Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #15: Alcoholocaust/Thrashfire/Warsenal

Hey brutalbangers,

welcome finally to a new episode of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss", the column of Timpani allo Spiedo's zine dedicated to fast bands' introductions without real reviews nor votes, only mentions!

Today, I'll present you three thrash metal bands that in 2019 released remarkable albums, so this new episode is really perfect for everyone into the wildest moshpit and the most violent headbanging.

No other words, and let's play these bands!

ALCOHOLOCAUST - "NECRO APOCALIPSIS BESTIAL"

Alcoholocaust (FB page) is another demonstration of pure force that Portugal is an outstanding factory of thrash metal maniacs who wants to beat again and again the ears' listeners until their violent explosion. But this anti-sobriety squad called Alcoholocaust took some time to release their debut album "Necro Apocalipse Bestial" (Helldprod Records) because, to say the truth, they are active even since 2006, when Blasphemator (vocals) and Possessus (guitars) decided to make real their blasphemous dreams of alcoholic thrashers. And this album is the longheld result of those dreams.

Well, they dub their music as "Satanic Thrash Alcoholic Metal" and I think that this definition fits like a glove on Alcoholocaust. In other words, "Necro Apocalipse Bestial", that is entirely sung in Portuguese, shows a diabolic and raw Teutonic thrash metal reminding me a lot of the early Destruction, a comparison that is clear starting from the gnashing vocals of Blasphemator. In addition, this album is a pure fuckin' mayhem from start to finish since it is practically fast, fast and only fast  and contains so few slowdowns that you can count them on the fingers of a... half hand! But I believe that, after a while, this style is a bit repetitive and doesn't offers particular solutions, so I prefer similar but more various acts like their compatriots Toxik Attack, that are under the same label of Alcoholocaust. And speaking about Helldprod Rec, it organized the new edition (the 17th one, precisely) of its Extreme Metal Attack fest, that this time, scheduled for 20th/21st March 2020 in Porto, Portugal, will features 9 bands, Alcoholocaust included (and even the Spanish war metal horde Supremative!).

THRASHFIRE - "INTO THE ARMAGEDDON"

After Hatevömit, Turkey strikes again on these pages thanks to Thrashfire (FB page)! This trio, whose singer/guitarplayers Burak Tavus is an ex-Cenotaph, is another unprolific band because they published only 5 releases so far since their foundation in 2006. But, in comparison with Alcoholocaust, the new "Into the Armageddon", released by the Spanish label Xtreem Music, isn't their debut album but their sophomore album. But what is the time distance between their first and second album? Even 8 years! Better late than never, I say, since Thrashfire, that recently participated in a Japanese thrash metal fest sharing the stage with historic bands such as Vio-lence, Sacred Reich and the local heroes Abigail, kicks plenty of asses!

A ferocious thrash metal is what you expect with "Into the Armageddon" but, at the same time, expect something very different from Alcoholocaust! Firstly, their style is, as I said before, "ferocious" also due to the tormenting screams of the same Burak that, at times, are of a really absurd violence, to the blast-beats here and there, and to some black/thrash metal elements (especially listenable in the song "Slaughtered by Hellgoats"... I think that this kind of title says everything!). But Thrashfire aren't a one-dimensional band, so they are able to add some melodic moments (but in the right measure, uh!), a good rhythmic alternation (i.e. the closing titletrack, whose end is also slow and atmospheric, and including even a song more focused on mid-tempos like "High Heel in the Hell") and participative basslines. The final result is engaging and quite various for every brutalbanger in manic love with bands such as Razor, Slayer, Morbid Saint, Kreator and the likes. And, closing the circle, Thrashfire released also an amazing video for "Dybbukim". Check it out and (thrash) metal up your ass!

WARSENAL - "FEAST YOUR EYES"

It's incredible but it was since June 2017, when I reviewed a Lubricant's compilation, that there were no Svart Records releases on these pages! And today these surprising Warsenal (FB page), whose second album "Feast Your Eyes" has been just edited by Svart Rec, are going to change this state of things.

For me, the Canadians have the (furious) metal in their DNA, otherwise I can't explain their abilities to create notable works every time they decide to record something extreme! In fact, Warsenal are Canadians (exactly from Montreal, Québec, as Profane Order) and their "Feast Your Eyes" shows a creative but furious thrash metal, whose main features are unusual schemes worthy of a technical thrash metal band (some complex structures, particular drum patterns), a riffing so spastic and hysterical to be very impressive also because it's played at hypersonic speeds, some rockish tunes that adds a lot of groove and the screaming vocals of Mat (listen especially to "You Better Run" and then let me know if they don't shock you!). If I had to name a song that represents in its entirety the Warsenal's style, it is for sure "Burning Ships", the craziest track in the list containing even a mini-bass solo by their new entry Jeffrey Millaire. I don't know what you think but I think that Warsenal plays in a very personal style that seem to be a sort of mix between Whiplash, Razor and Metallica. And, anyway, how is it possible to not adore a band whose drummer Vincent does a lot of funny faces, as you can see by watching the video made for the opening song "Forever Lost" (that I also included in the new episode of "Come on, burn my ears!")?