Make a recommendation to a fellow member of The Pit
This should be right up your alley Sonny. Sounds like Sodom meets Slayer.
Only had a quick listen yet, but... HELL, YES!!
I feel like you should check out the new Witches Hammer Daniel, they are a Canadian band formed in 1984 who reemerged to release their first full album here in 2020. Old school production, heavy as hell Thrash with some other extreme metal influences thrown in there.
Hhmmmm... a quick read of some of the reviews tells me that this release will almost certainly satisfy my undying craving for raw & brutal underground thrash. Thanks for the heads up Xephyr. It's gone onto my playlist for next week.
So I checked out Witches Hammer's "Damnation Is My Salvation" album over the last couple of days & I really liked it. In short, it's a death/thrash hybrid with hints at black metal. In fact, I can't believe that no one has voted for death metal primary on RYM because it's close to being the major element on display here. These guys have both feet firmly planted in the 1980's with their sound sitting right between the first couple of Slayer records & 1980's Morbid Angel (i.e. my two favourite bands ever). Very much where Possessed & early Protector reside actually. The occasional hint at black metal brings to mind pre-"In The Nightside Eclipse" Emperor. The performances aren't pristine & the production sounds very much of that era which gives everything an added feeling of forboding darkness & old-school authenticity. I absolutely love this release from an atmospheric & stylistic point of view but I think some of the bouncier thrash beats bring things back to the pack a little. As does the fact that Witches Hammer don't really hide their influences all that well ((see "Witches Hammer" for example which is clearly a reworking of Slayer's "Black Magic"). It's a well received 4/5 rating from me though as I feel this is a release that I'll be returning to quite often in the near future.
You seem to understand my musical taste pretty well Xephyr. Thanks for the heads up!
P.S. Sonny & Ben, you'll both really dig this.
Turbo - "Ostatni wojownik" (1987)
Sonny & Vinny, I think you might enjoy this raw & sophisticated early Polish thrash record. I'm really digging it at the moment. It's classy & consistent with excellent musicianship & a raspy European vocal delivery. The band always sounds in control whilst always maintaining that dirty Teutonic edge.
Sonny, have you checked this one out before? I think you'll probably dig it as I know you loved their debut.
I was led to believe that their later albums weren't very good, but this is great.
Sounds like Vice Squad and very early Slayer jamming together.
Ben, Sonny & Vinny, if you haven't given this one a spin before then I highly recommend you do. High class & aggressive female-fronted Tuetonic thrash.
Ben, Sonny & Vinny, if you haven't given this one a spin before then I highly recommend you do. High class & aggressive female-fronted Tuetonic thrash.
Yep, familiar with this. Great stuff.
Necrodeath - "Into The Macabre" (1987)
Sonny, this has got your name all over it.
I'll give it a spin...
Necrodeath - "Into The Macabre" (1987)
Sonny, this has got your name all over it.
How have I never heard of this band - a debut as awesome as this and a total of thirteen albums released and I've never heard a note of them before!?
They may be Italians (hardly a hotbed for thrash, Italy is it) but this absolutely kicks the shit out of a ton of better-regarded outfits. Even for 1987 this is a stand-out album, the aggression of death metal in the vein of Possessed makes their thrashing sound super-evil. I'll have to check out the rest of their releases, but they'll need to be good to not disappoint after this.
Keep them recs coming Daniel, there's been some real killers recently for which you have my undying thanks!!
Sonny & Vinny, I'll be surprised if you don't dig this very solid meat-&-potatoes US thrash metal record.
Sonny & Vinny, I'll be surprised if you don't dig this very solid meat-&-potatoes US thrash metal record.
Yep, probably their best.
Daniel, have you heard this from Greek blackened thrashers, Ravencult?
I hadn't until now but thanks for the heads up because I really enjoyed it. The production & performances are very good & this contributes to a professional & accessible package that offers excellent gravel-throated vocals & dark but catchy tremolo-picked second wave black metal riffs. It's kind of a 60/40 mixture between Nifelheim/Destroyer 666 style blackened thrash & the classic Norwegian black metal of Darkthrone & Satyricon in my opinion & it therefore sits more comfortably under The North than it does The Pit if I'm honest, particularly as the pure black metal material is vastly superior to the thrashier material. I absolutely love a few of the pure black metal tracks like "Hail Revenge", "Winds Of Damnation" & "Snakes Crawl" but these highlights are inevitably followed by a less impressive number based on punky d-beat infused speed metal riffs ("Morbid Blood" & "With Hunger In Eyes" for example). Still... this is quality black metal in my opinion so I appreciate the recommendation. :)
4/5
I notice you haven't rated this one yet Sonny. I'm keen to hear your thoughts on it as I've always thought it was a very solid piece of Bay Area thrash.
Sonny & Ben, I think you might enjoy this one. Some very solid techy US thrash metal with ultra-shreddy solos & power metal vocals.
Turbo - "Ostatni wojownik" (1987)
Sonny & Vinny, I think you might enjoy this raw & sophisticated early Polish thrash record. I'm really digging it at the moment. It's classy & consistent with excellent musicianship & a raspy European vocal delivery. The band always sounds in control whilst always maintaining that dirty Teutonic edge.
I am terrible for missing things on these threads and so only just seen this. Glad I did because this is good stuff, particularly like those vocals that you mention Daniel. Neat find and a hell of a way to kick off a Sunday morning. Cheers.
I notice you haven't rated this one yet Sonny. I'm keen to hear your thoughts on it as I've always thought it was a very solid piece of Bay Area thrash.
Missed this rec, sorry. Yeah, a lot of Exodus, including this, I hadn't listened to in years so haven't rated them yet.
Played this again today and enjoyed it. It still thrashes pretty damn hard. 4/5.
Sonny & Vinny, I recommend you give this one a few spins. I prefer it to "By Inheritance".
Chris Van Etten, you might wanna give this one a shot.
Vinny, I think this one might appeal to you. It was their best work to the time in my opinion.
Vinny, I think this one might appeal to you. It was their best work to the time in my opinion.
Yep, ageeed it’s a good un. I was drawn to it back in the day because of that artwork but luckily the music behind it lives up to expectations.