Ural play a mixture of Bay Area and Germanic thrash styles, often having the speed of Kreator and the jagged riffs of Forbidden. The guitar playing is quite excellent, especially when the solos hit and the guitarists' talent truly shows. The vocals remind me a little of Death SS with a somewhat thick Italian accent and the little melodies the singer weaves alongside his yells and shouts, occasionally veering away from thrash vocals and into classic metal territory. The band is quite capable of technical playing as some of their transitions show, with the occasional wild rhythm and off-time riff. Some of this amazing playing is at the beginning of the song "Wrong Children," which actually made me sit up and listen. These themes come back and intensify as the song progresses. The songs themselves are a bit hit and miss, but the playing is interesting enough to keep me listening. I just wish this was a bit more intense and catchy.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Ural--Anthropic Genetic Involution (CD) {2026 Xtreem Music}
Ural play a mixture of Bay Area and Germanic thrash styles, often having the speed of Kreator and the jagged riffs of Forbidden. The guitar playing is quite excellent, especially when the solos hit and the guitarists' talent truly shows. The vocals remind me a little of Death SS with a somewhat thick Italian accent and the little melodies the singer weaves alongside his yells and shouts, occasionally veering away from thrash vocals and into classic metal territory. The band is quite capable of technical playing as some of their transitions show, with the occasional wild rhythm and off-time riff. Some of this amazing playing is at the beginning of the song "Wrong Children," which actually made me sit up and listen. These themes come back and intensify as the song progresses. The songs themselves are a bit hit and miss, but the playing is interesting enough to keep me listening. I just wish this was a bit more intense and catchy.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Interview with Deathraiser
1.Hello how are things going in Brazil this week? Please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hello man, firstly I want to thank you for the interview opportunity, but I'm fine, this is William, drummer, let's go...
2.When did you first discover Thrash Metal and what is it about this genre of music that drew you in?
Discovering thrash metal as a teenager, when a friend lent me a K7 tape of Metallica, Kill em all, from then on everything changed, I had never heard that in my life, I already knew some "lighter" things, but that speed and aggression in the riffs left me impacted.
3.Who were the first bands and artists that you discovered and who are some of your current favorite bands?
At this time of discovery, Metallica was the first, then more bands appeared, Slayer, Megadeth, Exodus, the best known, after that we went deeper into Thrash metal, came Kreator, Destruction, Dark Angel and other more aggressive bands, they are influences for us to this day, of course, in addition to Brazilian metal as well.
4.Deathraiser was formed in 2009 when did you all decide to start this band? How did you choose Deathraiser as the name of the band?
Deathraiser came up with the name Mercilless before, the band was formed in 2006, but in 2009 we changed the name to Deathraiser, since then we have been the same lineup. The name came from the song by the band Attomica, from the album "Disturbing the noise", as we really liked that album, that's where the band's name came from.
5.Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and have they remained the same over the years? For the readers who have never heard Deathraiser how would you best describe the bands musical style?
Our influences remain the same, our sound proposal is to play old school, fast and aggressive thrash metal, our main influences are Sepultura (old), Sarcophagus, Attomica, Kreator, Demolition Hammer, Dark Angel, Slayer, among many others, we hate modernity (laughs).
6.Forged In Hatred is the bands second full length that will be released through Xtreem Music when did you all first come in contact with this label?
This contact came about through the extinct "Myspace", at the time we put out our first demo "Possessed by Thrash", and Dave from Xtreem Music contacted us to launch a new album.
7.Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write the music for the songs? How long does it usually take to complete one song?
Our composition process is very slow (Laughs) that's why it took so long to release the second album (More laughs), but we started with the riffs, I also play the guitar, so that makes it a lot easier, and Thiago also does some riffs, and that's how the first songs appear, in the composition part it's more me and him, after putting together the skeleton of the song, the other musicians give their ideas. But there were songs that came out quickly and others that took too long, our process is careful for each riff (laughs).
8.Where does the band draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some subjects written about on the new release?
A very good question, but I see few people talking about the lyrics, our lyrics process is also time consuming, we want to convey something with the lyrics, that's what happened in this second album, there were current and old issues that happened in our country, and in our locality, lyrics about the pandemic, problems that happened years ago in Brazil and that have now been revealed, and of course an overview of everything that has happened here in the last few years in our view.
9.Besides the upcoming Forged In Hatred release are there any copies of the debut release still for sale? What other merchandise do you currently have available for the readers to purchase?
We recently opened our virtual store, containing some items, such as the first album "Violent Aggression", shirts, and the CD, Vinyl and K7 version of the new album, you can check it out on the Link: https://deathraisermerch.lojavirtualnuvem.com.br
10.Has Deathraiser had the opportunity to play very many live shows over the years? If yes what have been some of your most memorable shows?Who are some bands you have gotten to share the stage with?
We played a lot of shows throughout our history, without a doubt our first tour through the North and Northeast of Brazil was something memorable, but for us every show is important, but we can say that one of our last shows alongside Violator in Belo Horizonte was very special, playing in the city where Sepultura and Sarcofago were created, visiting the tomb where the cover of the album "INRI" became was incredible for us.
11.Are there any tours or shows planned in support of Forged In Hatred? If yes where will the band be playing?
At the moment we are focused on playing here in Brazil this year, and we have plans for a European tour next year, which will be our main goal with this album.
12.Deathraiser comes out of Brazil's thrash metal scene what are your thoughts of the scene in Brazil over the years?
The Brazilian scene is very rich, we have great bands, since the 80s revealing bands to the world, this is very important for us, we know how difficult it is to have a band here in Brazil, it is not easy, but we know the importance of our bands and this is what motivates us to continue.
13.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Brazil?Are their any new bands you could recomend to the readers?
As I said above, we have great bands, and memorable bands that influenced us, we can mention Sepultura, Sarcofago, Chakal, Mutilator, Attomica, The mist, among many others, from our generation, in addition to the friendship we have, they were also influential for us, such as Farscape, Violator, Blasthrash, that's what I always recommend.
14.Besides working in Deathraiser do any of the members currently work with other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?
At the moment we don't have other projects, but we wanted to, but over the years the commitments increased, so we don't have much time for other projects (laughs).
15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you, for us it's a pleasure to be able to have this conversation, for the bangers, listen to our new album, and you'll have a rush of thrash metal in your ears (laughs). Deathraiser https://www.facebook.com/DeathraiserOfficial/# https://www.instagram.com/DeathraiserOfficial Xtreem Music https://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.main.index.php https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/forged-in-hatred https://www.facebook.com/xtreemmusic666?fref=ts https://www.instagram.com/xtreemmusic/ https://www.youtube.com/xtreemmusic
Exodus--Goliath (CD/LP) {2026 Napalm Records}
This is Exodus' thirteenth album, and it may prove to be unlucky. I've always loved that crunchy Exodus guitar sound, from the first record to today, and it's present here and turned way up. I have to say, though, that this is their first record since Shovel Headed Kill Machine that I've checked out, and that while it's ok, this isn't what I expect to hear from these legends. Rob Dukes' vocals are ok, but not nearly as expressive as Souza's. I don't mind them. The songs get a little better, but are still hit and miss, the further the listener gets into the record. They no longer have that magic they did in the 1980s and on a few album in the 2000s. The songs are all about a minute too long, coming in at five to seven minutes in length. Diehard fans will probably still buy this, but they won't be falling all over themselves to go get it. It stands as an acceptable addition to their canon, but just barely. The spark that ignited their popularity is gone for the moment, buried under forgettable riffs and sub-par songwriting.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Nuclear Warfare--All Hail to the Liberator (Digital) {2026 Independent}
This is the seventh full length from this German thrash outfit since their debut in 2001. I would expect a band with as long of a career as Nuclear Warfare to be more polished and inventive as far as their songwriting and riffs. As it is, what's on this record doesn't move me much. The riffs are typical of Germanic thrash that see probably too much repetition, and above all they're pretty average fare that I've heard thrash bands use a million times. The vocals are a growlier version of Schmier's style and are probably the best thing about the release, other than some instances of lyrics that just aren't any good. "United by Thrash," guys? Been done. And then there's the song about going to the supermarket because you're all out of shit you need. Not kidding, it's called "Rough Day." The drums are steady but they sort of just sit in the pocket most of the time. Overall, just an uninspired effort that has me hitting the skip button repeatedly, and it's probably one you can skip, too.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Surturian--II - Hessian Spears (LP/CS) {2026 Crawling Chaos Records}
Hailing from Germany, this is Surturian's first full length. They play Kreator-style thrash metal with a classic heavy metal sense of melody and songwriting. Guitar harmonies and solos aren't a rarity here as with some thrash acts, and the playing is rather good. The riffs tend toward the anthemic, big and bold, with melodies flowing over top them a lot of the time. Really, this is a hybrid style, half thrash and half traditional metal, the more I listen to it. The music is a step above a lot of bands trying to play thrash these days. The vocals are delivered in a Mille-like snarl, at times with a bit of perhaps ill-conceived attempts at melody. The singer's vocals are stronger when he's not trying to sing and sticks with snarling out harsher sounds. I think a bit more work could be done on the vocal patterns as well, as they're a bit typical and sing-songy, and it really does drag the music down a bit when the rest of it is so promising.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Vector--Brain Collector (Digital) {2026 Independent}
This is Bay Area style thrash from France with shouted vocals. The riffs are decent and some of this is even fairly technical, all jagged edges and speed. There's even some progressive metal influence at work here, as you can hear in the solo section of the song "Bliss Through Butchery." I didn't find this to be all that exciting unfortunately, and it was the vocals more than anything that turned me off. They're gruff, shouted vocals that just sound a bit too "hardcore" for this material. A good analogy is using death metal vocals in a power metal band - it just doesn't mesh quite right with this classic thrash style. If you're a serious thrasher and don't mind the shouted vocals, this could still be up your alley, but for me it's a hard pass.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Anubis--Anthromorphicide (CD/LP) {2026 M-Theory Audio}
Well, this was a nice surprise. I wasn't aware of this band before receiving their promo, and I'm glad I chose this for review. Anubis play highly skilled thrash metal with quite a bit of power metal influence, and they have a unique sound, combining these styles in ways other bands don't with plenty of melody and aggression at the same time. Their songwriting is fairly traditional, utilizing some verse/chorus/verse structures, which makes it even catchier. The playing is fucking impeccable, from drums to bass to guitar, and remarkably technical. Guitar harmonies appear as often as fast thrash riffs. They're also not afraid to dip into more extreme techniques, either - there are some blastbeats on this record, and they make each song they're in that much more intense. Now, the vocals - these stand out. The singer's voice is powerful, melodic, and properly metal. He's strong. Very strong. He's also not afraid of vocal harmonies, as they occur all throughout the record. There are so many other things I could mention, too, like the synths (sparingly and intelligently used), the female vocals in one song, the death metal vocals in another song. There's a lot going on here, and they pull from the entire metal spectrum for ideas. This is just an amazing record, and easily one of my top picks so far this year. Metal as fuck, and highly recommended.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Pest Hole--Relax (LP) {2026 Angry Voice Records}
Here's a genre I don't get to review much - crust. This isn't straight crust, however, it's a pure mixture of crust and thrash metal, a fullblown metalpunk album. Not only does it have infectious punk songwriting and hard driving thrash riffs, but the two styles are fused together so completely that there's no dividing line between them. It's all metal and all punk, all the time. The vocals are sung in a fairly typical harsh crust punk yell, but at the same time it's breathy and raspy. The Motorhead influence is front and center and you can hear it in both the bass and the guitar. Fans of Inepsy and Toxic Holocaust should take note, as well as fans of old Bolt Thrower, Anti-Cimex, and Onslaught. This is good stuff, and full of aggressive riffing with a nod to the masters of the past.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Shadowmass--Wastelands (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Floga Records}
Well, Floga Records has done it again and released a band that's every bit as good as the Necrochakal release I reviewed in these pages a while back. Shadowmass, from Greece, has unleashed this, their second full length, and the first in seven years. This is top notch thrash metal with some serious nutsack, with a tinge of blackness in their sound both in the vocals and the instrumentation. The vocals alternate between vicious screams and cleanly but aggressively sung vocals, with true grit and power. It's truly a masterful vocal performance, with satanic lyrics atop it all. The guitar solos are incredible, with melody and harmony, but never giving in and losing that aggression that's so important to their sound. Shadowmass is actually quite technical, with little embellishments and accents all over the place from all the instruments, all while maintaining the ever-important and well-written song structures. Another thing to note is that this band doesn't sound like anyone else that I can think of, they're completely original, and they've clearly polished and honed their craft to a razor's edge for this release. The energy and ferocity of their songs should call metalists from far and wide to pick this record up, as it shall not disappoint.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Cruel Force--Haneda (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Shadow Kingdom Records}
Cruel Force is back with a masterful display of speed metal bordering on thrash. They've progressed from the subject matter of Satan and evil they once wrote about back in the black thrash days, but they're still truly underground-sounding, and at the same time a matured band. You can still hear influences like Venom in their guitar work, but it's now much more of a diverse attack, with harmonies, melodies, killer solos, and awesome little fretboard runs. The production is clear and powerful but keeps an underground feel to it with a grittiness that really gives the recording a feeling all its own. I like the direction this band has taken, because they've truly separated themselves in a genre that's overrun with imitators and copycats. Having come a long way stylistically, I think this is a band that finally found its footing and voice, and I'm looking forward to this release when it finally comes out so I can buy it. Look for it on March 27.
Monday, February 2, 2026
Void--Forbidden Morals (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Shadow Kingdom Records}
Void play intense technical thrash metal with a seriously powerful vocalist that's capable of both screams and melody. The comparisons to Annihilator, Testament, and Forbidden are all accurate, but this band has so much more to offer, and they have a truly underground feel. They're more visceral than any of those bands ever were. The guitarists shred away on each and every song, with little runs and sweeps accenting the furious riffs. I haven't heard a straight thrash metal album this good for a long, long time, in years in fact. I can't stress how innovative the guitar playing and arrangements are on this record - this is truly lightning in a bottle, and a high water mark for the band. I can't see how they'll surpass this effort on their third record, although I desperately want them to, since this is so good. I wish them nothing but continued success. I am now a fan.
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Wolfenstein--Death Brigade (CD) {2026 CDN Records}
I don't classify this as regular thrash metal at all. Sure, on the surface it might appear that way, but when you get down in the dirt with this band, they're closer to a mixture of first-wave black metal, early death metal, and, yes, thrash. Take the vocals - the singer is vicious, blasphemous, and delivers his vocals with a yelled growl and not a shout like most thrash bands. He reminds me a lot of the vocalist from Demolition Hammer, actually. This has a lot in common with early Kreator, early Sepultura, and Sarcofago, as well as Exodus and Razor. These vocals are delivered over often frenzied thrash, songs whipping by at light speed. The entire record isn't even twenty-five minutes long, and that's a good thing. I'm left wanting more. This isn't feel-good party thrash and it slays all of those bands where they stand. If Wolfenstein keeps at it, they're going to be mentioned in the same breath as Evil Army and Desolus, at least by me, and that's rarified company.
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Deathraiser--Forged In Hatred cd&LP&cassette{Xtreem Music}
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Burning Death--Self Titled cd{Caligari Rec.}
Coming out of Nashville Tennessee's thrash metal scene is Burning Death.The self titled full length features eight tracks of aggressive and violent thrash metal.The guitars are played with extreme speeds and aggressive patterns.The guitarist does write some memorable well delievered passages.The drums are played with furious blasting drums that are performed with some crazed drum patterns.The drummer does write and perform some memorable drums throughout the songs.The vocals are raw,thrashy screams and some gruff screams are also used in a few songs.If you are looking for straight forward thrash metal that doesn't follow any trends then be sure to check this band out today. Burning Death https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092259014856 Caligari Rec. http://www.caligarirecords.com/ https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled-6 https://www.facebook.com/CaligariRecords https://www.instagram.com/caligarirecords/
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Violator--Unholy Retribution cd{Kill Again Rec.} done on 8-23-25
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Necrólisis--Templo de Fraude cd{Witches Brew} done on 4-10-25
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Under Assault--Deadly Experiments cd{Witches Brew} posted on 12-8-24
Under Assault is a band coming out of Paraguay's thrash metal scene and this is a review of the second full length.Deadly Experiments contains nine tracks of high energy thrash metal anthems with some old school punk added into some of the songs.The guitars are ripping fast passages that are played with skillful writing.The guitarist does write some memorable passages even adding in some well played solo's.The drums are played with some fast paced drum passages that are performed with powerful drum patterns.The vocals are traditional thrashy screams and some gruff screams are used in a few of the tracks.Under Assault has crafted a great release of relentless thrash metal that should please all fans of this genre. Under Assault https://www.facebook.com/people/Under-Assault/100041167135428/ https://www.instagram.com/underassault/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQP7MU8Bt9McwM1FPp4n6hA Witches Brew https://witchesbrew.eu/ https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/deadly-experiments https://www.facebook.com/witchesbrewthrashes https://www.instagram.com/witchesbrewthrashes/ https://www.youtube.com/user/WitchesBrewThrashes
Radiation--Reactor Collapse cd{Witches Brew}posted on 12-8-24
Slovakia's thrashing death metal masters return with their second full length.Reactor Collapse is eight tracks of fast and intense thrashing death metal that will leave the listener begging for more.The guitars are played with some excellent guitar passages that are well executed.The guitarist mixes in some furious fast guitar patterns with some well played solo's.The drumming is done with a mix of fast paced drum patterns and some slower mid paced drums are used in a few of the tracks.The vocals are raw gruff growls that fit the bands style perfectly.If you are a fan of the late 80's and early 90's thrash mixed with death metal then Radiation is a band you should check out today. Radiation https://www.facebook.com/radiationslovakia https://bandzone.cz/radiation#google_vignette https://www.youtube.com/@NuclearBeer Witches Brew https://witchesbrew.eu/en https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/reactor-collapse https://www.facebook.com/witchesbrewthrashes https://www.instagram.com/witchesbrewthrashes/ https://www.youtube.com/user/WitchesBrewThrashes
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
OmInum--War For Peace cd{Witches Brew} posted on 10-22-24
Friday, May 17, 2024
Holycide--Towards Idiocracy cd,Lp,Cassette{Xtreem Music} Posted on 5-17-24
Holycide is a thrash metal band that comes out of Spain's thrash metal scene.The band consists of members from Avulsed and Unbound Terror.Towards Idiocracy is the third full length that features ten songs of aggressive and pure thrashing mayhem.The guitars are played with skillful writing and furious and fast guitar passages.The guitars are done compose some well performed solo's and patterns.The drumming is done with aggressive and fast paced drum patterns.The drummer does a great job of creating and executing some devestating drum passages that are delievered with intense power.The vocals are raw gruff screams that fit Holycide's music perfectly.Fans of pure thrash metal that is well composed with whirlwind fast guitars and drum passages should not miss Towards Idiocracy. Holycide https://holycide.bandcamp.com/music https://www.facebook.com/holycide https://www.instagram.com/holycide_official/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuo94JrQKWqS6zzTv3LwAhA Xtreem Music https://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.main.index.php https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/towards-idiocracy https://www.facebook.com/xtreemmusic666?fref=ts https://www.instagram.com/xtreemmusic/ https://www.youtube.com/xtreemmusic
























