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Following
up on Heavy Artillery’s thrash and crossover revivalist comp
release Speed Kills….Again comes Earache Records’ very
own take on the burgeoning movement. Packing sixteen bands in
one CD, or you can also score one of the 1,000 vinyl copies,
Thrashing Like a Maniac handpicks the top of the crop from this
surging tide. Those who are barely aware of this wave will know
most of these players. LA’s Bonded By Blood who naturally owe
more than their moniker to Exodus open up the celebrations with
“Immortal Life”, a tune that’s as ageless as the genre that
inspired it. The UK is first represented by Evile, Yorkshire’s
inspired leather clad sons whose Enter the Grave debut is
an absolute must for anyone even interested in the subgenre.
Evile is the type of band that wins fans by the dozens, a
quality that can be applied to the fun-friendly sound of
Municipal Waste, Virginia’s endless partiers. This quartet has
proved during the last five years why they have been such a
force in this movement; their crossover sound is the most
legitimate since DRI’s Dealing With It and their last
effort The Art of Partying is an instant classic. Not
only reflecting the style but also some of the poor production
values (reflected in the drums) comes Cali’s Dekapitator, who
count ex-members of Exhumed in its ranks and whose latest
Relapse effort The Storm Before the Calm has also been
one of the most high profile thrash revivalist records of 2007.
Metal Blade’s
own latinos Fueled By Fire have also been getting good press
because their debut Spread the Fire burns with scorching
riffs. Century Media recently released Warbringer’s War
Without End but this quintet has been fighting the good
cause since 2004 and with two demos and one self-released EP on
their backs they are now fairly claiming the flag of hate. Their
song “Total War” potently mixes Slayer’s hectic dynamics with
more melodic solos, band choruses and longer song structures.
Liverpool’s Short Sharp Shock (better known as SSS) could also
be considered veterans of the scene. With one demo, one EP and
their self-titled full-length issued in 2006 and then
re-released in 2007, for sure, no one interested should be
missing their flawless skate friendly crossover. Heavy Artillery
trio Merciless Death are perhaps amongst the most traditional
with a simple sound that pays homage to early cult thrash acts
they celebrate the times when musicianship was more direct,
there were zero gimmicks and lyrics were delivered in rapid fire
succession.
There are seven
more bands in this exhausting compilation; Sweden’s Decadence
have perhaps the most corrosive vocal edge. Led by the gorgeous
Kitty Saric Decadence mixes old school patterns with
Pantera-esque drum and bass interlocks. Irish drunks Gama
Bomb serve their “Zombi Brew” with a chorus that goes ‘beer
and brains doubles the mortal remains’. Or something like
that. Other bands included are Nottingham’s trio Deadfall,
Wisconsin’s Lazarus, Seattle’s one man destructive army Toxic
Holocaust, London’s Mutant, the punkier Send More Paramedics and
South America’s only representation Brasil’s Violator. Haven’t
had enough thrash metal? This will quench your thirst. If not,
do yourself a favor and pick all the releases form all these
sixteen bands.
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