Metal Reviews

I remember when bands like Evile, Bonded By Blood, Municipal Waste etc came out, a lot of metalheads I knew dismissed them for being unoriginal or rehashes.

But I have to say, I really like this new crop of Thrashers.

Highlights include Bonded By Blood's Feed The Beast and Warbringer's Waking Into Nightmares albums.

I've also been digging reformed Onslaught a lot. Sure it's groovy at times but then I also like Pantera and early Machine Head and think groove has a place in Metal.

Funnily enough it all seems to meld well with latest stuff by Overkill who are like the oldest Thrash band on the planet and still absolutely kicking arse.

Answer to end all answers, but it ranges from utter shit to some of the best thrash made in the last twenty years. Municipal Waste is consistently decent. Hexen had an awesome album a few years ago, but I haven't heard their newest album or Warbringer's last for that matter. I hope that they didn't peak with Waking, but it was just so much better than War Without End.

The newest Warbringer is decent.

But the new Tankard and Overkill destroy anything any new thrash band could even think of. Thrash is dying, but the old bastards are doing what they can to keep the flame alive.

Almost anything.
Vektor stands proud.

Forgot about them. So good.

They are.
And not to be forgotten.

Also, thx to whoever mentionned Hexen had a new album out, I just ordered it!

Were you around in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s? Thrash was almost as extinct as the dinosaurs All the old guys had gone alternative/groove or broken up. There were no new bands.

I got excited by Iced Earth, The Haunted and Witchery because they merely had hints of Thrash.

Thrash is as healthy now as any of the other genres. It might not be innovative but pure Thrash hasn't been innovative since about 1986.

And most of the other genres ala Death or Power Metal haven't seen innovation for a long time either.

I know most bands dissappeared in the mid 90s, but good ol Tankard never took more than 4 years off, Sodom also churned out albums. Swedens Guillotine, etc.. I may not be old enough to have experienced the dryness that was the 90s, was pre-occupied with kid things. But I know my history.

As for what I meant about it being dead now, it's all shit. Besides Hexen and Vektor, they all suck. A couple bands release the odd decent thing, but besides the old-school bands, thrash is dead. I want a new Merciless Death or Mantic Ritual. Those are the new bands I enjoy.

Ramble, ramble.

Dunno. Some of the bands I mentioned are doing it as good as a lot of the 1980s ones. Great riffs, reasonably catchy, pummelling aggression.

It's alright, old buddy. You always have many old Thrash albums to enjoy and by then someone has released something decent and maybe even great!

@Wally: Thoughts on MuniWaste? I don't consider 'em great but I do enjoy 'em on occasion when I'm drinking some beers and chilling out. Or is there just something always better than them to be listening to instead?

There's nothing wrong with Municipal Waste, but there's only so much yelling I can stomach in one album. But they are good for what they are, fast/punky/crossover thrash. I can only take them in small doses though, but that's just me.

Most of these new thrash bands are cool for nostalgia, but are pretty cookie cutterish and don't really bring anything new to the table. I can't help but think of them as a fun novelty.

Vektor are decent aye, but Mongrels Cross, Ares Kingdom, Witchaven, Crucified Mortals, are all decent bands as well.

I just can't see in what ways thrash could have evolved. It kinda had to become repetitive. If it incorporates death metal, it becomes Arsis or if it incorporates black metal it becomes Aura Noir and Absu. It just doesn't seem as malleable as black and death metal are. And Vektor is worth a listen if you got the time.

Of course I agree with this, and I like Vektor as well. Generally I only need a revolving door of about 5 thrash albums in my listening rotation every couple years though, so extremely biased perspective coming from here.

Basically Megadeth, first 4 'tallica, Reign in Blood, Municipal Waste, Vektor, RG's Living for Death, Darkness Descends. Listing those out is kinda depressing, but I really think that's all I need, maybe Sepultura, but I usually just listen to Soulfly these days.

Any opinions on Death Angel, people?

Aside from the last one, which was good but nothing special, they are one of the most underappreciated bands for sure.

The first 4 albums are all classic in my eyes, especially The Ultra-Violence and The Art of Dying.

@trapt: all good stuff on your list there, but surely there is at least one or two albums you really like by such bands as Kreator, Exodus, Overkill, Destruction, Sodom, Mekong Delta, Holy Moses, Exhorder, Demolition Hammer, Carnivore, Artillery.....etc.....Surely?!?! I can't imagine out of the discographies of all those bands listed (and probably more I'll think of later) that there isn't at least one or two albums you (as in you, trapt) need to own.

Lastly, still @trapt: have you tried Short Sharp Shock (SSS) from the UK? It's crossover, but punky as fuck, and I think way cooler than Municipal Waste.

Actually, tried all the bands you listed and love Carnivore, but beyond that I could do without most of those. Sure, Sodom, Vendetta, Gammacide, that one album with the dried out witch, are all great but I don't feel the need to listen to them.

SSS might be cool, but what I love about MuniWaste is how they don't sound punk. Hmm... I'll look into 'em.