate for the presence of playful quasi-groovers ("Judge Me Wrong") and goofy stoner-doomy walkabouts ("Massacre"). It's a bit hard to pin down the exact sryle of this recording as the more rigid post-thrashy rules don't apply here the entire time, the band attempting something more flexible and rock-ish for a change.
From Sacred to Profane Full-length, 2008
Burnt Cradles Full-length, 2018
"Involution": the carnage is pretty similar here if we exclude the several more brutal death metal leanings, the band moshing on full-throttle with spitting bullets like "In Darkness" and "Passenger Existence", with sparse spasmodic blast-beats ("Involution", "Sniper") peppering the landscape, the smattering gallops on "Shades of Night" a welcome respite from the really aggressive delivery.
Global Devastation Full-length, 2016
Involution Full-length, 2019
"Opressor" is an intense frolic offering with nods to the national musical heritage of the mentioned in the name African country... kidding, of course; but this is squashing stuff with some admirably fast-paced surprises ("Moleque de Pedra") which will stir the blood and will make one jump around, especially on the very cool cover version of Vulcano's "Who are The True" near the end.
Na Trilha do Homem de Bem Full-length, 2006
Caos Carma Conceito Full-Length, 2010
Opressor Full-Length, 2014
The “Knuckles From Nowhere” EP starts with a nicely done excerpt from a famous opera which these ears have problems recalling (could be Puccini's "Tosca") before the opener "Death Clowns" introduces the simplistic inspired barrage of the Metallica debut. Things become a tad more relaxed on the next "No Hope For Redemption" (also featured on the full-length later) which is more speed metal-based (think early Overkill), reaching the peak of the happiness with a string of short crossover-laced cuts among which "King Zeus" is very close to being a death metal piece for a while with its brutal guitars.
Bein' Ugly Is Alright Full-length, 1994
The full-length is more within the speed/thrashy parametres with some serious Metallica-sque thrashers ("The Beauty and the Fist") peppering the landscape alongside ambitious quasi-progressive ("Nerdmaid Fuck'em All") achievements. There's also a brutal grinding semi-ballad called "Cinderhella Armageddon"... in other words, prepare for a diverse bumpy roller-coaster ride.
Ugly Fairy Tales, Vol. 2-The Ugliest Ones Full-Length, 2020
Mountain Grinders EP, 2015
Photonic Death Full-length, 2022
"Of Moose and Men" is another intense affair now adding shades of death metal to the proceedings, the latter of the stomping, war-like type (but don't think Bolt Thrower immediately; this is more in the choppy, Beyond Belief-like, direction). The speed has been reduced quite a bit, the band now smashing forward with pounding, thundering riffs with a touch of groove. "Master Hunter" is a cool speedy headbanger but the rest doesn't bother to reach it in this aspect, except for the hectic technicaller "Monstrosity" at some point, and the several scattered blasting breaks here and there. "Onslaught" is an engaging closer, though, a 9-min saga which moves on with heavy, seismic guitars and a few stylish leads. The vocalist now sounds angrier, with a hardcore-ish flavour.
Of Moose and Men Full-length, 2011
The Hungriest of the Old Ones Full-length, 2023
The "Roles" demo is another addition to the band's 90's post-thrash catalogue, the more intense corrosive "Mindgames" recalling the 80's currents for a bit, before "The Ship Is Sailing (Without Us)" sails away with some of the heaviest ship-sinking rhythms around. "The Genuine Loss" is a surprising soulful balladic touch, and "Nell" is a more dynamic move-around with subversive doom-ornate overtones.
Roles Demo, 1996
Malicious Triumph EP, 1998
Innocence's Corpses Demo, 1994
Live Apoc. 6.8 Demo, 1998