The Thrash Metal Thread

Nasty Savage - "Abstract Reality" E.P. (1988)

I never really got on with the early releases from this Florida outfit with both their 1985 self-titled & 1987 "Indulgence" albums falling pretty flat with me. It wasn't until this short twenty-minute, four-song E.P. that they started to tweak my interest although I wouldn't say that it left me thoroughly convinced either. It saw Nasty Savage further embracing the new thrash metal sound they'd adopted for "Indulgence" & making a reasonable fist of it too. The highlights are definitely seen when they don't overcomplicate things with the more technical "Eromantic Vertigo" proving to be a step too far. "Unchained Angel" sees them returning to their more traditional heavy metal & US power metal roots which certainly isn't my preference either. Thankfully, the conventional thrash metal of the two songs that bookend this release are solid enough to carry the weaker middle section in the middle & leave me with a generally positive feeling at the completion of the release. The Mercyful Fate-inspired guitar solos of Ben Meyer & David Austin are particularly impressive &, despite not thinking front man Nasty Ronnie's vocal delivery was anything to write home about, the experience would see me following Nasty Savage throughout the remainder of their career.

For fans of Hallows Eve, Destructor & Exorcist.

3.5/5

Nuclear Assault - "Handle with Care" (1989)

The third full-length from these Queens-based thrashers was my introduction to Nuclear Assault at the time of release & is still my pick of their discography to this day. I've always liked the band's 1980's records with releases like 1986's "Game Over" & 1987's "The Plague" E.P. receiving regular replays from me in the several decades since. "Handle with Care" is perhaps a little more consistently thrashy than some of their earlier efforts though & I think that probably helps its cause with someone like myself. It's bookended by two absolute belters in "New Song" & 
Trail of Tears", both of which sit amongst my favourite Nuclear Assault tracks, & this certainly holds the album in good stead but the rest of the twelve-song tracklisting is consistently engaging too with only the confusing inclusion of the fairly redundant novelty tune "Funky Noise" failing to capture me. The gritty vocals of front man John Connelly are right up my alley while I also enjoy the hardcore edge that the band display at times. While I wouldn't go into "Handle with Care" expecting to hear anything terribly original, there are some great thrash riffs on offer & I'm surprised at the fairly lackluster ratings of our regulars thus far because I would have thought this would be essential listening for most of our The Pit clan members.

For fans of Anthrax, Overkill & Vio-lence.

4/5

Annihilator is one of the most prolific bands around, as well as one of the chameleon-esque bands when it comes to its lineup, having dozens of lineup changes throughout these past 4 decades. This includes having several different vocalists throughout their tenure, one of them being remaining founding member Jeff Waters. I enjoy all of those vocalists, but if I were to do a ranking of all the ones that appear in different albums, here's what it would be, from worst to best:

7. Joe Comeau - Carnival Diablos, Waking the Fury

These early 2000s albums are a couple of the most furious releases by the band. However, Joe Comeau's vocals are OK but not so great. If the band could've re-recorded those two albums with Dave Padden while he was still in the band, I would've enjoyed them more.

6. Jeff Waters - King of the Kill, Refresh the Demon, Remains, Suicide Society, For the Demented, Ballistic Sadistic

As much as I enjoy the guitarwork of Jeff Waters, his singing, not a huge lot. It's the same problem with Scorpions' Uli Jon Roth; better at guitar than vocals.

5. Aaron Randall - Set the World on Fire

I don't have to explain much when the one album Aaron Randall was in is one of the lowest but still enjoyable parts of the discography.

4. Dave Padden - All for You, Schizo Deluxe, Metal, Annihilator, Feast

Dave Padden is the vocalist who was able to stay with the band the longest without leaving or passing vocal duties to someone else, with a decade-long run of 5 consecutive albums. Metal is one of my all-time favorite Annihilator albums besides the first two. Though he still can't beat some one of the one-off vocalists in my opinion.

3. Stu Block - Metal II

I'm familiar with the vocals of Stu Block from Into Eternity and Iced Earth, so hearing him in the Metal re-recording was like a cherry on top an already perfect metal sundae.

2. Randy Rampage - Alice in Hell, Criteria for a Black Widow

The albums with Randy Rampage are two of the most awesome albums by the band, and rightfully so. Rampage's vocals rule! RIP... However, there's one other vocalist that I think should've had more time in the spotlight...

1. Coburn Pharr - Never Neverland

Since Coburn Pharr's passing last February, I've given the one album he appeared in, Never Neverland, some more listening, and believe it or not, I just realized how glorious he sounded! No disrespect to Randy Rampage and other vocalists, but Pharr really should've stayed with the band, as I think his vocals would've made them more popular and less everchanging in the lineup, at least in the vocal department. Sadly he's gone now. RIP

Anyway, all of these vocalists are quite good, and not super terrible in any way. I just prefer some over others, and that's my true opinion. Any vocalists you think shine more in Annihilator's discography? Discuss!

This is the three year anniversary of my of my first ever review: Ride the Lightning.  But I never posted it on this thread. :P

In my younger days, like many other young peeps, my knowledge of Metallica was practically limited to The Black Album and a couple of singles from the earlier days like “Master of Puppets” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” I wasn't fully in tune with thrash. Well as I got more in-tune with thrash I had Master of Puppets ranked as the number 1 metal album of all time. But I didn't put in in my top 20 despite how much I love metal because I always considered it a little bit bloated. Well after a lot of personal growth and re-evaluation of my life, I also re-evaluated how I rate some music, especially metal.

At first I was NOT willing to give Ride the Lightning a spot above Master of Puppets (I even had And Justice for All ranked above it). Why? Simple. Puppets' production is much cleaner, the rhythms are more developed and progressive, and Metallica's style fully matured. After re-assessing myself, I realized that the big question was not “What's the best Metallica album,” but “what's the best METAL album?” If my metalcore phase taught me anything, it's that any type of production is acceptable depending on the situation. Let's be honest. Ride the Lightning's production but not be as clear as that of Puppet's, but it really is way more metallic. They obviously came a long way in that short one-year time when the were one of the best up-and-coming metal acts playing typical early thrash, and became the very band that defined thrash.

Believe it or not, my first encounter with Metallica's “Fight Fire with Fire” was not a pleasant one. Before I was used to the idea of thrash metal (or even heard of it for that matter), I would originally type the name in to look for a Kansas song. I wouldn't hear the actual album until four years later when I first started exploring music forums and charts. It would take a few years more for me to grow fully accustomed to the harshest side of metal, and that included death metal and black metal. I have Symbolic by Death to thank for that. It was the first death metal album I had ever heard and I gave it a 100/100 right then and there. The whole point of making this the opener is to give you an idea of how much power your exposing yourself to. By the time you're done with the album, you'll already be glowing blue. Da ba dee. I mean, after that soothing guitar solo at the beginning, you're dealing with BOOM BOOM BOOM! They don't call it “Ride the Lightning” for nothing! The way that atmosphere in the production works just makes it more metallic! Sure, the intro to the opener isn't as good as the one from Puppets, but it's overall a better song than “Battery.”

I admit, I'm not so well emotionally connected to “For Whom the Bell Tolls” as many other Metallica fans are, but I'm not denying that it's one of the high points of an album loaded with high points. Taking a literally dramatic shift from the thrashing thunder of the gods, the early stages of the poetry that would be seen on Master of Puppets drives this song as much as the heavy metal melody. “Take a look to the sky just before you die, It is the last time you will. Blackened roar massive roar fills the crumbling sky, shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry.” Edgar Allen Poe's getting owned here. Screw the talking raven (OK, that's my screamo band name). Much of Metallica's best "guitartistry" is boasted on “For whom the Bell Tolls,” each player doing their part to add their unique vibe to the aura and all work as well as any harmonized group while still being very creative.

Now we get to the crown jewel of Metallica's songs: “Fade to Black.” This was Metallica's first ballad, and it was recorded at a time when James Hetfield not only had some obsession with death, but had to deal with much of the band's equipment being STOLEN, including his favorite Marshall amp! Damn. As you can imagine, that helps set the mood for one of Metallica's most iconic songs. The poetry of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” continues as one of the most beautiful and emotional moods in all of power ballad history ends side B of this album. There's no need for crazy solos when you can feel the sadness touching you. How human can a song get? It does get heavier towards the end, but that's a Metallica staple right there. That doesn't stop Hetfield from delivering some of his most heartfelt vocals in his career.

Alright, the first half of side B is considered the weak point of Ride the Lightning, but what album doesn't have a weakness? I admit, I'm not in love with the intro to “Trapped Under Ice.” It slowly gets better until WEEDLY-WEEDLY-WEEDLY comes along, returning to the raw thunder of the first two songs! Even though it's more like one of the basic thrash songs like on Kill 'Em All, the Ride the Lightning energy is still there, never damaging the album's flow or consistency. I mean, come on. Is speed metal not the perfect subgenre to feature on a thrash album? Besides, for a song about literally being trapped under ice, the lyrics are really freakin' good. The song almost feels crossover-thrash-esque the way it rides on energy and quick reactions.

“Escape” is considered the worst song on the album, but I like the intro more than I like the intro of “Trapped Under Ice.” It's more rhythmic and true to the Metallica style. I think the problem here is that it's written more like a song from your average hard rock / heavy metal album instead of one of the first thrash albums. Maybe that actually works, considering that the roots of thrash come from acts like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Hell, I wouldn't mind a good Scorps cover. Besides, the song still rules overall. The solos are still great and the lyrics are still human and relatable.

“Creeping Death” is one that I find particularly interesting because of its lyrical content. As opposed to the satanism often showing in albums at that time, Metallica decided to write a song about the Angel of Death from the book of Exodus! Well, you gotta keep the concept strong somehow. Although the song is more formulaic to the thrash stereotype, the badassery is at its peak. “Creeping Death” is balanced out between Metallica's energy, sense of rhythm, and lyrical drive. Unlike every other song on the album, it doesn't rely on solos to make its mark because of its balance.

“The Call of Ktulu” is the closer, and the only instrumental on the album. This nearly nine-minute epic pretty much covers everything that was going on throughout the album but with a deeper sense of mystery than every other song. Starting out with that slightly creepy solo was the perfect way to go. Like other prog-infused epics of its time, it slowly gets heavier and relies on a clever collection of combined solos to make its mark on the album. I don't know about you, but I think that's a perfectly epic way to end such an incredible album.

It's so utterly weird when you finally catch on to why an album is so great, because a whole new world opens afterwards. Ride the Lightning opened up a whole new level of understanding in the world of thrash (and maybe metal) for me, and I plan on making the most of it. In my opinion, it's the single greatest example of metal in the world. It's atmosphere is flawless, the energy of the album is rivaled only by a select few like Pleasure to Kill by Kreator, and the theme and concept never suffer. In fact, Ride the Lightning is much better at delivering its concept (of death and humanity) than most albums are at delivering their own concepts. It goes without saying that Ride the Lightning is an indisputable essential for any metal collection, and I'm glad I love the album as much as I do now.

Grungeon - "End of the Trail" demo (1993)

This one-off demo tape represents the only release from a pretty decent Sydney thrash metal act that I enjoyed live on more than one occasion, the most notable being an excellent support slot for Bolt Thrower on their tour for "The IVth Crusade". These guys offered a gruff thrash sound that seems to have been highly influenced by classic Sepultura. Neither one of the two tracks included should be regarded as being essential but there's a naive energy to them that gives the song-writing a bit of extra oomph. The vocals of bassist David Colless (Apostasy/Tribe Maelstrom) are nice & masculine, almost touching on death metal a lot of the time, while guitarists Greg Morelli (Nazxul) & Anthony "Hefty" Hoffman (Baltak/Mortal Sin) & legendary drummer Wayne Campbell (Baltak/White Trash/Mortal Sin) lay down a competent brand of extreme metal that was always going to offer more appeal in a live environment than in the studio.

For fans of Sepultura, Mortal Sin & Tribe Maelstrom.

3.5/5

THEY'RE FUCKING BACK!

Dave Mustaine has announced that next year's Megadeth album will be their last & that the associated tour will be their farewell.

THEY'RE FUCKING BACK!

F*** YEAH, THEY'RE BACK!!!! And they're back HARD!!! Honestly the heaviest I've heard from these Swiss tech-thrash masters!

Dave Mustaine has announced that next year's Megadeth album will be their last & that the associated tour will be their farewell.

What a crazy day for thrash.  One's coming and the other's going.

Another one's coming as well! Dark Angel's looooooong-awaited new album will come out next month.

Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare

Genres: Thrash Metal

After hearing the band's two early demos, I still didn't have much of an inkling as to their true abilities because the recording quality, demo or not, was terrible for the first demo and slightly better for the second.  With this one, they got a real producer to handle the sound quality, which maximizes everything they're capable of.  Thing is, while these guys are still stylistically generic, not really standing out with a style of their own, theycan sure jam like fuck and play at Star Trek levels of warp speed.  Much of the frontal work is done by later Machine Head guitarist Robb Flynn, who totally understand what thrash power and riffage needs to sound like.  For the most part, the rest of the instrumentalists aren't really struggling to keep up with him at all.  They match his power pretty easily, which is incredible considering that the single hiring of one different person would almost send this album toppling.  Of course, that's as far as the instrumentation goes.  Although this is a perfectly produced album with song great songwriting, I'm really not digging Sean Killian's vocals.  Not only is he joining the chained-to-a-wall kink train of thinking shouting the same way through a whole album is somehow the coolest thing you can do, but it sounds like he's in the wrong genre.  He sounds like he belongs in a power metal band or a Queensryche knockoff, like he's adjusting his voice for thrash to hide this and failing.  As well, with half these songs sharing very similar tempos and practically all of them bearing the same vibe, they don't really push any boundaries beyond raw instrumentality.  As well, some of the songs drag on much longer than they likely need to, largely because the album's mostly an exercize in showing off both instrumental and production techniques rather than an example of depth.  So I think it's right that I give this a good rating for some incredible strengths, but from a broader perspective, it's not the most enlightening... just addictingly thrashy.

83

Sodom - In the Sign of Evil (1985)

Genres: Teutonic Thrash, Blackened Thrash

Today is a Sodom day for me.  Having gotten done with some Bathory binging during my chores, today was a good day for some more blackened thrash.  Sodom came around in 1985, following in Venom's footsteps while taking some of the thrash sound of Ride the Lightrning, and before being known more as a thrash band they put out this brutal little piece of blackened muscle.  I gotta say that the general sound is pretty cool.  The density of the guitar riffs and the production style work quite well for a debut extended play.  Hell, this album is much harder than the majority of metal albums of the 80's if you ask me.  The one doing most of the creative work, however, is the drummer.  Every one of the bandmates knows how to be heavier than Hell itself, but most of the melodic structure is simple riffing at incredible speed with production to back it up.  Aside from the highly impressive heaviness which never overstays its welcome due to the short length of the EP.  But there really isn't anything truly unique about this album other than beating Bathory at the game he started with his debut album.

69

Sodom - Agent Orange (1989)

Genres: Teutonic Thrash Metal

Having got through the EP's and albums before this one, including their first live album, I'm happy I'm finally checking this out.  Their second album and second extended play showed a major upgrade in musical quality, both on a songwriting and heaviness factor, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect except for a good time.  The titular opener showcases a new ability to go from careful melodies to proper thrashing instantly while keeping the essence strong.  Some may miss the fuzz factor that defined their blacker albums, but the clearer production gives them a chance to really show off their thrashing abilities, especially in regards to their guitarists.  We also get some more excellent drumming from the always wonderful drummer, Chris Witchhunter, who's consistently been my favorite member.  Hell, even Tired and Red is able to showcase just how far they're willing to take thrash by going from the blackened riffs to a softer ballad solo to some easier, chiller thrashing akin to Jump in the Fire.  This is the most any Sodom song had done so far.  If you're a fan of the really early Sodom stuff, then you might get a huge kick out of Incest (I want you to pay very close attention to the capital I).  Its first half is entirely made up of the extra-strength muscle rub that slathered the earlier blackened stuff, heavier than anything on Agent Orange thus far.  The second half is slower and a little more "epic" in that vein, before ending with a return to the first verse's form, as expected.  This first side ends with Remember the Fallen, which starts as more of a heavy metal song than thrash.  I'll be honest, they obviously didn't learn how to make a great heavy metal track yet.  It was alright, palatable, but had nothing really amazing about it.  At least they gave heavy metal a shot.

Side B kicks off with Magic Dragon (no relation to Gloryhammer or Puff).  The heavy metal intro and first verse carry on the heavy metal sound of the last track with a slight improvement in quality, but it only made me want the thrash to come back because there's a difference between "pretty good" and "great."  Thankfully, the second act kicked off just like that.  Nothing new but it had much more personality and ability.  But I certainly don't want the album RELYING on the thrash.  I'm an "expand your horizons" guy, so I was a bit disappointed that Exhibition Bout started out the same thrashy way we've been getting for the previous few releases.  Thankully the song took a softer thrash route after the first minute, and it really wasn't that bad.  It was catchy and operable, but it only lasted for the middle section.  The saving grace upon returning to typical form was one of their best solos overtaking the third act, a grand one that makes this one of the best songs on the album.  Track 7, Ausgebombt, is practically a crossover thrash song that retools the Sodom sound, and adds a little something to the album that honestly should've been done ages ago (Slayer were doing it pretty often), so it's nice to hear that.  And finally, yet another grand thrash, Baptism of Fire, shoves the black metal influence and the Teutonic majesty in your face as it should.

So this wasn't the most diversified album, as expected being a Sodom album, but it was another upgrade in quality, albiet a small one from their sophomore release.  This is one of the harder thrashers in the Teutonic scene based on what I've heard so far, and I can get behind it being a thrash classic.  Still, give me Metallica any day.

90

I'd place the rawer "Persecution Mania" slightly ahead of "Agent Orange" personally but they're both very solid releases. The six-year period from 1987-1992 was Sodom's peak in my opinion but I do have to admit that I've never thought of them as a tier one thrash metal act. I don't think they're in the same class as Kreator & have never awarded them one of my more elite scores.

As I said in my recent review of Sodom's new album, I don't think that they get as much credit as they deserve. I will admit that Kreator are the benchmark for german thrash, but I would definitely place Sodom over Destruction whose claim to legendary status is much more dubious than Sodom's own. Both "Persecution Mania" and "Agent Orange" have five-star status in my own metal world and easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anything european thrash produced, except maybe "To Mega Therion".

I'd place the rawer "Persecution Mania" slightly ahead of "Agent Orange" personally but they're both very solid releases. The six-year period from 1987-1992 was Sodom's peak in my opinion but I do have to admit that I've never thought of them as a tier one thrash metal act. I don't think they're in the same class as Kreator & have never awarded them one of my more elite scores.

Oh, definitely not.  Kreator's got a couple 9.5's on my scale, and one of them came close.  Ironically, none of these are Pleasure to Kill.  The three I chose are Coma of Souls, Extreme Aggression and Terrible Certainty.  Of course, it's been some time since I checked out any Kreator, and with all the thrash I've been listening to lately, I may have to give these guys another go later.

As I said in my recent review of Sodom's new album, I don't think that they get as much credit as they deserve. I will admit that Kreator are the benchmark for german thrash, but I would definitely place Sodom over Destruction whose claim to legendary status is much more dubious than Sodom's own. Both "Persecution Mania" and "Agent Orange" have five-star status in my own metal world and easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anything european thrash produced, except maybe "To Mega Therion".

I found Destruction quite overrated myself.

Sodom - Better Off Dead (1990)

Genres: Teutonic Thrash

Prepared for a fun album rather than a great one, I think I ended up getting both.  This has plenty of thrashing, but above anything else, it's multiple kinds of fun, the spirited kind that defines the album like a Zappa one, rather than the general kind that tries to justify the existence of an otherwise undercooked movie, like Kung Pow.  Now one thing that disappointed me about Agent Orange was the glaring inferiority of the band's attempts at straightforward heavy metal in comparison to their thrash works.  But here on Better Off Dead, songs like their cover of Thin Lizzy's Cold Sweat prove that they finally got a grip on this.  They're making fun, catchy songs of various kinds, leaving room for some raw thrash material such as Shellfire Defense and Bloodtrails.  Thing is, in place of the occasional blackened influence of previous efforts, they included some more obvious attempts at melody, and this helps differentiate the album from previous efforts while still managing the Sodom spirit.  I mean, hell, Shellfire Defense is Agent Orange material, and if you're a classic fan then you'll definitely get a big kick out of the title track.  I even went back and listened to Shellfish again.  Might be my favorite Sodom track up to this point; it left me wide-eyed, something that even the best Sodom albums haven't achieved yet.  It also takes time to be a little weird more often than not.  Gotta say I'm kinda lovin' that two-part intro to Bloodtrails.  Though I WOULD say Healing Wounds is basically speed metal filler.

Bro, treading some reviews in an effort to grasp an inkling of why this album gets any kind of slack, I found that Sodom fans consider this a disjointed work in comparison to the classics.  And to that, I say, "Check out Thembi and call me in the morning."  If you ask me, this whole albums feels the way I've been asking it to feel, a largely consistent vibe that shows the band trying to expand.  I came into this expecting anything from 60-80 / 100, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm in the rare came again, the Prometheus / Tauhid / Fulfillingness' First Finale / no better EDM than FSoL camp: this is better than Agent Orange.  They're doing what they can to put out another real Sodom album while trying to expand their horizons, and they largely succeed.  This album has tricks up its sleeve that I wished Agent Orange would even simply try to attempt.

At the time of writing this, I've given this album its highest rating on Metal Academy: 92/100 = 4.5 stars.

Sodom - Tapping the Vein (1992)

Genres: Teutonic Thrash

Okay, I really wasn't expecting such an awesome blast of deathened thrash.  Instantly, I'm punched in the face harder than anything Pantera's capable of.  The production, energy and sound are freaking incredible!  But upon this first track also came concerns that this album would be a one-trick pony.  Of course, track 2, Skinned Alive, is by all respects a death metal song, which is fine, but not exactly diversification.  While the album was exceptional in the heaviness department, I was really hoping the third track, being five minutes, wouldn't rely on it, and I got what I wanted for the most part.  Its slower rhythm still has that simple monotone sound you'd expect from a typical Sodom song with the extra heaviness to back it up, but things pick up once the solo kicks in. For the most part, the album switches between different levels of heaviness, and usually, the heavier they are, the less rhythm and melody will be involved.  Some songs switch between tempos and levels of heaviness, like the title track, but that's the artisiest the album gets.  SO while the heaviness certainly does give it some big points, the lacking songwriting ability still needs to be addressed.

77

Warbringer - Wrath and Ruin (2025)

Forming in Ventura, California in 2004, Warbringer are a five-piece thrash band centred around vocalist John Kevill and guitarist Adam Carroll alongside a revolving door of drummers, bassists and second guitarists. However, they have managed to maintain a stable lineup since 2018, so "Wrath and Ruin" features the same five as previous album, 2020's "Weapons of Tomorrow". Now this may not necessarily be a good thing because I wasn't that impressed by "Weapons of Tomorrow". It was a bit too Exodus / Testament for my preference. Now there is nothing particularly wrong with either of those bands, but I like thrash that has a bit more bite, hence my love of recent chilean thrash alongside old favourites like Slayer and Kreator.

So here comes the good news, because it sounds like Warbringer have been bingeing Kreator albums in the last five years and that has given them a harder edge than previously, making me much more amenable to "Wrath and Ruin" than I may have been otherwise. A big contributor to this is that John Kevill sounds to be taking his vocal cues from Mille Petrozza this time around, with a ragged and howling bark that sounds significantly more aggressive than he has previously. The production has been a big help and its clarity has lent the riffs a more jagged, savage feel. The emphasis in the songwriting seems to have moved away from hooky melodicism towards upping the ante on aggressive riff writing and just letting rip. This doesn't manifest as an all out blitz, though, with the pacing of the tracks varying throughout from ripping high velocity salvos like "Strike From the Sky" and "The Jackhammer", through medium-paced chuggers like opener "The Sword and the Cross" and "Neuromancer" to the markedly slower menace and portentiousness of "Through a Glass, Darkly", which is possibly my favourite track here. The two guitarists, Carroll and Chase Becker, unleash some impressive solos, complementing each other really nicely with high-velocity stringwork that brings to mind some of Dave Mustaine's better work. The rhythm section is also damned impressive with drummer Carlos Cruz laying waste to whole city blocks with his relentlessly busy battery, ably supported by Chase Bryant's throbbing bass lines.

All in all, in 2025, Warbringer have managed to turn in a thrash album worth listening to that isn't from South America and once more giving the US a seat at the thrash metal table. I have to admit that I didn't think these Californians had an album this good in them, which just goes to show, never count anyone out and definitely not thrash metal which, despite its limitations, can still turn up diamonds occasionally.

4/5 (B+)

Bro, treading some reviews in an effort to grasp an inkling of why this album gets any kind of slack, I found that Sodom fans consider this a disjointed work in comparison to the classics.  And to that, I say, "Check out Thembi and call me in the morning."  If you ask me, this whole albums feels the way I've been asking it to feel, a largely consistent vibe that shows the band trying to expand.  I came into this expecting anything from 60-80 / 100, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm in the rare came again, the Prometheus / Tauhid / Fulfillingness' First Finale / no better EDM than FSoL camp: this is better than Agent Orange.  They're doing what they can to put out another real Sodom album while trying to expand their horizons, and they largely succeed.  This album has tricks up its sleeve that I wished Agent Orange would even simply try to attempt.

At the time of writing this, I've given this album its highest rating on Metal Academy: 92/100 = 4.5 stars.

You're the first person I've ever seen agreeing with my position that "Better Off Dead" was the best Sodom release to the time.

Bro, treading some reviews in an effort to grasp an inkling of why this album gets any kind of slack, I found that Sodom fans consider this a disjointed work in comparison to the classics.  And to that, I say, "Check out Thembi and call me in the morning."  If you ask me, this whole albums feels the way I've been asking it to feel, a largely consistent vibe that shows the band trying to expand.  I came into this expecting anything from 60-80 / 100, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm in the rare came again, the Prometheus / Tauhid / Fulfillingness' First Finale / no better EDM than FSoL camp: this is better than Agent Orange.  They're doing what they can to put out another real Sodom album while trying to expand their horizons, and they largely succeed.  This album has tricks up its sleeve that I wished Agent Orange would even simply try to attempt.

At the time of writing this, I've given this album its highest rating on Metal Academy: 92/100 = 4.5 stars.

You're the first person I've ever seen agreeing with my position that "Better Off Dead" was the best Sodom release to the time.

Damn, we're all alone.  Freakin' Tom Hanks and Wilson.

Various Artists - "Warfare Noise" compilation (1986)

"Warfare Noise" is a seminal compilation record that I picked up through a Chilean tape trader back in the day. It records the early days of Brazil's exciting Belo Horizonte extreme metal scene & features two tracks from each of the four artists, all of which were still learning to play their instruments which subsequently sees the material offering some seriously raw death/thrash from a time when death metal was still in its infancy. There's some good shit here (particularly from Sarcofago & Mutilator) but the release is seriously disadvantaged by the incompetent contribution of Chakal whose two songs open the tracklisting. I wasn't much of a fan of Chakal's debut full-length "Abominable anno domini" from the following year but this shit isn't even up to that standard. The closing track from Holocausto isn't worth writing home about either but I generally enjoyed the rest of the material. It's easy to see why Sarcofago would go on to be the most significant of the four artists though as "Recrucify/The Black Vomit" is a step up from the other material included.

For fans of Sarcofago, Mutilator & Holocausto.

3/5