Sonny's Forum Replies

Possessed front man Jeff Beccera has also been accused of grooming a sixteen year old fan & asking her to send him nudes. He’s denying it but this has been a sad day for metal.

Unfortunately these are the signs of the times we live in. Luckily, this kind of behaviour is now treated with the disdain it should always have been and people have to face the consequences of their actions.

Abhorration - Demonolatry (2024)

First of all, thanks to Karl for putting me onto this after I asked for some death metal recs for this year.

Oslo's Abhorration are a four-piece death metal band with members (or ex-members) of bands such as Nekromantheon, Purple Hill Witch and Condor, amongst others. They play an old-school style of death metal that contains a noticeable thrash metal component, played with an infectious energy that makes it feel new and fresh, rather than a tired harking back to "olden days".

Flying straight out of the blocks, spitting fire and venom, Abhorration make their intentions known as the title track that opens the album kicks off in brutally vicious manner before settling down into a more controlled, thrashy riff. The ensuing thirty-six minutes sees them continuing in much the same manner, switching from pummelling and adrenaline-fuelled death metal blasting to groovier, and fairly melodic, thrash-like riffing with each of the six tracks taking this approach to a greater or lesser degree. Into this maelstrom, at the drop of a hat, the band throw a seemingly endless stream of searingly intense guitar solos. The soloing comes very much from the King / Hanneman school of tortured howls, only guitarists Arild Myren Torp and Magnus Garathun use them more frequently and they last longer. Magnus is also the band's vocalist, his style being a harsh, barking style that has a bit of a black metal edge to it. The rhythm section is quite busy, drummer Øyvind Kvam in particular being all over things and this increases the chaotic, seat-of-the pants adrenaline rush that most of the album's runtime provides.

The obvious touchstone for an album such as Demonolatry is early Morbid Angel and Altars of Madness more specifically, and that is a lofty parent to emulate, but I think these Norwegians have given it a good go and have produced a lively and adrenaline-fuelled blast from the past that doesn't feel out of place here in the third decade of the twenty-first century either.

4/5

I have been doing some work on my personal release-by-year lists and thought I would start sharing some of them here:

Sonny's Top Ten Releases of 1980

1. Angel Witch - Angel Witch

2. Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations

3. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

4. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz

5. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

6. Motorhead - Ace of Spades

7. Witchfynde - Give 'Em Hell

8. Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law

9. Saxon - Wheels of Steel

10. Budgie - Power Supply

For January please Sonny:

Neon Nightmare - "Promethean Gift" (from "Faded Dream", 2024)

Black Oath - "Wicked Queen" (from "To Below and Beyond", 2022)

Just checked out that Neon Nightmare track during some preparatory listening and it is incredible. Now that is what Type O Negative could have done if they didn't fuck about so much.

Good call regarding Bill Ward, Morpheus. I don't think he gets anything like enough credit. He was heavily influenced by jazz drummers I believe, which I think you can often hear in his playing style and classic Sabbath wouldn't be the same without him.

Here's the latest update to my top ten:

1. Warning - Watching from a Distance (2006)

2. Candlemass - Nightfall (1987)

3. Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence (2019)

4. Solstice - New Dark Age (1998)

5. SubRosa - More Constant Than the Gods (2013)

6. Hell - III (2012)

7. Evoken - Quietus (2001)

8. Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version (1993)

9. Winter - Into Darkness (1990)

10. Ahab - The Call of the Wretched Sea (2006)

To date, I haven't been adding 7 inch vinyl releases, mostly due to the huge amount that have no covers and no ratings on RYM. It's also unclear as to whether many of them are considered to be singles or EPs. Once I finish adding all metal albums and non-7 inch EPs with 50 or more votes from all years, I'll look a bit further into them.

OK Ben. No problem at all, I was just wondering that's all.

1. Messa - Close (2022)

2. Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper (2017)

3. Bell Witch - Four Phantoms (2015)

4. Kowloon Walled City - Container Ships (2012)

5. Neurosis - Through Silver In Blood (1996)

6. Candlemass - Nightfall (1987)

7. Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)

8. Pallbearer - Sorrow and Extinction (2012)

9. Triptykon - Melana Chasmata (2014)

10. Sub Rosa - More Constant Than the Gods (2013)

Excellent picks Vinny. I should probably update my own list, it has been over three years and I'm sure there must have been some movement there.

Hi Ben, is there any reason that Anathema's "We Are the Bible" EP isn't on the site? Is it because of the short length?

I have a couple of suggestions for January if you want them, Daniel, but it's fine if you don't have space:

Kanonenfieber - "Gott mit der Kavallerie" (from "Ausblutungsschlacht", 2024)

Nile - "The Underworld Awaits Us All" (from "The Underworld Awaits Us All", 2024)

Does anyone have any good death metal recs for 2024 that I should check out before year's end?

2. Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All

I can't place my finger on it but just cannot get into the latest Darkthrone.  I have loved everything they have done recently but cannot get my head around this one.  Had a fair few spins of it too.  Could be that I am a bit tired of the format/style now and it needs some variety to jazz it up for me.  I keep trying though.

As with any end of year list, my focus is never really on new releases anymore and so I can only vouch for a handful of those (Civerous, Coffins, Ponte del Diavolo and Darkthrone).  Prob should check a few of those out that I missed (The Obsessed,  Hamferð and Spectral Voice).

I'm a total and unapologetic Darkthrone fanboy (or fangrandpa if you will), so I totally understand others not being into them as much as me. I would only bother with the Obsessed album if you really like them already, Vinny, because it's not all that special to my ears. Hamferð and Spectral Voice are both worth a listen though.

Nice pick with Black Oath, Vinny. They are a seriously underappreciated italian trad doom crew who deserve more exposure.

My suggestions for January, Vinny:

Exodus - "A Lesson in Violence" (from "Bonded By Blood", 1985) 

Kreator - "Awakening of the Gods" (from "Flag of Hate" EP, 1986) - Bonus track on "Pleasure To Kill" on Spotify 

Pentagram Chile - "Spell of the Pentagram" (from "The Malefice - Disc 2", 2013) 

Slayer - "Altar of Sacrifice" (from "Reign in Blood", 1986) 

Vulture - "Death Row" (from "Sentinels", 2024)

How weird that Altar of Sacrifice is on December's playlist - what are the chances. Could you change my pick to "Jesus Saves" instead, Vinny please. I have always considered the two as being inextricably linked together anyway.

My updated picks of the year so far:

1.Ataraxie - Le déclin

2. Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All

3. Scald - Ancient Doom Metal

4. Mourning Dawn - The Foam of Despair

5. The Flight of Sleipnir, - Nature's Cadence

6. Ponte del Diavolo - Fire Blades From the Tomb

7. High on Fire - Cometh the Storm

8. Spectral Voice - Sparagmos

9. Tzompantli - Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force

10. Thou - Umbilical

11. Ufomammut - Hidden

12. Altar of Betelgeuze - Echoes

13. Civerous - Maze Envy

14. Coffins - Sinister Oath

15. Arð - Untouched by Fire

16. Saturnalia Temple - Paradigm Call

17. Hamferð - Men guðs hond er sterk

18. Grey Skies Fallen - Molded by Broken Hands

19. The Obsessed - Gilded Sorrow

20. Acid Mammoth - Supersonic Megafauna Collision

I am one of those guilty of sleeping on the Pallbearer album. Since their top-drawer debut album every subsequent release seems to have got less and less heavy as they become more doomgaze-y -  a style I am not particularly fond of. There seems to be a lot of buzz around this latest, though, so I will have to check it out I guess.

Is it possible that you could post a couple of links, Daniel, because I'm intrigued to see what you mean. 

My suggestions for January, Vinny:

Exodus - "A Lesson in Violence" (from "Bonded By Blood", 1985) 

Kreator - "Awakening of the Gods" (from "Flag of Hate" EP, 1986) - Bonus track on "Pleasure To Kill" on Spotify 

Pentagram Chile - "Spell of the Pentagram" (from "The Malefice - Disc 2", 2013) 

Slayer - "Altar of Sacrifice" (from "Reign in Blood", 1986) 

Vulture - "Death Row" (from "Sentinels", 2024)

December 2024

1. Candlemass - "Born in a Tank" (from "Candlemass", 2005)

2. Moonspell - "Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)" (from "Wolfheart", 1995)

3. Reverend Bizarre - "Doom Over the World" ( from "II:Crush the Insects", 2005) [suggested by Vinny]

4. Anathema - "Cries on the Wind" (from "Eternity", 1996) [suggested by Sonny]

5. Ministry – “Filth Pig” (from “Filth Pig”, 1996) [suggested by Daniel]

6. Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - "The Wreck of the S.S. Needle" (from "Mariner", 2016) [suggested by Sonny]

7. Shape of Despair – “Monotony Fields” (from “Monotony Fields”, 2015) [suggested by Daniel]

8. Eyehategod – “Blank” (from “Take as Needed for Pain”, 1993) [suggested by Daniel]

9. Castle Rat - "Dagger Dragger" (from "Into the Realm", 2024) [suggested by Vinny]

10. The Flight of Sleipnir - "Vingthor" (from "Nature's Cadence", 2024) [suggested by Sonny]

11. Earth – “German Dental Work” (from “Demo 1990”, 1990) [suggested by Daniel]

12. Grin - "Torre del Serpe" (from "Hush", 2024)

13. Sporae Autem Yuggoth - "Disguise the Odius Spirits" (from "...However It Still Moves", 2023)

14. In the Woods... - "The Recalcitrant Protagonist" (from "Pure", 2019) [suggested by Sonny]

15. Pallbearer - "Cruel Road" (from "Heartless", 2017) [suggested by Vinny]

16. Dystopia - "Sleep" (from "The Aftermath", 1999) [suggested by Sonny]

17. Toadliquor – “Fratricide: A Requiem” (from “Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain”, 1993) [suggested by Daniel]

18. Yith - "centuries of horror" (from "dread", 2016) [suggested by Sonny]

Secondly, the thread loads really quickly for me (a couple of seconds per page). I can't see any issue, either on my PC or my phone.

I've just visited the main forum page for The Guardians & it took 32 seconds to completely load up so there's definitely something going on Ben, at least there is for me.

Like Ben, I have no issues with slow loading speeds on either tablet or laptop for most pages except for those under the "Releases" main tab, which can take 30 seconds or more.

Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac (1983)

I first became acquainted with Exciter around the middle of 1985 when I picked up a copy of a Music For Nations comp, Hell Comes to Your House, from my local record emporium. That compilation changed my metal-listening life for ever. It wasn't because of Exciter's Violence and Force which was track two (or even Manowar's Blood of my Enemies which opened the album and which I already knew), no it was the opener of side two, Metallica's Creeping Death which shattered my worldview on what heavy metal meant. I fucking hammered that track over and over, at least until I got a copy of Ride the Lightning anyway and then I fucking hammered that too! Sadly for Exciter that meant they never really got a look in and were just "some other band on that comp with Creeping Death on" and so I never really paid them much mind.

So let's fast forward the best part of forty years and now I'm here finally giving Canada's speed metal trailblazers' debut album the attention it properly deserves. Originally going by the clunky moniker Hell Razor, they later took their permanent name from the classic Judas Priest track and that's a decent choice because the track Exciter does bear a lot of the hallmarks that Exciter the band were going for. They play high energy, get-out-of-our-way speed metal that may sound quite generic now, but considering this was released in '83 there wasn't a huge amount of stuff in similar vein before it. Taking inspiration from NWOBHM bands like Venom, Maiden, Diamond Head and, of course, Motörhead tracks like Overkill and The Hammer, Exciter just wanted to crank it up and strive for a kind of extremity by playing as fast as they possibly could.

While you would get no argument from me that this was an earth-shaking release at the time of it's release, just before "Kill 'Em All" and a full six months before "Show No Mercy", it just doesn't have the kudos of others from the time. Despite it's missing link status bridging the gap between the NWOBHM and the just-emerging Bay Area thrashers, it was quickly overshadowed, thus condemning Exciter to the role of supporting characters rather than leading men. This is a great shame because there are some exhilharating tracks on offer here, "Stand Up and Fight", "Under Attack" and "Cry of the Banshee" are supercharged headlong metallic charges dessigned for god-tier headbanging action. Unfortunately, the rock 'n' roll-like nature of the title track misses the mark for me, "World War III" feels like a very lacklustre workout and the attempted epic track "Black Witch" doesn't play at all to the band's strengths.

Still, all things considered, this must be counted as a fairly important album in the history of metal, it's importance maybe being greater than it's actual quality, but it still has some really good stuff on it, even though it may occasionally fail to hit the heights or consistencies of it's contemporaries. 

3.5/5

Vulture - Sentinels (2024)

I lived in ignorance of the existence of these german speedsters until getting an earful of their track "Realm of the Impaler" from this, their latest album, on the Guardians playlist for November, where it leapt out at me from amongst the stuff I wasn't already familiar with. This is the band's fourth full-length and it appears that they already have quite an enthusiastic and loyal following, which I am sure this latest will only increase.

Sentinels is an album of infectious speed / thrash metal that leans heavily towards the speed side of that equation, with a strong link back to Maiden-esque heavy metal and early USPM. There is a lively enthusiasm about Vulture that suggests a particular love for the wider culture of metal worship, beyond the mere riffs and notes and deep into the core of the band's very being. This is definitely not thoughtful and contemplative metal, rather this is metal to be experienced and lived, each track a joyful and triumphant expression of metalhood.

Hi-octane riffs, scorching solos and sing-along-at-the-top-of-your-voice choruses are the order of the day here. Vocalist Leo Steeler reminds me a fair bit of Exodus' Steven Souza with a raggedness to his normal vocals and a tendency to shift into a higher register at a moments notice. In fact early Exodus are a fitting comparison for the band as a whole, Sentinels ticking a lot of the same boxes as Bonded By Blood. The rhythm section of drummer Stefan Castevet and bassist Andreas "Irön Kommander" Axetinctör are really solid and maintain the propulsive momentum of the tracks with a tight and precise adhesion. Occasionally, especially during the solos during "Realm of the Impaler", the bass moves more to the fore and takes on a Steve Harris galloping quality, the twin guitar soloing not being the only touchstone with the Irons. The production is excellent, as is so often the case nowadays, and everybody gets to shine in their respective roles, due to top-knotch clarity.

You will be seriously struggling to find a more exhuberant celebration of metal than tracks like the aforementioned "Realm of the Impaler", "Death Row" or "Oathbreaker" and as a dyed-in-the-wool metalhead it is very difficult not to listen to Sentinels without a smile on my face and a yearning for a moshpit in my heart. An album like this reminds me very much how and why I got into metal in the first place in much simpler times, so very, very long ago.

4/5

I've gotten tired of my favourite genres a number of times through my life but it's never prevented me from coming back refreshed after some time away. Hell, I got tired of metal in general at one point & spent a decade in the techno scene before returning to it fifteen years ago & have never looked back.

I can't see me turning my back on trad doom for the long term, but sometimes it's good to take a break and allow the passion to reignite itself. It could just be that a particularly unremarkable example of the genre has exaggerated the ennui I have been feeling with the style due to overexposure and has been the straw that broke the camel's back.

The Twitter links haven't worked since Elon Musk bought them out so I can't see that being a factor. He mustn't like metal much though. 

Good, that's one thing he can't fuck up then!

Sorry Sonny. I accidently deleted your post while I was scrolling on my phone half-awake. Feel free to repost it. We really should consider an "Are you sure you wanna delete this post?" prompt at some point.

It's no biggie, Daniel. My review is still there, so it doesn't much matter.

I can't help feeling though that that is exactly how the world will end. One day Putin or Trump will be scrolling through their phone half awake one morning and bleary-eyed, mistakenly pushing a little red button!

The genres that I get burnt out on include power metal, symphonic metal, and the more melodic/classic progressive metal bands. I would admit that I am trying to big up my taste in the more modern heavier genres like metalcore, industrial metal, alternative metal, the more djenty/extreme progressive metal bands, etc., but I have my own reasons for my burnout that make a valid answer to your question, Sonny. I'm just tired of the epic melody of the former category. That kind of cheese is like regular cheese, y'know. What I loved as a teen 10 years ago is less tolerable for me now as a young adult. Though I have made a couple on-off revisits in that side of my taste. It's how I felt a couple years ago when I was listening to one of the most essential bands in progressive metal, Opeth. My interest faded out when I thought they were never going to return to their heavier deathly roots after 4 albums of 70s folk-ish prog-rock. However, the future I predicted changed when their new album The Last Will and Testament came out and I gave it some listening and a review. The brutal heaviness and growls are back! And it has given me more potential to continue listening to this band in the future. So as often as it is for someone to get burnt out on some of the bands/genres they're familiar with, something can happen that might help them give it another chance...

Yeah, I doubt as if my burnout is going to be permanent Andi, but at the moment I don't think it does any good to keep returning to stuff that isn't exciting me so much anymore because then it just becomes a cycle of resentment. I'm not down on all doom metal, just the occult, traditional flavour. I am still well up for the more extreme stuff and I think part of the problem is when I go back to the traditional stuff it just doesn't give me the kick and buzz that the extreme shit does. 

I am very interested in checking out the new Opeth if they have returned to their more metal roots, by the way.

OK, so this isn't exactly addressing the question in the thread title, but it is related to the subject and particularly my last comment above. I was listening to Friends of Hell's "God Damned You to Hell" a couple of days ago and if you have read my review you would have seen that I rather took against it. Now, I think most regulars here know that I have an almost obsessive love of all things doom so I was quite surprised to find that I was actually fed up of the sound of a traditional doom metal record. Not only that but the Dennis Wheatley / Hammer Horror occult aesthetics that I usually enjoy (and have since I was a boy when I read and watched both of those things) irked me greatly.

So, the question that arose in my mind was "is it possible to turn against a style of metal that you have a great fondness for if you listen to too much of it?" Now I'm not interested in people coming here to say "I only have balanced listening habits because I am so eclectic in my taste blah, blah, blah", because, frankly, I am sick of reading posts on the internet by people who just want to big up their own taste in music - a particular irritating trait of the average RYM forum poster I have found. No, what I want to know from genre specialists (or obsessives if you will) is have you ever burnt out on your favourite genres and found yourself even resenting them slightly for, essentially, still being what they always were?

Friends of Hell - God Damned You To Hell (2024)

I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that the doom metal legend that is Albert Witchfinder is no longer a friend of hell, his position as vocalist having been superceded by Nifelheim's Per "Hellbutcher" Gustavsson. However, having come to terms with the album's lack of Sir Albert, I must admit that Hellbutcher's vocal style actually suits the band's sound pretty well, not diverging that much from Witchfinder's. That sound, as you may guess from the band name which of course references Witchfinder General's second album, is a throwback style to the early days of traditional doom metal as epitomised by the likes of WG, Pentagram, The Obsessed, Paul Chain and the likes. As such, this sits very much in that area of doom metal that resides nearest to old-school, Sabbathian stoner metal with hooky riffs and catchy choruses, the album even having the audacity to begin with a tolling bell.

To be honest I have heard so many albums like this that trade on the same old traditional doom metal tropes without bringing anything new or particularly exceptional to the table that I am starting to think that maybe I have reached my lifetime limit for such genre-conforming releases and am beginning to tire of each one just a little more than the previous. There really isn't that much to say about God Damned You to Hell and if you have had your ears anywhere near the occult-themed traditional doom metal scene over the years, then I am sure you will be familiar with what is on offer here. Think Reverend Bizarre, but with considerably shorter songs or With the Dead and you would be in the right ballpark.

In all honesty, there really isn't much wrong with this if you are in the market for what they are selling, it is entertaining enough with quite catchy doom metal riffs, hokey, occult-based lyrics and some reasonable guitar solos and at one time, not so long ago, I would probably have lapped this up, but it doesn't do anything remotely special and I find myself increasingly looking towards more extreme and genuinely dark material (as opposed to the theatrical darkness displayed here) when I am seeking my doom metal fix nowadays. I have got to confess that I am feeling a bit bummed out that I have had to shit on this a bit, but I'm really not feeling it, so it is what it is.

3/5

Thou - Umbilical (2024)

There must be something skulking in those Louisiana swamps that is poisoning the water, how else can you explain the sheer vitriolic venom of the output of its premier sludge metal acts such as Eyehategod, Acid Bath and the Baton Rouge crew here in question. Thou's version of sludge metal is as confrontational and rebellious as the harcore punk that spawned it's more slothful and threatening offspring. Umbilical, conceptually and autobiographically, examines a life lived outside the accepted societal norms, but which is still constrained by an inner morality and the existential implications of living such a life. So a million miles from the wizards and dragons metalheads are stereotypically painted as being obsessed with then!

The album, I am sure it goes without saying, this being Thou we are talking about, is ludicrously heavy as you would expect. The cranky, oozing riffs are massive, hulking motherfuckers and despite really being too sharp and crunchy to truly be called crushing, they are anyway, with those ponderous drumbeats just adding extra weight and force to the mountain that has taken up residence on your chest. Meanwhile Bryan Funck unleashes hell with vocal tirades that are so savage and visceral that you fear for the longterm health of his vocal chords

This is not an album that is monolithically slow and doom-ridden, though, as the band incorporate influences ranging from death metal, metalcore, grunge and crust punk into the swirling maelstrom of misgivings that threatens to sweep the listener away like a metal tsunami of righteous indignation. "The Promise" and "Panic Stricken, I Flee" both have ridiculously catchy melodies that could have come from Alice In Chains or Soundgarden if they weren't so damn filthy-sounding and the riffs during the one-two mid-album punch of "I Feel Nothing When You Cry" and "Unbidden Guest" are as energetic as those spewed out by any young metalcore crew. The drumming towards the end of the latter is also worth special mention, it being an impressive artillery battery of percussion that sounds like a Celtic tribal warband preparing for battle and lays to rest the lie that doom metal drummers can't really play.

Of course, Thou are still capable of showing us their slower, more hulking side with "Lonely Vigil", "House of Ideas", "I Return as Chained and Bound to You" and the closer "Siege Perilous" lumbering out of the speakers with huge crashing waves of sonorous sonic devastation. This is not a sludge album that is built upon endless layers of atmospherics and build-ups in the quest for the ultimate climactic payoff, but very much refers back to the roots of sludge metal being composed of songs that have something to say, both musically and lyrically, delivered with a bruising and ascerbic irascibility that very much appeals to the contrary and grumpy old bastard in me. This is a seriously heavy record that Thou have delivered, interesting both for it's musical diversity in what can become a repetitious field and also it's lyrical and conceptual musings.

4/5

Unfortunately the Manowar cover by Edge of Sanity was a misstep

Yeah, it doesn't do anything for me either but I figured that others might like it more than myself given that I don't like the original & it seems to be regarded as the best song from Manowar's most popular album. Interestingly, one of my work mates listens to this playlist religiously & he mentioned that track as his highlight this month which surprised me.

I don't much care for Manowar, but I bought Hail To England on vinyl when it came out on the strength of having heard "Blood Of My Enemies" somewhere and it remains my favourite Manowar album. I am surprised that the cover fails so badly though, because I like the track and I really enjoyed the two Edge of Sanity albums I have heard, with me awarding Purgatory Afterglow a whopping 4.5 stars. Just goes to show, sometimes things are less than the sum of their parts! Also, I generally have a poor opinion of cover versions (where I am familiar with the original anyway) and they have to be something special to appeal to me because most songs always sound better by the person who put their heart and soul into crafting them in the first place rather than someone interpreting somebody else's work without that indefinable personal connection.

I've been checking this month's Guardians playlist out over the last couple of days and generally found it to be pretty entertaining. The two-pronged Di'Anno tribute was spot on with two of my favourite Maiden tracks. Elsewhere, new (to me) stuff that grabbed my attention was the exuberant “Realm of the Impaler" from Vulture and to a lesser extent Blazon Stone, Manowar and Manilla Road. After re-checking Nightwish's "Once" out this month I even quite enjoyed the Edenbridge track and the instrumental part of the Rata Blanca track reminded me of Rainbow's "Light in the Black" (which is a very good thing). Ones I already knew which were good to hear again were Sabs, Priest, Cirith Ungol and Eternal Champion. Unfortunately the Manowar cover by Edge of Sanity was a misstep and the Loded Diper track was just that - total shit.

I am also increasingly coming to the conclusion that my biggest issue with Power Metal is the vocals, because there were a couple of tracks that I enjoyed instrumentally, but that annoyed me vocally. Still, nice job Xephyr - I did enjoy it a fair bit despite a couple of misgivings.

Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All (2024)

Nile finally return with their tenth studio album, almost five years on from 2019's Vile Nilotic Rites. These guys are one of my absolute favourite tech death crews, but even I must admit that they have been somewhat underwhelming over the last two or three albums, so I didn't go into The Underworld Awaits Us All with particularly high expectations. Happily, however, the band seem to have returned, post-pandemic, with a renewed sense of purpose, laying down their best material for some time. They have obviously retained the technical chops and songwriting skill that such well-established names have accumulated over the years, but they have also rediscovered a younger band's vitality and energy that it seemed had deserted them some time ago. They have definitely upped the ante in the brutality stakes on The Underworld Awaits Us All, their technical skullduggery all seemingly directed towards the purpose of hammering your senses with pummelling body blows of visceral and savage precision.

The riffing is some of their best in years, frantic, fierce and energetic, yet flawlessly executed, whilst the soloing is expansive and expressive, yet is also superbly controlled and tightly executed so as not to sound self-indulgent or trite. Particular note must be made of George Kollias machine gun-like drumming which reaches hyperkinetic performance levels without ever missing a beat. The man must be part Terminator to sustain this level of drumming intensity and precision. The production is worth a mention as it is as impressive as the musical performances, with a depth and clarity that allows the entire band to shine and no one suffering for want of presence in the mix, both guitars and drums sounding beautifully crisp and sharp.

This is obviously a Nile record so there is a certain level of grandiosity expected, which is lent an additional level of pomp by the inclusion of operatically choral backing vocals to accompany the usual roaring, deathly growls and the eastern-flavoured interludes are present and correct once more. Despite the emphasis on the Ancient Egyptian themes that permeate the band's very essence, I have never really felt that they get in the way of the music and once more that is true here. The moments where the atmospherics take over are relatively brief, being mainly restricted to the short interludes and the closing instrumental, "Lament for the Destruction of Time", the band never losing sight of the fact that their fans are metalheads who come to hear technically adept death metal that is at once searingly savage and brutally bludgeoning. And in that respect Nile have delivered, presenting us with their best album since Those Whom the Gods Detest and in so doing, rising once more to the top of the tech death tree.

4/5

I am glad Nile have posted this because this is a situation I always want to avoid and the advice on this public service video is invaluable if you too have no wish to be hung upside down on a stake in the underworld and made to eat feces by the four apes. I think more metal bands ought to contribute public service messages to help keep people safe in this crazy world of improbable divine punishments!

Wow, I couldn't find this anywhere. There is no complete EP on YouTube, so as a last resort I tried Bandcamp and it's there - and what's more it is "name your price"! I handed over a few of your Aussie bucks and am now the proud owner of this amazing EP. "The Shroud of Profanity" is f***ing awesome - can't stop playing it.

Tzompantli - Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force (2024)

Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force is the sophomore effort from the Brian Ortiz-led Tzompantli, coming fairly hot on the heels of 2022's debut Tlazcaltiliztli. I had a lot of time for the debut and it's brutal-sounding Autopsy-influenced version of death metal, so went into this with a great deal of expectation. Thankfully the debut was no fluke and this is even better in my opinion, being a more-rounded and, with it's greater length, a more developed release. What distinguishes Tzompantli from their Autopsy-worshipping peers is that Brian Ortiz digs deeply into his Indiginous American heritage with its death whistles and pounding, tribal rhythms which manages to imbue an already brutal sound with an even greater level of vicious savagery. This is death doom that is red in tooth and claw, you can almost smell the blood as war club and spear do battle. Ortiz has brought in a number of new members to help out with the folk instrumentation, with the band swelling its ranks to a whopping ten musicians, but it was well worth it as the folk elements have been incorporated seamlessly into the overall sound and give it an extra dimension that enhances it's inherent brutality.

From what I can gather the album's concept tells of the historic indiginous American tribes' ultimately doomed struggle against european invaders. From the portentious omens of forthcoming doom displayed in opener Tetzahuitl, the ritual exhortations to the Ancestors of "Tlaloc icuic" and the brutal, chaotic, war-like pounding of "Chichimecatl" or "Tetzaviztli" right up to and including the final heartbreaking sorrow of defeat as expressed in the lengthy closer, "Icnocuicatl", the concept is gloriously expounded upon, but the narrative is handled so adeptly so as not to compromise the music in any way.

Getting down to Tzompantli's core sound reveals a penchant for old-school doomy death metal that is not exactly rare nowadays. I often see Japan's Coffins referenced in relation to Ortiz's band and, as far as the band's fundamentals go, I think that is a fair comparison. That said though, I think the adroit handling of the folk instrumentation and the careful attention to the atmospherics gives Tzompantli enough of a distinguishing feature to make them stand apart in a crowded scene. Exactly how brutal-sounding this is cannot be underestimated, with its throbbing, ultra-heavy riffs, ritualistic tribal rhythms and Ortiz' wounded bull-like, bellowing roar, at it's heart this is savage and primal OSDM with a hefty death doom component that is threatening and exhilharating in equal measure and will bludgeon its way under your skin, remaining in memory well after the final notes have faded.

4/5

Kreator - "Flag of Hate" EP (1986)

Released shortly after the murderous Pleasure To Kill, this three-track EP encapsulates Kreator in a blissful 18-minute riff fest. It opens with a reworking of "Flag of Hate" from the debut album, Endless Pain, which illustrates how far the band had already come, this version being much tighter, faster and more aggressive, with the increased production values certainly helping massively on that front. The other two tracks, "Take Their Lives" and "Awakening of the Gods" are longer affairs which see the band in a more expansive mood than the straight-ahead, charging neck-wrenching of "Pleasure To Kill". The songwriting on these two tracks sees the band maturing and starting to move in the direction that would culminate with Coma of Souls, unafraid now to revert to slower tempos at times and to exhibit a lot more control over their impulse to just let rip, so that when they do, I think it is far more effective in this more controlled environment. Of course this increasingly professional and mature evolution comes at a price, with the sheer exuberance and brutal aggression of their early material, particularly Pleasure To Kill, being held in check here. Now, I am sure there are plenty of fans who lamented this direction, but surely Kreator couldn't just keep ploughing the same ultra-violent furrow ad nauseum and needed to display some kind of musical development by this point. No matter what came after, PTK would always still be there, so why would they need to keep remaking it?

Anyway, the two longer tracks see Kreator expanding the scope of their songwriting, possibly influenced by albums like Metallica's Ride the Lightning or To Mega Therion. "Take Their Lives" kicks off at a more measured tempo than we had come to expect from Kreator with a chugging riff that is afforded a nice sharp edge by the production and which accompanies Mille's bile-spitting, barked vocals perfectly, before it kicks up a gear and Mille unleashes a shred-tastic Kerry King-on-steroids guitar solo. A breathing space is then allowed for as the trio hit the eye of the storm and build anticipation with a jagged guitar line before letting it fly once more while Mille tortures another howling solo from his six-stringer. The final track, "Awakening of the Gods" is one of my favourite Kreator tracks, it has several riffs that just go so hard it's unreal and the Slayer-esque solos are devastating slashes of sonic thuggery that should carry a health warning.

I may have gone overboard and made more of the songwriting changes than is justified because this isn't Opeth, this is still Kreator and it is gloriously bitter and vicious teutonic thrash that still has enough to get you wrenching that neck of yours, don't you worry. It's just that that isn't all that Flag Of Hate is about and, sure, the songwriting isn't super sophisticated, but I think they had made good progress on that front here and hit a nice balance between their earlier violent aggression and a more developed song progression. Look I like Pleasure To Kill as much as the next thrash-head, but I think credit should be given where due and here Kreator added a new dimension to their established brutality.

4.5/5

I am long due an update to my top ten funeral doom releases, so let's go:

1. Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence (2019)

2. Evoken - Quietus (2001)

3. Ahab - The Call of the Wretched Sea (2006)

4.Bismuth - The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef (2018)

5. Tyranny - Tides of Awakening (2005)

6. Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper (2017)

7. Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale (2008)

8. Ataraxie - Le déclin (2024)

9. Skepticism - Lead and Aether (1997)

10. Colosseum - Chapter 2: Numquam (2009)

#1 & #2 have swapped places from last time, as have #4 & #5. Ataraxie's latest, "Le déclin", swooping in has seen Worship's "Last Tape Before Doomsday" drop out of the ten.

Just on image sizes, I get mine from the band page thumbnails which seem to be of a much more manageable size when compared to the image on the album release page. Saves a lot of messing around resizing and whatnot.

Oooo... that sounds promising Sonny. I've really liked everything I've heard from those Frenchmen so I'll definitely be popping this one onto my list for future exploration.

I don't think you will be disappointed Daniel. <Spoiler Alert> I've already got a track from it lined up to close out the January playlist (I discovered it too late for December's list).

Thanks Ben, we're all good now.

The page loads quickly for me too, on both tablet and laptop. Could it be a network speed issue that's affecting yours Daniel?

The new double live Electric Wizard album "Black Magic Rituals & Perversions: Vol 1" hits the shelves on 13th December. I haven't seen them live before & haven't explored any of their studio releases in ages either. The last one would probably be 2010's "Black Masses" album actually. I've generally always enjoyed Electric Wizard though so I might chuck this on at some point. Anyone seen them live?

This isn't a live recording of an actual gig it seems. During the covid lockdowns Electric Wizard recorded tons of live jamming sessions in their basement and this is the result of those sessions, according to what I have read about it.

Ataraxie - Le déclin (2024)

Ataraxie are a french five-piece who play funeral doom metal with a large death doom component that is at once mournful, morose, agonised and crushingly heavy. Le déclin is their sixth full-length and coming five years after 2019's Résignés, they show themselves a band not to be hurried, neither in the frequency of their releases or in the execution of their artistic vision. As is usually the case, Le déclin has a massive eighty-plus minute runtime for it's four tracks, the shortest of which is a slight sixteen minutes in length, once more illustrating the band's commitment to allow their music to go wherever it will. These four tracks are the embodiment of despair, bereft of levity, the atmosphere is unrelentingly grim, with huge, towering and monolithic riffs provided by the band's three guitarists, punctuated with howls of pain and anguish. This is indeed the stuff of nightmares. While there are undoubtedly passages that are instrumentally lighter, such as the opening minutes whilst the title track builds, atmospherically this is very dark with even the musically lighter moments feeling introspectively maudling and bereft, with the protagonist sounding as if his grief has thrust him to the very edge of insanity.

I would posit from listening to Ataraxie, justifiably I think, that they are big fans of England's Esoteric. Le déclin illustrates exactly how adept they are, just like the Englishmen, at delivering punishing and crushing doom metal that not only lumbers along at leaden tempos, but can also explode into blasts of inutterably violent death metal fury at a moments notice. Vocalist and bassist Jonathan Théry also possesses a deep howling growl that sits very close to Greg Chandler's boulder-splitting vocal style, thus deepening the positive comparisons to the funeral doom legends further. Technically, these guys are top-drawer, with a precision and efficiency to their playing that makes it feel like not a moment of the eighty minutes is wasted and the production is excellent with a clarity and depth that allows free reign to the band's inate crushing heaviness without drowning out the subtle touches that help propel them to the upper echelons of the genre.

The songwriting is top-knotch. These aren't monilithic dirges, but fully-formed narrative journeys with each song undergoing progression with several transitions in atmosphere and tempo throughout their lengthy runtimes, leaving the listener (well this one, anyway) with the impression that they have just undergone a profound journey through a world of pain and suffering allowing either identification with, or some understanding of, it's fundamental effects. The simple fact is that funeral doom metal is not for everyone and even within the ranks of it's practitioners, despite it's (undeserved) reputation for simplicity, there are masters and apprentices. I'm not sure if Ataraxie could ever have been properly labelled as the latter, but Le déclin has most definitely confirmed them as the former. I don't make this claim lightly, but I would honestly have to claim this latest offering from the Frenchmen to be the finest funeral doom metal album since Esoteric's 2019 triple album, "A Pyrrhic Existence" and that is heady praise indeed.

5/5

This has propelled itself into my AOTY spot for 2024.

I’m not experiencing the same issue with that thread Sonny. Have you tried another device?

Yes, both my laptop and tablet have the same issue.

Apostle of Solitude - Sincerest Misery (2008)

Sincerest Misery is the debut full-length album from this Indianapolis four-piece who were formed by and are centred around guitarist and vocalist Chuck Brown, ex-drummer with Gates of Slumber. They play a conservative and orthodox version of traditional doom metal, tracing a direct line back to early practitioners like Pentagram and Pagan Altar. This is mainly all about crunchy-sounding doom metal riffs and dolorous, melancholy atmosphere with little room for fancy embellishment or out-of-genre experimentation. The album contains nine tracks, including an unsurprising, closing cover of Sabbath's "Electric Funeral" and has a total runtime topping seventy minutes which, to be honest, is bulked out with a couple of filler tracks in addition to the unnecessary cover.

As far as their version of traditional doom metal goes, AoS are unfussy and effective. The rhythm section is functional and you will hear very little by way of fancy drum fills or complicated basslines. In fact, the bass is very subdued in the mix and the production as a whole is quite lightweight and could do with some serious boosting of the bottom end. The production does allow for good clarity and a sharpness to the guitar sound in particular, which enhances the "crunch" of the distorted riffs. Chuck Brown's vocals are quite reedy and thin-sounding and I could understand why some may not particularly like them, but personally I think they work well here because they sound world-weary and downbeat which suits the mood of the instrumentation well. The soloing is the only area in which Apostle of Solitude allow themselves any real indulgence, with some soaring lead work that occasionally tips over into psych / stoner territory.

As I stated earlier, I think the album is too long and, especially with this being the band's debut, I believe that if they had concentrated on their core sound rather than including the very average instrumental "The Dark Tower" and the tedious noodling of the eight-minute-plus "This Dustbowl Earth", whilst also skipping the Sabbath cover, then they would have had a heavier and more concise representation of their orthodox doom metal vision, making it much more likely to cause a splash in the trad doom world than it did. Make no mistake, tracks like "A Slow Suicide", "Warbird" and the fourteen-minute title track especially are like food and drink to hardcore doom metal fanatics and are top-quality expressions of the art, but the album as a whole feels like it waters down their effect, exacerbated by the paucity of bottom end in the production. Shame really, because there is a really great trad doom album in here waiting to get out.

4/5

Windhand - Eternal Return (2018)

There's no two ways about it, Windhand are my favourite female-fronted doom metal band. Sure, there are a myriad of others that I enjoy immensely and sometimes I even think someone may rival Dorthia Cottrell and the guys, but then I actually put on a Windhand release and I am once more assured that, indeed, they are the real deal and blow away the opposition.

Eternal Return was the band's fourth full-length and the third with the classic lineup of vocalist Dorthia, guitarist Garrett Morris, drummer Ryan Wolfe and bassist, Cough's Parker Chandler. Windhand had not changed their style noticeably since the self-titled debut six years earlier, but Eternal Return did mark a slight evolution of their sound. The fundamentals of the band's sound are still present, the tight and impressive rhythm section of Chandler's thick, driving basslines coupled with Wolfe's thunderous drum fills and eternal cymbal crashes, Morris's titanic, lumbering and heavily distorted riffs oozing from the speakers and Dorthia's siren vocals, seducing and beckoning the listener from the aether of whichever plane of existence she inhabits. This time round, though, there has been a slight tweak or two. "Grey Garden", despite sounding like business as usual, actually has a grunge-like quality to it as well, particularly in the vocal melodies which comes on like Kurt Cobain at his most vulnerable-sounding. That is followed by "Pilgrim's Rest" which is a psychedelic ballad that sounds like it might have been a cover of a track that originally came out in 1967 (it isn't). Elsewhere, the three-minute interlude "Light into Dark" allows Garrett Morris to display his psychedelic credentials with a space rock-y, trippy instrumental piece and his solo during Red Cloud is another rocket fuel-injected cosmic trip.

But now let's set all that aside because Windhand are at their best when they are at their doomiest and heaviest and there are plenty of these instances on Eternal Return. Whether it's the pomp of opener, "Halcyon", the crawling, heaving thunder of "Eyeshine" and closer, "Feather" or the more uptempo and catchy Diablere, when they hit the doom button, then Windhand absolutely crush it and all the female-fronted pretenders to their crown to boot.

4.5/5

A quick comment for each track.

01. Cathedral – “Phantasmagoria” (from “The Ethereal Mirror”, 1993)

One of the doomiest tracks on Cathedral's second album is one of it's best.

02. Warning – “Faces” (from “Watching From A Distance”, 2006)

It's Warning. It's from "Watching From A Distance”. I don't think I need to say more.

03. Paradise Lost – “Joys Of The Emptiness” (from “Icon”, 1993)

The first PL album I bought, but funnily enough one of my least favourite. This is a good track though. I'll have to go back to Icon again and see if I have warmed to it over the last couple of years.

04. Type O Negative – “Bloody Kisses (Death In The Family)” (from “Bloody Kisses”, 1993)

I have iterated on many occasions how much I dislike TON. That said, this isn't too bad at all (except it's too long and the crying woman sample is annoying). So along with "Creepy Green Light" that's now two TON tracks I quite like.

05. Candlemass – “Demon’s Gate” (from “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus”, 1986)

What an iconic riff. How can I say that this is anything but awesome, because if I did it would be a lie. The first and best epic doom band showing how and why.

06. Black Sabbath – “A National Acrobat” (from “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, 1973)

I have always loved A National Acrobat, but I think the production on SBS robs it of some of the crushing weight which a more bottom-heavy production job would have given it. It is definitely a Fallen track, though - and one of Sabbath's best.

07. Black Flag – “Scream” (from “My War”, 1984)

I must admit I prefer Black Flag when they are in full-on hardcore mode. Their sludge metal stuff just sounds like they were just dicking around at times - and that guitar solo is just horrible.

08. Pentagram – “Forever My Queen” (from “Bias Studio Recordings” demo, 1973)

I love this track - Sabbathian heavy psych heaven.

09. Bedemon – “Child Of Darkness” (from “Child Of Darkness: From The Original Master Tapes”, 2005)

Recorded 73/74 this album is demo quality, but with modern production values this would sound much heavier and rank up with Sabbath's better stuff. Great track either way from the Pentagram guys.

10. Boris – “Untitled” [Feedbacker Part 1] (from “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“, 2003)

Awesome. Sounds like the birth of a star.

11. The Garden – “Squished Face Slick Pig Living in a Smokey City” (from “Horseshit on Route 66”, 2022)

I haven't heard of these guys before - and never want to again. Horrible.

12. Butthole Surfers – “22 Going On 23” (from “Locust Abortion Technician”, 1987)

Please make it stop...

13. SLIFT – “Weaver’s Weft” (from “Ilion”, 2024)

Another new one on me, but considerably more to my liking this one. Expressive and thoughtful-sounding with a nice climax. A definite thumbs up.

14. King Gizzard & the Wizard Lizard – “Superbug” (from “Infest The Rat’s Nest”, 2019)

I think KG&tWL are a better psychedelic rock band than a metal band. This is OK, but that's all.

15. Rammstein – “Zeit” (from “Zeit”, 2022)

Nice enough, I guess.

16. Chat Pile – “The Mask” (from “God’s Country”, 2022)

These are one of those bands I keep passing over for no particular reason. This is pretty manic sounding. I like it.

17. Woorms – Mouth Is A Wound” (from “Slake”, 2019)

I quite like this album and this is one of it's best tracks.

18. Converge – “Phoenix In Flight” (from “Jane Doe”, 2000)

I like Jane Doe a lot and this certainly sounds sludgy enough to belong in The Fallen, so all is good!

19. Knocked Loose – “Take Me Home” (from “You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To”, 2024)

I am unfamiliar with this band. It's OK as far as it goes I suppose.

20. Nails – “Depths” (from “Unsilent Death”, 2010)

Great stuff. Top-knotch sludge that knock most of the others in the field on their arse.

21. Thou – “House of Ideas” (from “Umbilical”, 2024)

I have only listened to this album once so far, but Thou are a great band and I did like Umbilical a lot, so I had better get on and review it soon.

22. Evoken – “Towers Of Frozen Dusk” (from “Shades Of Night Descending”, 1994)

Fantastic. One of my favourite death doom acts nailing that OS style.

Overall, apart from a flat spot in the middle, pretty good list. Sorry, but I just couldn't get to grips with The Garden or Butthole Surfers. New discoveries I must check out were Chat Pile and SLIFT.

Even though I would very much describe myself as a doom metal newbie (at least when compared to the other extreme subgenres), I have found myself thoroughly immersed in this year's The Fallen releases - no less than a few of which I have truly fallen in love with and expect to revisit regularly in the future. I have to admit that aside from The Horde, the other clans have been giving me a decidedly more difficult time to discover albums of such high quality. Is 2024 a really good year for The Fallen, or is it just my heart increasingly calling me to walk this barren, desolate path?

In all honesty, Karl, I wouldn't say that 2024 is an exceptional year for The Fallen releases. I admit I am biased because The Fallen is my clan of choice, but I genuinely believe that every year since 1990 has turned out reams of excellent doom, sludge, stoner, drone and even gothic metal albums. It seems like there is no sign of the quality dropping off in The Fallen just yet. In my dedicated lists for the last seven or eight years I usually have between 60 and 120 albums I would rate as pretty good (7/10) or better.

Apostasy - Fraud in the Name of God (Demo) 1989

Apostasy formed in Valparaíso in 1987 as Damn Soul, but changed their name in 1988 before releasing anything. "Fraud in the Name of God" is actually their second demo after a rehearsal tape containing two tracks, "Deceased in Funeral" and "The Night", both of which appear on this later cassette. In all "Fraud in the Name of God" contains four tracks, well actually three, with a short instrumental titled "The Sullen", serving as an intro to "Deceased in Funeral" and the title track being the other 'new' track. Apostasy were one of the fortunate early chilean thrash bands that managed to get a deal to release a full-length (1991's "Sunset of the End") and all four of these tracks eventually made it onto the album.

The three 'proper' tracks are all fairly lengthy affairs, clocking in at over seven minutes each and display an impressive level of songwriting nous for such a fledgling outfit. The vocals have a roughened, death metal-derived edge, which ups the tracks' savagery and aggression levels another knotch. The high-quality riffing exudes a visceral energy that will have you yearning for the fevered fury of a heaving moshpit, driven along by a furious rhythm section, Julio Jerez's drumming in particular sounding especially manic, yet also controlled, thus avoiding any tendency for the whole to descend into a chaotic mess. The solos are firey, explosive affairs, but mostly remain quite brief with Apostasy seeming to understand that the key to thrash metal is held in the riffs, which totally dominate this demo - and desevedly so, because they are great. The throbbing main riff of "Deceased in Funeral" is of particular note, pulsing with threat and menace it lays the foundation for the tape's best track.

Of course, this being a demo, the production is thinner than the material deserves, but it is good enough to impart a sense of the guys' quality and is by no means terrible. Listening to "Fraud in the Name of God" it is easy to hear why Apostasy managed to gain a record deal where so many of their compatriots failed, because this is seriously great thrash metal and it is a total injustice that these guys weren't bigger than they proved to be, ultimately splitting in 1996, having only released the one full-length. Obviously they reformed, in their case in 2013, and are still going to this day, having put out new albums in 2018 and 2021 which I am definitely going to have to check out. Overall, if you appreciate aggressive thrash metal with great riffs and quality songwriting then you really need to check out "Fraud in the Name of God" for a snapshot of what makes the South American metal scene so lauded.

4.5/5

Got into this month's playlist whilst out braving the first snows of the winter with Koko this morning and I've got to say that, in the main, this it was a real killer. Real nice job, Vinny. I must admit that, because I was out walking, I couldn't keep up with which track was which and who by, but the overall impression was fantastic with a lot of energy and quality thrashing all round. Just goes to show that there was still some top-tier thrash metal around, even after the genre's heyday was in the rearview mirror.

Hi Vinny. Do you mind if I start making a few suggestions for the monthly Pit playlist again? I know it is too late for December, but maybe starting from January.

S.N.F. - ...Acting like a Fool (1989)

S.N.F. were a five-piece formed in Santiago in 1987 and this 24-minute, seven track EP is the only recording they ever released before disappearing from the thrash metal radar completely and, unlike a lot of their contemporaries, never returning. The version available on YouTube sounds very professionally recorded and of superior quality when compared to the demos of most of their contemporaries in the chilean scene although, obviously, I don't know if this accurately reflects the quality of the original cassette release.

"Acting like a Fool" sits between conventional thrash and crossover thrash, particularly with it's subject matter of political topics and their irreverent manner on obvious "party track" "Mr. Harry". I am not always the biggest fan of early crossover thrash, to be honest, but the punkier, crossover tracks like "Disorder" and "Euthanasia" would certainly hold up well against the more lauded stuff from US bands like D.R.I. or The Accüsed, in my opinion. Elsewhere, "The End of the World Cabaret", "Soldiers of Nowhere" and "Let's Start Again" are more conventional and thrash pretty fucking hard, it must be said, with some really cool chugging riffs. The timekeeping of drummer Osvaldo Mellado is very competent and bassist Borracho's driving basslines provide able support to the chugging of the two guitarists who also turn in a decent solo or two.

These guys obviously weren't the finished item at this point, but I think for a quite young band this demo shows a lot of promise, yet in a now familiar story, they shortly disappeared from the music scene altogether. I don't know if there was some external factor that saw all these promising young chilean thrash bands disappear, or if it was just a question of economics and maybe the necessity to start earning a living forced them away from music. Unfortunately this seems to have cost the metal world a number of interesting acts.

4/5