Motam Death Squad ROCKS!

Ah, man, I arrived late to the party once again.

Surfing around the mighty YouTube can offer up unexpected results when searching for thrash metal. Whilst mining through mountains of crap, there are nuggets of gold to be found, and found one I surely did! Unfortunately that particular golden nugget had already broken up. Sad.

For those of you not privy to the band, let me introduce the late MOTAM DEATH SQUAD, a crossover band from Italy that gives a fair share of nods to Teutonic thrash as it does S.O.D., Anthrax, Sadus, and even Scatterbrain (to a point).

These guys were in it for the FUN, and although most of us like our thrash fun as well as fast, it would all be for nothing without kick-ass riffs to propel the festivities along. NO WORRIES here, my finicky friends, as their 2011 self-titled album is swirling with face-ripping riffage, backed by head-slamming dynamics and rhythms.

The fact that MDS's album didn't reach beyond the self-released status is a shame. Supposedly, before they broke up they made their self-titled album available as a free download. As of this writing, I cannot find the official download link to this brilliant parting gift from a killer band I never had the pleasure of knowing while they were still kicking. Boo.

Thankfully, we can still jam Motam Death Squad via YouTube. Check out the full album below (note that the music begins around the 1:55 mark), and if your internet searching skills trump mine, please post any found info about MDS in the comments section. (Yes, I found their MySpace page, but, man...if there is any useful info to be found there, I surely could not find it.)

Weekend Breakdown featuring Parkcrest and Damned Creed

Sometimes I come across a band's demo that may not be perfect in execution, but behind the raw attempt is a spark of pure bad-assery. Such is the case with Santiago's young thrash band PARKCREST.

The band's new demo "Curse" might turn a few thrash fans away at first listen with its rough performance in spots, but looking a little further into the riffs and song structure, one will find a carnivorous budding metal band that offers up a killer, closed-fisted thrashing.

As I jam to Parkcrest's available tunes, I find that other than the occasional loose musical execution, the only true sore spot would be with the vocals. Not that the vocals are all that bad, but in cases such as the chorus to Into The Light, it is apparent that adding melodic vocal lines is not a strong point.

That minor wincing aside, I have to say that the riffs are savage, pieced together into solid songs filled with slamming dynamics and competent guitar solos. Songs such as Dark Magicians and Curse All pull off fast and interesting riffage, engaging me as a metal fan and had me hitting the "repeat" button.

Again, is it perfect? No, but who cares? Parkcrest kicks ass and I'm definitely going to keep my eye on these guys to see how they'll develop in their future recordings.

Check out the tunes below and then hit them up on Facebook here.

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From Athens we have DAMNED CREED, who recently released their new album titled Choose A Side.

These guys flex their musical muscles in head-bangable riffs with nods to Slayer and Overkill. Tunes such as Enemies Among Us and Doomsayers of Greed are thoroughly crushing exercises in fist-pumping aggression. Fast and brutal, Damned Creed pulls off each song with razor sharp precision, handing one back his or her bruised ass after each listen.

At times, the dynamics behind the riff, such as the mid-paced jam at the end of Doomsayers border on an epic feel, making me wish they would keep the momentum running with a two or three minute solo soaring over it all. Sure, such an addition might be unnecessary, but some of these riffs are so damn good, I don't want them to stop!

Give Damned Creed a listen below and then thank them on their Facebook page for offering up their new album as a FREE download here!

Good times, good METAL!

Weekend Breakdown featuring Sagros, Zodiac Ciphers, and Maze of Terror

Bring on SAGROS, a Colombian band intent on dealing out some gut-punching angry METAL. I was turned onto Sagros after hearing their neck-snapping song Anger Blinds The Mind, which immediately tossed me into a brawl of chugging riffage. The tight intensity of the song had me at the get-go, but the riffs turn to a catchy dynamic halfway through that makes me want to start a makeshift moshpit in my living room, the casualties being my turned-over chairs and bruised shins. Totally metal.

These guys have been flying the thrash metal flag for over 15 years and will finally release their debut album through Hateworks sometime this year.

Check out the tune below and then visit them on Facebook here.

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Now I bring you the majestic ZODIAC CIPHERS, a thrash band that drinks from the cup of Slayerisms, filled to the top with a suicide of power thrash and death metal. Vocalist Kjell Andersson mainly refrains from the "Cookie Monster" vokills, opting for the traditional thrash bark/clean singing. The music however rages with a death metal charge, then switches gears to the melodic, and then offers up some Bay Area aggression before heading back into the grave. It's all a killer mix to piece together into some solid metal songs.

Slam to the music streams below and then give them a "Like" here.





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From Peru we have MAZE OF TERROR, a band that unleashes a sick and thunderous thrash pounding with their new EP titled Skull Crusher. This three-piece specialize in metal that rakes the listener across gravel with guttered riffs and fire-spewing vocals. The song Rival is a chugfest of speedy angst while Hatred and Repression is a tune that offers up plenty of deliberate mosh-worthy moments.

Hold your invisible grapefruits high as you check out the tune below and then visit the band here. If you like what you hear, the band has made Skull Crusher available as a FREE download! Grab it here.

The new release from Siberian Meat Grinder!

Ah, thrashy hardcore goodness! One of my faves, the almighty SIBERIAN MEAT GRINDER, has unleashed a new album titled Versus The World.

Like the band's previous release Hail To The Tsar, SMG takes the listener on a ride of crossover madness peppered with metallic jams, punk rock, and grooving riff rock.

Songs such as From The Dust Returned and Die On The Road demonstrate what SMG does best, mixing favorite genres seamlessly, although I do wish they would utilize those tiny bits of crunchy traditional metal and swampy riffs more often. Still, it all freakin' rocks.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, then check out the album below and hit the band up on Facebook. However, if you don't like hardcore-laden heavy-ass music, then go here.

I don't know much about them, but HumanHunter ROCKS!

Okay, who the hell is HumanHunter? I thought my online searching skills were at least up to an intermediate level of expertise, but the results I come up with for this metal band are minimal at best. Argh!!!

No matter. I had recently stumbled upon a couple of HumanHunter's songs on YouTube, both which provided a decent ass-kicking, so I'm passing them on to you.

Based on what we have here, HumanHunter leans toward the blackened thrash sound, offering a full-on assault of head banging riffs and rhythms, topped with undead-like vocals…like a specter vomiting sand, which is always cool.

The song Insomnia caught my attention with its driving mid-paced attack, but the pure bad-assery of the tune Angel's Death solidified me as a fan. The latter tune's first minute and a half treats the listener to a crushingly heavy riff stomp while vocalist David Lorente distorts his vocals to a maddening level. It works well, but then the song kicks into gear, hitting us with horns-up thrash and a catchy-as-hell sing-along chorus.

So far there are some classic moments to find on HH's self-titled 2011 release, but I just need to hear the rest!

Check out the tunes below and then shrug as you check out their MySpace page. Here's a bit more info on them. Anyone with additional info, kindly post in the comments section below.