Thrash-Thrash-Thrashin' in the Dark
Making puns is hard
What an excellent week we just had! We’ve been absolutely spoiled with quality as of late and you will not find me complaining about it at all. There were almost no albums that fell below a personal score of 7/10, and some even managed to break the 8/10 barrier.
Not only will we be recapping all of the great releases from the past week, we’ll be digging into one of the seminal genres of metal from its early days, Thrash Metal! So stick around I’m sure it’ll be fun.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Senyawa - Alkisah
Alkisah is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It brings a unique combination of folk music and extreme, experimental metal together in a way that is both interesting and emotionally compelling. From a sonic perspective, the sound is infatuating, sweet and harsh all at once. It’s akin to looking in on a future society who has progressed far beyond the need for standard melodies and song structures. From the second song on you’re treated to a barrage of junk percussion and insanity that has to be heard to be believed. Chants bounce their way through your speakers while stunted riffs echo over and over in a futile attempt to break free from the limiting cage holding them in. Eventually, everything does break and Senyawa unleashes one of the most ambitious and beautiful pieces of metal in years.
Great Metal from this Week
What an extremely strong week we just had. My favorite stoner-doom band Dopelord dropped an EP that did not disappoint and a bunch of bands I had never heard of made me question why I hadn’t heard of them.
Keep up with all these releases and more by following the Apotheosis Fresh Kills playlist on Spotify!
Subgenre Guide - Thrash Metal
Finally we’re beginning to reach the point where metal evolves into what I want it to be — extreme metal. Many metal scholars (is this a thing?) consider thrash to be the first ever extreme subgenre of metal. As a quick primer, extreme metal is a term used to encompass the most abrasive genres of metal. These genres buck the trend of melodic singing and riffs that were found in heavy metal. Instead, they focus more on rhythm and force. Many don’t even focus on rhythm. But to get back to thrash metal, thrash was the first genre to push against the soaring melodies of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Instead, they molded themselves after hardcore punk.
Much like the heavy metal produced by Black Sabbath, most thrash metal had an overt anti-right political bent. This is in line with both the metal side of the genre’s influence and the hardcore punk influence. Some of the most famous bands in this genre, such as Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, took this farther into anti-war imagery, using the horrors of war as a warning and as a titillating bit of anti-establishment hype.
Sonically the genre is marked by speedy tempos, low-tuned instruments, high-pitched guitar solos, complex riffs and shouted vocals. Of these elements, the vocals can be played with the most, as bands like Testament have tinkered with vocals that are more exciting than traditional hardcore punk inspired sing shouting.
Unlike most genres, thrash lacks a single lighthouse, instead they have four pillars. The four most important thrash bands include Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Some trade our Anthrax for Testament, and while I personally believe that Testament is the better band, it really should be five pillars. But when it comes to selecting a single song, you can’t do better than Slayer’s seminal track, “Raining Blood.” If you know, you don’t need me to tell you about it, if you don’t, listening is more effective than anything I could tell you.
Non-Metal AOTW
Black Dresses - Forever in Your Heart
Honestly this feels a bit like cheating calling this album non-metal. The opening seconds to the first track, “PEACESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” is tremendously metal and the rest of the album doesn’t let down on the intensity. But it leans more towards industrial in the way that a band like HEALTH would, so I’m taking my win. Really though this is one of the most impressive things you’ll hear all year. If the passing of SOPHIE was something that hit you particularly hard, as it did me and many others, then Black Dresses, another trans artist unafraid of using the darkest, most abrasive sounds on earth, may inspire confidence that the sonic legacy will continue.
Runners-up
Mogwai - As the Love Continues
Katy Kirby - Cool Dry Place
Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
Indigo Sparkle - Echo
Wild Pink - A Million Little Lights
Ex:Re - Ex:Re with 12 Ensemble
NISSIM - Uneven Ground
White Ring - Show Me Heaven
Things to Look Forward to
Not a lot of metal that is catching my eye next week, but I’m sure we’ll discover something buried within the muck that exceeds my expectations. However, despite having the same number of anticipated albums, our non-metal selections are sure to be spicy next week. I’m extremely excited for In Ferneaux, the newest project from Blanck Mass. His last record Animated Violence Mild continued the excellence of his previous record World Eater and expanded the legacy of his former group Fuck Buttons. It’s also vaguely metal-ish so if you’re a metal fan but not an experimental fan this could be the record to turn you into a believer.
Metal Albums
Kreator - Under the Guillotine
Sunnata - Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth
Melvins - Working With God
Non-Metal Albums
Blanck Mass - In Fernaux (!!!! This is one of my personal favorite artists)
Cloud Nothings - The Shadow I Remember
Julien Baker - Little Oblivions
Think I missed something? Let me know about it in the comments!
Shrinekeeping
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Catch y’all next Sunday! We’ll be taking a break the week after so that I can move my ass 2300 miles.