the new THRASH revolution

Has anyone been enjoying the new wave of retro-thrash? I've been enjoying the 80's-esque sound quite a bit myself lately, digging bands such as Warbringer, Gama Bomb, Evile, Fueled By Fire, Bonded By Blood, Avenger of Blood, Merciless Death, etc. Who else is out there, and do you think the scene will stick around for a while or just another fad? I personally never really could get into the so called "modern thrash" bands, but these retro thrash bands are a breath of fresh...or rather recycled air to me.

I don't think it'll last long. Last wave of Retro-Thrash, between 98 and 99 (with Infernö, Nocturnal Breed, Gehennah, Desekrator...) didn't last very long (like 2/3 years or so), but it wasn't supported by big labels (I mean : Toxic Holocaust on Relapse and Warbringer on Century Media...WTF???), so maybe this 2nd wave of Retro-Thrash will last a bit longer, who knows? I've never been that much into Thrash myself, except *shameless self-promotion here* the french bands like Impérial, Nemod, Aleister, Invoker and the likes...still, it's good to see patched jackets again.

I'm enjoying many of these bands. Just picked up a CD by FATALITY that's quite good.

There old school are still around too. Hirax, Exodus, etc.

If you guys haven't heard, check out Ultimatum:
www.myspace.com/ultimatummetal

Wow I didn't realize that this is a second retro-thrash wave. Back in 98/99 I was immersed in melo-death and industrial so I must've missed it! Ultimatum is very good, they've stuck with the sound and been tried and true even when it wasn't the "in" style of metal to be playing. They deserve (and so do metal fans) a wider distro. I wonder if some of the labels picking up today's thrash know about them....Metal Blade, Earache, CM, etc...

crucifixion12 wrote:

Wow I didn't realize that this is a second retro-thrash wave. Back in 98/99 I was immersed in melo-death and industrial so I must've missed it! Ultimatum is very good, they've stuck with the sound and been tried and true even when it wasn't the "in" style of metal to be playing. They deserve (and so do metal fans) a wider distro. I wonder if some of the labels picking up today's thrash know about them....Metal Blade, Earache, CM, etc...

You can get Ultimatum CDs from TheEndRecords, CDBaby, Amazon, Century Media Mail order, etc...

ultmetal wrote:

If you guys haven't heard, check out Ultimatum

Ulimatum??? Are they any good???

crucifixion12 wrote:

Wow I didn't realize that this is a second retro-thrash wave. Back in 98/99 I was immersed in melo-death and industrial so I must've missed it! Ultimatum is very good, they've stuck with the sound and been tried and true even when it wasn't the "in" style of metal to be playing. They deserve (and so do metal fans) a wider distro. I wonder if some of the labels picking up today's thrash know about them....Metal Blade, Earache, CM, etc...

Oh yeah, I remember 98/99, nearly all the BM bands were in a retro-Thrash side projects. Other retro bands of that era wotrth checking out were german Hypnosia (brutal early Kreator worship), Guillotine, Suicidal Winds and of course there's always the swedish Bewitched and their lousy Z-movie like wannabe offensive satanic lyrics

Oh yeah, and your avatar : sorry but Austrian Death Machine is the proof that retro-thrash has become DAMN trendy. I mean, come oooon : the singer of As I Lay Dying trying to badly imitate the sound of D.R.I., while Municipal Waste does it a 1000 times better...smells like in 88, when Thrash was shot a first time when big labels came in to ca$h on the $ucce$$ of Metallica, Testament, Slayer, Kreator...and that there were lou$yband$ popping up everywhere : Poltergeist and the likes.

Frenchie wrote:

Oh yeah, and your avatar : sorry but Austrian Death Machine is the proof that retro-thrash has become DAMN trendy. I mean, come oooon : the singer of As I Lay Dying trying to badly imitate the sound of D.R.I., while Municipal Waste does it a 1000 times better...smells like in 88, when Thrash was shot a first time when big labels came in to ca$h on the $ucce$$ of Metallica, Testament, Slayer, Kreator...and that there were lou$yband$ popping up everywhere : Poltergeist and the likes.

I agree from a musical perspective, but you've gotta give AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE props based solely on the fact that they pay homage to Arnold!!

Yeah Arnold is one of my biggest heroes largely due to the heights he reached in professional bodybuilding. That is the biggest attraction of ADM for me, it's a tribute to the Governator. We need a tribute band to Franco Columbu as well... call it Italian Short But Strong as Ass Machine.

Stained Glass Flames wrote:

Frenchie wrote:

Oh yeah, and your avatar : sorry but Austrian Death Machine is the proof that retro-thrash has become DAMN trendy. I mean, come oooon : the singer of As I Lay Dying trying to badly imitate the sound of D.R.I., while Municipal Waste does it a 1000 times better...smells like in 88, when Thrash was shot a first time when big labels came in to ca$h on the $ucce$$ of Metallica, Testament, Slayer, Kreator...and that there were lou$yband$ popping up everywhere : Poltergeist and the likes.

I agree from a musical perspective, but you've gotta give AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE props based solely on the fact that they pay homage to Arnold!!

NO!!! They should have used Chuck Norris instead

I mean, who wouldn't buy an ENTIRE albums made from his quotes taken from his 80's Cannon-produced movies, like Delta Force 2 or Invasion USA?

I'm soooo glad i don't play retro thrash. Seriously, the 80's thrash already happened, why copy the scene when that scene will always be better than the copycats that it has spawned?

So many bands today [in a lot of genres] are so unoriginal it is truly sickening. There is very little originality in mainstream bands and a lot of signed underground acts today.

crucifixion12 wrote:

Yeah Arnold is one of my biggest heroes largely
due to the heights he reached in professional bodybuilding. That is the
biggest attraction of ADM for me, it's a tribute to the Governator. We
need a tribute band to Franco Columbu as well... call it Italian Short
But Strong as Ass Machine.

one of the guys that used to come into the store i worked at a few years ago knows one of those guys that Arnie used to lift with back in the day...and I'm thinking it was Frank.

@ crucifixion12: "Italian Short but Strong as Ass Machine" does have a nice ring to it! And Franco was ridiculously strong!


@ Frenchie: I remember stumbling across a band online a few years ago, and the band was actually called CHUCK NORRIS. They were decent too... played a really crusty punk/grind mix. Strangely, all their song titles and lyrics (as far as I could tell) were in Spanish!

Popergeist wrote:

I'm soooo glad i don't play retro thrash. Seriously, the 80's thrash already happened, why copy the scene when that scene will always be better than the copycats that it has spawned?

So many bands today [in a lot of genres] are so unoriginal it is truly sickening. There is very little originality in mainstream bands and a lot of signed underground acts today.

So if a new saxaphone player decides he enjoys and wants to play classic jazz, he is unoriginal and unispired? Thrash is a style of music like any other. Great bands come and go. Music styles remain. While I love many of the 80's and 90's thrash releases, there are a lot of great releases coming out now under the "thrash" moniker as well, some from new bands, some from the old guard. Hirax's "New Age of Terror" comes to mind as one of my favorites and it isn't exactly breaking any new ground.

I agree that there are a lot of young bands right now trying to imitate Exodus, Slayer, and Metallica. However, wasn't Metallica at one time heavily influenced by Motorhead and Diamond Head. Similarly, many of these bands will grow, change and become true artists. I can't fault them for starting with something they truly love and enjoy.

I really like the thrash sound ,but there seem to be few unique sounding vocalists,it seems to be either hardcore/death kind of vocals or screeching,the best older thrash bands IMO like their classic metal counterparts, had distinct voices,Metallica,Megadeth,Anthrax,Flotsam and Jetsam(I liked that high voice,at least it was different)Overkill.As a long time vocal chameleon(my voice always slipped partly into a mimic of whoever I was singing along with) I later learned the value of someone developing their own vocal sound,it makes things more interesting.I could easily handle an angry but not too growling voice or some more air raid siren type vocalists,in a thrash band with more socially concious type lyrics,any suggestions.......

I think Toxic Holocaust the best out of the new ones. As Thrash has always been my favorite, Im enjoying it all quite a bit.

I'm thrilled will all the new thrash out there. From new bands and old. Yes, I'm still alive.

I just discovered Violator, their Chemical Assault album is astounding! Very 80's thrash that can snap yer neck like a twig!

I need to check out Violator. Do you know their MySpace site?

I'm digging on Violator. Have both of their CDs now, and even their rare CD single. Ultimatum performed a show with them a couple months ago. Great band, nice guys as well. Wish I would have had some cash at the show. Would have grabbed one of their tour shirts.

Lazarus A.D. = Total Awesomeness!

megadeth FTW, i love tallica with cliff burton, but hate them after, and megadeth has always been a better band, killing is my buiness is way better than kill em all, rust in peace is one of the best metal albums of all time

plus the last 2 megadeth albums have been great

Megadeth rules, dood.

Holy shit. I'm no longer a wanker!!

Nah, you're still a wanker, but Megadeth does rule!