Throw yourself head first into the pit and do it with confidence and purpose because that’s what Prayers Of Sanity command of you with this full-on thrash assault, ‘Doctrine Of Misanthropy’. Eight tracks of solid and unrelenting thrash, or more to the point, a test to see if your neck can withstand the whiplash and headbanging you are about to endure as soon as the first chord ignites your inner speed demon.

This Portuguese trio are unrelenting in their approach and deliverance to the art of thrash, and if you let yourself become immersed in the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a release from the States in the 80’s. The vocals coupled together with the sheer speed and aggression is reminiscence of something Souza and Holt would be proud of rather than a trio from Lagos, Portugal. But be warned, give this the exposure it deserves and ‘Doctrine Of Misanthropy’ will firmly place a pin in the map of any soul unacquainted with these thrashers to date.

Prayers Of Sanity have had 16 years to hone their skills and mature since their inception in 2005, and you can honestly see the natural evolution from the debut, ‘Religion Blindness’, through to ‘Confrontations’ and the huge thrash beast that is ‘Face Of The Unknown’.

‘Doctrine Of Misanthropy’ is constructed with a thinking head on the shoulders and is complex and intricate from the off. How Tiao is able to navigate the fret board with the speed and ferocity as well as deliver vocals to rival any bay area outfit is beyond me, but it seems to be accomplished with violence and ease.

The chunkier strings of Carlos are prominent on each track and they add the maturity and smoothness needed to generate a complex being. There is also definitely a shift put in behind the skins with Artur pounding and beating with all his might. It is clearly evident that as the ‘heavy lifting’ and muscle is well taken care of by Carlos and Artur, leaving Tiao to create the flair and flamboyancy and full-on riff discharge is a key element to the DNA of this album.

With all the speed being exhibited, this Portuguese trinity show that they also have the brains to coincide with the brawn. Mid album they throw in a quick instrumental in the form of ‘V’, just enough to negate any loss any interest, but more to allow the neck to be realigned and the head to gain a little respite before launching into another invasion.

Trust me, dust off your battle jacket and adorn it with pride, set the volume to 11 and brace yourself, this is one hell of a ride

(8/10 Phil Pountney)

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https://prayersofsanity.bandcamp.com/album/doctrine-of-misanthropy-2021