Upon first glance at the title “Weapons of
Thrash Destruction”, one of two thoughts will form in your mind. If, like me,
you appreciate the juvenile themes of thrash metal, then Terrifier's second
record will have immediate appeal (let’s be real here; nobody really wants to
be an adult anyways). Alternatively, should you cling a little too tightly to
the underground, then this album will be another drink coaster along with the
discographies of Municipal Waste and Warbringer, among others.
This means that “Weapons of Thrash
Destruction” is exactly what you would expect it to be: competent modern thrash
that stays true to the subgenre’s roots. The album is an insane amount of fun,
and though it doesn’t have the staying power that some of the aforementioned
band’s records do, it is still an enjoyable listen. Terrifier tends to get a
bit more extreme than a lot of modern thrash bands, as they are not afraid to
use blast beats often (one listen to the opening song “Reanimator” will make
that quite clear). These guys also like to shred and inject heavy dosages of
lead guitars all throughout the album. Sometimes things get a bit chaotic, but
the playing is always tight enough to overlook any truly cacophonous sections.
To complement Terrifier’s extreme approach,
their vocalist also leans towards the more aggressive side of thrash vocals.
Bands like Kreator and Morbid Saint are good points of comparisons, but there
is a slightly more modern edge to these vocals, as there is a bit of a bite on
the end of each vocal line. In this respect, a band like Hatchet might be more
comparable vocally. Nevertheless, Terrifier’s singer shouts his guts out, and,
when combined with the maximum riffage this band delivers, it results in a
satisfying product.
As you may have determined by now, one of
the strengths of “Weapons of Thrash Destruction” is that there is absolutely no
compromise. Most of this album is blazing fast, and it only gets a little
slower at times to unleash stomping, whiplash-inducing riffs (there are some clean guitars on "Riders of Doom", but this is your classic ominous, old-school thrash interlude). Forget ballads,
groove, or half-thrash riffs; this album presents the weapon of mass
destruction known as thrash metal, and it does it well. There is room for
improvement in the songwriting, but sleeping on this record would be a major
mistake!
Highlights
"Reanimator"
"Skitzoid Embolism"
"Drunk As Fuck"
Final Rating
4.25/5 or 85%.
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