I admit it: I wasn’t a Sepultura fan, but things have changed 18 years ago with their fifth studio album, “Chaos A.D.”. Released on 2nd September 1993, with this album Sepultura transcend from their previous death/thrash metal style into raw hardcore punk, a mixture of metal with industrial music and spiced with traditional Brazilian-styled percussion which eventually become one of the founding pillars of the groove metal subgenre along Pantera’s “Vulgar Display of Power”. “Chaos A.D.” established new direction, a new approach, a new standard for brutality, and not at least a new subgenre of metal. It seems in 1993 everything came together for Sepultura. Read more Sepultura – Chaos A.D. (1993)
Life and Living
thrash metal
Diamond Plate – Generation Why? (2011)
Absolutely classy Thrash Metal, fans of Testament, Overkill, eventually Metal Church will be positively surprised by this new Bay Area quartet released by Earache Records. And well, their album title is quite a good question nowadays: generation why? Don’t bother answer it, it’s quite obvious: for sport shoes, iPads and big screen TV sets. Nothing else matters anymore. But once again, not quite to everybody.
Konrad Kupiec – lead and rhythm Gguitars, Jon Macak – vocals and bass guitar, Jim Nicademus – drums and Mario Cianci – rhythm guitars gave us a hell of a trip back to the end of the 80s, beginning of the 90s through their debut album, and this full retro taste-like Thrash album somehow feels absolutely fair and alright. Read more Diamond Plate – Generation Why? (2011)
Metallica – Metallica aka The Black Album (1991)
It was released on August 12, 1991, exactly 20 years ago, “Metallica” – also know as “The Black Album”, the fifth studio album of the band and the first after the bursting success of “…And Justice for All” – meantime certified 8x platinum by the RIAA, and it was one of the most expected record at the time.
The album debuted at number one in ten countries, and spent four consecutive weeks at the top spot of the Billboard 200, making it Metallica’s first album to have involvement at the pole position. “Metallica” is the band’s best-selling album to date with more than 22 million copies worldwide and the album was certified 15x platinum (diamond) by the RIAA on November 13, 2009.
James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted, but not at least also by contributions from producer Bob Rock, delivered a different Metallica album, “Metallica” is a step away from their previous Thrash Metal sound and approach to a more cleaner, kind of classier sound, but pointing to a new direction. Read more Metallica – Metallica aka The Black Album (1991)
Trivium – In Waves (2011)
Fans of In Flames can give a try on this fifth studio album by Orlando, Florida’s Trivium. Formed in 1999, the band came out under the influence of Metallica to make it to the nowadays so-called metalcore which incorporated clean and screamo vocals, progressive and melodious heavy themes and death-like grindings. Boil in the proper proportion Metallica, In Flames, Machine Head and Iron Maiden in a music blender and the result should come pretty close to what’s on “In Waves”.
This merging of classic heavy constructions, thrash rawness, few death brutalities and powerful, clean vocals against screams and howls is still quite dynamic and Trivium managed to deliver a few extremely good themes and moments, still, this patters and schemes becomes so predictable that nothing can save it from itself. Read more Trivium – In Waves (2011)
Necrodeath – The Age Of Fear (2011)
The band was formed in 1984 under the name Ghostrider by Claudio (guitars) and Peso (drums) right after they saw Venom in concert. Under the influence of bands such as Slayer, Possessed, Kreator, Celtic Frost and Bathory, Necrodeath released a cult-demo tape titled “The Shining Pentagram” and obtained an incredible success through the underground. Tons of tributes in major magazines, fanzines and other underground features highlighted the release of the first two legendary albums “Into The Macabre” (1987) and “Fragments Of Insanity” (1989). “The Age of Fear” is a collection of some of their most powerful songs: it contains 15 tracks, the first 12 of which are taken from the band’s past eight albums, arranged chronologically and the previously unreleased “onyric” version of the song “Queen Of Desire”, featuring guest appearances by Giorgia Gueglio (Mastercastle) on vocals and Botys Beezard (Godyva) on piano, and also the killer cover version of Slayer’s classic “Black Magic” and the live version of the band’s own “The Theory”. The album’s artwork was made by French artist Pierre-Alain D. Read more Necrodeath – The Age Of Fear (2011)
Jungle Rot – Kill On Command (2011)
Hailed by many as the metal release of the year, “Kill On Command” is classy, traditional and absolutely old-school as it is. Fans disappointed by the quite modern approach of Morbid Angel on “Illud Divinum Insanus”, will be pleased by the thrash/death grindings of Jungle Rot.
The Midwest based quartet have garnered a large and loyal following within the last 10 years due in large part to having a style more similar to acts such as Slayer and Sodom, rather than the typical Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation rip-offs. Read more Jungle Rot – Kill On Command (2011)
Icon in Me – Head Break Solution (2011)
In the purest vein of Machine Head, merging thrash, groove metal and hardcore, this over-borders collaborative project involving musicians from Russia, Sweden and Denmark, will release on July 12 via the Chicago, Illinois-based label Goomba Music their second full-length album following their 2009 debut “Human Museum”. ex-Hostile Breed guitarist Dmitry Frans and bass player Konstantin, guitarist Artyom (ex- Reign The Absolute, БeZumnye Usilya) – from Moscow, Russia, Danish drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen (Amaranthe, Mercenary, The Arcane Order, Submission, Soilwork, Hatesphere, Scarve, Instant Carnage) and Swedish vocalist Tony Jelencovich (M.A.N, С-187, ex-Mnemic, Transport League) delivering 12 new, original, strong, killer tracks, already absolute classics of metal themes with cutting riffs, merciless vocals and pumping drums, with roots back to both Testament and Pantera, putting together all the good stuffs and elements which made the metal of the 90s so heavy and powerful. Read more Icon in Me – Head Break Solution (2011)
Nervecell – Psychogenocide (2011)
For those who cries back the most brutal era of Sepultura (Morbid Visions, Beneath the Remains, Arise), Nervecell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, brings back all that merciless butchery with crushing, clean and powerful sound, “Psychogenocide”, their second full-length album released through Lifeforce Records in Europe and Spellbind Records in the Middle East, might be the new favorite. And Nervecell managed to merge with style all that classic thrash and death schemes with technical, brutal and still colorful, modern metal sounds also introducing Pantera like riffings, short acoustic or exotic, Oriental spiced moments, Slayer like schizophrenic solos, in few words, they put together a killer metal machine which definitively will rip off your head instantly.
Also, conservative fans dissapointed by the latest Morbid Angel album, “Illud Divinum Insanus”, might discover in Nervecell a new favorite, these guys combining extremely inspired and intensely tradition and modern sound into pure, uncompromising massacre. Read more Nervecell – Psychogenocide (2011)
Voivod – Warriors of Ice (2011)
I was 19 years old when I crushed into “Nothingface” and since I’m in love with Voivod. Piggy’s death in 2005 lead to the release of “Infini” in 2009 but I was quite sure that Snake (Denis Bélanger), Away (Michel Langevin), Blacky (Jean-Yves Thériault) – the three original members of the band and guitarist Chewy (Daniel Mongrain) recruited in 2008 will put end to the band. “Infini” proofed to be another successful release, the band was touring extensively since and while according to an interview with Langevin, Voivod have been writing and recording new music, but still, it’s too early to think of a new Voivod studio album, they decided to release this live recording. ‘Warriors of Ice” will be available June 14 on Indica Records in Canada and Sonic Unyon Metal in USA June 21. Read more Voivod – Warriors of Ice (2011)
Minkus – The Shape Of Things To Come (2011)
Merging thrash and groove metal traditions, Minkus from Switzerland sounds like a collision between Pantera and Overkill or some any other Bay Area sound-like classic thrash combo. Still, this music breathing and crushing, it has edge. Death Angel is another name that coming up listening Minkus. Minkus from Switzerland because once again this name is used by a few other bands, a punk band from Omaha, Nebraska, US and another ska/punk band from Oakland, California, US. Gabz – vocals, Akouel – guitars, Giro – guitars, SM – live guitar, Zarch – bass and Vulvic – drums delivered 10 groovy, intense metal tracks, the classy taste of them having a nice, cutting edge modern shape, but somehow this kind of metal never really have age. Read more Minkus – The Shape Of Things To Come (2011)
