ALBUM REVIEW: Whipstriker, "Merciless Artillery"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/03/2018

Label: Hells Headbangers Records

Gritty and uncompromising, Whipstriker truly are “Soldiers of Sodom” and will cast their “Warspell” on you if you get a hold of this feral beast of an album.

“Merciless Artillery” CD//DD track listing:

1). Merciless Artillery

2). Rape of Freedom

3). Calm after Destruction

4). Mantas ’Black Mass

5). Solider of Sodom

6). Warspell

7). Enemies Leather

8). Bestial Hurricane

The Review:

Brazil's Whipstrikerare back- again- in their prolific career since 2008 they have amassed no less than four albums and countless split singles and so on. If you haven't heard the band, I can sum things up for you: Venom. This band are the hellish spawn of Mantas, Abaddon and Cronos- ably assisted by Bathory, Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost.

That tells you exactly what you are getting. This is a dark and rough listen- echoing Venom'slegendary debut and Motorhead's attitude perfectly. The title track kicks things off in gritty style- have a listen and you will know instantly if this is for you or not. Over the course of eight tracks, you get Venom, Sodom, Motorhead, Frost, Hellhammer, Bathoryand so on all wrapped into an appealingly raw production. The band has gone for vibe and attitude, not sound replacements and perfection. This really is a warts and all recording- there are some imperfections here and there for sure! That is of absolutely of no issue to me, though. There is also a fair amount of very smooth playing and surprisingly melodic riffing. This music is supposed to be rough and ready and Whipstriker have delivered their own vision.

If you are after anything in the style of the bands mentioned above, this album is a must. Gritty and uncompromising, Whipstriker truly are “Soldiers of Sodom”and will cast their “Warspell” on you if you get a hold of this feral beast of an album.

“Merciless Artillery” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Vomitor, "Pestilent Death"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/04/2018

Label: Hells Headbangers Records

This is metal as it should be: balls to the wall, nasty sounding and with an evil undertone to it all. No wimps. No posers. Vomitor are ungodly and stand as a beacon of satanic light. Welcome to hell, again.

“Pestilent Death” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. Tremolation (04:19)
2. Roar of War (04:38)
3. Abracadabra (04:46)
4. Manic Oppression (03:48)
5. Tremendous Insane (05:40)
6. Pestilent Death (04:12)
7. Hells Butcher (04:29)

The Review:

Australia's Vomitor plays a kind of death metal/thrash metal/black metal hybrid. Noisy, tough and uncompromising about sums these boys up. This is very much on the Venom-Bathory-Sodom continuum, use that as a starting point and then modernise a bit...

The band, having been plugging away since the 90s and are on vicious form here. This is even better than “The Escalation”album of a few years ago. Better songs, production and mix. Over the course of seven tracks the band batters the listener very convincingly from the opening maelstrom of “Tremolation” to the slowed down and grinding “Road of War” and into the noise fest of “Abracadabra”, the band sets out their stall and invites you to leave if you don't like it.

You can hear the influences here; early Slayer, Sodom and so on, but this is more extreme than any of the bands mentioned above. The band has picked up the ball and run with it, Aussie-rules style. The dramatic opening of “Manic Oppression” gives way to an all out thrash attack while the album's epic centrepiece of “Tremendous Insane” makes a truly unholy racket.

Of the final two tracks, the title track is more blackened in approach while the closing horror of “Hells Butcher” is as beastly as the previous album's “Pitch Black”. The record is unrelenting and makes for very uneasy listening throughout. This is metal as it should be: balls to the wall, nasty sounding and with an evil undertone to it all. No wimps. No posers. Vomitor are ungodly and stand as a beacon of satanic light. Welcome to hell, again.

“Pestilent Death”is available on Cassette (HERE), CD (HERE), and Vinyl (HERE).

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Exalter - "Persecution Automated"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/11/2017

Label: Transcending Obscurity Records

Aggressive and fairly primitive with some elements of the more extreme death metal sub-genre. Themes of oppression, injustice and warfare abound- classically thrash all the way. This is Flawlessly executed metal.

“Persecution Automated” CD//DD track listing:

1). Intro

2). Holocaust Ahead

3). Reign of the Mafia State

4). World Under Curfew

5). The Dreaded End

6). Slaughter Cleanse Repeat

7). Incarceration

8). Grip of Fear

9). Pathology of Domination

10). Clandestine Drone Warfare

The Review:

Bangladeshi headbangers Exalter return with this razor sharp slice of thrash. Following up the excellent EP, “Obituary For The Living” was never going to be an easy task, but the band have done it in style. With the album kicking off with an intro and an instrumental, you know there is no sell out for more commercial territory. You are getting thrash, plain and simple.

With many of the old school bands having introduced melody to unacceptable levels, it is nice to hear Exalter pressing forward with vicious riffs, barked vocals and straight forward aggression. This is thrash that is, I would say, a melding of Exodus, Sepultura and Sodom. Aggressive and fairly primitive with some elements of the more extreme death metal sub-genre. Themes of oppression, injustice and warfare abound- classically thrash all the way.

The likes of “World Under Curfew” will get necks snapping everywhere and when the band drop to mid paced territory for riffage on “The Dreaded End” for instance, they do so solidly and convincingly. Naturally, the band always favour pressing the pedal to the metal, whether it be on “Reign of The Mafia State” or “Slaughter Cleanse Repeat” they do so with full conviction. The band keep things sharp and focused throughout- this is a record made of songs that beg to be played live- with songs not outstaying their welcome and deft use of time changes and riffs- “Grip of Fear” being a prime example.

When the final two tracks have played out and the vicious “Clandestine Drone Warfare” has concluded, the final verdict is easy to reach: the record won't change the world and or even the thrash genre, but it would make a fine soundtrack to any one of the subjects that the band write about it- and in thrash metal, there can be no higher compliment than that. Flawlessly executed metal.

“Persecution Automated” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Power Trip - "Nightmare Logic"

By: Hunter Young

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/02/2017

Label: Southern Lord Recordings

All in all, you would be pressed to find a weak link in “Nightmare Logic”'s sound or mix. It's a pinnacle album for those who need their metal fast, violent, and up in their face like a full scale riot.

“Nightmare Logic” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Soul Sacrifice
2. Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)
3. Firing Squad
4. Nightmare Logic
5. Waiting Around To Die
6. Ruination
7. If Not Us Then Who
8. Crucifixation

The Review

If there's one thing Texasdoes, its crank out some great metal! Whether thrash, doom, death, stoner, or whatever gets you throwing horns up, Texas has pumped it out; today is no different, as one of the stalwarts, Power Trip, has unleashed a magnificent piece of Thrash. A Thrashterpiece. Shut up. It's called “Nightmare Logic” and it's a dream of a drop!

Power Trip manages a classically gnarly sound, akin to Iron Reaganand Municipal Waste (who share members) and the simplistic song formulas of the original wave like Sodom, Slayer, early Kreator. It's about violence (“Executioners Tax”, “Firing Squad”), freedom from religions hand (“Crucifixation”), and not sitting around for life to happen (“Waiting Around To Die”). All in all, you would be pressed to find a weak link in “Nightmare Logic”'s sound or mix. It's a pinnacle album for those who need their metal fast, violent, and up in their face like a full scale riot.

Again, sound wise, this album is just spot on with it. The guitars are crunchy like broken bottles, drums dead simple and clear, and the solos RAGE like the old days, when fingers still worked independently. They utilize Whammy bars like they are renting them by the hour, and it's like 1987 found its old denim jacket again. Power Trip is absolutely where most Neo-Trash bands aspire to be, and honestly are making bands like Slayer look terrible.

Title Track “Nightmare Logic” and “Firing Squad” are definitely my highlights off this banger release, but the whole album is a listen-through record for me. Thrash along at home with this Southern Lord gold, and let it flow over you like a familiar, well worn, patch covered denim blankie.

“Nightmare Logic”is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sodom - "Decision Day"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/08/2016

Label: Steamhammer

This is highly recommended for anyone who likes the gnarlier end of metal from Motorhead to Venom to Exodus to early Sepultura to Ravens Creed and so on. Nasty. And great!

“Decision Day” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. In Retribution (06:14)
02. Rolling Thunder (04:22)
03. Decision Day (04:03)
04. Caligula (04:01)
05. Who Is God? (04:35)
06. Strange Lost World (04:59)
07. Vaginal Born Evil (05:15)
08. Belligerence (04:00)
09. Blood Lions (03:17)
10. Sacred Warpath (05:34)
11. Refused To Die (04:27)
12. Predatory Instinct (04:44) (bonus track for vinyl and iTunes edition)

The Review:

From their early days when they played a kind of primitive black metal akin to Venom/Hellhammer, to the seminal albums of the late 80's, Sodom have occupied a rather special niche. They remain part of the German Big Three (arguably four, if you count Tankard) with Kreatorand Destruction. Truthfully, I have never gone through Sodom'sback catalogue in the same way as I have Kreator's, but that may now have to change.

“Decision Day” represents another quality release in the Sodomdiscography. You get eleven tracks of feral thrash. From opener “In Retribution”, through the title track and beyond, this is evil and dark music from masters of the genre. The technique is most certainly there these days, with Tom Angelripper backed up very impressively by Bern Kost and Markus Freiwald. Keeping to the power trio format has been the band’s strength over the years: think of them as a thrash Motorhead. You know what you want, what you are getting and what the band will inevitably deliver.

There are surprising moments of melody to go with the bombast- a lead break here, a tempo change there- it all adds up to a record that is well rounded and impressively adrenaline fuelled. The bass sound, as heard on “Caligula” is also mightily impressive. Sodom have kept the somewhat inventive/bizarre phrasing from earlier albums with titles like “Vaginal Born Evil" and have certainly kept their anger intact. This is metal of the old school variety- when it was still dangerous and a bit... well, scary.

It is on the most focused and succinct tracks which the band really shines- “Blood Lions” being a prime example- but the album is such that there is nothing spare here, nothing wasted. The song lengths are fairly uniform- around four minutes, although sometimes on either side of that and this is indicative of the fact that Tom and crew have their style down and write in a particular way as pertains to structure and changes. Ultimately, this is a huge strength: the band know exactly how to do this and they do it very well.

By the time “Refused To Die” rolls around, the album has proven to be very much a heads-down-see-you-at-the-end thrash fest. This is highly recommended for anyone who likes the gnarlier end of metal from Motorheadto Venomto Exodusto early Sepulturato Ravens Creed and so on. Nasty. And great!

“Decision Day” is available now

Band info: facebook

FFO: Kreator, Destruction, Slayer, Venom