Chupacabra is an interesting name for a Thrash/Death Metal band. I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t been taken for a band already. Perhaps the band may tour with Thrashsqatch in the future, perhaps call it; Into the Crypt with the Cryptids.
Tag Archives: neo-thrash
CONCERT REVIEW: Havok – Toxic Holocaust – I AM – Hammerhedd Live at Cornerstone Berkley
The night got started with viral youth sensations, Hammerhedd, and their mathematically rhythmic opening act could lull you into a false sense of security if you didn’t know they were the calm before the storm. Hammerhedd reminded me of the classic djent sound of Mesuggah, circa 1994’s None. Their groovy, chonky, hypnotic riffs even gave me Nirvana/ Bleach vibes at times, particularly the angsty tint of the vocals. Overall, their sound was a pleasant warm-up as we eased into the show but their stage presence is still maturing. The trio finished leaving the crowd in a state of anxious anticipation of the chaos to come.
ALBUM REVIEW: Raider – Trial By Chaos
I’m a Thrash junkie. My addiction started as a teen when I started dabbling in Megadeth. From there I had to go harder adding more extreme bands to my growing addiction. Several years later and now a full-blown addict, it’s become increasingly more difficult to scratch that itch. When Raider showed up in my inbox, I knew I found what I was looking for.
ALBUM REVIEW: Rhythm of Fear – Fatal Horizons
It’s been five years since Rhythm of Fear released their last album, Maze of Confusion. The crossover thrash band is back with more pummeling riffs and plenty of attitude with Fatal Horizons (MNRK Heavy) Just like any good thrash band, Rhythm of Fear targets the government, aliens and the occult in their sonic assault.
ALBUM REVIEW: Eruption – Tellurian Rupture
The early eighties Bay Area Thrash scene may be one of the most successful and influential metal scenes of all time. Their waves of influence are still felt today even in the far-off land of Slovenia. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Opponent – Sentinel
Openly born from adverse circumstances, Seattle’s Opponent is the brainchild of guitarist and vocalist Andy Maier. Following the news of Maier’s father’s cancer diagnosis, Maier set the precedent to make Opponent a full-time endeavour and set work on their sophomore full-length Sentinel (Solid State Records), a title which knowing the circumstances offers arguably two contrasting meanings. Whichever is meant, the album itself is one that is meant to deliver a positive, uplifting message.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Municipal Waste – Electrified Brain
The artwork that emblazons Municipal Waste’s Electrified Brain (Nuclear Blast) sets the scene as strongly as anything else could have: a Flying-V guitar violently piercing the left cheek of a skeletal head that’s also being shocked. That’s precisely what the nearly thirty-four-minute attack feels like. It’s a pummeling marathon of fun-loving ire, of bodacious violence. Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE ALBUM STREAM: Crawling Manifest – “Radical Absolution”
Modern Thrash powerhouse Crawling Manifest will release their new full-length album this Friday, May 14th, 2021. You can stream all of Radical Absolution today at Ghost Cult Magazine! The band has cut their teeth playing live with Fleshgod Apocalypse, Soulfly, Soilwork, Carach Angren, and Kataklysm, with founding members remaining members Andrew Gladu and Trevor Layton still driving the band since 2014. Fans from bands like Havok, Warbringer, Lamb of God, and Power Trip will love Crawling Manifest! Jam out to Radical Absolution now!
ALBUM REVIEW: Demiser – Through The Gate Eternal
I love the amount of metal to choose from nowadays. I don’t really know if I have a favorite. That would be much too hard of a task for my brain to try to manage. I got to check out some killer thrash from down south. I do love me some thrash so, needless to say, I was more than eager to dig into it. So, without any more BS, blazing a trail outta South Carolina comes Demiser with their latest cut Through The Gate Eternal (Boris Records). Demiser comes out guns blazing on this record-keeping the groove while crazy amounts of lightspeed riffs are being thrown at you almost non-stop. Even the songs that kinda start off with run-of-the-mill thrash riffs soon get the heat turned up, rolling into solid grooves. They even throw in sort of a ballad for good measure making for a decent balance. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Hellripper – The Affair of the Poisons
The reignited interest in distinctly eighties-sounding metal styles, and more specifically, the thrash revival of the 2000s, has brought with it a handful of blistering new acts, alongside a slew of respectable releases from its originators. However, as a general scene, it has also suffered from a lack of innovation and compositional creativity. Often bands of this scene are perfectly content to just emulate classic sounds long-established by Sodom, Kreator, Venom, Bathory, and Slayer. Oftentimes, I find it a dull guessing game of which thrash bands are being ripped off whenever I listen to these bands. But there are nevertheless a handful of acts that in addition to paying tribute to the old guard’s sound manage to capture that fury, excitement, and blasphemous spirit of heavy music during the proto-extreme metal era. James McBain, the singular creative force behind Hellripper, clearly loves the style of first wave black metal and Teutonic thrash but is also creative enough to blend them to create something that sounds completely fresh. The result here is The Affair of the Poisons (Peaceville Records), a sophomore effort to the more straightforward Coagulating Darkness, and a release of blackened thrash/speed metal fury that will leave you yearning even more for a destructive live experience in 2020.Continue reading