I remember the days when there was a real thrash drought. There was a lot of stuff labelling itself as thrash, but in reality, it wasn’t. In fact, I can even remember believing that I’d never fully enjoy any thrash metal post-00s due to the fact it all seemed to be mixed with death metal or something else to take away from its pure thrash core. I’d told myself those days of discovering a truly great new thrash album were long gone. Well, I’m pleased to say I was dead wrong, and the thrash renaissance has been going strong for a good few years now. With bands like Finland’s Lost Society coming through the ranks, it seems the genre has got good life left in it yet. This is because Lost Society are a bunch of teenagers (fuck… that makes me feel old) – and shit the bed if they’ve not written one of the finest thrash albums I’ve heard so far this year!
Yes boys and girls, these guys know how to thrash! In fact they actually won a competition (the Global Battle of the Bands, no less), which kick started their recording career and obviously helped them garner the attention of Nuclear Blast, who have picked up the band for their debut album which I’m reviewing right now. In fact, I’m not just reviewing it, I’m currently wrecking my neck and thrashing the place up like Anthrax on that episode of ‘Married with Children’, so please excuse any typos – it’s all in the name of thrash. These guys really do have that youthful exuberance you’d expect from their ages (17, 18, 19 and 19, in case the suspense was killing you) with riffs sounding as fresh as the ones in the early 80s, written by folk who’re now twice their age and unable to re-create past glories. So, like a lot of bands who’re still springing up around the world smashing out monster thrash albums, there’s always going to be plenty of worshiping at the altars of ‘Killing Is My Business…”, “Bonded By Blood” and “Fistful of Metal” with all the necessary Mustaine-esque soloing and Anthrax styled gang vocal choruses you’d demand from such an album. In particular I hear a lot of similarities with s early intricate riff-writing abilities, which is all good in my book.
Yes, each song is a short bursting throwback to the US thrash metal gods, with the frenetic shredding, pounding bass and rollicking drums you’d come to expect from years of loud aural thrash abuse. Much like bands such as Municipal Waste or Gama Bomb, the sense of humour is present and correct (with song titles such as ‘Piss Out My Ass’, it’s hard not to notice), with even nods to the Toxic Avenger and their love of campy 80s B movies – to top it off, they even roped in the one and only Ed Repka to do their cover artwork (a guy who seems to be pretty damn busy once more due to the aforementioned thrash renaissance!). There’s a lot to love here from the true thrashers, with many false dawns and smoke blown up asses it’s nice to actually have some quality to make the trawling through chaff worthwhile.
To be honest though, the main positive I took from this album isn’t that they have their own sound, or that they’ve re-invented thrash as we know it.. oh no. The positive is that these guys can write honest, fun and enjoyable thrash. I mean, PROPER thrash metal, how it’s supposed to sound. That brand of thrash metal that you can’t help but lose your shit to. The kind of thrash that causes items of footwear to fly across the room, ornaments to wobble precariously on shelves and pets to run wild eyed for cover from your crazed shape throwing. If that isn’t an excuse to check these guys out, I don’t know what is. FRICKEN’ FRAAASH!!
(8.5/10 Lars Christiansen)
https://www.facebook.com/lostsocietyfinland
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