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 For the past twenty years, Earache Records
have been at the forefront of extreme music.
Notable for bringing grindcore and death metal to the masses back in the
day, the label are now finding themselves spearheading something of a
‘thrash revival’.
Or perhaps ‘revival’ isn’t necessarily the right word at all. As bands
such as Evile, Lazarus and the rather excellent Send More Paramedics
prove on this 16-track compilation, this new school of thrash bands
aren’t about simply trying to recreate the golden age of the
oft-mentioned ‘Big Four’. Instead, they’re here to take the speed, fury
and aggression that make up the genre’s blueprints to entirely new
levels.
And it’s fair to say; they’re doing a darn good job so far.
Bonded By Blood get things going with the seriously powerful ‘Immortal
Life’, which, when not sounding like Megadeth on a sugar rush, provides
aching solos and dominating riffs that are the perfect start to the CD.
Things get even better with Evile’s ‘Thrasher’, a full on aural assault
that takes no prisoners as it destroys everything in its path without
mercy.
From there, we’re treated to a few blasts of untamed speed from the
likes of Municipal Waste and Fueled by Fire before Decadence opt for a
change of pace with the mighty ‘Corrosion’.
Doing away with the usual hell-fer-leather approach to make way for a
blimmin’ huge riff, harsh vocals and a sublime sense of technicality,
‘Corrosion’ stands out from the crowd and firmly establishes itself as a
favourite.
Sadly, the same can’t be said for Warbringer’s ‘Total War’.
Whilst it’s certainly different, what with its gut-pounding drums that
suddenly make way for a sonic solo and a vocalist in the throes of an
exorcism, the main problem we have with ‘Total War’ is that it seems to
just go on and on and on and…well, you get the point. This track just
seems as though its never going to end and leaves you desperately hoping
for a short, sharp shock to the system.
Which brings us nicely to S.S.S, who’s brilliant ‘Overload’ puts the
smile straight back on our faces with dark, menacing bass looming under
a dialogue sample from the film ‘Scum’ before breaking out with some
scorching energy and aggression, proving just how enthralling this
thrash stuff can be.
As do Toxic Holocaust, who, after a number of so-so tracks from acts
such as Game Bomb and Deadfall, let rip with some death-style vocals and
beasty guitars in the awesome, instantly enjoyable ‘War is Hell’.
Finally, just as Bonded by Blood kicked things off in fantastic fashion,
Send More Paramedics bring things to a close in a similar vein with
‘Twilight of the Flies’; a solld bass line throttling the life out of
everything in sight whilst scraping vocals provide a stark counter-point
to SMP’s more melodic approach to the genre in one enormously
exhilarating piece of music.
For fans of the genre, ‘Thrashing Like A Maniac’ is an excellent
addition to the CD shelf, for newcomers, it serves as an equally
excellent introduction to the nihilistic joys of all things thrash.
In a nutshell: The sound of an impending apocalypse approaching at 500
miles per hour.
You might like this if you enjoy: Slayer, early Metallica, Testament,
and of course, all the bands on this compilation CD!
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