ANOTHER 5 Incredible THRASH Albums Turning 5 Years Old in 2024
5 years old…. and still on regular rotation!
Presented in alphabetical order as opposed to any kind of ranking….
Death Angel – Humanicide [USA]
Released: May 31st 2019 via Nuclear Blast
One of the leaders of the second wave of thrash metal movement from the 1980s, Death Angel are considered Bay Area thrash legends and are now, arguably, the most reliable old-school thrash act from around! 2016’s The Evil Divide was revered as a highpoint in Death Angel’s formidable 2nd act career but Humanicide managed to surpass it on almost every level. This is a band that refuses to age and their brand of slick, modern, melodic thrash – laced with bite – remains timeless and has kept them at the top of the thrash pile ever since comeback album The Art of Dying reawakened the beast back in 2004.
As ever, variety is the key to a Death Angel album and Humaicide offered up the expected, but never disappointing, blend of blistering thrash, punkish threat, hard rock swagger, exhilarating solos, experimentation and classic metal tropes in abundance.
It’s worth noting that in November 2019, the title track was nominated for the Grammy Awardfor “Best Metal Performance”, making it Death Angel’s first ever Grammy nomination.
Nice work lads, nice work.
Euphoria – Nanotech [USA]
Released: Independently on April 5th, 2019
******WARNING: DATA SYSTEMS COMPROMISED. HOSTILE A.I. DETECTED.******
If you want the long and short of Nanotech, the above alert that greeted listeners on album closer “Brainstorm” turned out to be the album’s declaration of intent.
Ultra hostile cyber-thrash was the order of the day and Nanotech was the showcase for a band that, for the first time in forever, assumed full command of the Hanneman technique instead of merely worshipping it. In addition to this, Euphoria exhibited a thorough understanding of Iron Maiden’s rhythmic gallops for added propulsion.
The best part is, these weren’t the only ‘retro-fitted’ tricks that Euphoria utilised as they told their tales of technological compromise. Vocalist Justin Kelter’s acidic range excelled at taking listeners to unexpected places and whether it was his sound barrier shredding crunch found on “Labyrinth Online” or the reverse-engineered Paul Di’Anno punkiness found in short bursts on “Mechanical Carnivore” and “Neon Dreams”, he delivered throughout.
This was the sound of thrash upgraded and while most bands under the sci-fi thrash umbrella sing songs about viruses…..Nanotech WAS the virus.
Exhorder – Mourn The Southern Skies [USA]
Released: September 20th 2019 via Nuclear Blast
Few were expecting new material from Exhorder in 2019 and even less were prepared for an album that not only rivalled Slaughter In The Vatican but, in many ways, surpassed it!
Mourn The Southern Skies had no right sounding so devastatingly fresh, so exuberantly youthful and so damn relevant, and Exhorder weren’t just back; they were seemingly reborn. Thrashy, groovy and Southern-fried, this was still the Exhorder you fell in love with in the early 90’s but after after a 27(!) year sabbatical, what was most clear was just how pissed off Kyle Thomas, Vinnie LaBella and the boys still were.
Frankly, they still don’t give a fuck…..so go fucking whine!
Inculter – Fatal Visions [Norway]
Released: April 29th 2019 via Edged Circle Productions.
Another old-school honouring album that embraced the abrasive as it dove headlong into the blackened thrash abyss, Fatal Visions was tailor made for fans of Slayer, early-Sepultura and any thrash band from the mid-80s who conjured up a blackened thrash storm in the name of SATAN!
While characterised by blistering speed, it’s worth noting that Fatal Visions is far more than mindless thrashing and its semi-hidden depths only reveal themselves once you’ve fully indoctrinated yourself into Inculter’s shadowy world.
A blackened thrash masterpiece.
Morbid Cross – Disciples Of The Goat [USA]
Released: Independently on July 4th 2019
This New Jersey wrecking crew made an immediate impact with their debut album, Disciples Of The Goat. With their love for Slayer worn proudly on their sleeves (check out that “Black Magic”-esque opening to “Cease To Exist”), Morbid Cross thankfully harnessed their Slayer-isms with a crossover fervour which added plenty of stomp feral barks to their old-school thrashin’ rage.
With pace expertly toyed with – “From Beneath” hit the kind of mid-paced chug that has heads nodding and faces gurning from the get-go – Disciples Of The Goat offered thrash fans pretty much everything they could desire from a modern thrash album. The unhinged clatter of “Forever Cursed” charred the skin (think early Sodom / Destruction) while epic closer, “Choked With Insanity”, channelled modern-era Death Angel amidst a barrage of stabbing, trad riffs and throat-scarring screams.
Perhaps an obscure release from 2019 but no less essential because of it.
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