Thrash Metal

This is a prime example of when "judging a book by its cover" works on occasion. There I was scanning through the metal section at the record store, as I often do to see any interesting band names or album art to put in my phone and look them up later. I see this album cover and of course I had to write that one down, with the name Blood Tsunami and a cover like that, who wouldn't? So later I went home to look them up and to my surprise my face was ripped right off by the sound coming from my speakers.

Pros:
First, lets start with a quick statement of how awesome (although a little cliché) the album cover is. I just love it, hooded warrior with a scythe and a mace standing on a pile of bodies? Just awesome. Who can say no to that? On to the important stuff... the album is very heavy and has its fill of fast riffs with great galloping riffs mixed in. All musical and lyrical compositions on this album are phenomenal if you ask me. The guitar work of the riffs and solos, the speed, the sheer heaviness of this album just blew my mind with how thrashy it sounds. This album is a close to perfect example of thrash metal. It's just the right amount of heavy death-metal-ish sound with the speed and tone of old thrash without the terribly annoying "teenager yelling at his mom" vocals that most thrash bands I hear have. Plus the lyrics are just perfect, mean, brutal, and over-the-top just like good metal should be! Every time I listen to it I can't help but smile.

Cons:
The only complaint I have is the vocals, and it's not that I don't enjoy them, they're just a bit higher pitch than I prefer so they took me a bit to get used to. Although, after getting used to them I can't seem to put this album down.

Overall a great album in my opinion. If you love metal that rips your face off, thrash that's fast, and lyrics that are over the top and brutal enough to make a demon crack a smile... then this is the album for you.

Summary...

Likes:
- Heavy, fast, and all around great metal.
- Musically very well written riffs that are heavy and evil but still somehow a little catchy.
- Great lyrics, with plenty of slaughtering (insert enemy of choice here).

Dislikes:
- The vocals are a little too high for me but everything else makes up for it.
- The fact that I had to turn it off to concentrate on writing this!

Favorites:
Godbeater
Rampage Of Revenge
Infernal Final Carnage

I bought this album with a feeling of optimism. A modern band, from Norway and with a good drummer, and an album called Thrash Metal. It looks good too - the cover being an amalgamation of the covers of Kreator's Endless Pain & Pleasure To Kill. Ok, not original in any way, shape or form, but at least it harks back to the days where album covers did have violent, fantastical artwork.

The moment I pressed play on the hi-fi though, and I realised that my optimism was unfounded. Lets cut to the chase - can this really be called thrash metal? I'm not so sure. Yes, it is metal, and its fast too, but it just isn't thrash metal - and I'll tell you why. There is not one, not one, thrash riff on this album. If you thought Atrocity Exhibition by Exodus was short on real thrash riffs then check this album out (or not, as the case may be). What you get here is melodic Gothenburg-style death/thrash. There are no heavy, palm-muted (or otherwise) fast, aggressive thrash riffs - its all kind of bouncy and, well, melodic.

Thats not to say I don't like melody, I do, but not on an album called Thrash Metal, for fucks sake.

On the plus side, these guys really can play. The musicianship is very proficient, with Faust's drumming powering each track along (although he does make at least one very small mistake). The vocals are fairly standard Scandinavian death/thrash fare which really don't add a lot to the music.

The influences of classic old bands like Kreator and Destruction can be heard throughout the album, and Slayer features heavily - the breakdown at 3:30 on Rampage Of Revenge sounds like its ripped from the Show No Mercy LP, and the 3 minute mark on Torn Apart is as close to Raining Blood as you will ever hear.

However, this doesn't save an album which loses steam almost before its begun. If you want a modern take on thrash, pick up Beyond The Permafrost by Skeletonwitch, or Enter The Grave by Evile.

I picked Thrash Metal up new from Play.com for a couple of quid. Had I paid more I'd have been even more disappointed than I actually am.

Blood Tsunami are a Norwegian band that plays a furious brand of thrash metal incorporating influences from both sides of the Atlantic. 2007 sees the release of their debut album on Candlelight, “Thrash Metal.”

The album starts with the pounding “Evil Unleashed.” Starting off like mid 80s Kreator, the mission of this band is crystal clear. Play fast brutal metal that pays homage to the legacy of the 80s Thrash scene. Guitarists, Pete Evil and Dor Amazon lay down one great thrash riff after another and also manage to inject some melody into their playing. “Rampage Of Revenge” at over six minutes is a perfect example of the style of this band. Starting off like a Bay Area band before taking off into a section that is reminiscent of prime Kreator, the band rip through this song and the lead guitars are pretty kickass too. While every song resembles the same formula of combining the Bay Area thrash sound with the European Thrash sound, where Blood Tsunami excel is in the riffs. Evil and Amazon lay down riff after riff of thrash goodness while not sacrificing the melody. Drummer Faust’s (ex- Emperor) playing is tight and controlled and reins in the music while bass player Bosse holds up the bottom end competently. The vocals are sort of black metal with a tinge of the Scandinavian scene in the phrasing but work very well with the music.

Other stand out tracks include “Infernal Final Carnage” which leans a bit towards the melodic side of Thrash, “Torn Apart” sounds like a Slayer song that got left out of the “Seasons In The Abyss” album and sounds like it would be a killer live song. The epic “Godbeater” at just over ten minutes long brings about a much needed and welcome change of pace to the album. More mid-paced than the other songs and still going for a slight “Seasons In The Abyss” feel but also introducing a little bit of the whole Gothenburg riffing style into their music, “Godbeater” shows that there’s more to Blood Tsunami than just a rehash of ideas from the 80s. Album closer “Killing Spree” starts of like early Metallica before the Slayer influences once again come to the fore. An adrenaline charged and quite perfect end to the album.

Blood Tsunami have made a very entertaining album and “Thrash Metal” is exactly that. The band has a brutal, focused delivery that elevates “Thrash Metal” to somewhere slightly above your average garden variety retro-thrash band. However, like most new bands playing this style, I have to point out that this has been done before and done a lot better. The band run the risk of sounding boring after the initial few listens and once the nostalgia factor wears out.

While I am very interested in seeing how this band progresses and what their second album will sound like, for now, “Thrash Metal” is a solid release that has one foot in the past and one foot planted in the present. Nice.

http://www.kvltsite.com

While I can see where detractors gain their material, I find Blood Tsunami to be somewhat entertaining with it's interesting take on Thrash Metal. This certainly isn't a pure form of thrash which has been covered in previous reviews, it has a hint of Kreator, a smidgen of death metal and what I find to be an accurate assessment - a large portion of new Exodus worship. The guitar/drum rhythm combination seems to me a lot like what could be found on Shovel Headed Killing Machine. This isn't a bad thing, I enjoyed that album and I do enjoy this one. There are loads of headbang worthy riffs and the solos are melodic and catchy as fuck, but so why does this not make a perfect album?

First off, the overall music journey Blood Tsunami takes you on in Thrash Metal is almost like a venomous search through a wartorn country with rough edges. I find myself really enjoying the guitars and the drumming with it's intensity kicked up makes for some heavy moments. The bass does it's duty accompanying the guitar in it's heavy rhythmic patterns of aggressive riffing. The vocals are harsh compared to most thrash metal outfits, taking a notice off melodic death metal bands following in the Gothenburg approach. This makes for an interesting combination which if this were a straightforward thrash outfit from the 80's, obviously wouldn't work; but with Blood Tsunami's mashed in influences it fits fairly well. He isn't the best growler in the world but he has his moments where he can rip it up, almost sounding like The Haunted (not always a good thing) at times.

The songs themselves are chock full of pummeling riffage that reminds you of Shovel Headed Killing Machine, same with the drumming that has some fun double bass attacks. Most songs are done at breakneck speeds with little stop for the occasional bass attack or drum barrage. I really enjoy how they can combine their level of aggression with the odd melody driven parts. The lead guitarist has fun with the solos I can tell because they are melodic and worthy of attention such as the case in Killing Spree. The notable centerpiece of the album is the 10 minute long Godbeater with its ominous opening that gradually picks up steam. I find that sometimes it can often lead to nowhere when it should and almost drags on but it has it's moments.

Also, as a sidenote the album cover is pretty fucking badass, reminds me of Manowar mixed with Obituary's newest. Worthy of picking up just to show your friends.

So I have praised it enough, why not a higher rating? I think the biggest problem is that sometimes the songs can run into another, some sound a lot alike making you feel as if you are listening to it again. But fortunatly, that isn't a major problem that only happens with the filler songs (2-4 of them). This album has it's moments, when it gets going and thrashs your neck into breaking point you'll enjoy yourself, but it does have weak moments of unoriginality. If you enjoy newer aged thrash, Shovel Headed Killing Machine, or just a different approach of thrash metal with high influences of other genres - Blood Tsunami's debut is for you.

What happens when you throw in a dash of Kreator, a pinch Destruction and a heavy dose of Testament (specifically songs like "Into the Pit" ala The New Order et al.)? After releasing two demo’s, Blood Tsunami release their first full length Thrash Metal, which contains about 40+ minutes of strong melodic metal with thrash influences that obviously run across the gamut.

Influences aside though, Thrash Metal carves its own path by creating riff-tastic song structures that easily capture any metalheads attention. From the chug-a-long riffage of Infernal Final Carnage to the slow paced ten minute magnum opus that is Godbeater, one can only notice that the band definitely has potential to build upon for future releases. Many songs contain the "variation of a theme" riffing style; although this usually doesn’t work so well (and makes for a boring listening experience), Blood Tsunami pull it off successfully and with ease. The only thing to complain about with the album is the vocalist; although Pete Evil has a good voice that fits the music, it is hard to clearly make out anything he is saying.

Many may give this band attention due to the notoriety of certain band members, but don’t be fooled – the sum of the whole is far more than the individual parts. This album has some strong leads, and an addictive composition that will keep you coming back for more. And with an album cover that looks like it could have been pulled straight from Manowar, what’s not to love?

Sorry, but no. Naming your album "Thrash Metal" does not make it, well, thrash metal. As a previous reviewer so aptly put it, why not just name a Helloween album "Death Metal." On the other hand, what else would you expect from a band called Blood Tsunami? (who the fuck told them that would be a cool band name?).

Anyway, the music. The thrash pretty much stops at the name; for the most part, this is just fast melodeath, sort of like Black Dahlia Murder without as much metalcore. There are some occasional thrash-influenced moments here and there, but really, how many extreme metal bands can you think of that don't have a little bit of thrash influence? The closest they get to what they claim to be is the beginning of the instrumental snoozefest "Godbeater," which features some midpaced thrash riffing. Also, the final song, "Killing Spree" has a thrash intro, followed by some Slayer worship, followed by Metallica worship, followed by typical melodeath "riffing" under the verse. Oh, and then there's that breakdown 2:57 into "Torn Apart" that is a total knock-off of the one 2:22 into Slayer's "Raining Blood." Most importantly of all, Blood Tsunami is completely devoid of the pure attitude that makes real thrash stand out.

So basically, don't expect thrash. Now, for what it is, it's really not too bad. It's nothing we haven't heard before from countless melodeath bands, but it's about par for the course. It's aggressive, it's catchy sometimes, and the solos are pretty good. The production is pretty slick and modern, which doesn't bother me too much, but you have been warned. The vocals are nothing special, but they get the job done.

On the downside, the songs aren't really all that memorable. "Rampage of Revenge" is a pretty fuckin' cool song, despite being a little too long for its own good, and the aforementioned "Killing Spree" has its moments, but other than that, the album just kinda runs together when you listen to it. Oh, and "Godbeater" is almost unbearable, meandering on for ten minutes and NEVER GOING ANYWHERE.

My primary complaint, though, is that things never really pick up. Even the fast songs aren't really that fast - I wouldn't have a problem with that except that they sound like they were meant to be. Every once in a while, they'll build and build, and right where you'd expect them to really kick into high gear, they play something that just doesn't quite get there. "Killing Spree," which pretty much epitomizes all that is good and bad about this album, is a prime example. After a promising intro, about 40 seconds in, you've got the sustained chord, the 1-2-3-4 count on the cymbal, and then...

At this point, they should have come in something fucking devastating and blisteringly fast (see 1:45 in Exodus' "Impaler" for how this technique is supposed to sound). Instead, we get something that sounds like a sped up version of an "evil" Slayer intro - it would have been great in any other context, but here it just sounds wrong. Then the drums come in, playing pretty fast, and the riff sounds even more out of place. About a minute in, they change to what could have been a spare riff of any of Metallica's 2nd-4th albums, which would have worked perfectly - after the devastating riff they didn't play. The song could have totally ripped, but they blew it.

They do the same thing in "Godbeater," once about 5 minutes in and again at around the 8 minute mark. Both times I felt sure things were really going to get going, but they didn't. Of course.

Bottom line: it's alright, but the title is a bit of a joke. A previous reviewer called this "the future of thrash," but it's not the future of anything, thrash least of all. There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, not even anything that hasn't been called (mistakenly or otherwise) thrash before. For the future of thrash metal, get some of the new Exodus albums (the two songs that have been released off "The Atrocity Exhibition" kick more ass than this entire album). For proof that some bands can still get old school thrash right, get the new Evile or Municipal Waste albums. Download "Rampage of Revenge" and "Killing Spree" and leave the rest alone. Unless you're a melodeath fan, in which case you can go to hell - the only reason they keep making it is because you keep buying it. Just stop.

First of all, despite the manly cover art and dubious misnomer that is the album title, this is just speed metal. I know how easy it is to pass this sort of thing off as Gothenburg-derived feces, but I'm not one of those guys whose dick shrivels into a raisin upon hearing a melody. I'm not even going to mention the word "Gothenburg" again after this paragraph. Still, this is horrid by every objective measure. A little act called 3 Inches of Blood started an unfortunate trend of proving how FUCKING AND/OR SOMEWHAT IRONICALLY METAL one is by pumping out an awkward mix of speed metal, classic metal, and (yes,) metalcore, and be sure, humble reader, that Blood Tsunami is FUCKING AND/OR SOMEWHAT IRONICALLY METAL as one can get.

"Evil! Kill, kill, and kill again! Evil! Kill, kill, and kill again! Evil! Kill, kill, and kill again!"
- Blood Tsunami

The riffs are along the lines of what bands like The Crown did for melodic pseudo-thrash over ten years ago. They're dynamic enough that there's lots of replay value, assuming you're into this kind of stuff, but one-dimensional enough that it would take effort to tell where the first song ended if not for the pause between songs. Some of the songwriting sort of "rhymes," with lots of Slayer-esque call/response riffing, but that's as far as this ever gets into thrash. The lead work is probably the best thing about Blood Tsunami; almost theatrical in its acrobatic melodicism, yet never flowery, and always relatively adherent to the rhythm section. The end of the song "Infernal Final Carnage" is the best example of this.

The Eyehategod-esque randomly squeeling feedback in the first few seconds of the album is one of the most insincere couple of seconds I've ever heard, because it indicates an album that isn't overproduced to the extent the riffs feel so warm and cozy you want to snuggle up to them with some warm milk and fall asleep. I'll give this album some bonus points for not completely mixing out the bass, though, not that it does much.

The notably mediocre "Godbeater" is a 10 minute instrumental, and as a perceptive yet vastly generous reviewer prior to this pointed out, it has no climax. Yes, a 10 minute instrumental with no climax that isn't drone. What a fucking abortion. It's catchy in parts, but the same could be said of the music in Mega Man video games. The most that can be said of this song is that it has a nice recurring lead melody, and gives the otherwise autistic bass player something to do.

"Obliterate; annihilate; kill, crush, destroy! Obliterate; annihilate; kill, crush, destroy!"
- Blood Tsunami

Are the vocals crazed and violent? Yes, just like Carnal Forge, The Haunted, and newer Exodus. (Protip: that's not a good thing.) Despite Pete's "modern" thrash trappings, he... Okay, I got nothing, he sorta sucks. Still, those Tom Warrior-esque death grunts are always fun, eh? "Ungh!" He's decipherable, but not exactly clear enough in his frothing pronounciation that you'll hear everything he says without the lyrics in front of you. But that may not be such a bad thing, considering the quality of the lyrics. But onto that later. Faust's drumming is predictably capable. Besides a few zany fills here and there, I like that he doesn't try to draw too much attention to himself.

Vocalist "Pete Evil," along with being the host of Norway's Headbanger's Ball (fulfilling the requirement of having to be in a shit band to get on MTV), is also apparently quite an angry fellow. All his lyrics are about how much he hates you, hates everyone you love, and how he wants to emotionlessly kill you and violate your wounds. Hm, well then. Although this does little to raise the philosophical bar in terms of mainstream metal, it taps into an emotion almost all metalheads have in common: anger. I mean come on, would you know about bands with names like Deströyer 666 and Impaled Nazarene if you weren't pissed off a lot? And that's exactly why Blood Tsunami's lyrics fail; they're safe. What makes for an adequate masturbatory aid for disgruntled metalheads makes for boring shit when exposed to anyone whose IQ is above Sunn O)))'s BPM.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! March on and... kill! Kill! Kill! March on and..."
- Blood Tsunami

Blood Tsunami is dull. Blood Tsunami is wasted talent and potential that will never be unearthed. Blood Tsunami is FUCKING AND/OR SOMEWHAT IRONICALLY METAL. Blood Tsunami should be avoided like St. Anger.

When I first heard Blood Tsunami's demo a few years back, I've been waiting since to hear new work from them. When it finally came out, I had pretty high expectations. Luckily they were worth it!

Whilst this album is called "Thrash Metal", I must say that 80s thrash metal fans (for example) won't find anything they'd expect from a name like that. This is a very modern thrash metal sound, insanely influenced by Göthenburg death metal. On songs like "Infernal Final Carnage" it just can't be denied that Arch Enemy is so recognizable throughout the whole song. 'Arise warriors of darkness' is grunted on a total Angela-way, wheredue it must be said that this isn't good ol' thrash, but this will be appreciated more by deaththrash and Göthenburg fans. Though, whilst this album is utterly harsh and agressive, it's pitty that a song like "Godbeater" ruins the effect a bit. A completely instrumental song without climax and -oh dear- lasts more then ten minutes! I don't know why they would do such a thing, 'cause on their demo they had for example "Suicide Anthem" which would've been a perfect last song for their album. "Devoured by Flames" is without any doubt my favorite number of the cd, 'cause of the catchyness and also huge Arch Enemy's "Wages of Sin" atmosphere.

This is another extremely fine debut of 2007. Let us hope it gets the attention it deserves, and who knows, maybe in some years this band will play on every big metalfest in Europe!

http://www.vampire-magazine.com/

As the second wave of Thrash Metal gets into full swing, it's not all that surprising to hear new bands playing an old school Thrash inspired Metal. It is surprising to hear a band that doesn't just copy the old 80s Thrash Metal but actually adds its own twists and spins to the genre. Blood Tsunami are just what their name says... a tsunami of Thrash Metal ready to sweep its listener away in a hurricane of violence, guitar insanity, and a pure heart of Thrash.

The aptly titled, "Thrash Metal" takes old school Thrash Metal attitude and incorporates a modern twist to it with high level productions and a modern Metal sense of songwriting. Some elitist Thrash fans may not enjoy its slick production, but for a genre that could easily relapse into running in circles, "Thrash Metal" is a breath of fresh air.

As soon as you put in the album prepare to be hit with dueling guitar parts that almost perfectly combine technicality, ferocity, and energy into a solid force ready to tear out your ears out. The chemistry and stellar writing by both guitarists allow the music to have great variety in its conception without ever letting the listener go. The music is all perfectly in sync with each instrument so that nothing is stealing the focus nor giving it up. Its a rare thing to hear that collaboration so this album is something to treasure.

The vocals are definitely a modern style of Thrash vocals. Not the high pitched shrieks and harsh screams of the old Thrash bands of old but a little more guttural. The vocals are just sinister enough to keep the music dark but not deep enough to leach into the Death Metal spectrum. A perfect combination for the album and for the music. On a side note, the vocals are performed by Pete Evil, who also happens to host the Norwegian version of Headbanger's Ball. A double threat is you will.

Sometimes in the Thrash genre, bands forget to let speed of the songs change a bit. Not for Blood Tsunami though, as they vary their sound. "Infernal Final Charge" has an awesome galloping groove to it that makes the listener want to leap into battle and slay a herd of posers. Other songs like "Let Blood Rain" or "Torn Apart" keep an old school Thrash vibe alive with their chaotic but catchy instrumental work.

Strangely enough, the brightest gem on the album happens to be the 10 and a half minute instrumental masterpiece, "Godbeater." The skillfully crafted epic starts with a doomy sound but kicks into gear quickly and becomes a full on Thrash bombardment as it quickly changes tones and sounds throughout. In fact, "Godbeater" takes a little bit of Kreator and mixes it with some Overkill into a priceless and tasty track that only comes about once in a movement.

As the second wave of Thrash Metal gets into full swing, bands need to take note. Blood Tsunami is the future of Thrash Metal. They have a unique and personal sound that will put them heads and tales above the rest. "Thrash Metal" may be their debut...but it is definitely a genre defining album too.

Songs to check out: "Let Blood Rain", "Godbeater", "Infernal Final Carnage."