I have finally pieced together the New Wave of Thrash Metal Blog's Top Ten Albums of 2012.
Creating lists based on music favorites is always a difficult task for me because the list changes almost daily. Plus, I don't have the funds to get EVERY single thrash release, so really an "official best-of list" would be rather bogus coming from me. So if you don't see on my list what should be an obvious choice for every thrash top-ten, just know that either I haven't bought the album or your idea of a good album is pure silliness.
Also, let it be known that I originally included an "Honorable Mentions" list as well, but it became way, way too freakin' long. I could have easily made a Top 30 list for the year, but I only have so much time and patience (as do you, I'm sure), so I axed the honorables.
As I said in my review for this album, "Testament managed to take everything they have perfected over the course of the band's career and build upon that foundation to give us an album that is savagely hungry, effectively beautiful, and as heavy as a near-flawless metal album should be." Too true.
Their second album is another vicious attack of balls-out punk thrash. The riffs are infectious, creating songs that are satisfyingly catchy and brutal all at once.
Insinnerator's second release takes the unique sound of their debut and adds a confidence and maturity to the songwriting, making it all tighter, meaner, and completely neck-shredding. Utterly fantastic.
Veterans showing the young'uns how to CRUSH! When I read interviews with Blitz about his competitive spirit against the young and hungry thrash bands, he shows that while he and D.D. are older and wiser, they are every bit as hungry. The Electric Age is one hell of a kick in the ass.
At the time, the wait for this album to drop was excruciating. So much hype surrounded Based on Evil, and when it finally became available, I felt the music surpassed expectations. Based on Evil rages with well-written thrash, propelled by killer old-school riffing and ripping vocals. This will be considered a classic album within the NWOTM.
Pure thunder from a band clearly on top of their game. It's interesting to wonder if Lich King knew how special and thoroughly kick-ass an album Born of the Bomb was going to be as they were writing it. I love how people were almost surprised at just how damn good BotB is. We live in crazy times when a band like Lich King still remains unsigned to a solid metal label.
Modern thrash done perfectly. With Submission For Liberty, 4ARM created a bulldozer of a metal album with hardly an inch of filler. Completely engrossing, Submission For Liberty contains dynamic musical passages of aggression and beauty that soars along on the backs of tight, well-crated riffs and rhythms. Smart, lively, and it freakin' CRUSHES.
Hey, let's talk METAL in an all-new info-laced THRASHLINE post!
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So we have less than a week before LICH KING drops their new album Born of the Bomb. Speaking as a fan of the King's previous albums, the new stuff they previewed has surpassed my expectations. If you've heard the tunes Combat Mosh or the already-classic-in-my-book We Came to Conquer, then you know what I'm yapping' about. Catchy, riff-tastic old-school thrash METAL! I'm really excited to hear the rest of this album.
Pre-order this beast here. Tell Lich King I said, "Hi!"
My brother-in-blog over at the GLOBAL THRASH ASSAULT is in the final stages of unleashing their first thrash compilation album titled Wreck Your Neck! The complete track listing has not been released as of this writing, but so far the project looks more than promising.
Tom Martin, of the aforementioned band Lich King provided the killer cover art.
As a side note, the love and dedication Global Thrash Assault puts into our favorite genre of metal is outstanding. Admittedly I am a little envious of the amount of posts the blog cranks out on a regular basis, and now a freakin' compilation album to help spread to word! Love it!
Keep your eye on them here and here for future details on the album (as well as an onslaught of comments and reviews on your favorite bands).
Sooooo have we all been keeping tabs on the mighty DR. LIVING DEAD and their upcoming album Radioactive Intervention? It's no secret that I'm a slobbering fan of their debut album and can hardly believe that a new one is on the horizon.
The album is supposed to drop sometime in November, so I would expect to hear a sample of the new stuff SOON, PLEASE…just to satisfy my insatiable thirst for all things Dr. Living Dead. At least we have the new album art. Nice! Other details on the new album can be found here.
If you've been living under a rock, check out their Thrashing the Law EP below and then buy their self-titled debut album!
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From what I understand, Greece's thrash titans BIO-CANCER are still on the lookout for a new guitarist. Man, I am rooting for these guys to find the right person for the job because this HAS to be done right. Why? Because I absolutely LOVE their debut album Ear Piercing Thrash. The riffage on that album has a very specific sound that gives Bio-Cancer a unique voice in thrash metal.
I know the guys in the band are serious about their music and won't just hand the guitar duties to some riffless wonder, but the guy who steps in had better understand what makes Bio-Cancer kick so much ass.
Meanwhile, I'll try not to worry about it (too much) and just put my trust into the Bio-Cancer camp.
California's ATTACKHEAD will be playing the freakin' HELL and HEAVEN METAL FESTIVAL in good ol' Guadalajara, Mexico! But instead of me wasting my precious lifeblood writing all about it, why don't I just copy and past the press release?
"Southern California thrash metal band Attackhead has announced plans to perform at Hell and Heaven Metal Fest in Guadalajara Mexico on Oct 27th. Hell and Heaven Metal Festival is currently the only open air metal festival in Mexico. The Festival is dedicated to metal, but tries to balance genders like: Heavy, Glam, Metalcore, Thrash, Speed, Death, Black and Industrial metal. The festival had its first edition in October 2010 with three stages and 40 bands. In 2011, the promoters exceeded an 20,000 audience and have confirmed 57 international performing artists. This year’s line up will include Attackhead as well as headliners Anthrax and Heathen. Additionally, Attackhead will be available in Guadalajara Mexico for a Meet and Greet on Friday afternoon sponsored by Metal Mexico. Singer and lead guitarist Mark Chapman said “This will be our first time in Mexico and we are very excited to get down there and perform for our fans”. Attackhead is promoting their latest release “Voices in the Dark – Second Attack” which was remixed/mastered and released in August 2011. The album was also released on classic vinyl in February 2012."
Well, that's awesome, right? For more details check out Attackhead here and H&H Fest here.
Hey! Listen to some Attackhead songs!
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Yeah! Luuk H. reminded me that NUCLEAR DEVASTATION have a couple new songs available for your listening pleasure! If you don't know about these guys, here is where I gushed about 'em on this very blog. The new tunes, MetalPunkDeathSquad and Stench of Death are from Nuclear Devastation's split 7" with PRIMAL ORDER, and both are raw and sick as hell.
Check out the songs below (together in one vid), and then check out the band here.
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I don't know what they scream about and I can't read anything on their Facebook page, but Indonesia's FRAGOR kicks all kinds of ass. Plus, their two available songs are posted for FREE download! Check them out here and grab their tunes.
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Those sick bastards VIOLENTOR are getting closer to the November release of their new album titled Rot. As a big fan who has Violentor's debut consistently in my album-listening rotation, I have high hopes for the new one (which I assume will also be released via EBM Records).
The band has graciously released a few song previews for us all to enjoy. Check them out below and keep up with the band here.
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Tennessee's own PARALYZER are on the search for a new drummer. They have been looking for quite a while, and apparently nothing has gelled, so how about any of you thrash drummers out there looking for a gig? Local to the area? Willing to relocate? Living in Antarctica? Whatever! Check out their stuff below and hit them up here.
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I know I pimped out the new Sewercide track off the upcoming 7" split they are doing with RANDOMORDER. So let's flip the album over and listen to Randomorder's tune Resurrection! Great band, great song!
BIO-CANCER Ear Piercing Thrash
Athens Thrash Attack
It's been one helluva wait for Greece's own BIO-CANCER to release their
debut album Ear Piercing Thrash. As a big fan of their demo work, I have
been waiting with a watery mouth to sink my teeth into the new and
updated material.
At one time it appeared the album would make its way out via EBM
Records, but for whatever reason the deal must have fallen through,
sticking Ear Piercing Thrash back on the shelf for a while longer. That
sucked.
Now, through the Athens Thrash Attack label, fans of pure riff-laden extreme thrash can rejoice. If you read what I have previously written about Bio-Cancer (some of which might be repeated here), you know I am rejoicing as well!
Personally,
as a thrash fan, I'm looking for something that rocks. That's it. If a
band can write a killer song, I don't care if it's cut from a
tried-and-true formula utilized by the thrash masters of yore. Since
I have heard crappy thrash tunes that attempted to rip off the old
classics, it stands to reason that it takes a certain amount of talent
to write a good song, even if they are cloning their influences.
So although every band injects their influences in song creations,
Bio-Cancer not being the exception, I can honestly say that these guys
have forged a sound that is completely their own.
Much of this
can be attributed to the way each song successfully uses strong riff
repetition with catchy hooks and powerful dynamics. Yes, they take a
riff and ride it to death, but (again) the way they ride the riff is
what counts, and it's also what makes them stand out.
In lieu of the consistent e-string chugging used by almost every
thrash band in existence, Bio-Cancer employs cyclical sharp and frantic riffs
that sound like blistering fast versions of Sabbath's or Clutch's bluesy (yet ballsy)
guitar work. However, the Bio guys skip any semblance of bluesy emotion
as they take the riff hook, stick a piece of bloody meat on it and
throw it the middle of a school of piranha. This is the riff they ride
to death, over the hills and valleys of speedy aggression and mid-tempo
stomp.
Add in a dusting of Maiden-esque harmonies and you have an idea of how Bio-Cancer completely crushes!
Vocalist
Lefteris uses a raspy, blood-gurgling grind style that works well
with Bio-Cancer's frenzied music, combining to create a signature thrash
metal style that is both easily recognizable and devastatingly
powerful.
I've been pimping this on my Facebook page for a while.
One of my favorite thrash bands BIO-CANCER is in the running to open for Sanctuary! All they need is your votes. Please consider clicking on this link and vote for them. There is only a few days left before it ends.
If you feel that you would like something in return, head over to their Facebook page and download their available streaming songs for FREE! You won't be disappointed!
I've been away for a while and I hate going this long without posting thrash bits and pieces. However, in my relatively short vacation from blogging, I've been looking and finding a ton of killer thrash.
The next few posts will feature some of these bands. You may not like all of them, but there is a wide variety of goodies to sample, so I'm sure something will appeal to you.
First up is a band whose songs I cannot get out of my freaking head.
BIO-CANCER
You know a band completely kicks ass when their music can cause instant whiplash upon a first hearing. Greece's own Bio-Cancer are masters of using dynamics to bring their razor-like riffs to life. One minute, the guitars and drums fly in a fury of thrash madness, and then they tighten it up to a solid foot-stomping mid-paced masterslam. MAN, this is fun stuff!
The more I listen to Bio-Cancer's three available songs (Ear Piercing Thrash, Backstabbed Again, and Get Cancered…Now!), the more I hear a formulaic structure that totally works in their favor. Bands such as Obituary, Pro-Pain, Jungle Rot, and Toxic Holocaust have signature sounds that when you hear one of their songs, you KNOW who it is. Bio-Cancer has that kind of potential.
With the mad abandon of early Kreator and Vio-lence anchored with mid-paced dynamics, Bio-Cancer creates some awesome pit-inducing thrash.
Listen to Backstabbed Again and then check out their stuff here.
REDMIST DESTRUCTION
Dirty, grimy and mean as a hungry dog, RedMist Destruction thunders out of your speakers like a brass knuckles-weilding biker. This group from Barnsley, UK play tunes meant to cause action, with songs such as The Coroner and Reanimator that expect nothing less than full participation in the mosh pit.
Songs like Hell Capitàn offer blistering raw crossover with a few added nods to both Bay Area and German thrash.
You can seriously feel the exhausted crowd sweat pouring off each tune, complete with the images of a cramped, hot pub, thrashing out to a band out to hammer in a few skulls.
10. Conflagrator - Inevitable Punishments
