Prayers of Sanity – Doctrine of Misanthropy – Album Review

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There’s blackened thrash, death thrash, crossover, jazz infused prog thrash and sometimes there’s good old fashioned thrash metal. A quick peek at Prayers of Sanity’s backlog confirms these old school miscreants have been a consistent presence that grabs the attention of thrashers that think they’ve heard everything. Sure, Doctrine of Misanthropy is relatively shorn of the accessories associated with the aforementioned thrash strains, but that doesn’t mean it sucks. No, far removed, Doctrines of Misanthropy is full speed ahead thrash metal that’s as dependable as it is likeable.

In addition to earnestly checking off all the thrash boxes, Doctrine of Misanthropy’s biggest strengths are its pacing and stamina. The entire album runs at a cheetah’s speed and never runs out of energy.

Sure, things do slow down on mid-album instrumental “V”, but it’s only so Prayers of Sanity can yank us back into their vintage brand of mayhem. Prayers of Sanity really know how to get the most out of building up for those neck snapping breakdowns on “Abomination” and they really give listeners what they want with the low end thrash chugging on “Doctrine of Misanthropy” and “Path of Sin”. And I would be remiss not to mention the unadulterated sonic malfeasance of “Hide Your Hate”. Yes, dear readers, maximum headbanging capacity is abound on Doctrines of Misanthropy. If this is your first time listening to Prayers of Sanity, it almost comes as a shock that it’s your first time hearing a bare bones thrash band with such a well rounded sound.

Another ace that Doctrines of Misanthropy has up its sleeve is that while Prayers of Sanity can fall under the “for fans of: Vio-Lence, Forbidden and Havok” category, they’ll not only appeal to fans of those bands, but they’ll do it by not sounding like those bands because they don’t. They sound like Prayers of Sanity and they play thrash metal nothing more nothing less. If you’re hungry for an unapologetic exercise in brisk simplicity, Doctrine of Misanthropy doesn’t disappoint. 

Doctrines of Misanthropy is OUT NOW and can be purchased through Rastilho Records.