HMaM Global Mod
Post by GL on Jan 1, 2013 12:50:31 GMT -5
So, here we are once again with not only one of the hardest rankings to come up with, but also perhaps the year's toughest to get in order which, just to spice up your reading this, includes some extreme controversy that should be explored within but which also serves as a shining example of how good the groups are within this genre. There's a ton of quality releases and some of them got pushed aside quite late in deciding, it got that close. Plus, on top of it all, we have the Overall Album of the Year in Thrash for the 4th time in 6 years, a sign of the genre's steady-growing base of releases and quality acts. So, with that, on with the list.
10. Bonded by Blood-The Aftermath
This was a pretty tough album to get on the list but overall, this one won out over a couple of others in a rather tough competition that rewarded them with placement here. As evident by the band name, this is pretty much classic-era Thrash through-and-through carried with the same energy and enthusiasm as the groundbreakers originally did years ago. Carried along by a strong rhythm section that keeps the material up-beat and pounding away for the majority of the time, characterized by their blasting drums and rather furious guitar-riffing that evokes the old-school more so than anyone else, from the tones that are prime-era Exodus with a more modern sound and the same style of soloing that just makes the whole thing all the more of an old-school influence, which is what earned them the spot on the list. While there’s some flaws to be found, mostly in the singing which doesn’t really do a whole lot with the material, this is still one of the greater bands in the retro-Thrash scene and definitely keeps them going strong after a fine debut.
9. Dust Bolt-Violent Demolition
It’s pretty clear that this was the year for the debut, as there’s a couple that really could’ve gone on the list but in the end, this group made it on the strength of a rousing, energetic offering from these promising German newcomers. Due to their home -country, it’s easy to see the Destruction and Kreator influences here with the riffing coming straight from Destruction and the vocals bearing a strong combination of Schmier and Mille at times, depending on the track, but have their own identity based on the rabid attack of their guitar attack and their pretty impressive soloing which really shows they have something to explore in the future by mixing their blistering Thrash workouts with melodically-leaning ‘Guitar Hero’-style soloing. The future could also fix the one nagging problem with the record as the drums are way too weak-sounding and don’t have any real power despite this being an obviously talented performance. Still, this is the sign their on the right track and have only up to go.
8. Rumpelstiltskin Grinder-Ghostmaker
One of the more vicious, pummeling assaults released this year, this one is perhaps the most extreme offering on the list but man if this isn’t a catchy one at that. Injecting more pronouncing Death Metal influences into the music than ever before, coming across at times almost with a Grindcore style of Thrash, this mixture of the extreme vocals with energetic, pounding Thrash and a rather commanding production job makes for a pummeling experience. From the absolutely crushing drumming that leaves nothing but devastation whether it be the double-bass blasting or just in regular rotation, it’s got a rather crushing effect that keeps the music on hyper-drive the majority of the time and makes for the album’s best moments when it goes off, and then the razor-wire riffing and grunting vocals just perfectly complete the picture of total annihilation and leave this with an absolutely stunning album that’s really this high up on the list only due to the quality of releases elsewhere in the year, as normally this would be much higher up with what’s on display.
7. Angelus Apatrida-The Call
These Spain-based old-schoolers are quickly growing on me, and with stuff like this, it’s pretty obvious to see why as there’s just pure old-school Thrash to be found within. With intense-yet-melodic riffs that are packed with energy and get the heads’ banging, there’s plenty to like here as it runs the gamut from pounding full-throttle thrash to sweeping, epic-sounding atmospheric interludes that are nothing if not infectious and generally enjoyable. With a solid vocal delivery that’s far more enunciation-minded than most of the other vocalists on the list due to their complete avoidance of the raspy shout or death-bark but instead tends to compliment the more melodic-leaning material, a truly killer drumming display that keeps up with the up-tempo material and the more relaxed chugging songs with equal verve, and a nice, thick-sounding production that makes for a solid experience and guaranteed to remind one of everyone from Exodus to Vader and more, there’s just nothing really wrong to be found here and it’s a lot of fun for that reason.
6. Dew-Scented-Icarus
Arising from Germany at the time Swedish Death/Thrash acts were reigning over the scene, I always considered these guys the best of that scene anyway and here’s another bullet in their crown to showcase why as this is a rager like their past efforts were. With furiously-paced songs that many bands would strain to catch-up with that seem to flow with extreme ease, those pounding drums that are absolutely on-point with the vicious material played and the rip-throated vocals that carry an extra sense of intensity and hatred in their delivery, all of their classic elements are presented here to make for a familiar environment for the most noticeable change in the bands’ sound which is the dropping of most of the technicality in their riffing as this one is pretty much refined and simplified of their previous material rather than an overall evolution of their sound which is rather curious but hardly distracting enough to influence the ranking or placement of the album here on the list.
5. Destruction-Spiritual Genocide
Long-running German thrashers that always seemed to be the underdogs in the scene as Kreator got more of the press and Sodom got more name-checked for their influence, nevertheless they’ve been one of the more impressive constants and are always counted on to deliver solid metal every time out. This here carries on their tradition in fine sorts, as well it’s also a celebratory album commemorating their 30th anniversary of existence with a fine selection of songs in the classic Destruction mode, containing their speed-oriented riffs, pounding drums and slinking bass-lines that they’ve favored from the start, as the band has always managed to sound more like the American bands than their German counterparts who always sounded more distinctive with their obvious European influences perhaps allowing them to take the spotlight while these guys, with their more Bay Area-style of Thrash written off as weak imitations of what was going on, along with Schmier’s trademark vocals and an improved production over their past efforts, resulting in a fine effort that sees them doing fine if not at the peak of their career.
4. Overkill-The Electric Age
So, so sorry to have to do this to Blitz and the gang as this is the highest ranking I’ve ever had to give to the band as every, and I mean every, album before was in the top three of my rankings for the year or won out, resulting in them winning more titles than any other band but I have to drop them down here and it’s a devastating, gut-wrenching move as this is perhaps some of the finest material, though not the best, stuff they’ve written in their career. It’s not really worth it to really do a detailed write-up here, everyone knows what you’re going to get when you pop one of their discs in and press play, furiously played old-school Thrash with caustic vocals, pounding drumming that never relents and compliments the music to a tee and frenetic riffing that goes for the throat and never thinks for a second about adjusting itself to allow a moment’s let-up from the assault that somehow remains inviting and encourages repeated listens at every turn, and this is no exception. It’s another scorching Overkill effort, so why drop them down here? I can’t let the history influence their placement up at the top and put them their simply because of who they are regardless of whatever else was produced that year, the other three bands just made better records. It’s that simple, hard as it is to accept.
3. Mortillery-Murder Death Kill
So, here it is, the legendary album that bumped Overkill from its stance in the top-three since their inception and knocked them the furthest down they’ve ever been to take their spot on the list, which means an important question must be asked in such a feat; how’d that happen in the first place? Again, it’s pretty simple: this album slays pure, plain and simple, as the Canadian newcomers show they’ve learned their lessons well and even manage to inject something new into the mix with the addition of a female vocalist that manages to sound both possessed and capable of sweeping over the music beneath, allowing for a wholly original take that’s just utterly infectious with the range displayed. As well, the music here is pure Bay Area-worship played with energy, infection and enthusiasm as all the songs are just off-the-rails blazing bolstered with a perfect amount of pounding drums and frantic guitar riffs that are just insanely memorable as they switch over from their speed-laced material and the more epic-sounding avenues to offer a wide range of styles and emotions within, making for a controversial pick but one I’m confident in and will be more than glad to see them grow in the future.
2. Kreator-Phantom Antichrist
The reigning kings of the German scene continue their marvelous renaissance in the new decade with another full-on amazing effort after a misstep the last time around that continues to see them churn forth quality material like they’ve always done. The biggest step here is the fact that they’ve fixed the glaring problem with their last album, giving the drums more of a natural feel that doesn’t sound as though they were recorded in mud the way their previous album was and goes back to the more devastation-laced offerings they putting out back in the earlier part of the decade, making for a nice return to form and offering this a rather devastating mix that reminds one of pure Kreator at their best. Overall, it might not be their best material but it certainly has some of their finest songs with their typically dark take on Thrash staying in prime form throughout the effort as the guitars are just nothing short of frenetic and the always-amazing vocals are given plenty of space in the mix. Though, again, the drums take center-stage and the mixture of more double-bass blasting and furious patterns making this one of the fastest of their career from that standpoint which makes this a strong contender for the title but falls just short.
1. Testament-Dark Roots of Earth
Well, the follow-up didn’t take as long as before but again the result is the same, one of the most crushing releases of the year and an easy choice for the genre’s rankings as well as a hard-fought but a win as well for the year overall, as this is the Album of the Year in addition to the Thrash ranking and sees yet another win in what’s becoming routine for thrash to win out as they’ve lost only twice in the last six years. Not only is this some of the band’s best material to date, it might be considered their true magnum opus as this manages to combine all of their different genres and styles into one easy-access effort, for this one has some of their most vicious old-school Thrash songs of their career, including the selected sample below, that sound like what they would’ve released back in the 80s with more modern sounds in their production, to some more accessible singles that come from the early 90s and then some Death Metal influenced stuff that came from their later period which are all firmly found here so it becomes a sweeping history for them as well as an outstanding collection of songs in its own right with their trademark melodies, orgiastic solos, pounding wall of drums and furious vocals that never become extreme in the slightest but are pure joy to listen to regardless of their harmonic intent in mid-range territory or brutal impact, all of which results in this winning out for them yet again as they show no signs of stopping now and will hopefully continue on in nice fashion.
10. Bonded by Blood-The Aftermath
This was a pretty tough album to get on the list but overall, this one won out over a couple of others in a rather tough competition that rewarded them with placement here. As evident by the band name, this is pretty much classic-era Thrash through-and-through carried with the same energy and enthusiasm as the groundbreakers originally did years ago. Carried along by a strong rhythm section that keeps the material up-beat and pounding away for the majority of the time, characterized by their blasting drums and rather furious guitar-riffing that evokes the old-school more so than anyone else, from the tones that are prime-era Exodus with a more modern sound and the same style of soloing that just makes the whole thing all the more of an old-school influence, which is what earned them the spot on the list. While there’s some flaws to be found, mostly in the singing which doesn’t really do a whole lot with the material, this is still one of the greater bands in the retro-Thrash scene and definitely keeps them going strong after a fine debut.
9. Dust Bolt-Violent Demolition
It’s pretty clear that this was the year for the debut, as there’s a couple that really could’ve gone on the list but in the end, this group made it on the strength of a rousing, energetic offering from these promising German newcomers. Due to their home -country, it’s easy to see the Destruction and Kreator influences here with the riffing coming straight from Destruction and the vocals bearing a strong combination of Schmier and Mille at times, depending on the track, but have their own identity based on the rabid attack of their guitar attack and their pretty impressive soloing which really shows they have something to explore in the future by mixing their blistering Thrash workouts with melodically-leaning ‘Guitar Hero’-style soloing. The future could also fix the one nagging problem with the record as the drums are way too weak-sounding and don’t have any real power despite this being an obviously talented performance. Still, this is the sign their on the right track and have only up to go.
8. Rumpelstiltskin Grinder-Ghostmaker
One of the more vicious, pummeling assaults released this year, this one is perhaps the most extreme offering on the list but man if this isn’t a catchy one at that. Injecting more pronouncing Death Metal influences into the music than ever before, coming across at times almost with a Grindcore style of Thrash, this mixture of the extreme vocals with energetic, pounding Thrash and a rather commanding production job makes for a pummeling experience. From the absolutely crushing drumming that leaves nothing but devastation whether it be the double-bass blasting or just in regular rotation, it’s got a rather crushing effect that keeps the music on hyper-drive the majority of the time and makes for the album’s best moments when it goes off, and then the razor-wire riffing and grunting vocals just perfectly complete the picture of total annihilation and leave this with an absolutely stunning album that’s really this high up on the list only due to the quality of releases elsewhere in the year, as normally this would be much higher up with what’s on display.
7. Angelus Apatrida-The Call
These Spain-based old-schoolers are quickly growing on me, and with stuff like this, it’s pretty obvious to see why as there’s just pure old-school Thrash to be found within. With intense-yet-melodic riffs that are packed with energy and get the heads’ banging, there’s plenty to like here as it runs the gamut from pounding full-throttle thrash to sweeping, epic-sounding atmospheric interludes that are nothing if not infectious and generally enjoyable. With a solid vocal delivery that’s far more enunciation-minded than most of the other vocalists on the list due to their complete avoidance of the raspy shout or death-bark but instead tends to compliment the more melodic-leaning material, a truly killer drumming display that keeps up with the up-tempo material and the more relaxed chugging songs with equal verve, and a nice, thick-sounding production that makes for a solid experience and guaranteed to remind one of everyone from Exodus to Vader and more, there’s just nothing really wrong to be found here and it’s a lot of fun for that reason.
6. Dew-Scented-Icarus
Arising from Germany at the time Swedish Death/Thrash acts were reigning over the scene, I always considered these guys the best of that scene anyway and here’s another bullet in their crown to showcase why as this is a rager like their past efforts were. With furiously-paced songs that many bands would strain to catch-up with that seem to flow with extreme ease, those pounding drums that are absolutely on-point with the vicious material played and the rip-throated vocals that carry an extra sense of intensity and hatred in their delivery, all of their classic elements are presented here to make for a familiar environment for the most noticeable change in the bands’ sound which is the dropping of most of the technicality in their riffing as this one is pretty much refined and simplified of their previous material rather than an overall evolution of their sound which is rather curious but hardly distracting enough to influence the ranking or placement of the album here on the list.
5. Destruction-Spiritual Genocide
Long-running German thrashers that always seemed to be the underdogs in the scene as Kreator got more of the press and Sodom got more name-checked for their influence, nevertheless they’ve been one of the more impressive constants and are always counted on to deliver solid metal every time out. This here carries on their tradition in fine sorts, as well it’s also a celebratory album commemorating their 30th anniversary of existence with a fine selection of songs in the classic Destruction mode, containing their speed-oriented riffs, pounding drums and slinking bass-lines that they’ve favored from the start, as the band has always managed to sound more like the American bands than their German counterparts who always sounded more distinctive with their obvious European influences perhaps allowing them to take the spotlight while these guys, with their more Bay Area-style of Thrash written off as weak imitations of what was going on, along with Schmier’s trademark vocals and an improved production over their past efforts, resulting in a fine effort that sees them doing fine if not at the peak of their career.
4. Overkill-The Electric Age
So, so sorry to have to do this to Blitz and the gang as this is the highest ranking I’ve ever had to give to the band as every, and I mean every, album before was in the top three of my rankings for the year or won out, resulting in them winning more titles than any other band but I have to drop them down here and it’s a devastating, gut-wrenching move as this is perhaps some of the finest material, though not the best, stuff they’ve written in their career. It’s not really worth it to really do a detailed write-up here, everyone knows what you’re going to get when you pop one of their discs in and press play, furiously played old-school Thrash with caustic vocals, pounding drumming that never relents and compliments the music to a tee and frenetic riffing that goes for the throat and never thinks for a second about adjusting itself to allow a moment’s let-up from the assault that somehow remains inviting and encourages repeated listens at every turn, and this is no exception. It’s another scorching Overkill effort, so why drop them down here? I can’t let the history influence their placement up at the top and put them their simply because of who they are regardless of whatever else was produced that year, the other three bands just made better records. It’s that simple, hard as it is to accept.
3. Mortillery-Murder Death Kill
So, here it is, the legendary album that bumped Overkill from its stance in the top-three since their inception and knocked them the furthest down they’ve ever been to take their spot on the list, which means an important question must be asked in such a feat; how’d that happen in the first place? Again, it’s pretty simple: this album slays pure, plain and simple, as the Canadian newcomers show they’ve learned their lessons well and even manage to inject something new into the mix with the addition of a female vocalist that manages to sound both possessed and capable of sweeping over the music beneath, allowing for a wholly original take that’s just utterly infectious with the range displayed. As well, the music here is pure Bay Area-worship played with energy, infection and enthusiasm as all the songs are just off-the-rails blazing bolstered with a perfect amount of pounding drums and frantic guitar riffs that are just insanely memorable as they switch over from their speed-laced material and the more epic-sounding avenues to offer a wide range of styles and emotions within, making for a controversial pick but one I’m confident in and will be more than glad to see them grow in the future.
2. Kreator-Phantom Antichrist
The reigning kings of the German scene continue their marvelous renaissance in the new decade with another full-on amazing effort after a misstep the last time around that continues to see them churn forth quality material like they’ve always done. The biggest step here is the fact that they’ve fixed the glaring problem with their last album, giving the drums more of a natural feel that doesn’t sound as though they were recorded in mud the way their previous album was and goes back to the more devastation-laced offerings they putting out back in the earlier part of the decade, making for a nice return to form and offering this a rather devastating mix that reminds one of pure Kreator at their best. Overall, it might not be their best material but it certainly has some of their finest songs with their typically dark take on Thrash staying in prime form throughout the effort as the guitars are just nothing short of frenetic and the always-amazing vocals are given plenty of space in the mix. Though, again, the drums take center-stage and the mixture of more double-bass blasting and furious patterns making this one of the fastest of their career from that standpoint which makes this a strong contender for the title but falls just short.
1. Testament-Dark Roots of Earth
Well, the follow-up didn’t take as long as before but again the result is the same, one of the most crushing releases of the year and an easy choice for the genre’s rankings as well as a hard-fought but a win as well for the year overall, as this is the Album of the Year in addition to the Thrash ranking and sees yet another win in what’s becoming routine for thrash to win out as they’ve lost only twice in the last six years. Not only is this some of the band’s best material to date, it might be considered their true magnum opus as this manages to combine all of their different genres and styles into one easy-access effort, for this one has some of their most vicious old-school Thrash songs of their career, including the selected sample below, that sound like what they would’ve released back in the 80s with more modern sounds in their production, to some more accessible singles that come from the early 90s and then some Death Metal influenced stuff that came from their later period which are all firmly found here so it becomes a sweeping history for them as well as an outstanding collection of songs in its own right with their trademark melodies, orgiastic solos, pounding wall of drums and furious vocals that never become extreme in the slightest but are pure joy to listen to regardless of their harmonic intent in mid-range territory or brutal impact, all of which results in this winning out for them yet again as they show no signs of stopping now and will hopefully continue on in nice fashion.
Grizzled HMaM Vet
