The Pit

Pretty solid playlist this month. Some nice discoveries - I really dug the Scarecrow track, Korzus, High Command and Mortal Vision were great too. Obviously it's always good to hear the classics: Demolition Hammer, Xentrix, Messiah, Slayer and Mutilator are always welcome. I obviously didn't like the Prong track as much as the rest of you guys and the one-two of Carnivore and Bezerker tested my patience a little. Plenty to enjoy though and a great way to spend a couple of hours - nice one Vinny!

Unstoppable Power is definitely more than solid and is above every other random, average Thrash record in every way. The energy and aggression is there, the vocals are more passionate than most, the bass lines are great, and the riff progressions and transitions on tracks like "Chained Victims" are fantastic. In terms of the older-school, messier production, my only complaint is that the cymbals sound extremely blown out to the point where I wasn't enjoying it, but I could get through it most of the time. I can see how this would be a deep cut hit for massive Thrash fans, but I fall on the same side as Saxy in that this is kind of just another Thrash album for me, even though I'll give it more praise overall. While it's extremely consistent in quality, none of the songs really jumped out at me other than "Chained Victims", leaving Unstoppable Power as a nice experience that probably isn't going to stick with me. 

It's starting to become pretty apparent why I tend to lean towards Thrash Metal hybrids like Tech Thrash or Thrashy Death Metal, since a pristine old school Thrash package leaves me feeling like something is missing.

3.5/5

Unfortunately this little beauty was laid to rest this week after I wore through the fabric to such an extent that it became embarrassing to wear. It's done some hard yards & seen some amazing things over the years & I'll definitely miss it. It's been very much a comfort wear in recent years.

Exumer are one of the lesser lights of the Teutonic Thrash scene behind Kreator, Sodom and Destruction, releasing a couple of classic albums before originally splitting in 1991 of which Rising from the Sea is my favourite. Their sound is typical of 1980's German thrash and Exumer do a great job of harnessing the requisite aggression and intensity that is the hallmark of the Big Three Teutonic giants. They are obviously  heavily influenced by Slayer, bassist / vocalist Paul Arakari in particular doing a more than passable impression of Tom Araya - Decimation sounding incredibly like Jesus Saves from Reign in Blood for example. There is a kind of polished rawness to the album, it actually sounds better than you imagine it does, this being no demo-quality lo-fi grasp for kvlt kudos, but it has pretty decent production values (although saying that I am most familiar with the 2001 re-release so it may have been polished up from the original version).

This isn't a perfect album and the band certainly have limitations, but they write fantastic riffs have a palpable energy and dynamism and, for me, encapsulate a lot of what was best about 1980's thrash. This is no-bullshit, heads-down, neck-wrenching metal from the days when every album didn't have to make a statement or re-invent the wheel, but it was sufficient for it to be merely a great record for headbanging along to (how I miss them!)
4.5/5

As for Death Angel, I still love their debut, but can't get on with any of their other releases at all.

I've always liked "The Ultra-Violence" but I can't deny my feeling that it's a flawed & overrated release, particularly vocally. To my ears "Act III" is the band's peak as it saw them ironing out all of the kinks & producing a well thought-out & mature metal record that may not be all that thrashy but makes up for it with quality song-writing & execution. Death Angel's 2000's material is worth a look but I wouldn't say it's essential while their 1988 sophomore album "Frolic Through the Park" is an absolute abomination.

Flawed it may be but when the band hit the sweet spot, man they thrash like a muthafucker. As for being overrated? I personally don't think an album that contains a song like Voracious Souls can ever be deemed overrated!

Kreator have always seemed like the European Slayer to me. Now don't misunderstand, I'm not accusing them of plagiarism or anything, what I mean is the fan's perceptions of the two are very similar. To a degree, both have accumulated enough credibility and respect to almost be above criticism. Even though we all know that both bands did their best work in the 80s and early 90s, even their less well-received works of the later nineties have their advocates and neither band suffered the critical mauling that most other "big name" thrash bands endured for their later work. Personally, I think Kreator's twenty-first century output is superior to Slayer's with Enemy of God and Hordes of Chaos being a couple of my favourite thrash albums.

That said, their run of albums from Pleasure to Kill up to Coma of Souls is thrash metal legend and third in the run was Extreme Aggression. I can't really add any more than has already been said, but this is certainly an aptly-titled album and is obviously the output of a band firing on all barrels as they refined the early aggressiveness of Pleasure to Kill into an even more lethal weapon. A band like Kreator doesn't achieve the level of respect they have by accident, this is a band who have earned every drop and Extreme Aggression is one of the reasons why.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/083tGvGRuasSsmN8d3Nyww?si=74da3eaa87e5464b

Tracklisting:

01. Evile – “War Of Attrition” (from “Hell Unleashed”, 2021) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Dagoba – “Black Smokers (752 Farenheit)” (from “Poseidon”, 2010)

03. Vulture – “Gorgon” (from “Dealin’ Death”, 2021)

04. ZnöWhite – “Bringing The Hammer Down” (from “All Hail To Thee” E.P., 1984)

05. Intruder – “Cold-Blooded Killer” (from “Escape From Pain” E.P., 1990) [Submitted by Vinny]

06. Annihilator – “The Fun Palace” (from “Never, Neverland”, 1990) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Gojira – “Another World” (from “Fortitude”, 2021)

08. Anthrax – “The Enemy” (from “Spreading The Disease”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny]

09. Slayer – “The Antichrist” (from “Show No Mercy”, 1983) [Submitted by Vinny]

10. Rigor Mortis – “The Haunted” (from “Freaks” E.P., 1989) [Submitted by Vinny]

11. Blood Feast – “Kill For Pleasure” (from “Kill For Pleasure”, 1987) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Corrosion Of Conformity – “Consumed” (from “Animosity”, 1985) [Submitted by Vinny]

13. Forbidden – “Twisted Into Form” (from “Twisted Into Form”, 1990)

14. Powermad – “Terminator” (from “The Madness Begins…” E.P., 1988) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Demolition Hammer – “Under The Table” (from “Time Bomb”, 1994)

16. Acid Drinkers – “Superstitious Motherfucker” (from “Broken Head”, 2000)

17. Sepultura – “Mask” (from “Sepulquarta”, 2021)

18. Paradox – “Collision Course” (from “Collision Course”, 2000)

19. Iron Reagan – “Miserable Failure” (from “The Tyranny Of Will”, 2014)

20. Artillery – “The Devil’s Symphony” (from “X”, 2021)

21. Flotsam & Jetsam – “The Wicked Hour” (from “Blood In The Water”, 2021)

22. Violator – “Futurephobia” (from “Annihilation Process”, 2010)

23. Cryptic Slaughter – “Hypocrite” (from “Convicted”, 1986) [Submitted by Vinny]

24. Obsolete – “Still” (from “Animate//Isolate”, 2021)

25. Lich King – “Act Of War” (from “World Gone Dead”, 2010)

26. Scythelord – “Equanimity” (from “Earth Boiling Dystopia”, 2021) [Submitted by Daniel]

27. The Crown – “Doomsday King” (from “Doomsday King”, 2010) [Submitted by Daniel]

28. Ranger – “Storm Of Power” (from “Where Evil Dwells”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Nekromantheon – “Dead Temples” (from “Visions Of Trismegistos”, 2021) [Submitted by Daniel]

I nearly missed this one which would have been my loss.

Canadians Infernäl Mäjesty operate in the zone of thrash metal that is rabid and putrid without necessarily dropping into blackened territory. Their debut album is a pretty fucking intense experience, even for a hardened thrash metal veteran like me. It is reminiscent of Possessed in terms of the death metal like intensity it generates, but also Slayer as a reference point for how true the thrash credentials are at the same time.

The album suffers an oddity in terms of structure early on with an instrumental track immediately after the opening song. This loses a lot of momentum from the album in all honesty and despite the big build up that goes on during track 3, Night of the Living Dead puts things back on course more from an atmosphere perspective as opposed to reasserting the intensity levels immediately. This is a strange choice of running order - even though it is obvious to see the link with the instrumental as an intro to the horror themed track mentioned above - and one that overall I do not think the record recovers from overall. The feeling of things being a little disjointed thereafter is not entirely shook off at any point, despite the obvious distraction of the thunderous racket that occupies most of the album.

This does not make None Shall Defy a bad album by any means. It is clearly made by a group of young people with all the morbid fascinations of horror, comics and serial killers that you would perhaps expect from the stereotype of thrash metal bands at the time. These dark curiosities transpose well into song writing content and provide the necessary dank sound to the frantic tempos as a reminder that whatever we are racing through there is something vile not too far away, permeating the air with its corrosive odour.

At times it does feel like a much slower version of Slayer as opposed to others where they seem to match the mad thrashing intensity of the aforementioned stars of the genre. Vocalist Chris Bailey does remind me of Tom Araya a lot, and the looping sonics of Steve Terror (yep, I know!) and Kenny Hallman are certainly not a football field away from Hanneman and King. I don't think drummer Rick Nemes quite matches Lombardo in the skill stakes but he still does a great job of bashing his way through the record.

Terrible artwork aside, None Shall Defy is a great old-school thrash metal record that is probably criminally overlooked by most fans of the genre.

4/5

A mix of the good the bad and the ugly for me on this month's playlist:

01. Evile – “Incarcerated” (from “Hell Unleashed”, 2021)
4/5 It is surprising to see how often this album has featured in the playlists as the consensus seems to be that it is very ordinary. This is probably it's best track however.

02. Soulfly – “Seek ‘n’ Strike (from “ॐ”, 2002) [Submitted by Daniel]
2.5/5 I have never been able to take to Soulfly and this is no exception.

03. ZnöWhite – “Do Or Die” (from “All Hail To Thee” E.P., 1984) [Submitted by Daniel]
3/5 I really liked the music but those vocals are fucking horrible.

04. Body Count – “KKK Bitch” (from “Body Count”, 1992)
3.5/5 I like Ice T so muthafuck her dear old dad!

05. Prong – “Beg To Differ” (from “Beg To Differ”, 1990)
3/5 The only other Prong song I know is Cleansing. This is OK but sounds dated.

06. Vulture – “Star-Crossed City” (from “Dealin’ Death”, 2021)
4/5 Really enjoyed this speedy mutha.

07. Artillery – “Turn Up The Rage” (from “X”, 2021)
3.5/5 Pretty good speedy thrash from canadian veterans. Better than I expected.

08. Testament – “The Haunting” (from “The Legacy”, 1987)
5/5 classic bay area shit

09. Metallica – “Harvester Of Sorrow” (from “…And Justice For All”, 1988)
4.5/5 Brilliant. Listening to it now it seems to have elements of doom metal that I never really noticed before.

10. Slayer – “Skeletons Of Society” (from “Seasons In The Abyss”, 1990)
4.5/5 Slayer is as Slayer does.

11. Suicidal Tendencies – “I Feel Your Pain… & I Survive” (from “Join The Army”, 1987)
4/5 I was a huge fan of ST back inthe day. Not so much now but this still sounds terrific.

12. Gojira – “Born For One Thing” (from “Fortitude”, 2021)
4/5 I've never bothered with these guys but this is brilliant. Will check this album out.

13. Pantera – “I’m Broken” (from “Far Beyond Driven”, 1994) [Submitted by Daniel]
2.5/5 Don't know what it is about Pantera that rubs me up the wrong way but something does. I think it may be Anselmo's vocals.

14. Ritual Carnage – “Escape From The Light” (from “Every Nerve Alive”, 2000)
3.5/5 pretty good - another new one on me.

15. Helstar – “Pandemonium” (from “Glory Of Chaos”, 2010)
3.5/5 They obviously got better after 1989's Nosferatu which I really didn't like.

16. Striker – “Crossroads” (from “City Of Gold”, 2013)
3.5/5 More Maiden than Slayer

17. Flotsam & Jetsam – “Blood In The Water” (from “Blood In The Water”, 2021)
3.5/5 Decent - F&J were never really much more than that to me.

18. Anthrax – “Imitation Of Life” (from “Among The Living”, 1987) [Submitted by Sonny92]
5/5 Love this album. Love this song.

19. Vreid – “Shadows Of Aurora” (from “Wild North West”, 2021) [Submitted by Sonny92]
4/5 Anthrax-ish thrash from the unpredictable latest album from the BM stalwarts.

20. Kreator – “Under A Total Blackened Sky” (from “Enemy Of God”, 2005) [Submitted by Sonny92]
4/5 Kreator back in the thrash groove after struggling to adapt their sound for a few albums.

21. Hirax – “Flesh & Blood” (from “El Rostro de la Muerte”, 2009) [Submitted by Vinny]
3.5/5 Riotous stuff.

22. Feared – “Your Black Is My White” (from “Svart”, 2017) [Submitted by Vinny]
2/5 No. I didn't like this at all.

23. Cruel Force – “Victim Of Hellfire” (from “The Rise Of Satanic Might”, 2010)
4/5 I like the heads-down charge on this track.

24. Nekrofilth – “Crave The Grave” (from “Devil’s Breath”, 2013)
3/5 I much prefer Zack Rose's other band Crucified Mortals.

25. Cryptic Slaughter – “Wake Up” (from “Money Talks”, 1987)
3.5/5 Lots of HC influence - sounds musically a lot like Suicidal Tendencies S/T debut (which I love).

26. Scythelord – “Wireframe” (from “Earth Boiling Dystopia”, 2021)
3/5 Too much like some kind of HC death metal for my taste.

27. Sadus – “The Wake” (from “Swallowed In Black”, 1990)
4.5/5 I love this album's deaththrash mayhem.

28. Nekromantheon – “Zealot Reign” (from “Visions Of Trismegistos”, 2021)
4.5/5 Kick-ass track from one of the best thrash albums in years

The vocals are really cool though, for some reason it reminds me of a Thrash Metal Geddy Lee from Rush with the higher pitched, more Rock-ish screams and flourishes. Still not sure if that's technically a positive or not, but it is in my book. 

This right here is why I love this place.  Never heard that comparison before but now you have said it, I can kinda hear it too.

I don't know what the hell that "mix" of Fucking Hostile was aiming to achieve but it was awful.  I was surprised at the Flotsam and Jetsam track as previous ones of the new album hadn't stuck with me, very catchy and memorable if not still a tad predictable.  Artillery managed to not get skipped this time around but man does that album sound accessible in comparison to previous ones.  Still not getting on with Bewitcher though.

I am now all but done with Bathory, just do not get the love for them overall and that Vektor track was a bit too safe for my expectations of them.  On the positive side I enjoyed the dash of Kreator, Nekromantheon, Possessed, Enforcer, Antiverse, Leeway and (surprisingly) that Sepultura track also.

My inclusion of Toxik reminds me to spend more time with their discography as they get far too little attention.

I'm inexcusably tardy getting my comments in on this month's Pit feature, especially considering it's my suggestion. Sorry.

Anyway, Daniel has given me some great recommendations for more underground 1980's thrash metal albums and this is one of my favourites. I got into metal around the same time as the punk scene exploded here in the UK and I could never understand why the one could not co-exist with the other. Some may argue punk was a fashion-based scene and to some extent this is true, but musically both were about the energy and resistance to authority and I could never understand the two scenes mutual antipathy. I mention this because my love of both punk and metal has always drawn me towards bands that sound like they have a more "garage" mentality and although their playing may not be the most technically gifted, sheer adrenaline and attitude shine through and give certain albums and bands an X-factor that can't be defined by technical assessment. The Italian thrashers debut is an album that, I would contend, is a perfect example of this attitude. Sure at times it sounds sloppy and the production isn't the greatest (although it's nowhere near as bad a s some would have you believe), but it is an adrenaline-fuelled half an hour of balls-out riffing and snarling Kreator-influenced proto-death thrash metal that makes you feel like you could punch through a brick wall. Although 1987 gave us some classic thrash metal albums I personally feel Necrodeath have no reason to feel outgunned by most of them and Into the Macabre fully deserves a place in that year's best of lists.

Solid list this month.

High points (minus my selections) = Evile (considering I said last month they did nothing for me), Razor, Sodom, Sacred Reich, Midnight, Coroner and Slayer

Low points = Soulfly, The Accüsed, Crumbsuckers, Living Death, Flotsam & Jetsam, Usurper (yes, I chose that) and Artillery (what the hell happened there lads?)

I like both albums, having given each of them 4 stars, being great albums (though not what people consider the best) from two of the Big 4 of American thrash metal. But the one I prefer is... Anthrax's State of Euphoria! I agree about that Anthrax album being underrated, there's a great amount of thrash classics that sadly many other listeners put down over the years thinking the sound is not the same as earlier. So Far, So Good... So What! is a good classic too, with nearly 5 of the 8 songs being perfect and would've made me gained interest in this band...if not for 3 meddling stinkers that made the rating plummet slightly lower than that Anthrax album. With that, Anthrax makes my vote!

Anthrax: 1

Megadeth: 2

Inspired by Sonny starting this kind of thread in The Fallen, I decided to give it a go with a different clan. I'm sure a lot you have heard of this band already... Cryptic Shift! A deathly progressive thrash metal band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, they formed in 2013 and released several demos and EPs since then, but it wasn't until 2020 when their debut album Visitations from Enceladus was released. I say they sound like a cross between Vektor, Revocation, and mid-2000s Gojira, with slight death-doom/melodeath influences, all in a cosmic spacey theme. I sure look forward to getting more of this band's music (along with several other bands) tomorrow, but for now, enjoy this immense powerful contender for best album of 2020:

If there are any other new bands you like, please share here. And if they're in a different clan, feel free to start a thread in that clan. The new shall be known!

Really enjoyed this one, some nice, aggressive Thrash with enough variation to keep me interested. I really enjoy the mid-tempo riffing much to Daniel's dismay since it provides a great offset to the ripping riffs that most will seek out Agent Orange for. I'll agree that "Remember the Fallen" falls a bit short thanks to its more generic riffs and structure, but the switch-up in "Tired and Red" and the opening chug in "Magic Dragon" makes these tracks much more interesting to me rather than if they were purely focused on the aggressive parts. I don't know enough about the history and state of Thrash Metal at this time to really give a full review, but I can say that while Agent Orange might be one of my favorite older and more heavy Thrash albums, I still prefer the more melodic and riff focused Megadeth and Artillery offerings over something like this. It's not going to keep me from giving it a good score, definitely an amazing Thrash record, but I'm starting to find out my preferred style in the world of Thrash. 

4/5

That's very cool, Daniel! As some of you already know, I never really go to any metal concerts. I wish I could attend metal shows but *sniff* I'm broke... I mean my family has money, but our budget is a little tight. However, in the rare not-yet-happened chance I win a free ticket to a metal concert, I would definitely take that opportunity. When my father and I were doing a bit of Christmas shopping in 2019, we went to this stall that was selling metal T-shirts and bought a shirt there that I would save for Christmas day (And yes, that's my Trivium shirt). The shirt came with this little flier advertising... (drumroll please....)

An Anthrax concert in my home-country! That's really sweet and a bit unexpected, considering how my country banned Megadeth from performing here because the government thought that band's mascot Vic Rattlehead was too edgy. However, what I've received was just a flier. I would still have to buy my own ticket. RM338 for a concert ticket?!? That's about as much as a speeding ticket! No thanks!! I also wasn't feeling too much of the thrash zone, though I started leaning near that direction with Vektor. So I never went to that Anthrax concert, and it was postponed anyway because of the virus that started hitting my country a few weeks before when that concert would've been on. A couple of those rules though: "Admission for 13 to 18 years old MUST be accompanied by an adult at all times. NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING ALLOWED." Clearly, times have changed... Anyway, I may not have that chance of seeing Anthrax live, but I'm plan to write a review for one of their albums, so stay tuned....

Firstly, I'd like to put forwards a fairly unpopular opinion in that I think Cliff was always the influence that saw Metallica pushing outside of the thrash metal spectrum so I don't see any reason why he would have kept them from experimenting. On the contrary, I think he would likely have helped in the expansion process & seen them achieving it much more successfully given his unquestionable taste.

Secondly, I think that the commercial success that Metallica experienced with "The Black Album" saw James & Lars losing their identity. They lost their focus & got caught up between their own artistic wants & needs & the pressure to match their past successes. Substance abuse certainly didn't help either. "The Black Album" was the perfect example of a band getting that balance right & I think the only reason that this was possible was because the band had both a point to prove & a genuine hunger for success. Once they achieved that success I think they suffered from a lack of any real understanding of what the next step was. They'd already achieved everything from a commercial point of view & (despite what the underground extreme metal scene may think) the world were telling them that they had creatively too. The "Load" & "Reload" fiascos were the direct result of this &, although I genuinely hate those records, at least they were pushing into new territory with the band being their own masters. 

"St. Anger" is very much the opposite of this as it sees Metallica consciously trying to appease the metal fans they'd lost with their previous couple of releases but at the same time attempting to conform to the current market tastes by heading in a more alternative metal style & dropping the guitar solos altogether. Such an obvious showcase of a band that's given up the ghost & are trying to copy the bands that they'd influenced is the ultimate sell-out in my opinion. But then, in trying to make up for that mistake by consciously (& poorly) plagiarizing their past glories with "Death Magnetic", Metallica showed a vulnerability & a weakness that only further compounded the issue & provided further proof that the band had completely lost touch with both their fanbase & reality. "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct" was probably the band's best record since "The Black Album" but it was so bloated, over-produced & self-indulgent that it did nothing to pull the band out of their creative hole, particularly given that the best material was once again centered around self-plagiarism. At least the band tried something different with "Lulu". As bad as it was, they certainly showed that they didn't give a fuck what anyone thought with that release.

My thoughts on some tracks:

Evile – “The Thing (1982)” (from “Hell Unleashed”, 2021)

5/5. Evile is back with some more killer music, rising against the pandemic! This f***ing brutal song is a tribute to a certain classic sci-fi horror film directed by John Carpenter. This awesome THING basically sounds like Sadus gone Annihilator, though some might think of Slayer or Megadeth. The intro at around the 30-second part has a bit of groove. Probably the most amazing aggressive thrash song I've heard this year, enough to almost have my pants sh*t on. If there was another Thing remake, this good fast song should be part of the soundtrack. The bridge halfway through can induce absolute headbanging! Every awesome thing a thrash fan wants and more is right here including the tone, speed, and lyrical subject. An epic cure to drinking depression you just gotta f***ing love, all in amazing thrash splendor! Not even Gojira could go ultra-fast in a common basis. The speed is all in the vocals, guitars, bass and drums. They pretty much assimilated their influences way more than The Thing into a blend that can never be duplicated. Some of their vocabulary has not been used by anyone else, not even Eminem (like the word "transmogrified"). Once more, this is a great song based on a sci-fi horror classic. Well done guys! Thanks for this, Sonny and Daniel!

Lamb Of God – “Black Label” (from “New American Gospel”, 2000)

4.5/5. I had this one as a Revolution playlist suggestion, but I replaced it because its album New American Gospel is tough groove metal to my ears, with small hardcore elements borrowed from the Burn the Priest album. I'm not sure what I was thinking adding that song suggestion. I made a judgement submission for this album to be removed from The Revolution. Anyway, an example of a well-crafted songwriting moment is its opening buildup, which is filled with the groove moments and layers of screaming madness Lamb of God would be known for. Another notable thing is the lyrics that are basically screaming scat gibberish with lyrics fit in based on what they sound like. Love that song!

Anthrax – “Metal Thrashing Mad” (from “Fistful Of Metal”, 1984)

4.5/5. Another incredible song! This one has inspired the name thrash metal when Kerrang! writer Malcolm Dome coined the term for his review for the song's album Fistful of Metal. However, compared to that other thrash band Evile, I'm still not up to this band until I feel like I'm ready which would be a long while from now. Scr*w Nickelback, the voice of Neil Turbin is far better than the lead singer of a band many people are addicted to these days...

Exciter – “Delivering To The Master” (from “Violence & Force”, 1984)

5/5. Boy am I excited for this band! This is the best underrated true pioneering force of speed metal! I love the great singing from Dan Beehler who can multitask by also playing the drums even in live performances.

Cryptosis – “Game Of Souls” (from “Bionic Swarm”, 2021)

4.5/5. Once again showing the band is at the top of their progressive thrash game. That is all...

A video I made to kind of advertise that video for anyone who hasn't heard of Agoraphobic News:

OK, so I've got to be honest there was a number of tracks on this month's playlist that didn't really do it for me - Acid, Pantera, Five Finger Death Punch, Nervosa, Angelus Apatrida and DRAIN all failed to raise my pulse much. There were a few tracks I was unfamiliar with that piqued my interest however - Witchery, CoC, Warpath and Hypnosia, but most of all, Cryptosis from this year's Bionic Swarm which is an album I really need to check out.

Just a quick note on one of my own selections, SSS and 3:06 - as an ex-Liverpool FC season ticket holder this song has a lot of poignancy for me as it is about the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster where 96 LFC fans lost their lives at an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough, in a crush against the fencing that was erected around English football grounds back in those days. 3:06 is the time specified as the cut-off point for the enquiry into the disaster to investigate, even though many of the deceased died after that time. The government and police covered up their mishandling of this event for 30 years, blaming the fans for the deaths, even though it was the stewards and police directing people into the already packed pens and then opening the turnstiles to let even more in. Only recently have the families of the deceased received any justice with verdicts that their loved ones were unlawfully killed only being passed down quite recently.

To the 96 - You'll Never Walk Alone.

Needless to say I am not as enamoured with Nemesis but then again I have never been a fan of Grip Inc. and just don't understand the hype around them.  This album is disjointed and undulating to the point of being unpalatable for me and with me already hating Gus Chamber's vocals there's little going for Grip Inc. from the off really.  Can't fault Lombardo's skin work or the guitarist fella but the song writing and compositional effort that went into this is shocking.  A flurry of ideas is what I would describe this as, there's no real album here for me to listen to in all honesty.

2.5/5

Grip Inc. "Nemesis" (1997)

A massively underrated groove/thrash metal outing from Dave Lombardo's crew.

As a fan of the more intense European thrash metal sound, last year's third album from Swiss five-piece Total Annihilation (entitled "...On Chains Of Doom") ticks a lot of boxes. It's beautifully produced with a seriously brutal guitar tone that's more in line with death metal than it is thrash. It's also very tightly executed with the band working well within their technical limitations to give us a relentless brand of thrash that's not afraid to slow things down for some crunchy doom style sections on occasion. Front man Daniel Altwegg has a grindy & fairly monotonous European style of vocal delivery that keeps Total Annihilation firmly situated in the underground & the total run time is just about right for a modern thrash record. So it's needless to say that I quite enjoyed "...On Chains Of Doom".

What's stopping me from reaching for the higher ratings is a few things. Firstly, the composition is lacking in ambition & the construction of the riffs is relatively basic which brings some of these tracks an element of heard-it-all-before. The song-writing is also a little lacking in the way of memorability with none of these tracks standing out as particular highlights despite only one track falling short of an acceptable standard (see "Experience The Terror"). And finally, the guitar solos are very ordinary & don't really serve much of a purpose as they don't enhance the music in any way. It's pretty obvious that this is meerly a technical limitation & if I were in the band I would have advised against including them at all.

But, all criticisms aside, "...On Chains Of Doom" is a very heavy & generally enjoyable thrash record that makes up for its flaws with pure aggression & a good understanding of what makes underground thrash special. In fact, I'd take it over the 2020 Warbringer & Hexecutor albums we featured recently. 

For fans of Legion Of The Damned, late 80's Kreator & "Agent Orange"-era Sodom.

3.5/5

After sitting down with the list this morning I have finally got round to parking that latest Killer Be Killed album in my queue as it is shaping up to be interesting based on the exposure it has had in recent months on the MA lists in The Pit.  I have found Max's output to be hit and miss since his days in Sepultura but I did enjoy the last Soulfly album and Reluctant Hero appears to have the same ethos at it's core although also feels much more expansive also.  Biggest surprise was that Mr Bungle track which has got me switched onto them now after years of thinking them just some spoof act/project.  Really powerful stuff.

That Cryptosis track builds into a real epic tune, reminds me of if Vektor and Revocation slept together and had a baby.  I need more Wraith in my life definitely - very Toxic Holocaust/Midnight at the same time. Neat find.

Firm nods to classics this month with Celtic Frost,  Destruction, Onslaught and Metallica tracks taking me back nicely.  That Anthrax track too gave me a 90's blast back and it was good to see Sacred Reich in there also.  I chose that Dark Angel track with some trepidation as I don't really get on with that record at all but I find that track stands out from the rest of the output on the record.

I had stumbled across Dr. Living Dead during my research for suggestions for May's list and had already skipped them due to the vocals just not fitting my template at all well.  I just can't get on with new Sodom still and I can't specifically put my finger on why at this stage but I just am not feeling it.  I am however warming to Hexecutor although I find their instrumental passages still too lengthy for my rabid appetite when it comes to thrash.   Didn't get along with the vocals on Crucified Mortals and the popularity of Nervosa continues to evade me.

A good month overall and enjoying the opportunity to take some downtime over the long weekend to listen through a couple of playlists in one or two sittings. 

I am a huge fan of d-beat, particularly local heroes Discharge (I live in the north of the decaying corpse of the North Midlands city of Stoke-on-Trent, the town that spewed forth the punk legend genre progenitors). Sacrilege took the aggression and diy ethic of Discharge's best work and married it to the aggression and heaviness of thrash to produce a vital and immediate album of the kind that really makes me feel alive. You can keep all your technical proficiency and sterile songwriting, underground albums like this that feel like they come from the gut and with which I can make some kind of connection are, for me, what I seek most in metal music. Tam's vocals are great - I love aggressive female vocals and she is, unfortunately, one of the very few female thrash vocalists, which is another big plus for this album. This is a savage, primal, middle-finger-to-the-man type of album that we hear so few of nowadays.
I agree with Daniel's assertion that, for the purposes of Metal Academy, the album should be classed as crossover thrash despite not being what is traditionally considered such, because the punk elements are so integral to it that it needs to be differentiated from straight-up thrash metal.
And, as I've stated before elsewhere, I can't believe for one minute that Kurt Cobain had never heard Shadow of Mordor before writing Nevermind's Negative Creep.

5/5

Managed to get through this over yesterday evening and this morning before work and have picked up a couple of albums to explore more from the list (Death Angel & Overkill).  Killer Be Killed are unknown to me until this list so will check out more of their stuff definitely.  Still not getting the new Sodom album at all and even in piecemeal I find it lacking.  First ever taste of Mr Bungle and it was as bat shit as I thought it would be but enjoyable all the same.

That Pantera track took me back to my youth as did Holy Wars.... Another great list this month.

I'm glad I spent a bit more time with this one, because even though I still don't think Hexecutor is a true sleeper hit, there's definitely some cool stuff in here. I was wanting to write it off after the first two listens since nothing really gripped me and I didn't quite get what it was trying to do, but after letting it settle for a few weeks I got a lot more out of it than I thought. 

Hexecutor are really carving their own path in this record, with the jarring transitions between Thrash and more traditional Heavy Metal proving to be rather unique, at least to me. The vocals are always Thrash/Black Metal centric, leading to some...interesting portions where the Thrash riffs haven't kicked in yet. I found myself really enjoying the riffing and thrashy ideas on tracks like the opening "Buried Alive with her White Silk Dress" and the more Heavy/Speed metal oriented "Eternal Impenitence". It strikes such an interesting balance between two styles that both do and don't work together. 

The record is still extremely clumsy though, with most of the transitions being almost nonexistent and thrown together with no effort. Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge feels like an album with a ton of concepts it wants to explore but has no real tact on how to display those concepts in a way that makes sense. I've found I love individual parts of this album, but the complaints of those above me still hold true with how thrown together it all feels. Part of me really enjoys unfocused albums just because you never quite know where the band is going to go next, but Hexecutor doesn't exactly blow my mind with how haphazard they are with riffs coming and going after the same old drum fill for 8 tracks straight. 

Seems like I got more out of this than most, probably thanks to the non-thrash parts having some great riffs and moments, but I agree in that I'm not sure where all the hype for this one came from. 

3.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4KtS2pAnpHZItNmRY479gK?si=v_497ymQRB2BRhzVme94Ew

Tracklisting:

01. Kreator – “Enemy Of God” (from “Enemy Of God”, 2005)

02. Soulfly – “Babylon” (from “Dark Ages”, 2005)

03. Venom – “Black Metal” (from “Black Metal”, 1982)

04. Exciter – “Violator” (from “Blood Of Tyrants”, 2000)

05. Killer Be Killed – “Dream Gone Bad” (from “Reluctant Hero”, 2020)

06. Sacrifice – “Truth (After The Rain)” (from “Soldiers Of Misfortune”, 1991)

07. Hallows Eve – “Speed Freak” (from “Monument”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Hellripper – “The Hanging Tree” (from “The Affair Of The Poisons”, 2020)

09. Hexecutor – “Ker Ys” (from “Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge”, 2020)

10. Ludichrist – “Powertrip” (from “Powertrip”, 1988)

11. Evil Army – “Realm Of Death” (from “Evil Army”, 2006)

12. Slaughter Messiah – “From The Tomb Into The Void” (from “Cursed To The Pyre”, 2020)

13. Heathen – “Dying Season” (from “The Evolution Of Chaos”, 2010)

14. Sodom – “The Harpooneer” (from “Genesis XIX”, 2020)

15. Testament – “Over The Wall” (from “First Strike Still Deadly”, 2001)

16. Warbringer – “Outer Reaches” (from “Weapons Of Tomorrow”, 2020)

17. Machine Head – “Davidian” (from “Burn My Eyes”, 1994)

18. Overkill – “Coma” (from “Horrorscope”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

19. Havok – “Prepare For Attack” (from “Time Is Up”, 2011)

20. Vektor – “Recharging The Void” (from “Terminal Redux”, 2016)

21. Expander – “Megacorp” (from “Neuropunk Boostergang”, 2020)

22. Lamb Of God – “512” (from “VII: Sturm und Drang”, 2015)

23. Viking – “Burning From Within” (from “Do Or Die”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

The last couple of days have seen my long-time feelings on "Horrorscope" being well & truly justified. It's an extremely tight, professional & well-executed piece of thrash metal that showcases a band that was right on top of their game. The production is absolutely spot on & the song structures are beautifully constructed. Bobby Ellsworth's grindier vocal delivery is easily his best yet & creates a bad-assed atmosphere that's most noticeable on the slower tracks which have a very well-received dosage of darkness about them. As with most Overkill albums of the period though, their are a couple of tracks that fall more into the traditional heavy metal camp & I definitely find these to be the least appealing, particularly the Sabbathy instrumental track "Frankenstein" which sounds pretty flat in the context of the material around it. I would have omitted that one. But tracks like "Coma", the title track & "Nice Day... For A Funeral" sit amongst the absolute cream of Overkill's career & it's hard to be critical of such a classy effort. I don't believe that Overkill have ever released a genuinely classic record but "Horrorscope" is their best work for mine.

For fans of Exodus, Anthrax & late 80's Metallica.

4/5

My thoughts on some of the tracks:

Hexen – “Gas Chamber” (from “State Of Insurgency”, 2008)

9/10. Ooh, listen to that, a brutal thrash song to start the playlist! Well even though I'm not usually into thrash this brutal, this is still an excellent killer song with blazing blast beats and searing soloing. A nice extreme start!

Lamb Of God – “Ruin” (from “As The Palaces Burn”, 2003)

10/10. This song starts with heavy guitar and bass, then Randy Blythe lets rips one of the best screams ever in metal, lasting 15 seconds! That might be his third-longest scream behind the ones in the next album's "Laid to Rest" and Burn the Priest's "Departure Hymn". Some people think of his raspy growls as scratchy, but it sounds really cool to me. Soon the guitars sound more brutal sounding like in Meshuggah in Drop-D, followed by a more brutal slow ending part. One of the best songs in As the Palaces Burn!

Voivod – “Live For Violence” (from “War & Pain”, 1984)

8/10. For this one, it crawls into one ear, violently bursts out the other, and vice versa, back and forth. The main riff of the song is powerful, along with some parts displaying the band's future experimentation. A great heavy song!

Revocation – “No Funeral” (from “Chaos Of Forms”, 2011)

10/10. From start to finish, this song speeds through your a** and out your mouth with epic vocals in the chorus along the way. If I was in the US at the time that I'm writing my comments on this song, I would be snowboarding to this killer piece. Both the instrumentation and vocals seem to be inspired by Voivod, with the instrumentation also having some influences by both Poison and The Cure, and the vocals having the aggression of Randy Blythe. One of the best songs in their first 3 or 4 albums!

Slayer – “Chemical Warfare” (from “Haunting The Chapel” E.P., 1984)

9/10. Listen, I'm not that devoted to the classic heavier thrash stuff like Slayer (at least not right now). If you were to quiz me on some lesser-known things about Slayer, I would be useless as Gene Hoglan on roadie duty (no offense, Hoglan). This is still a killer song though!

Sadus – “The Wake” (from “Swallowed In Black”, 1990)

10/10. The kind of thrash I like is the technical thrash that sounds influenced from other thrash/death metal bands but with a technical twist. This sounds like when Obituary and Sepultura at that time unite and add some technicality that's better than death. A great underrated tune! Seriously, you read that!? This is the technical thrash I like that's underrated compared to the more popular classic heavier thrash!!

Merciless – “Pure Hate” (from “The Awakening”, 1990)

7/10. Ending this playlist is probably the heaviest thrash song I've ever heard, heavier than that Hexen track! I kinda like it, but it's too much on the aggressive deathrash side of Massacra and Agressor. Death metal mixed with thrash is just not the right style for me unless it's technical.

Review is up and I stood by my original 4 star rating.  Strong debut that shows the huge potential of Chuck, Alex and Eric in particular.  Held back by a lazy mix that makes it hard to hear all the performances.

https://metal.academy/reviews/1117/1501

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3AbesXjj8jd8FUWFfhWqgE?si=EKU68OsrTZCyM_zFefzBDw

Tracklisting:

01. Kreator – “Blind Faith” (from “Terrible Certainty”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Machine Head – “Halo” (from “The Blackening”, 2007)

03. Helloween – “Victim Of Fate” (from “Helloween” E.P., 1985)

04. Razor – “Deathrace” (from “Executioner’s Song”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny92]

05. Slaughter – “Incinerator” (from “Surrender Or Die” demo, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny92]

06. Sepultura – “Refuse/Resist” (from “Chaos A.D.”, 1993)

07. Suicidal Tendencies – “You Can’t Bring Me Down” (from “Lights Camera Revolution”, 1990)

08. Anthrax – “A Skeleton In The Closet” (from “Among The Living”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

09. Heathen – “Arrows Of Agony” (from “2005 Demo”, 2005)

10. Sabbat – “Samurai Zombies” (from “Karisma”, 1999)

11. Hellripper – “Spectres Of The Blood Moon Sabbath” (from “The Affair Of The Poisons”, 2020)

12. Coroner – “Read My Scars” (from “No More Color”, 1989)

13. Deceased… – “The Premonition” (from “Supernatural Addiction”, 2000)

14. Onslaught – “A Perfect Day To Die (2020 Version)” (from “Generation Antichrist”, 2020)

15. Testament – “Night Of The Witch” (from “Titans Of Creation”, 2020)

16. Sacrilege B.C. – “Fun With Napalm” (from “Party With God”, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny92]

17. DRAIN – “Army Of One” (from “California Cursed”, 2020)

18. Hirax – “Flesh & Blood” (from “El Rostro de la Muerte”, 2009) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

19. Mortal Sin – “Hatred” (from “Psychology Of Death”, 2011)

20. Lamb Of God – “New Colossal Hate” (from “Lamb Of God”, 2020)

21. S.O.D. – “Kill Yourself” (from “Speak English Or Die”, 1985) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

22. Epidemic – “Three Witches” (from “Decameron”, 1992)

23. Sodom – “Nuclear Winter” (from “Persecution Mania”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

24. Mr. Bungle – “Raping Your Mind” (from “The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo”, 2020)

25. Seprevation – “In Torment They Burn” (from “Consumed”, 2014)

26. Nekromantheon – “Cast Down to the Void” (from “Rise, Vulcan Spectre”, 2012) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

Since it's been almost 6 months and no further activity has been made in this thread, I'm gonna end it here and declare the winner of part 1, which is... Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion, two to one!! So for part 2, let's take Celtic Frost further into the tournament and pair it up with a different album from a subgenre I'm more familiar with. That's right, we're gonna do unlisted thrash metal subgenres for this round! However, I'm not gonna start part 2 just yet because (spoilers) the other release I have in mind is a Voivod album and I'm waiting for the results of a new different DIS vs DAT thread involving Voivod and another band. For more info and to vote in that thread, it's in this link: https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/591

I have to admit that I quite enjoyed "Weapons Of Tomorrow". It sees the band trying quite hard to keep enough variety in play so as not to sound completely generic & this results in a good mix of brutality & melody. There's a whole tonne of influences going on here. From the classic thrash end of the spectrum there's definitely a fair amount of Exodus worship going on & the slower, darker passages seem to draw influence from "Seasons In The Abyss"-era Slayer at times but there's also a consistent melodeath feel going on that reminds me of At The Gates or even Kreator's last couple of albums which often gave a passing glance to the Swedes in a similar way. Warbringer also have a shot at fully-fledged black metal & your classic old-school Swedish death metal sound at various points across the tracklisting so it's clear that they have a rounded taste in extreme metal. Just check out the clear ode to Bathory at the four & a half minute mark in "Heart of Darkness" for example.

As Vinny mentioned, John Kevill's nasty vocal delivery is definitely similar to Demolition Hammer's Steve Reynolds (& At The Gates' Tomas Lindberg to an extent) which can't be a bad thing & he gives it absolutely everything he's got at all times. The lead guitar work is sensational & is a real highlight of the album in my opinion. The production is excellent & compliments the natural energy of the song-writing. I can't say I agree with saxy's statement about the bass guitar being hard to pick up. I can hear it pretty comfortably throughout so maybe it's to do with our listening devices of choice. There are a couple of tracks that don't do much for me though (see chuggy thrasher "The Black Hand Reaches Out" & the epic power metal influenced "Glorious End") & these lapses generally line up with the moments that drummer Carlos Cruz goes for bouncier & more accessible beats over mid-paced chuggy riffs. I'd much prefer to be flayed by light-speed tremolo riffage & a machine gun of double kick personally (see album highlight "Unraveling" for example) but this is not really a flaw but a matter of personal taste.

Overall I find "Weapons Of Tomorrow" to be an enjoyable if inessential thrash metal release that eclipses most of the other new school thrash exponents out there pretty comfortably through pure class. It's beautifully executed & hints at some real potential but doesn't quite deliver as consistently as our 80's faves.

3.5/5

You haven't heard a lot of tech-thrash, SilentScream? Well I have some recommendations for you to start with (thrash mixed with progressive also included in my list):

5. Revocation - Existence is Futile (2009)

4. Vektor - Black Future (2009)

3. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005)

2. Sadus - A Vision of Misery (1992)

1. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (1989)

Those albums can help you start on your tech-thrash journey with some of the greatest bands of the subgenre. The list can also be my current top 5 list with the only difference being Coroner's Mental Vortex tied with that Annihilator album for #1. Enjoy this tech-pack!

Y'know, I think now that we can make our own public lists, these "lists" kind of threads are no longer totally necessary when we can just make our own lists to share and inspire other members to make similar lists. So I say we focus on doing our top 5 or 10 (or any number) releases of a year, clan, or genre in the public lists from now on. I'm gonna head out of this thread and take my top 5 tech-thrash releases with me. See ya on the "list" side! https://metal.academy/lists/single/82

Glad you liked your 15th birthday present Ben. I put a lot of thought into it.

Weirdly, despite being a massive fan of both thrash and punk, I've never really listened to that much crossover thrash. I guess if I want thrash I listen to thrash and if I want punk then I listen to punk. I do like Agnostic Front's punk material though, so maybe I'll give their album a listen. The problem I've had with crossover is that it always sounds less aggressive than my punk yardstick band, the mighty Discharge, so what's the point? By the way, Suicidal Tendencies hardcore debut destroys their thrashier albums in my opinion. Still I'm gonna spin some of your top 8 and see where we go!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Brux0Q9K58QKzRwAlazwT?si=DLZ_nWB-T6uAKzR6FyaGOg

Tracklisting:

01. Sacrifice – “Terror Strikes” (from “Forward To Termination”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Sepultura – “Roots Bloody Roots” (from “Roots”, 1996)

03. Iron Angel – “Sinner” (from “Hellish Crossfire”, 1985) [Submitted by Ben]

04. White Zombie – “Thunder Kiss ‘65” (from “La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1” (1992)

05. KAT – “Łza dla cieniów minionych” (from “Bastard”, 1991)

06. Megadeth – “Liar” (from “So Far, So Good… So What!”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny92]

07. Cro-Mags – “No One’s Victim” (from “In The Beginning”, 2020)

08. Prong – “Revenge… Best Served Cold” (from “Carved Into Stone”, 2012)

09. Anacrusis – “Present Tense” (from “Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited” (2010)

10. The Exploited – “Beat The Bastards” (from “Beat The Bastards”, 1996)

11. Agent Steel – “The Day At Guyana” (from “Unstoppable Force”, 1987)

12. Ghoul – “Word Is Law” (from “Dungeon Bastards”, 2016) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

13. Power Trip – “Executioner’s Tax (Swing Of The Axe)” (from “Nightmare Logic”, 2017) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

14. Heathen – “A Fine Red Mist” (from “Empire Of The Blind”, 2020)

15. Testament – “Disciples Of The Watch” (from “The New Order”, 1988) [Submitted by Ben]

16. Tankard – “Die With A Beer In Your Hand” (from “Beast Of Bourbon”, 2004)

17. Destruction – “Sign Of Fear” (from “Release From Agony”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

18. Onslaught – “Angels Of Death” (from “Power From Hell”, 1985) [Submitted by Sonny92]

19. Grip Inc. – “Cursed (Of The Cloth)” (from “Incorporated”, 2004)

20. Ratos de Porão – “Aids, Pop, Repression” (from “Brasil”, 1989)

21. Revocation – “The Grip Tightens” (from “Teratogenesis” E.P., 2012)

22. Holy Terror – “Tomorrow’s End” (from “Terror & Submission”, 1987) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Lååz Rockit – “Too Far Gone” (from “Nothing$ $acred”, 1991)

24. Razor – “Hypertension” (from “Violent Retribution”, 1988) [Submitted by Sonny92]

25. Municipal Waste – “Headbanger Face Rip” (from “The Art Of Partying”, 2007) [Submitted by MacabreEternal]

26. Violator – “Destined To Die” (from “Chemical Assault”, 2006)

27. Sadus – “Certain Death” (from “Illusions”, 1988) [Submitted by Ben]

28. Deceased… - “The Kept” (from “As The Weird Travel On”, 2005)

My thoughts on some of the tracks (including my suggested songs):

Nevermore – “This Godless Endeavor” (from “This Godless Endeavor”, 2005)

9/10. Well that's interesting, adding a climatic epic right in the middle of the first half of the playlist. Either way, it's an amazing progressive thrash epic, starting with an acoustic intro, before switching to irresistible heaviness, and it has the best sweeping passage of the album right before the climactic ending.

Coroner – “Divine Step” (from “Mental Vortex”, 1991)

10/10. Oh yeah, a song I initially thought was a stinker for myself, but I now recognize as the enormous starter progressive/thrash metalheads really love. It frantically yet decently punches through the discordant verses and riffs, powerful enough to blow my mind harder than a head-shot through the temple. I also enjoy the mellow bridge that contrasts against the typical heaviness and metallic guitar strength. What I thought was too out of place is now in place again!

Annihilator – “Armed To The Teeth” (from “Ballistic, Sadistic”, 2020)

10/10. Holy h*ll, this is incredible!! This is basically ballistic tech-ish thrash similar to early Coroner alongside main founder Jeff Waters channeling his inner James Hetfield (both the vocals and guitars)! Absolutely KILLER!!!!

Lamb Of God – “Laid To Rest” (from “Ashes Of the Wake”, 2004)

11/10 (not exaggerated). My absolute favorite song from a band in The Pit, though Lamb of God is more of a groove/thrash metal band unlike the 3 progressive/thrash metal bands I've commented on. It's an awesome standout with a meaner vibe than the other songs I've mentioned. The spoken narration during the intro is a nice unique addition. The riff in the bridge as Blythe yells "SEE WHO GIVES A F***!!" is fantastic. And of course, we can't forget about the infamous long "FAILURE!!!" scream. Excellent song!

Those songs are really great, thanks Ben and Daniel! However, I won't immediately start listening to the rest of Annihilator's discography. I'm still new to thrash metal going back to the late 80s (other than early Neurosis which is more on the hardcore side), and about a week or two from now, I plan on getting a couple other band discographies, including Coroner, which would be a good starting point for me before I get to the further Annihilator side of the tech-thrash bridge that I plan on crossing a couple weeks after. I'm taking my slow time... I'm heading toward thrash metal's golden age without my taste going too deep into the old!

My review is up and largely reflects the opinion of the majority.  Clumsy drumming, hindered guitar sound and a poor production and mix job.  Ellesworth carries the record (and actually reminds me off Biff Byford at one point) with Verni being the other consistent performer.

3/5

Anacrusis have a couple of really great albums, being Manic Impressions and Screams and Whispers. Well worth checking out both.

I also enjoyed this playlist. With the exception of the crossover stuff, which never does much for me, there was a lot of great stuff. I previously didn't really appreciate Speed Metal very much, but since covering a fair few great albums in that style while doing the Metal Academy podcast, I've come around to it.

Well, for starters I’d like to state that I think Venom are one of those bands that would have had much more of an impact on me if I had of been there at the time. It was only seven years after its release that I first encountered "Welcome To Hell" however a lot had gone on in the metal world during that period & my ears were already accustomed to a more sophisticated & mature sound by that stage. To be fair, I've never really gravitated towards your more tongue-in-cheek approaches to metal either. Having said that though, I’ve always had a soft spot for Venom due to their catchy song-writing & addictive energy & that attribute has never been more potent than it is on “Welcome to Hell”. It’s an extremely consistent record & I have some time for every song on the tracklisting but I’m not sure that the highlights are strong enough to elevate the album into the higher scoring brackets for me personally though. Much the same as Motorhead, Venom don’t play a style of metal that will have them sitting in my all-time favourite albums but they do enough to give me a general fondness of the time I’ve spent with them over the years. To me “Welcome To Hell” was more of an important release in the continued maturity & development of metal than a genuine classic in its own right.

As far as its credentials for inclusion in The Pit go, I'd suggest that “Welcome To Hell” was the closest anyone had come to a genuine speed metal record up to that point in time although I don’t think it quite gets there & I'd prefer to see it residing entirely in The Guardians. Venom took the dark atmosphere of Black Sabbath, the theatrics of KISS, the proto-thrash riffage of “Stained Class”-era Judas Priest, the rock ‘n’ roll infused speed metal elements of Motorhead & the raw punk electricity of the Sex Pistols & combined them in the ugliest fashion possible. The punk element shouldn’t be underplayed. There are a couple of songs that are closer to punk than metal but the band never fail to incorporate the catchy & memorable hooks of rock ‘n’ roll song-writing & that’s really the key to Venom’s success. Even at their ugliest there is an undeniable catchiness to these simple songs. The package might not be glossy but it has an accessibility beneath it’s rough exterior. Motorhead would seem to be the primary influence & you can hear it throughout the record. The most important & influential elements of “Welcome To Hell” are a) the raw & noisy production, b) the flat out speed metal approach to the riffs & c) the more aggressive vocal approach. Those are the elements that most influenced extreme metal & why the band is so often spoken of as the root of the entire movement.

My favourite Venom release is the slightly more ambitious "At War With Satan" these days but "Welcome to Hell" comes in a close second over "Black Metal".

3.5/5

So we're going to be testing the waters with another new offering this week which is one that I'll be looking for your feedback on. The idea is to release regular two hour Spotify playlists for each clan with the tracklistings taking the listener through the full gamut of sounds each clan encompasses, both old & new, classic & underground. In putting together the initial lists I've attempted to push my personal tastes to one side by including something for everyone with all eras & subgenres receiving representation. I certainly haven't gone with your more obvious releases all the time & you will find the odd novelty track included just for a bit of fun. These will certainly give people that are finding it hard to choose their clans a good point of reference to see if a particular clan is for them too. Check 'em out & tell us what you think. If everyone enjoys these then we may look to make them a more permanent part of the site.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0DVqTnQvnS2beVyViumwHH?si=9im5vpjyTseUJPrWAFbuOw

Tracklisting:

01. Slayer – “Flesh Storm” (from “Christ Illusion”, 2006)

02. Enforced – “Skinned Alive” (from “At The Walls”, 2019)

03. Zemial – “In The Arms Of Hades” (from “Nykta”, 2013)

04. Prong – “Unconditional” (from “Prove You Wrong”, 1991)

05. Suicidal Tendencies – “Controlled By Hatred” (from “Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit…Déjà vu” E.P., 1989)

06. GWAR – “The Salaminizer” (from “Scumdogs Of The Universe”, 1990)

07. Helstar – “Baptized In Blood” (from “Nosferatu”, 1989)

08. BAT – “Bat” (from “Wings Of Chains”, 2016)

09. Venom – “Witching Hour” (from “Welcome To Hell”, 1981)

10. Xentrix – “Never Be” (from “Scourge”, 1996)

11. Liege Lord – “Master Control” (from “Master Control”, 1988)

12. Meshuggah – “Greed” (from “Contradictions Collapse”, 1991)

13. Stam1na – “Kadonneet kolme sanaa” (from “Stam1na”, 2005)

14. Atrocity – “Leichenfeier” (from “Blut”, 1994)

15. Flotsam & Jetsam – “No Place For Disgrace” (from “No Place For Disgrace”, 1988)

16. Sepultura – “Iceberg Dances” (from “Machine Messiah”, 2017)

17. Mekong Delta – “Immortal Hate” (from “Lurking Fear”, 2007)

18. Sadus – “Out For Blood” (from “Out For Blood”, 2006)

19. DRAIN – “Feel The Pressure” (from “California Cursed”, 2020)

20. Mutant – “Alcione” (from “Pleiades”, 2016)

21. DevilDriver – “I Could Care Less” (from “DevilDriver”, 2003)

22. Hellripper – “Black Arts & Alchemy” (from “Black Arts & Alchemy”, 2019)

23. Possessed – “The Eyes Of Horror” (from “The Eyes Of Horror” EP, 1987)

24. Black Fast – “I Conspire” (from “Terms Of Surrender”, 2015)

25. Primal Rite – “Akumajo (Blood)” (from “Dirge Of Escapism”, 2018)

26. Angelus Apatrida – “Blast Off” (from “Clockwork”, 2010)

It really says something that no one else picked that up until now, doesn't it? I think we've all probably referred to "Cowboys From Hell" as Pantera's debut at some point (despite the fact that I quite like 1984's "Projects In The Jungle" album).

Vektor in general just absolutely rips. They've been a favorite of mine from the more progressive but still aggressive Thrash scene for quite some time now and even though they don't make it onto my normal listening rotations very often, it's always a treat when they do. I only listened to snippets of their first two albums so getting to check out Black Future in full was a fantastic, albeit drawn out experience. For me, these guys just do everything right when it comes to Progressive and Technical Thrash with only a few minor gripes getting in the way of giving this album perfect marks. The high-pitched squeals are an important element to Vektor's sound, but they're a bit too random and overused on this one compared to their next two albums which use them a bit more tastefully. The length is also an issue, with certain songs and the album itself feeling a bit too drug out at times since Vektor hardly ever give you any room to breathe. 

I would have to really buckle down and listen to all three of their albums to pick favorites and compare, but as for now both Black Future and Outer Isolation live up to Terminal Redux, the first Vektor album I heard, in terms of raw Progressive Thrash power. This band seriously hasn't missed a beat yet. 

4.5/5

I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly Daniel. The clan-filtered charts should end up being  particularly relevant to what true genre enthusiasts view as the most essential releases and that definitely sets The Academy apart from other websites.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that "Chaos A.D." wasn't a bit of a disappointment for me at first. I mean I was absolutely crazy for all of Sepultura's previous material & picked it up on the day of release expecting more of the same. What I got was significantly different to my expectations but I gave it a chance & over time I definitely warmed to it. I'm not gonna say that I regard it as a classic or anything but I certainly consider it to be a very strong release in its own right.

I've just posted one of my longest & most details reviews on this one. I just had so much to say once I got writing. I think it's because this record came at such an important time in my formative years. Groove metal isn't really my preferred style but it's a great record nonetheless. Dimebag is puts in an almost god-like performance & the rhythm section & production are outstanding too.

https://metal.academy/reviews/16628/2876

4/5