Best thrash release of 2013 (so far)?

Sodom's Epitome Of Torture is giving Destruction's latest a run for my favorite of the year. I love the title track with the way they pronounce epitome as "epitomb". Sometimes it's the little things that put a release over the top for me.

Yeah, some of Sodom's enunciations have been different through the years but still killer stuff.

From the stuff I've bought...

Atominated - World Without Flesh (EP)
Coldsteel - America Idle (EP)
Evil Whiplash - Evil Reincarnation (EP)
Evile - Skull
Integrity - Suicide Black Snake
Prowler - After You
Psychosis - By Our Hand (EP)
Reactory - Killed By Thrash (EP)
Rusted Brain - High Voltage Thrash
Xpulsion - Hunted (EP)

I'd say my favorite is Integrity. Some might take issue with that and say they're hardcore, which is partly true, but I think there is plenty of thrash as well.



My second choice would be Psychosis.

Boris2008 wrote:

The Voivod record is mighty! But not thrash.

Progressive thrash metal isn't thrash metal? Alrighty then.

Here's my top 15. Probably have to rearrange it after the Artillery and Amok albums drop:

15. Havok- Unnatural Selection (An unnatural snooze-fest)
14. Skeletonwitch- Serpents Unleashed
13. Hatchet- Dawn of the End (Crazy atmosphere, crazier riffs)
12. Annihilator- Feast ("No Way Out" and a bunch of other songs)
11. Evile- Skull (Your standard Evile fare)
10. Onslaught- VI
9. Toxic Holocaust- Chemistry of Consciousness
8. Diamond Plate- Pulse
7. Voivod- Target Earth
6. Hatriot- Heroes of Origin
5. Birth A.D.- I Blame You (One of the best new-school attempts at crossover.)
4. Sodom- Epitoom of Torture
3. Essence- Last Night of Solace (Severely underrated prog-thrash)
2. Warbringer- IV: Empires Collapse (Warbringer meets Vektor)
1. Death Angel- The Dream Calls for Blood

Surprised no love has been given to my favorite of the year so far:

Razormaze - Annihilatia

Very close second between Ultra-Violence and Essence.

All this thread tells me is that I need more money.

But I do have Havok and Evile. Dig both 

Me likey Hatchet....Havok......Warbringer..... and...... Death Angel

Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed
Destruction - Spiritual Genocide
Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction Live

I'm still going with Accuser's Diabolic. I have every song memorized from start to finish, and that's rare with any thrash release. Lot's of GREAT stuff this year (just got Death Angel and Onslaught, both are insane), but Accuser needs recognition for being the most brutal and aggressive of the bunch.

Eyesore wrote:

I'd say my favorite is Integrity. Some might take issue with that and say they're hardcore, which is partly true, but I think there is plenty of thrash as well.

I haven't even listened to any of this new Integrity business, so I won't argue the point regarding the new release (though I should check it out).

But if it's anything at all like their 90s output, I would never in good faith be able to call them thrash, in any way.

And I had the majority of their LPs, 10"s and 7" from In Contrast of Sin through Seasons in the Size of Days.

Since I only have 2 new thrash releases that I can think of off the top fy my head (Havok and Death Angel), I'll have to go with Death Angel's The Dream Calls For Blood.

DakotaRogers wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

The Voivod record is mighty! But not thrash.

Progressive thrash metal isn't thrash metal? Alrighty then.

Here's my top 15. Probably have to rearrange it after the Artillery and Amok albums drop:

15. Havok- Unnatural Selection (An unnatural snooze-fest)
14. Skeletonwitch- Serpents Unleashed
13. Hatchet- Dawn of the End (Crazy atmosphere, crazier riffs)
12. Annihilator- Feast ("No Way Out" and a bunch of other songs)
11. Evile- Skull (Your standard Evile fare)
10. Onslaught- VI
9. Toxic Holocaust- Chemistry of Consciousness
8. Diamond Plate- Pulse
7. Voivod- Target Earth
6. Hatriot- Heroes of Origin
5. Birth A.D.- I Blame You (One of the best new-school attempts at crossover.)
4. Sodom- Epitoom of Torture
3. Essence- Last Night of Solace (Severely underrated prog-thrash)
2. Warbringer- IV: Empires Collapse (Warbringer meets Vektor)
1. Death Angel- The Dream Calls for Blood

Good list. Add Accuser & Gama Bomb to it and you've got a winner. Havok will be much higher on my list as well. I'm not sure where you get "snoozefest". I think it's excellent.

ultmetal wrote:

Good list. Add Accuser & Gama Bomb to it and you've got a winner. Havok will be much higher on my list as well. I'm not sure where you get "snoozefest". I think it's excellent.

After looking at this thread again, I finally listened to Accuser (on Spotify) this morning, due to the positive comments about it throughout.

I actually was not that into it, and I think it was the vocals.

ultmetal wrote:

Good list. Add Accuser & Gama Bomb to it and you've got a winner. Havok will be much higher on my list as well. I'm not sure where you get "snoozefest". I think it's excellent.

It was very disappointing, being a huge step-back from "Time is Up." Although, the opening track is one of my favorite songs of the year. "Give Me Liberty..." is pretty enjoyable too. But the rest of it is so watered-down in comparison to their last effort, and the vocals (for whatever reason) are so cartoony and overly Megadave. The guitar work is significantly weaker as well, now it's reminiscent of your typical run-of-the-mill new 'frash band instead of the vicious shit heard on "Time is Up."

The only thing I really enjoyed about this one is the first two tracks, that dandy little solo on "Under the Gun" and... uh... I guess you can't really go wrong with the cover song either.

DakotaRogers wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

The Voivod record is mighty! But not thrash.

Progressive thrash metal isn't thrash metal? Alrighty then.

Didn't say that. I just said that the new Voivod album isn't thrash, progressive or otherwise. I don't think that they have been progressive thrash since Killing Technology, if they ever were.

The era of Voivod I like the most was Dimension Hatross through The Outer Limits and I would just call that progressive metal, not really any thrash (except a smidgen here and there on Hatross).

Boris2008 wrote:

Didn't say that. I just said that the new Voivod album isn't thrash, progressive or otherwise. I don't think that they have been progressive thrash since Killing Technology, if they ever were.

Lord, it's not like "Target Earth" was a continuation of the "Outer Limits"/"Angel Rat" material. This was like a much heavier, thrashier "Dimension Hatross," with elements from "Killing Technology." You won't find a description or a review that won't label them as progressive thrash metal. "Target Earth" was definitely a return to form.

Mechanical Mind... come on.

Gaahhhh!!!!!! Why does everyone think that I'm trying to downgrade or insult a band if I don't agree with their labels. Target Earth is a Voivod album. Voivod are and always have been impossible to categorize, file, sort and plop neatly into a genre box (except maybe progressive) because they sound like no-one else. Yes for sure it's heavier than a lot of stuff since the 80's, sure it's maybe more metal than what they were doing in the early 90's but still nothing that would make me think of it as a thrash record. There were two bands from the early thrash scene that never really followed the scene and just did something much more original that set them apart and made it impossible to define them into a genre. One was Celtic Frost and the other was Voivod. It's no coincidence that they are the two bands from that scene that I listen to the most nearly 30 years later.

That new Onslaught record on the other hand? That's thrash, total thrash, in your face great thrash!  

Boris2008 wrote:

That new Onslaught record on the other hand? That's thrash, total thrash, in your face great thrash!  

These new Onslaught albums are getting weaker and weaker. They probably won't top "Killing Peace" ever again-that was perfection. VI sort of petered out after the first two tracks, which were so f*cking bombastic  

SKELETON... PARADISE! BORDERS DO EXTENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND! WELCOMETOMYREALMOFCHAOS!

There were some interesting moments when they tried some new shit, like on "Children of the Sand," but I found the material on "Sounds of Violence," and especially "Killing Peace" more memorable.

 

I'm getting old. 44 2013 releases purchased thus far and not a one is thrash. The only 2 that even come close are Megadeth's Supercollider and Anthrax's Anthems. And neither of them really register as thrash.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I'm getting old. 44 2013 releases purchased thus far and not a one is thrash. The only 2 that even come close are Megadeth's Supercollider and Anthrax's Anthems. And neither of them really register as thrash.

I'm even older, no thrash this year, in fact the Black Sabbath album was really the only metal album I bought.

S.D. wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I'm getting old. 44 2013 releases purchased thus far and not a one is thrash. The only 2 that even come close are Megadeth's Supercollider and Anthrax's Anthems. And neither of them really register as thrash.

I'm even older, no thrash this year, in fact the Black Sabbath album was really the only metal album I bought.  

If you're only gonna get one, that's a good choice!

Skeletonwitch-Serpents Unleashed
By a mile I might add. This album has me hooked. It just dropped like a month ago and I've already listened to it more times than possibly any other album I own.

DakotaRogers wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

That new Onslaught record on the other hand? That's thrash, total thrash, in your face great thrash!  

These new Onslaught albums are getting weaker and weaker. They probably won't top "Killing Peace" ever again-that was perfection. VI sort of petered out after the first two tracks, which were so f*cking bombastic  

SKELETON... PARADISE! BORDERS DO EXTENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND! WELCOMETOMYREALMOFCHAOS!

There were some interesting moments when they tried some new shit, like on "Children of the Sand," but I found the material on "Sounds of Violence," and especially "Killing Peace" more memorable.

I prefered VI to Sounds of Violence but not as good as Killing Peace. I'm just glad to see them back and doing what they do because they have always been great but took a few wrong turns business wise in the 80's and I thought that would be the last we heard from them

But I'm like some of the other cranky old guys on here and I've heard very little thrash this year (millenium). I just pay attention to Onslaught because they were a special band.