Month: April 2016

Exalter – Obituary For The Living

© 2016 Transcending Obscurity

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Rating: ★★★★★★★★½☆

exalter-coverOk, so funny thing. I’ve been waxing nostalgic a bit lately and listening to a lot of the 80s Thrash Metal that I grew up on. I still love it, but it kind of went away when Metallica and Megadeth got so damn popular. Well outta nowhere and into my inbox comes some brand new Thrash that sounds like it’s from the days of old. Freaking awesome! Wilder still these cats are cranking the volume and firing metal missiles from Dhaka, Bangladesh! Crazy. Oh yeah, it happens that the new album drops today.

Obituary For The Living busts it out old school correct with rampant riffs, shred solos, and guts and gristle vocals. The songs certainly run a bit longer than my more recent short attention span can contend with, but the intensity is so high that I’m not left feeling bored. I may be off base, but I can hear influences of Sacred Reich, Nuclear Assault, Exodus, Testament and the whole core sound of late 80’s Bay area (and beyond) Thrash scene.

exalter

Don’t think that this is just a rehash of yesteryear though. The songs are all legit in their own right and writhe and undulate with their own dark energy. If I weren’t sitting at a desk typing this right now, I’d be bouncing off the walls making my own circle pit with the house cats, for realz.

So if you’re a fan of the old school of thrash, do yourself (and the band) a big ol’ favor and checkout “Obituary For The Living” the brand new release from Exalter.

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Tortured Innocents
2. Surrounded by Evil
3. Sacrificial Immolation
4. Nuclear Punishment
5. Throat Cutters
6. Thrash Resurgence
7. White Phosphorus Shell

UGLYBoNES – Growing Concerns

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Rating: ★★★★★★★★½☆

uglybonesUGLYBoNES is a four piece hardcore/thrash punk outfit running out of the Windy City, (Chicago for those of you living under rocks) They’ve got a new album to jam up into your earholes. It’s entitled Growing Concerns and it will crush you.

The release contains 10 tracks, ninety percent of which clock in well under the two minute mark. Rapid bursts of sonic aggression without being over the top ear bleed screamo assault. (totally up my alley as screamo razer vocals are fn lame)

The tracks are all solidly constructed on a foundation of the angst of fading youth. The lyrical delivery is drenched with intensity and the musical accompaniment is fraught with urgency. The overall effect is a cavalcade of pretty rad hardcore punk.

The only downside I can think of is that the tracks have a very consistent pattern of insisting on a slower breakdown segment. Not saying they don’t have merit, but it can get a bit formulaic by the end.

Any downside aside, this band deserves a little bit of your attentions. Go check out their tracks and kick ‘em down some dough so they can continue to rip this shit up.

http://uglybones.bandcamp.com/

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Set Off 01:44
2. PCAF 01:20
3. Not The Same 01:39
4. Obscene 01:17
5. Grown Up 00:54
6. Office Destroyer 00:30
7. SUX 01:20
8. Took Too Much 01:19
9. Bendz 02:25
10. Lazy 01:38