Steel Druhm descends from his lair atop Mount Crumpit to deliver his Top Ten(ish) of 2025. Prepare to be carved like a roast beast.
Dark Angel
Biolence – Violent Obliteration Review
“Prior to my initiation ritual and early in my tenure as a volunteer whipping post, one of my jailers here at AMG saw fit to offer encouragement. “It gets better,” Dolphin Whisperer said. “Okay, but have you looked around recently?” I asked. He shrugged and replied, “not really. I’ve got a newborn. The Dolphlet takes up a lot of effort.” My cell door clanged shut as he left. Alone in the dark, I would wait nearly two months for the affirmation I sought in that moment. It would come in the form of Violent Obliteration, the third full-length from Biolence, a death/thrash four-piece from Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.” Violence, wiolence…Biolence!
Stuck in the Filter: May 2024’s Angry Misses
May Filter uncloggings bring cool metal…sloggings? Work with me here, people!
Blacklist – With Murderous Intent Review
“Movement in music is key, as it is in so many other areas in life. Regular readers see countless articles published here that malign records hung up on a single tempo, one stagnant theme, or an unchanging mode of propulsion. That’s no accident. Regardless of style or content, music that doesn’t move—whether that movement refers to tangible momentum or intangible emotional connection—doesn’t land. UK thrash metal quartet Blacklist understand this principle and showcase their mastery of it on sophomore outing With Murderous Intent.” Making lists and kicking ass.
Boundless Chaos – Sinister Upheaval Review
“The German town of Reichenbach im Vogtland in Saxony is, in all likelihood, not the first place one would look for a metal band. However, the relatively small and generally unremarkable town is home to Boundless Chaos. Four of whose five members previously comprised The True Hellfyre Warmachine, which managed one 2016 EP before (probably advisedly) changing its name the following year. Having acquired a fifth member, vocalist E.M., somewhere along the way, Boundless Chaos self-released an EP and a couple of splits between 2020 and 2023, which did enough to secure the band a deal with Germany’s Dying Victim Productions. Boundless Chaos have arrived?” Chaos is a map.
Arch Blade – Kill the Witch Review
“Emerging from the primordial sludge of Los Angeles, Arch Blade brandishes a sound that harks back to the salad days of classic metal, blending the spirit of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with streaks of thrash metal’s intensity. Kill the Witch is their debut release, featuring an ensemble cast of father/son co-founders, a Ukrainian vocalist, and the powerful beats of an ex-Dark Angel drummer.” Dadcore.
Bloodletter – A Different Kind of Hell Review
“At first listen, Bloodletter sound pretty much the same in 2023 as they did in 2021 (or 2020, depending on when you believe the album was actually released). Combine the nasty thrash of a Slayer or a Dark Angel with the melodeath of The Black Dahlia Murder or At the Gates, sprinkle in some icy blackened tremolos, and you’re left with a 35-minute package of highly melodic brutality.” Hate mail!
Hyperia – Silhouettes of Horror Review
“It’s been a long time since I reviewed a thrash metal album. When I stumbled upon Hyperia’s Silhouettes of Horror in the promo dump, though, I knew I had to have it. First of all, the Canadian quartet touted themselves as “melodic thrash,” then they followed up with an elaboration including attractive attributes like “insanity” and “drinking.” Plus, the album artwork boasts that classic stylized look that graced many a thrash slip cover over the years. It seemed to me that Hyperia had all of their ducks in a row for their second record, and I was eager to pass judgment upon it accordingly.” Duck, duck, moose!
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Nekromantheon – Visions of Trismegistos [Things you Might Have Missed 2021]
“Norwegian trio Nekromantheon smashed out a terrific cult hit on 2012’s Rise, Vulcan Spectre. Offering a raw, vicious contemporary take on old school thrash, Nekromantheon draw influence from old school Slayer, Dark Angel and early Sepultura, coupled with a nasty underground edge. Visions of Trismegistos marked the long-gestating and triumphant return from these excellent no-frills purveyors of piss and vinegar fueled thrash.” Nekro mongers.
Poltergeist – Feather of Truth
“Switzerland’s Poltergeist are a better-established band than I had initially realized. Sitting pretty with 4 previous albums spreading back to 1989, they benefit from a degree of metal legitimacy, having produced music in the same decade in which thrash metal came into existence. Following a 23-year hiatus, their 2016 comeback suitably impressed the prior AMG reviewer with their tasteful references to many of their better-known 80s contemporaries. 2020 sees their fifth full-length unveiled and it’s called Feather of Truth. Ghost ticklers.
