Thrash. Man I love Thrash.
There is something about the combination of riffing, groove and tone in this genre which just appeals to me on a fundamental musical level. Perhaps it is due to the fact Thrash formed the core of my formative years listening to metal and when I was learning how to play guitar or perhaps it’s due to the fact that there is just something in the genre which captivated me? Who knows for sure, but when a band who are said to be bringing back an early 80’s style of Thrash pop up, you know I am interested! Blessed Curse are a trio based in Sacramento and they are firmly sold on the idea of bringing the earlier feel of Thrash to the forefront of their music. So grab the hi-tops, bullet belts, skinny ripped jeans and those classic shirts which look like they will fall apart if you so much as breathe on them the wrong way…. It’s Thrash time!
From the off, opening track “P.F.A” has a wild and almost bestial nature reminiscent of the wild and uncompromising Teutonic thrash of Destruction. Harshly snarled vocals, rapid fire riffing and relentless double kick with a thundering bassline lay down a furious musical assault and send a clear message that Blessed Curse aren’t taking any prisoners. Even in the slower paced sections, they don’t let up on the intensity and the piercing lead guitar tone wails away adding to the intensity. “Beheader” keeps up the sustained attack. With its wild 80’s inspired thrash attack more akin to early Slayer as a prominent sound (think ‘Chemical Warfare’) it displays the band’s chops for all to see and experience. The same can be said also about “Subspecies”. Its winding intro into big low end thundering series of riffs are bound to have heads whirling round in windmilling frenzies as bodies smash into each other in frantic mosh pits. So far the album opens up strong and even though there is little variation in the approaches, the one used certainly hits the spot.
It isn’t until the halfway point with “Skinned Alive” when things are mixed up significantly. With a real raw groove in the intro which has slight AC/DC vibes (Dirty Deeds), it’s got the same kind of pulse Metallica used on ‘Seek and Destroy’ in its verse. A real raw and solid groove which has a sweet hook to it. Lacking some melodic fills, it instead opts for tight riffing and bursts of double kick to add the variety early on before incorporating lead work as the track progresses to help augment the sound and emphasize the heaviness in the tone and delivery. “Street Freaks” is a whirlwind of buzzing guitar riffs and raw snarling shouts and “Into The Dark” continues this rapid paced attack with bags of intensity and some good groove in the verses before it slows right down into an evil sounding mid-section with a huge, hammering wall of chords and Venom-esque shouts.
“Aftermath” is an atmospheric filler with its pulsing bassline and synths but it would have been better directly incorporated into “Graveyard World” which follows it. The steadily building track picks up the intensity and the tight rhythm work and sinister edge to the delivery make it a formidable number, setting things up for the final track “Throne Of Bones”. Rapid-fire and wild natured, it brings the proto-black metal fury of Venom with the formative thrash of the early 80’s and lays down a solid number. Killer melodic fills, chugging riffs and bursts of energy make for a great backbone and the wild edged vocal delivery and wild shred lead round it out as one of the stand out spots of the record.
Despite being a wild and heavy release, it is very ‘samey’ in its sound. Most of the tracks blur together and it’s hard to tell where you are when listening to it sometimes. It might have some fantastic rhythm work and top notch riff execution but the lack of diversity can hinder at times. All great thrash records have some variance to their sound across the release and sadly, “P. F. A” only has a little of it with two tracks really standing out amidst the mix.
Still, despite this shortcoming, it’s a good slice of wild and raw thrash, which is never a bad thing!
Thrash is good, riffs are good, a wild and primal nature is good. Praying for Armageddon is good!
(7/10 Fraggle)
24/10/2023 at 10:34 pm
Love me some old school thrash!
What are your favorite thrash albums from the past few years?
25/10/2023 at 9:15 am
From the past few years?
The last Angelus Apatrida album (self titled) was a phenomenal release.
Sacrifico by Criminal, Palace for the Insane by Shrapnel were awesome too.
Of course, you cannot forget the likes of Overkill, Megadeth and the Teutonic titans Destruction and Kreator!