Shades of Grey - House of Fools ( Limited Edition Vinyl)

ThrashBack Records released on vinyl the 1989 demo "House of Fools" from cult underground thrashers SHADES OF GREY. These days, in the neverending world of thrash you got many hybrids, clones, bastard children, ripoffs, retarded half-thrash influence and probably somewhere behind all that you got the real shit. Shades of Grey were a really interesting band, this band is an avalanch of riffing, the drumming is insane, and killer vocals. Now that i have in my hands this awesome reissue on Vinyl , i can say they still very fucking lethal. The sound is sick, It's loaded with blazing, catchy riffs that simply keep kicking you second after second. Just listen to "Sounds of War" or "Rage of Insanity", you can't fucking even listen to one riff, and then comes the next one, it continues this way proving these guys weren't fooling around, they said they want to thrash and they thrashed! All the songs here are awesome and damn efficient. This limited edition Vinyl is a masterpiece. If you need brutal thrash... look no further. Classic !!

thrashbackrecords.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Demencia - No Mas Dioses Ni Demonios (2022)

In this 2022 release Demencia is back with fkn vengeance. The music is, per usual, 100% rip your face off aggressive. Vocals completely insane, riffs are intense, complex, and ever changing. And Drummer s is an absolute wildman. The production is just flawless. From blistering start to lumbering finish, "No Mas Dioses Ni Demonios" weaves a dark tail of political dissension. Every track leads us in a different direction via impetuous droning of guitars and a subversive vocal assault. Throughout the album, the blistering angry guitar droning is a dominant feature. Here and there, the guitars will slow down into more of a grinding thrash sections, The first part of "Son Corruptos" exemplifies this with some great crunching riffage to bang your head to before disappearing in a sea of blazing low tuned grindcore horrors. The drumming on this particular song could not be done any better from the opening roll cycling into furious bass hits interspersed with a fast paced assault on the wrists from the snares. The instruments mesh perfectly giving us headbanging tunes. Any avid Extreme enthusiast could not consider his collection and life complete, without owning and listening to this monumental album. This album demonstrates that this band is able to mature and improve radically in just a couple years, while still maintaining 100% of the aggression that defined their early releases. This album completely slays and belongs on the shelf next to your top Extreme albums!!

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Review by Paul - Soulgrinder Zine 

The End A.D. - It's All In Your Head (EP 2021)

It's been a while I reviewed a release like this. The End A.D. from Pennsylvania is a mixed experience, but mostly positive, the songs on this EP are hard-hitting and captivating, and more or less constitute the blueprint on how to perform a mix between Punk and Metal with female vocals. The songs are performed in such a fierce manner, which is probably best suited for live playing, and mosh pits. This EP is basically just a barrage of violent and well executed music, but there is no way you will be able to sit still through even the first track. "Death Cult" the first track, in my opinion it makes you want to chug a Beer and then break it over someone's head. The cover of Deep Purple's "Bloodsucker" is awesome too.The production is excellent, highlighting the guitar-drum interplay very nicely. The songs are short, to the point, and well-thought-out. The whole thing is only like 15 minutes, well worth hearing. No pretense, no bullshit, Just cool music. All in all a really cool EP.

theendad.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Cruel Bomb - Man Made ( EP 2022)

“Man Made” is EP number three for Pennsylvania thrashers Cruel Bomb. They still thrives on beating the listener over the head with as many riffs as they can fit into a four-minute songs. Tracks like “Dogs of War” and “Bombed Squad” have sections that seem to just unleash pure vocal rage, courtesy of  frontman Brandon James.The end result is quite satisfying, and takes this EP to the next level. From a production standpoint, “Man Made” absolutely nails it. The sound on this EP is massive and truly pushes Cruel Bomb’s sound to the next level. “Man Made” is a much more mature version of the band’s debut EP. The overall product sounds incredibly professional, and is the result of a band who knows exactly what they’re going for. This is one of the best realizations of modern thrash Metal!

facebook.com/Cruelbomb

cruelbomb570.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

RotGod - Sybaritic Metal ( EP 2021)

It doesn't matter what style of music you're talking about, nothing beats a raw thrash metal tune. RotGod from Italy are pretty damn fast. They play a style of traditional thrash/speed metal very much their own. Stylistically, these maniacs have similarities to bands like Exciter, early Anthrax, Hallow's Eve, a bit of Nasty Savage, Whiplash etc... Cross this traditional sound with the speed of hardcore punk and you come close to RotGod. This EP is easily intense enough to get almost any thrasher's blood flowing, each song is  memorable to the point where the tunes will get stuck in your head and the cover of Destruction is sick as hell. So I'll simply end this review with this note: if you want relentless speed/thrash with an aggressive rough vocals, with crazy razor sharp fast guitars, and don't mind simplicity, get RotGod immediately. Also do yourself a favor and check out the bands other releases. Keep in mind that this is much more unique and full of its own quirks (oh yeah, and it’s faster too).

facebook.com/rotgod.official

rotgod.bandcamp.com/album/sybaritic-metal-single-2021

Review by Paul Caravasi

The Record Of Armageddon - Compilation 2021

Thrashback Records from Florida is releasing a series of brutal gems and this release is Absolutely one of my favorite compilations of 2021. I really like Thrash and Death Metal and this is just one of the compilation albums that pointed me in the right direction this year. The bands are: False Prophet, Schizophrenia, Amboog-A-Lard, Solstice, Yellowtooth, Divine Treachery, Methane and Luna In Sanguinem . This is absolutely a treasure for the metalheads. The entire album is flawless. if you ever get the opportunity to buy a copy, than by all means seize the moment and take this brutal trip through The Record of Armageddon. Enjoy the brutality!!

thrashbackrecords.bigcartel.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Unburial - Bellum Internecinum (2021)

As Someone once said; “Ain’t nothing like the real thing.” An absolutely stellar mixing and mastering on this album. Songs like “Ferrum ignitum” “Condemned to oblivion” and “Invictus” are full of heaviness and oppressive atmosphere, but each instrument is easily discernible, making the whole thing that much more crushing. Atmosphere, heaviness; these two things are integral to Unburial's sound, this album is impressive. Songs here run from slow-burning, chest-caving death doom to face-rippers, making for a much more varied listen than what one might expect from a Black/Death metal band. All of this said, there are still some lingering hints of old school death metal buried underneath the massive pile of putrid flesh and bone that is this album's sound.The guitars bursts are classic examples of the chaotic and frenzied  shredders.  Aside from the riffing, the inventiveness and brutality of the drumming and the befittingly thick production, what makes “Bellum Internecinum ” so utterly brilliant is its aura of unholiness and profound irreverence, as combined masterfully with memorability and spirit that even few outright riff-fetishist death metal bands can rival but it supplements it with unrivaled brilliance of horrific, depraved atmosphere. Unburial relies more on atmosphere and impact, it's something that every old school death metal enthusiast should be familiar with, and something that might carry appeal to a younger crowd that craves the rabid minimalism of brutal acts populating in the current scene.

facebook.com/Unburial

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Review by Paul Caravasi