JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C 18/02/08

 

THRASHING LIKE A MANIAC / VARIOUS

 

This is proof, (if proof was needed) that the resurgence of Thrash Metal is not just a flash in the pan; trendy phenomenon contrived by record companies and is a genuine re discovery of a much loved genre.

 

Some of the names on here you will know, as they have already made a name for themselves, Evile, Municipal Waste, Fueled By Fire and Warbringer all have excellent tracks, two of these I reviewed in 2007.  The best of the newer ones to my mind is, the toxic Thrashing of Decadence “Corrosion”, with its head splitting double bass drums, the riffmongous track by Send More Paramedics “Twilight Of The Flies” and the superb Deadfall with “Resistance Is Futile”.

 

With the Old School bands like Exodus, Overkill, Agent Steel, Megadeth, Death Angel and Slayer all putting out very good albums over the last year or so its good to see some of the new bands taking up the Thrash banner and putting their hearts into it, there are a few missing from the list on this compilation, Wolfpak & Abandoned to name but two but thane that’s the nature of the compilations but if you want to know whets going on this is a very fine, in expensive start.

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 55 mins + 16 THRASHING TRACKS

 

DISMEMBER / DISMEMBER

 

Listening to the new album from Dismember makes you realise why Swedish Death Metal is regarded with reverence world wide, everything about it says class, with a capital C, the music, the riffs, and the lyrics even the arrangements.

 

The guitar sound has a nasty sort of growl to it and the lead breads are Melodic, well crafted and never over long, take the track “Under A Blood Red Sky” it has balls and dynamics in equal amounts and the twin lead break towards the end is worthy of Iron Maiden, it starts off at typical Death speed and slows down to almost Doom mode towards the end.  The lead off track “Death Conquers All” is a stunning statement of intent that is hard to ignore or argue with, as is the excellent “Europa Burns”.  The tracks “Combat Fatigue” and “Tide Of Blood” may not be anything new but they are damn fine Death Metal to anyone who likes this sort of music.  If your looking for something with a slower, more deliberate pace, try the leviathan like “No Honour In Death”, it doesn’t get much better than this.

 

I really liked their last album “The God That Never Was“ and I’m glad that this one is even better, you can be sure I will be playing lots of tracks off this on my HFM show, Death Rools.

 

WEBSITE      http://www.dismember.se/ & http://www.regainrecords.com/

 

TOTAL PLAING TIME = 43 mins + 11 CRUSHING TRACKS