Post by GL on Dec 31, 2010 15:59:14 GMT -5
Thrash Metal-For the 2008 rankings, I called this genre one of the most important in the future since that’s where all the fun will come from, and once again, I’ve been proven right as this past year was an outstanding year, featuring several successful come-backs, a few newbies shining brightly, but this was mostly all about the old-guard coming around to whip up the next generation to show them how it’s done, whereas 2009 was mostly about the newcomers offering up their brightest, and in that one I said the veterans will come back stronger than ever in 2010, so you know I know my Metal. Considering for the third year in a row we got the Album of the Year coming from this genre it looks as good as ever for the future, as I rightfully said a few years ago.
10. Fatal Embrace-The Empires of Inhumanity
For those of you still cranking out Testament’s 80s albums on full rotation, this might be your next favorite band. Whether it be the spectacular riffing, the old-school muscle or the muscular rhythm section, or it might even be the mix which makes this whole set sound like bonus tracks that were recorded but never featured on their first two albums and surprisingly just unearthed, but whatever the case, the old school flame shines brightly in these guys and they’ll make for a great listen by just about any old-schooler worth his mettle.
9. Negligence-Coordinates of Confusion
A fantastic upstart from Slovenia, mixing in some Traditional Heavy Metal onto a beefy, thrash-infused masher this is infectious and quite enjoyable. Chunky, double-bass propelled thrash-edged riffs and a mid-range vocal style that fuses the styles of Nevermore and Iced Earth is what you'll hear most often, but there’s also the occasional glimmer of old-school riffs from the greats and a perfect balance of melody and aggression makes for a rewarding listen. It gets a little repetitious at times, since it tends to bleed together at times, but I’ve heard far worse debuts and they’ll grow with experience and time.
8. Suicidal Angels-Dead Again
Greece’s attempt to join the retro-Thrash revival, these guys are certainly learning their history well and are certainly on their way to joining the big guys in the future. More chaotic and violent in approach than true old-school Thrash, they’re still far from unlistenable and use that to make for a thoroughly rewarding entry. Blasting away with relentless fury, harsh vocals that recall Dew-Scented at times and finely-chosen moments of all-out intensity, this here is a rather impressive album that tends to unfortunately blend together into a whole during the latter half, but it’s still some good-old Thrash through-and-through.
7. Warbeast-Krush the Enemy
A super-group of sorts, the overall approach is a groovy, old-school riff-filled monster. Consisting mainly of scene regulars from a variety of underground acts, these guys manage to throw all of their previous bands’ best moments together into a veritable smorgasbord of Thrash the old-school way but done in a modern sense. From outstanding guitar-work, including dueling solos back-and-forth or just melodious harmonies infected at the right moment, thunderous double-bass drumming or a commanding bark of a vocal delivery make the songs that much more infectious and devastating, offering a glimmering future for the genre.
6. The Crown-Doomsday King
The return from a group that never should’ve went anywhere anyway, this here is perhaps one of the finest expressions of their style, death-influenced off-the-rails thrash. Frankly, the rawness with the production only makes it all the better, since it makes the riffs more explosive and deadly, the drumming that more infernal and the vocals that much more caustic, and in turn that makes it all the more ferocious and violent. It might not be the group’s crowning achievement, nobody does it better than these guys and if this is where they’re going in the future, then I won’t mind the split-up at all.
5. Exodus-The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit B-The Human Condition
First off, this needs to be said: at 45 or even 50 minutes, this record would have been an unquestionable bruiser; at 72, it's just fatiguing. At some point, they'd be better off culling a couple of weaker songs and just letting the bashing commence, as for the second time in a row they’ve managed to overdose an album needlessly as if they don't attack with the hammer down for every possible second of their record, and if their record isn't as long as is technologically feasible, they've somehow failed you, the listener, and pussed out. That’s a rather jarring approach, but beyond all this, there’s some quality stuff here as is usual with the reunion. With detonating razor-edged riffs, masterclass-style soloing, feverish drumming, vitriol-spewing vocals and an utterly massive production making everything all the more dangerous, but frankly, this one here could’ve been trimmed down and been a Year-End contender instead of cracking the top 5.
4. Demonica-Demonstrous
A pedigree of Metal class joined together, they’ve manage to create a full-throttle, rip-soaked barnburner if there ever was one. Violent, sharply-tuned thrash of an up-tempo sort, this is insanely infectious and damaging material that stops just short of being essential. Piles upon piles of riffs, strong soloing and the perfect placement of melody combined with thunderous drumming and a pummeling, bruising production merge together to create a maelstrom of Thrash with a shouting, Kreator-style approach to the vocals that makes it all the more punishing. This will be fun to watch in years to come.
3. Heathen-The Evolution of Chaos
The one band from the original Thrash movement in the 80s I personally thought were highly underrated, they’ve finally showed why here, on their third proper album. From razor-edged riffs, melodic interludes that seem logical in their incorporation, technical soloing, thunderous drumming and an affinity for the blasting tempos welded onto their penchant for the longer song-lengths and structures, this one here manages to perhaps be the one here that grows better on repeat listens, while the others here are more of a first-impact bludgeoners. That’s not to take anything away from those albums or even this one, but this here is a fantastic album no matter how you slice it that rightfully deserves it’s place here.
2. Forbidden-Omega Wave
Wow, was this one unexpected. Never considered in the upper-tier back in the Thrash heyday but still releasing some damn-fine B-grade Thrash, this one here is a phenomenal step up from their past. Just utterly insane old-school Thrash, far more chaotic and violent than anything they’ve ever done, with more infectious writing, technical riffs and soloing, superb playing and a real swagger that shows up many of the modern newcomers and places them back in the running among the upper echelon of the movement. Now, let’s see where this goes from here.
1. Overkill-Ironbound
So, here we are once again with a Thrash album ranking at the top of the year-end list, as for the third straight year they’ve come away with the top list. This here is perhaps Overkill’s best since the new millennium, a crushing reminder that they’ve been doing this for so long that it’s hard to find a better example of a band doling out quality when these guys are motivated. Mixing in all the usual affairs found in here, from the anthemic opener, ultra-speed freaks, mid-tempo chugs, epics and a few with that trademarked Jersey stomp to them, this one is a mission statement that never needed to be made. From over-the-top vocals, infectious guitars, top-notch drumming and a spectacular production, this one also manages to strike a claim as one of the decades top albums, and wins out for Album of the Year for 2010.
Congrats, fellas. You’ve done it again. Let’s welcome the next ten years with as much fun as the past ten have been.
10. Fatal Embrace-The Empires of Inhumanity
For those of you still cranking out Testament’s 80s albums on full rotation, this might be your next favorite band. Whether it be the spectacular riffing, the old-school muscle or the muscular rhythm section, or it might even be the mix which makes this whole set sound like bonus tracks that were recorded but never featured on their first two albums and surprisingly just unearthed, but whatever the case, the old school flame shines brightly in these guys and they’ll make for a great listen by just about any old-schooler worth his mettle.
9. Negligence-Coordinates of Confusion
A fantastic upstart from Slovenia, mixing in some Traditional Heavy Metal onto a beefy, thrash-infused masher this is infectious and quite enjoyable. Chunky, double-bass propelled thrash-edged riffs and a mid-range vocal style that fuses the styles of Nevermore and Iced Earth is what you'll hear most often, but there’s also the occasional glimmer of old-school riffs from the greats and a perfect balance of melody and aggression makes for a rewarding listen. It gets a little repetitious at times, since it tends to bleed together at times, but I’ve heard far worse debuts and they’ll grow with experience and time.
8. Suicidal Angels-Dead Again
Greece’s attempt to join the retro-Thrash revival, these guys are certainly learning their history well and are certainly on their way to joining the big guys in the future. More chaotic and violent in approach than true old-school Thrash, they’re still far from unlistenable and use that to make for a thoroughly rewarding entry. Blasting away with relentless fury, harsh vocals that recall Dew-Scented at times and finely-chosen moments of all-out intensity, this here is a rather impressive album that tends to unfortunately blend together into a whole during the latter half, but it’s still some good-old Thrash through-and-through.
7. Warbeast-Krush the Enemy
A super-group of sorts, the overall approach is a groovy, old-school riff-filled monster. Consisting mainly of scene regulars from a variety of underground acts, these guys manage to throw all of their previous bands’ best moments together into a veritable smorgasbord of Thrash the old-school way but done in a modern sense. From outstanding guitar-work, including dueling solos back-and-forth or just melodious harmonies infected at the right moment, thunderous double-bass drumming or a commanding bark of a vocal delivery make the songs that much more infectious and devastating, offering a glimmering future for the genre.
6. The Crown-Doomsday King
The return from a group that never should’ve went anywhere anyway, this here is perhaps one of the finest expressions of their style, death-influenced off-the-rails thrash. Frankly, the rawness with the production only makes it all the better, since it makes the riffs more explosive and deadly, the drumming that more infernal and the vocals that much more caustic, and in turn that makes it all the more ferocious and violent. It might not be the group’s crowning achievement, nobody does it better than these guys and if this is where they’re going in the future, then I won’t mind the split-up at all.
5. Exodus-The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit B-The Human Condition
First off, this needs to be said: at 45 or even 50 minutes, this record would have been an unquestionable bruiser; at 72, it's just fatiguing. At some point, they'd be better off culling a couple of weaker songs and just letting the bashing commence, as for the second time in a row they’ve managed to overdose an album needlessly as if they don't attack with the hammer down for every possible second of their record, and if their record isn't as long as is technologically feasible, they've somehow failed you, the listener, and pussed out. That’s a rather jarring approach, but beyond all this, there’s some quality stuff here as is usual with the reunion. With detonating razor-edged riffs, masterclass-style soloing, feverish drumming, vitriol-spewing vocals and an utterly massive production making everything all the more dangerous, but frankly, this one here could’ve been trimmed down and been a Year-End contender instead of cracking the top 5.
4. Demonica-Demonstrous
A pedigree of Metal class joined together, they’ve manage to create a full-throttle, rip-soaked barnburner if there ever was one. Violent, sharply-tuned thrash of an up-tempo sort, this is insanely infectious and damaging material that stops just short of being essential. Piles upon piles of riffs, strong soloing and the perfect placement of melody combined with thunderous drumming and a pummeling, bruising production merge together to create a maelstrom of Thrash with a shouting, Kreator-style approach to the vocals that makes it all the more punishing. This will be fun to watch in years to come.
3. Heathen-The Evolution of Chaos
The one band from the original Thrash movement in the 80s I personally thought were highly underrated, they’ve finally showed why here, on their third proper album. From razor-edged riffs, melodic interludes that seem logical in their incorporation, technical soloing, thunderous drumming and an affinity for the blasting tempos welded onto their penchant for the longer song-lengths and structures, this one here manages to perhaps be the one here that grows better on repeat listens, while the others here are more of a first-impact bludgeoners. That’s not to take anything away from those albums or even this one, but this here is a fantastic album no matter how you slice it that rightfully deserves it’s place here.
2. Forbidden-Omega Wave
Wow, was this one unexpected. Never considered in the upper-tier back in the Thrash heyday but still releasing some damn-fine B-grade Thrash, this one here is a phenomenal step up from their past. Just utterly insane old-school Thrash, far more chaotic and violent than anything they’ve ever done, with more infectious writing, technical riffs and soloing, superb playing and a real swagger that shows up many of the modern newcomers and places them back in the running among the upper echelon of the movement. Now, let’s see where this goes from here.
1. Overkill-Ironbound
So, here we are once again with a Thrash album ranking at the top of the year-end list, as for the third straight year they’ve come away with the top list. This here is perhaps Overkill’s best since the new millennium, a crushing reminder that they’ve been doing this for so long that it’s hard to find a better example of a band doling out quality when these guys are motivated. Mixing in all the usual affairs found in here, from the anthemic opener, ultra-speed freaks, mid-tempo chugs, epics and a few with that trademarked Jersey stomp to them, this one is a mission statement that never needed to be made. From over-the-top vocals, infectious guitars, top-notch drumming and a spectacular production, this one also manages to strike a claim as one of the decades top albums, and wins out for Album of the Year for 2010.
Congrats, fellas. You’ve done it again. Let’s welcome the next ten years with as much fun as the past ten have been.