Saturday, December 28, 2013

Enmachined – Thrash Assault

Enmachined is the first thrash band from Bangladesh that I’ve come across, and if they are any indication of the quality of metal from that country, I need to find some more Bangladesh thrash. “Thrash Assault” is their first and only demo so far, and it is exactly as advertised. This 3-track experience features a number of quality riffs. Even better, however, is the stellar vocals. It seems like most of the better 80’s thrash bands had a unique vocalist, and this is something Enmachined has managed to emulate. Their singer sounds like no other. He has some of the snarl of Blitz, with the character-filled shouting of Zetro, along with a few other less obvious influences. Though he spends much of the demo yelling frantically at the listener with little display of vocal range, he definitely fits the mold of a charismatic thrash vocalist. 

Loggerhead”, the opening track, is mostly a mid-paced track that is centered around a few good riffs. It doesn’t inject you with speed, but there is definitely a bludgeoning heaviness to it. The opening to the title track has some very prominent Exodus influences (you might hear a bit of “Scar-Spangled Banner” in it), but this track is a bit faster and thrashier than “Loggerhead”. Much like the first song, this tune has some impressive lead guitars. In fact, this song uses a technique much used on Metallica’s “Kill ‘em All” where there is a shreddy lead that quickly cuts back to a rhythm riff. This pattern is then repeated a couple of times, before breaking into the longer portion of the solo. “Thrash Assault” is definitely the highlight of the album, primarily for its speed. The closer, “Piranha”, will not quite give you visions of the Exodus classic. Once again, this song shows the band in more mid-paced territory. The vocalist does manage to throw in some more flair with higher screams that will definitely conjure up visions of Bobby Blitz singing. While this song does work well (alongside the first one), the band should definitely get in the habit of writing faster stuff. On “Thrash Assault”, Enmachined is at their strongest when they thrash out, and while a demo can survive two out of three tracks being mid-tempo, a full-length record would need far more speed.

Be sure to check out and like Enmachined on Facebook!

Highlights
"Thrash Assault"

Final Rating
4.1/5 or 82%. 

Written by Scott