Some `retro’ style releases are more convincing than others; with some bands you get the impression that they missed the point of the original genre of yesteryear that they are trying to emulate. Not so with Gdansk-based Repulsor, who absolutely have the genre nailed on this, their first EP.
Thrash metal fans of all ages will have heard this type of music many times before, so I am going to dispense with searching for anything original within these raging six tracks (well, five and an obligatory acoustic instrumental). Instead, let’s see what kind of quality we have.
For starters, the production of this EP is absolutely spot on! It’s heavy, powerful, muscular and visceral, without compromising on aggression, or clarity – pretty much exactly like the truly classic thrash metal albums of the 80’s. There are no tinny, weedy, disappointing moments here, like so many of the thrash albums I bought when I was a teenager (often because I liked the cover!). The guitars practically tear themselves out of the speakers and leap towards your eardrums with murderous intent. Every riff is as clear as a bell, and as powerful as a wrecking ball. There is a great balance of sound here too – the bass guitar is actually present as a deep, rumbling background presence, which already trumps `And Justice For All…’ by some American band, can’t remember the name…. The drums are truly thunderous, with a great organic sound; after a few listens to the EP I swear I saw the neighbours moving out.
You may be wondering `I wonder which classic thrash band they sound like?’. Well rather than copy one particular band wholesale, Repulsor sound like an amalgam of many of the truly great bands. I originally assumed that being from Poland there would be more of a European thrash metal feel here, but this is not necessarily the case. The vocals are snarled, yelped and spat out with venom, but not screeching or unusually high pitched, which puts them firmly in the Dark Angel, Destruction, early Exodus category in my opinion. There is something that specifically reminds me of the mid 80’s in the sound of the vocals; there is a dramatic, theatrical and yet underground, low-budget quality to them which I really like. Musically, there are elements of all the greats here. There are some furious fast-picked riffs, played with deadly accuracy that the original Bay Area bands would be proud of, there is some insane speed which totally brings Dark Angel to mind. There are frenetic flurries of singe note trills which remind me of Destruction, and occasionally of early Coroner. We’ve also got some neck-breaking downpicking mayhem which bands like Exodus and Testament could have dreamt up themselves.
On top of all this, there are some rather excellent, melodic yet atmospheric guitar solos. Repulsor demonstrate some great song-writing skills too; the riffs are aggressive, direct and in your face, but each song has great dynamics and tempo changes. Repulsor may be a young band, but they show great skill and a true understanding of thrash metal! Original it ain’t, but it IS very good.
(8/10 Jon Butlin)
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