THRASHLINE: Bits of thrash news with Tantara, Powered By Death, Elm Street, and MORE!

Word has finally got out that our favorite Norwegian thrashers TANTARA have inked a deal with Indie Recordings, the label who picked up the pieces after the band's falling out with their previous label Ultimhate.

As a taste, Tantara will release a 7-inch vinyl single featuring the songs Based on Evil and Court Injustice.

Unfortunately, there isn't a release date for the full length album Based on Evil, but be assured that it will come out sometime later this year. If it doesn't, I say we should call a mass listening party over at the 'Tara practice place (and if this happens, someone please pick up my round trip ticket from Kansas City. Also, let's hope the Tantara fellas have some food).

In other Tantara news, the band started up their own online forum! Go join the Tantara Community and talk some THRASH!

Meanwhile, jam to an earlier version of Court Injustice!






---------------------------------------------
According to LEGIONARY drumming main man Frank D'Erasmo, he began a side project called Path of Tyranny and so far had four songs written. Well, it seems that the project is no more and D'Erasmo will instead release the new demo tunes under the Legionary name. The demo will be called (of course) Path of Tyranny. D'Erasmo said they will likely be included on the second Legionary full-length album.

That mean Legionary is four songs into the next album ALREADY? Bring it on!

As a fun side-note, Legionary have a few 8-Bit versions of their songs out and about. Take a listen and yearn for some old-school Nintendo play.





---------------------------------------------
Nevada's AVENGER OF BLOOD are kicking ass in the studio as we speak! They are in the process of knocking out a three song EP titled Spawn of Evil, and have plans to shoot a video for one of the tunes.

They are talking about booking shows with their revamped line-up toward the end of August, but, as they say, "Nothing is set in stone yet."



---------------------------------------------
ZOMBIE FIGHTER have released yet another song off their upcoming album Run For Your Life titled Unleash the Wolves. Give it a listen. Or don't. I'm not your dad. (Actually, I am…listen to it!)





---------------------------------------------
In another excellent move by the thrash powerhouse label EBM RECORDS, they added Quebec's own POWERED BY DEATH to the Thrash Is Back series of albums.

If you haven't heard of these Canadian metal men, go check out the Global Thrash Assault Blog for a sweet little review about Powered By Death.

A little bonus here: They have four songs available as a FREE download. Listen below, and then snag the tunes!

Oh, and by the way -- if you are the one or two metal fans who have not yet heard of EBM Records, by all means go check them out and their ENTIRE freakin' ROSTER of thrash bands! They are like a treasure chest for thrash fans.





---------------------------------------------
Australian thrashers ELM STREET are in the process of shredding Europe as you read this, and the fun will continue in July when they team up with NWOTM legends Warbringer and Gama Bomb! AHHHHH, bad-ASS!! The tour dates are:

17.07.2012 - London, UK - Barfly
18.07.2012 - York, UK - Duchess
19.07.2012 - Edinburgh, UK - Bannermans
20.07.2012 - Cork, UK - An Cruiscin Lan
21.07.2012 - Belfast, IRL - Limelight (w/ Gama Bomb)
22.07.2012 - Dublin, IRL - The Pint (w/Gama Bomb)
23.07.2012 - Newport, UK - Meze Lounge

Go if you can. I'll be here in the US on my pitty-pot...watching the following Elm Street stream.






---------------------------------------------
Virginia's POSSESSOR will release their debut album City Built With Skulls on May 23rd through Slaney Records. I know I posted their album cover before, but it is so bad-ass, that I am going to do it again.

Total freakin' METAL! \m/

---------------------------------------------
Speaking of cool album covers, I pimped the new one from TESTAMENT on the Facebook page a couple days ago. Man, this cover art makes me want to hear the new album so BAD. ARGH! Testament, pleeeeease release a new song to keep us satisfied until Dark Roots of Earth finally hits the stores on July 27th (such a LONG wait)!

Weekend Breakdown: Kill Ritual, Pentomic, Pessimist, Nadimac, Zombie Fighter

All metal heads need to seek out San Jose's KILL RITUAL! Here we have a brilliant cross of old school thrash meets pure heavy f'n METAL. My GOD this stuff rocks. Truthfully, although their influences are well documented in the music they hammer out, I haven't heard a band hammer it out quite like Kill Ritual.

The riffs are total street, meeting somewhere between a cycle's spinning rubber and the pavement to make that cloud of hellacious smoke, choking out all traces of wimp rock in its wake. It's muscle and power driven metal ramped up with chugging dynamics to make you cuss in delight as you break your freakin' neck.

Vocalist Josh Gibson is a rare breed of aggressive vocalists who could fit in a wide gamut of various heavy music genres, including 80's glam, LA street rock, traditional metal, or balls-out, head banging thrash. Calling Gibson versatile is an understatement, and the fact that this guy has the vocal pipes to send even the most thrashiest thrasher in all of thrashdom vocalists home to cry in their soup kicks KILL RITUAL'S musical cred up quite a few notches.

Listen to their available songs below and then hit them up on Facebook here.





--------------------------------------------------------
West Phoenix thrashers PENTOMIC claim they are "attempting to mesh all that they like for a more original sound." On most counts they succeed, offering up more than your standard e-string galloping thrash.

Under the thrash and catchy punk-influenced riffs, you can hear waves of stadium rock, groove, and alt metal. Pentomic produces music that rarely loses interest through its journey of hard, heavy, strange, and the utterly fantastic, and fans of various genres of metal should find something to latch onto with this band.

Take heed: Those checking out Pentomic's tunes cannot simply listen to snippets of songs, nor can one listen to only a single song to get this band's whole story.

Listen a couple tunes below. If you dig the music, they made their songs available as a FREE download here. Afterward, if you have a Facebook account, go "like" the band here.







--------------------------------------------------------
Special thanks goes to Sonni Sørensen for bringing my attention to PESSIMIST. These German thrashers crank out some very cool and catchy thrash metal. Their album Call to War contains some of the most head-moving riffs I've heard in a while (Sons of Satan), combining those with hammering gut punches of aggression (Infernal Death).

Listen to the tunes below and then catch up with them on Facebook.







--------------------------------------------------------
A couple bands I wanted to mention before I close out of this post:


More than a few of you have been following the Serbian thrash band NADIMAC. These guys have been bringing the speedy thrash/crossover since their demo release in 2007, afterward releasing two full length albums and a slew of  "splits".

Their most recent album Po Kratkom Postupku (try saying that three times fast) came out in 2011 and contains some harsh crossover gems, ripe for your ear-bleeding listening pleasure.

Do I know what these guys are screaming about? Nope, but face-ripping thrash is still face-ripping thrash, no matter the language.

Listen and like!







--------------------------------------------------------
The mighty ZOMBIE FIGHTER have released the song Beloth, from their upcoming EP titled Run For Your Life! The tune showcases strong songwriting, all packaged in a mass of tight riffs, sick vocals, and bad-ass guitar solos.

Check out Beloth below and then check out Run For Your Life to be released on May 11th.





I still have a ton of other bands to mention. I WILL get them bit by bit over the next few weeks. After that, I'll have even MORE thrash for you all. It'll NEVER end! Thank God!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!



- r. lawrence blake