Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Renegade - Total Armageddon (1987)


Old-school Australian thrash. A sloppy, mosh-y, Satanic good time. A commenter on one of my year-end lists asked about the lack of thrash (and grind), and I said that I don't really stay current on those subgenres. It got me thinking, though, and I think I'm generally less interested in 'modern' thrash because it seems hopelessly lost in the past. Sure, there's plenty of throwback stuff in the BM and DM scenes -- and I dig a lot of it -- but it's counterbalanced by a whole lotta innovation.

Is there groundbreaking thrash being made that I just don't know about? Or is everyone just content to make watered-down versions of Kill 'Em All and Pleasure to Kill 'til the end of time? Genuinely looking for input.

Track listing:
1. Necromancer
2. Decapitation
3. Black Ritual
4. Lucifer's Reign
5. Total Armageddon
6. Riot Squat Gladiator
7. Maneater
8. Threshold of Death

Black coats, black masses
White blood, drink it down
Black Prince, black magic
To your knees, get down


If you like this, try:
Kat -
Metal and Hell (1986)
Original Sin -
Sin Will Find You Out (1987)

23 comments:

  1. Outside of power trip and noisem, the only other newer thrash band I listen to is Subtype Zero. And even those aren't really innovative. Just really good.

    I'm not really sure thrash is a genre that needs, or could handle for that matter, much innovation. It's like a big mac. It's dependable and good the way it is.

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    1. Yeah, I guess that's why I don't really keep up on it. Not that I don't like it, and not that I insist on innovation lol, just hard to imagine a modern thrash record blowing me away on the same level that, say, the Entropy Created Consciousness record did. I'll check out Subtype Zero, thanks for the recommendation.

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  2. Yeah, I grew up in the original thrash era and although some of the "thrash revivalist" bands are ok, they are just that - an homage to what came before... like you, I would be interested to learn of anyone doing something novel and interesting within the broad umbrella term "thrash" (though I suppose that, ultimately, is the problem -- i.e., "thrash" was never really all that broad of a genre)

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  3. Nothing new here, but DEATHHAMMER! kills every other current thrash band. Most norway thrash is killer. Sweden's Antichrist, Hellbringer (Hell Awaits worship on the last record), Chile's Ripper.

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    1. Deathhammer fucking slays, have actually posted them here:(https://opiumhum.blogspot.com/2018/06/deathhammer-phantom-knights-2010.html)
      That brand of ripping, evil, almost first-wave-BM-sounding shit is definitely my favorite style of modern thrash. Will check out the others, thanks

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  4. Maybe I'm just a nerd but I can't get into modern thrash like municipal waste and power trip

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    1. Power Trip I thought was pretty good but not a band that I find myself returning to. Municipal Waste epitomize of what I don't like about modern thrash. Like, they can write riffs, and it's all very fun and metal, but they literally come off more like cosplayers than an actual band.

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    2. I agree so much. I saw Ghoul the other night and while it was fun they are kind of a gimmick.

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  5. If it is really groundbreaking I don't know, but Vektor's 2016 Terminal Redux was pretty innovative

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  6. Wow, who knew the devil is a beer swilling, head plucking Babysaur in diapers? I don't think even Venom was plugged into that. Crazier still, Robert Plant turns up at the mic. Totally hep. Thanks for the post.

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  7. Ranger-2013-Knights Of Darkness-EP-(320)-T.zip
    https://www7.zippyshare.com/v/H5OLEYSq/file.html

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  8. Came to suggest Vektor. So +1. Also Vexovoid and maybe Havok's newest album.

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  9. Hey D_S thanks man, had this on cassette - have not heard in years! I'm afraid I cannot think of anything "new" either (legit, modern thrash that's innovative..I'd like it to be out there but it's hard to picture it..) Punk/Hardcore and Thrash were my first extreme music "loves" and I never tire of bands like Kreator, Dark Angel, Destruction, Possessed, or the crossover/thrash of D.R.I., Crumbsuckers, Cryptic Slaughter, The Accüsed, Nuclear Assault, AND.....wait why the fuck am I naming well known stuff? Sorry just still love all these bands, waxin nostalgic while typing I guess. I've never been happy w their choice of name but I was listening to Wehrmacht earlier, "Shark Attack" is still a killer thrash album. They were intense, fast, but also goofy as fuck :)

    I will say that Ghengis Tron (electronic and grindcore, among other influences) who I dig a lot have a couple tracks with thrashy moments - but just fleeting moments so doesn't qualify!

    Regards,

    Tz

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  10. I tend to share your opinion. If you think about it, thrash was definitely a springboard for further innovation but when those bands did evolve, they did so almost entirely away from thrash. Think of bands like coroner, forced entry,hell even creator. Their later music became experimental, progressive, etc but by the end there was very little trace of thrash metal. All of the revivalist Bands are just mimicking thrash 101 instead of paying attention to stuff like coroner or forced entry.

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  11. Foreseen's "grave danger" isn't groundbreaking in the sense of the word, but it feels like a fresh melodic (and truly breakneck) take on crossover

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  12. More thrashing about:
    Deathhammer-2011-Forever Ripping Fast-(320)-T.zip
    https://www96.zippyshare.com/v/K25R507T/file.html
    Crypt Rot & Cringe-2018-Nocturnal Deterioration & Memento Mori-Split EP-(320)-T.zip
    https://www96.zippyshare.com/v/6l1HEDV8/file.html
    Deathhammer-2018-Chained To Hell-(320)-T.zip
    https://www96.zippyshare.com/v/dR7Urfw6/file.html
    Subtype Zero-2018-The Astral Awakening-(320)-T.zip
    https://www96.zippyshare.com/v/HZyiYNzQ/file.html
    Toxik-1989-2014-2018-In Humanity-& Demos-(320)-T.zip
    https://www96.zippyshare.com/v/N0YaT4m5/file.html

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  13. I'll second the poster who recommended Foreseen. Grave Danger is one of my favorite thrash records from the last few years. Nothing new, but it's done right.

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  14. Foreseen-2017-Grave Danger-(320)-T.zip
    https://www48.zippyshare.com/v/jgbkhDK7/file.html

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  15. Still more thrashing about:

    Havok-2017-Conformicide-(320)-T.zip
    https://www101.zippyshare.com/v/HRw449Oi/file.html
    Vexovoid-2014-Heralds Of The Stars-EP-(320)-T.zip
    https://www101.zippyshare.com/v/TNYUya7J/file.html
    Vexovoid-2017-Call Of The Starforger-(320)-T.zip
    https://www101.zippyshare.com/v/EGGiOIQE/file.html

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  16. Nekromantheon and Condor from Norway are two modern thrash bands that are heavy and aren't fun.

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  17. dead link for: Crypt Rot & Cringe-2018-Nocturnal Deterioration & Memento Mori-Split EP

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    Replies
    1. Gonna have to take it up with Anon, that ain't my link

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