reviewslistt

						REVIEWS LIST	- T

T

TANKARD - THE TANKARD (1995)

Tankard continued thrashing throughout the nineties and in 1995 the band released their self-titled The Tankard. The Tankard was a lighter affair compared to their eighties material, it's punk-like approach might have been the flair of the month in '95. Vocalist Andreas 'Gerre' Geremia has cleaned up his vocals and he now sounds like a choir-boy, he is hardly recognizable from the early beer-drinking and zombie attacking days. His clean singing style does hardly belong on a thrash metal album.

I can imagine that Tankard wanted to sober up and steer away from their somewhat immature image by delivering an album with less focus on alcohol. The problem is that this new costume doesn't really fit the band. On the track Fuck Christmas, the band tries to be funny but it never fully feels like a homerun.

But one must remember how the thrash landscape was in 1995, it was dead. There were only a handful of bands playing thrash metal and Tankard was one of them and they deserve all the credit in the world for not selling out or giving in. Still, It's hard to listen to The Tankard and not comparing it to the bands glory days in the late eighties. Sure there are lots of fast thrashing passages but on The Tankard the band had a cleaner mainstream approach. But on the other hand calling this a sellout would be an unfair statement but one can only summarize The Tankard as one of their least exciting albums. Cheers!  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TANKARD - TWO-FACED (1994)

The nineties was a strange time for most thrash bands when the genre more or less died and bands devolved into groove or alternative rock. Tankard on the other hand kept going and actually delivers an album with some speed and riffs. But it's not the good 'ol Tankard either, No Two-Faced is much more punk inspired than the bands first five albums. So don't go and expect the same quality as on Zombie Attack or Chemical Invasion.

Two-Faced is filled with upbeat tempos and lots of energy. Perfect for those beer drinking nights in the pit, speaking of beer, this album is non-alcoholic as the band decided to sober up their lyrics and write songs about other themes than just beer and partying. But it's still not a mature album, the album feels as youthful as ever before with the punkier sing-along choruses.

For being 1994 Tankard is still surprisingly vital and even if it lacks some of the wild couragious riffs from their past it still passes as one of the best thrash albums of 1994. If you're a fan of the bands classic first three albums you can get some additional headbanging out of Two-Faced, especially when it's a better album than the two that followed.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TANKARD - STONE COLD SOBER (1992)

In 1992 when thrash metal was on the verge of going out of style Tankard released their fifth studio album without a care for trends. Sure in 1992 the scene was not yet completely dead but things were going sour pretty quickly but Tankard didn't care about trends and for that they should get all the praise in the world.

One funny thing about Stone Cold Sober is that the band doesn't sing that much about alcohol and when they do they sing about going stone cold sober and live healthy instead. Which is pretty funny. The album starts with a great track called Jurisdiction but the album definitely has it's ups and downs after that track, I also like the riffs in Ugly Beauty but the band is lacking some creative ideas here and the J. Geils Band cover feels unnecessary, The original is a pub rock anthem but the cover feels rushed.

Stone Cold Sober and Blood, Guts and Rock 'N' Roll are also pretty solid tracks from the bands fifth record but the album doesn't reach the same heights as Zombie Attack or Chemical Invasion. The album ends with a rather strange track, Of Strange Talking People Under Arabian Skies, which is something as rare as a prog metal track.

The record feels intense in a usual Tankard fashion but with a little thicker early 90's production without going super heavy.

Overall this is a thrash metal record and that needs to be said, as some Kreator, Sodom and Destruction all went overboard during the first half of the nineties and started experimenting with other musical styles.

Tankard stayed more true to their roots than just about every band out there, together with Sodom even if both bands had a dip in the mid nineties in terms of quality and popularity. But fortunately metal took a revenge with a big help of the internet, but that's another story. Stone Cold Sober is not the bands best work but it's not their worst either.   

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TANKARD - THE MEANING OF LIFE (1990)

In 1990 Tankard released their fourth studio album entitled The Meaning of Life. After three great efforts Tankard gained some popularity within the undergrounds of thrash. The Meaning of Life is similar in style to their third album The Morning After. Perhaps a bit cleaner production here by  producer legend Harris Johns whom produced just about every prominent Euro thrash album in the late eighties. Tankard delivers some of their catchiest classics like Open All Night, We are Us, Beermuda and Space Beer. Space Beer was by the way made into a video that got some airtime on MTV's Headbangers Ball.

Tankard keeps delivering intense music, with tight riffs and hectic drumming but The Meaning of Life doesn't reach the same levels as their first three albums, without being bad or so. It's still intense but the songs and the riffs doesn't reach the same high standard as earlier Tankard efforts.

Tankard's popularity has grown during this thrash revival maybe it's because of Tankard's fun-loving lyrics and lighter lyrical subjects, the album is both lighter and catchier than the bands previous efforts without going completely overboard. I feel that it get's a  little too light for me at times here.

Sure Space Beer and Beermuda brings a smile to my face at times. But I prefer when thrash has darker subjects and not being something you'll joke around about. The punkers can be light-weighted and pubertal. Us thrashers we have some more dignity in all the debauchery. But Tankard gets away with it more than others because they were original when they first came around.

It might sound like I'm totally bashing this album which I'm not. I think that it has some thrashing rage to it that most other early nineties album couldn't compete with. But this is not a Rust in Peace or a Coma of Souls either. But still it is an album that are up there amongst the 10-15 best thrash albums of 1990.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TANKARD - THE MORNING AFTER (1988)

Beer-crazed Tankard's third album was released in 1988 on Noise Records. It was a bit more technical than their previous efforts. The guitar duo Axel Katzmann and Andy Bulgaropulos delivers greatly and the whole album is filled with fast and highly entertaining riffs, "The Morning After" is very riff-oriented.

The production by legendary producer Harris John is well done. It's pure masculine frenzied thrash metal with very little regards of political correctness or anything else than beer. The lyrics are a bit too much for me at times and maybe if Tankard would have written songs about war, death and evil this album might have been considered on par with the best German thrash albums of all time. I'm not that fond of the Spermbirds-cover Try Again though, it's too punky for an old metalhead like me but I guess it break's off the frenzied thrash mayhem for a while.

The song The Morning After was one of Tankard's hit songs back in the day and a video was recorded and played regularly on MTV's Headbangers ball. Overall, The Morning After is hardly a hangover, it's one of Tankard's finest moments if not their best album.   

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TANKARD - CHEMICAL INVASION (1987)

The german beer-thrashers Tankard's second album "Chemical invasion" was released 1987 on Noise. Tankard brings together the two best things in the world, beer and thrash and it just can't go wrong.

Tankards lyrics may not have a deeper meaning but they put a smile on my face and that's enough for me, at least on the weekends. Most of the lyrical content deals about beer in one way or another, if you haven't understood that already. They've got some catchy songs that are easy to take to your heart, like "Chemical invasion", "Traitor" and the punky Gang Green-cover "Alcohol". Chemical Invasion is a great disc for those who got sick of all that usual easy listening party stuff.

Chemical Invasion is a real party pleaser, no doubt about it. The rhythm-guitars are fast even for thrash. Tankard throws in some fitting tempo-changes occasionally, A very germanic sound overall. Gerre's german accent shines through quite much, but that's just charming, his strained shouting style is effective.

You do recognize the typical Tankard sound if you have heard any of their other albums. Some people might think that they only got recognized because of their lyrics, but their music is flawless. Chemical Invasion is one of Tankard's best efforts, So go and crank up your sixpack and lean back in your chair and just enjoy the Chemical invasion!  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TANKARD - ZOMBIE ATTACK (1986)

1986 was an incredible year for thrash with legendary albums like Peace Sells, Master of Puppets, Darkness Descends, Reign in Blood and Pleasure to Kill. At the same time a German band by the name of Tankard debuted with their Zombie Attack. The album wasn't completely unnoticed but it didn't get the attention of those aforementioned classics.

Zombie Attack was born out of punk fury. 

It rages and thrashes on, always at full speed. Zombie Attack is almost old fashioned in a way. It has that type of frenetic riff-madness of bands like early Slayer, Exodus and Metallica. But Zombie Attack feels more like a fun and wild album when it comes to the lyrics. It's definitely less serious than most of their contenders, but that doesn't feel like a negative thing when the band doesn't fool around when it comes to the intruments. The album is filled to the max with high-testosterone tracks that completely slays. Like these Tankard classics; (Empty) Tankard, Thrash 'Till Death and Zombie Attack.

There is actually nothing to complain about here unless you have something against Gerre's thick German accent. But his guttural way of singing suits the savage sounds of Zombie Attack perfectly. If you ask me I think that Zombie Attack is their best album. It has such a frenetic old school vibe that some of the later Tankard albums lack.

Zombie Attack is the go to album for those crazy binge drinking nights were you'll end up naked on the pavement puking your guts out. Thrash 'till Death!  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - BROTHERHOOD OF THE SNAKE (2016)

Four years after the release of the modern day classic Dark Roots of Earth Testament has returned with another highly anticipated album, Since the release of Dark Roots the band has aired their dirty laundry publicly when they fired their longtime bassist Greg Christian, whom wasn't happy with that decision. Back is another known face, Bassist extraordinaire Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus) whom handled the bass on The Gathering from 1999. After publishing a few sneak peeks online I have finally been able to lay my hands on Testament's eleventh studio album, The Brotherhood of the Snake.

I think that the album continues down the path the band established with albums like The Formation of Damnation (2008) and Dark Roots of Earth (2012). So expect another record brimming to the max with sleek and tight old school thrash with updated production values. Guitar duo Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick delicate guitarwork is excellent, Gene Hoglan's shows why he is the atomic clock of thrash and Steve DiGiorgio conjures up an amazing tone on the bass and adds his punch to the compositions. Top all that with Chuck Billy's thundering roars and you have an instant classic.

Most songs on the album stays within their Brotherhood of the Snake native, as the album is inspired by Sumerian scriptures dating as far back as 6000 years.

Dark Roots of Earth was masterful enough, but Brotherhood of the Snake takes the bands ideas to yet another level. Thirty years from when thrash began to explode, its senior ambassadors Metal Church, Megadeth, Anthrax, Flotsam and Jetsam, Anthrax, Exumer, Paradox, Assassin, Destruction, Sodom, Death Angel and, of course Testament have served up one great record after another. Mark 2016 in your calender, as it's going down as one of thrash's greatest years, and Brotherhood of the Snake is yet another instant classic. 

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - DARK ROOTS OF EARTH (2012)

The Formation of Damnation from 2008 was a success for the Testament-camp and now in 2012 they are out with another thrash metal-album that builds on the sound from their previous album.

Dark Roots of Earth is a modern take on what the band did back in the eighties. Like a mix between 1994's "Low" and 1999's "The Gathering". The darkness, melodies and the roaring vocals of "Low" combined with the speed and intensity of "The Gathering".

Testament has succeeded in reconstructing the influences from their past and made it compatible with todays standards. The chunky crystal clear production by Sabbat-guitarist Andy Sneap is sharp to say the least. The musicianship are flawless in every way. But maybe the songs aren't as memorable as they once were in Testament's past.I guess that "Rise Up" is the hit-song from this album with it's memorable chorus; Rise Up!...WAAAAR! repeated over and over again.

Another track that got some attention is the song Native Blood which the band also recorded a music video for. Testament are true professionals and together with Overkill, Kreator and Sodom and a few more, they prove that the 80's brigade are still relevant. Even if they battle it out with kids half their age in todays diversed thrash scene. Simply, The Dark Roots of Earth is a modern day classic and it has put Testament back on the map again.   

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - THE FORMATION OF DAMNATION (2008)

Nine years after "The Gathering" it was time for another Testament release. On The Formation of Damnation Testament has returned to their roots. Testament integrates the modern sound of "The Gathering" with the old Skolnick-era of Testament. Speaking of Skolnick, he is back in the lineup again for the first time since 1992's The Ritual. Original bassist Greg Christian is also back for the first time since the mid 90's.

For us who loves the old Testament this is great news. Skolnick's melodic guitarplay is instantly recognizable and that adds to the old school-feeling, I get pretty nostalgic when listening to The Formation of Damnation. But in pure quality this is not on par with their pre-90's day as far as the songwriting goes. But I do like the two tracks; "More than meets the eye" and "Henchmen Ride". "The Formation of Damnation" is a solid album, Testament delivers what we expected from them. Rather entertaining well produced thrash metal. But a few tracks doesn't reach the heights that I want from a Testament record, maybe this album should have been an EP instead.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - THE GATHERING (1999)

Chuck Billy, James Murphy, Eric Peterson, Steve DiGiorgio and Dave Lombardo. What a lineup Testament has gathered for their eight studio album. James Murphy has returned to the band and the best drummer in the genre Dave Lombardo from Slayer are hired to fill Gene Hoglan's shoes. Even Sadus bass-extraordinaire Steve DiGiorgio are in Testament's new lineup.

After the first six minutes of this album you'll think that this is a new Reign in blood for the modern age. The Gathering starts with a such a furious brutality in the first two songs; D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate) and Down for Life. The album however starts to drag after a while. More fillers than killer so to say. And what should I say about Chuck Billy?, I've never been his biggest fan and the growling vocals doesn't cut it for me but sometimes he sings with his usual melodic voice too.

The record was produced by Andy Sneap and it's well done. The album is thrashier than their latest efforts. I like the drumming on the Gathering, it's just great but somehow the guitar play are a bit boring because what Testament gained in aggression they lost in melodies and diversity. It's too much generic bashing and too few guitar leads. I remember when this album was released.

It was when I started coding this website and it's strange that it's fifteen years ago now. I even saw Testament live when they toured Europe promoting The Gathering. The album was extremely hyped when it was released but for me this is an average album, but it's definitely a step in the right direction after the lousy Demonic-album. I give The Gathering three out of five stars.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

 

TESTAMENT - DEMONIC (1997)

Since the release of Low in '94 Testament had undergone big changes in the lineup, out went Tempesta, Murphy and Christian and in came Ramirez and Hoglan. I think that those three guys that left took all the talent with them because Demonic doesn't deliver what we are used to. 

Demonic is not a thrash metal album, it's more some type of modern death metal with groove metal riffs. It's not great death metal either, it's rather slow and sludging. The vocals by Billy is terrible the production is modern and compressed. The typical Skolnick-guitar play is gone because he is no longer in the band and no James Murphy either. I guess I can't blame newcomers Hoglan or Ramirez.

This was a bad idea from the start and a poor performance doesn't exactly help the cause. Demonic is Testament's worst album, by far. There are no songs on this album that I like. Some may think that "The Ritual" was Testament's worst album because it was a bit mainstream, even if this is a step in the total opposite direction, Demonic fails to deliver and I must say that this is one big disappointment. 

⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - LOW (1994)

It's 1994 and thrash metal is outdated to say the least. Testament went deep underground, in fact not that many even cared to bother with an old dinosaur like Testament. The album starts with the song Low and it's one of their most famous songs from the nineties. 

Testament has a very brutal sound on this album it has almost death metal at times, Hail Mary are another song in the same style and quality with a bunch of brilliant riffs from duo Peterson and Murphy. Trail of tears is a sentimental ballad. This album has a little too much of those slower moments and when they show aggression Chuck Billy's voice is really deep and guttural. I kind of miss that old energy and brilliant leads that Alex Skolnick brought into Testament's sound, that was a thing that seperated them from the masses. Don't get me wrong James Murphy is a brilliant guitarist but he plays the guitar differently. The album starts off strong but as it passes along the quality drops.

Low is a good album to be released during a time when almost no other bands were interested in playing this kind of music. I respect them just for that.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - THE RITUAL (1992)

Another 90's thrash metal review, you better brace yourselves!

Most bands started to struggle with their identity during the first half of the nineties, and Testament was no different. They released the Ritual in 1992 and commercially it was a succes and it reached #55 on the Billboard charts. But in most cases when the bands become more popular they often need to go softer and that's what Testament has done here.

Chuck Billy uses his clear voice but what Testament has lost in speed they have gained in melody. After a short intro the album starts out with their hit song Electric Crown that got some airtime on MTV back in the days. It's no screaming thrasher though, it's some type of semi-ballad. Don't get me wrong, it's a good song but it's not your regular thrash metal mayhem. It's still the best song on the whole album.

After the Electric Crown the album starts to drag and the quality ain't what we're used to. But songs like so The Ritual, Agony, The Sermon and the ballad Return to Serenity are effective songs but they don't save the album from getting a weaker rating. The vocals by Billy is kind of weak and bad and the music itself is kind of uninspiring but the thing that saves this album completely are the marvelous guitarplay, especially the lead guitar and soloing.

The Ritual was Testament's dip into mainstream, it's filled with ballads and the thrashing riffs are easily counted. The Ritual is a moderatly good album, not a total necessity for a thrash fan but it still has some vibes of earlier Testament.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - SOULS OF BLACK (1990)

Since their 1987 debut The Legacy Testament has been real busy and by 1990 they released their fourth studio album titled Souls of Black.  Maybe they were running out of steam when the nineties arrived because there are some filler tracks on Souls of Black. The band had probably look towards Metallica for inspiration and the band lost some of it's speed and aggression. But the music is still very chunky and melodic but Chuck Billy's vocals isn't as angry or wild as before. It is a little too clean at times.

Aesthetically, it's quite similar to Practice What You Preach in style and sound but the album feels a bit underdeveloped compared to some of the albums that hit the market in 1990. But most of their fans including me think that Souls of Black is a good thrash album bordering on great but we have really high standards for a band like Testament.

So what's good then?  I like the title-track Souls of Black with it's chromatic Bass intro. The track Malpractice also has a few interesting riffs and tempo changes. I also like the very last track Seven Days in May.

The guitarplay are very melodic while still keeping those Bay area rhythms, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick are an amazing guitar duo and they keep proving it. The band also goes down the ballad route with the song The Legacy, which has some beautiful arrangements and dreamy guitar leads. The Legacy is actually one of the best "thrash" ballads ever recorded if you ask me.

I always though Alex Skolnick's guitar play was an incredibly important aspect of Testament's sound and his wonderful guitarplay is splattered all over this disc. But something is missing on Souls of Black, maybe the album needs more balls, going head over heels into fast thrashing modes for it to fully lift. But still a solid thrash album and maybe even their best during the so mocked 90's decade.   

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH (1989)

Practice what you preach was the bands third release and Testament has recorded a few classic tunes for this album, like the title-track "Practice What You Preach", "Greenhouse Effect" and "Sins of Omission". But also a ballad simply called "The Ballad". Some bands call it as they see it. haha

This was Testament at their most melodic. It was also a quite big hit in the metal community and it sold well, without taking the band into mainstream focus. "Practice What You Preach" has this mid-tempo pace with dozens of great melodies and a style that wasn't so far away from what Metallica was doing at the time. But mainly, it was a strong effort. "Practice What You Preach" is one of Testament's better moments. But maybe not reaching the quality from the bands first two albums "The Legacy" and "The New Order", but this album is strong and I rank it amongst their best albums.

The album also takes Testament in a new direction when it comes to the lyrics as the band now sings about politics, free speech, enviromental issues and similar topics. Topics wide enough for everyone to like but perhaps not as personal or violent as some fans might have wanted it. Practice What You Preach is a strong album with great vocals and some highly skilled guitar mastery by duo Skolnick and Peterson. The album lacks a little aggression and speed, but it's still a classic.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - THE NEW ORDER (1988)

Testaments second album hit the market in 1988 and it furthered Testament's popularity. This album differs quite a bit from their debut, Chuck Billy is more controlled and the lunatic falsetto screams are unfortunately gone.

The youthful wild aggression from The legacy are toned down and instead Testament displays a more melodic Metallica-esque sound. But Eric Peterson's excellent chugga-chugga guitarwork is still there, so the changes are noteworthy but this is in no way shape form a sellout album. Testament had evolved as a band and the arrangements feels more structured here. The New Order is a hit parade with unforgettable classic like The New Order, Trial by Fire, Into the Pit and Disciples of the Watch. Songs that are all amongst the best the band ever wrote.

Over the years Testament have had a whole bunch of talented musicians in their lineup but I think that the classic lineup of Billy, Peterson, Skolnick, Christian and Clemente was the quintet that delivered the most. I can't do anything than admire Alex Skolnicks skills here, he is a real guitar wizard that brings in harmonies that no other thrash band was able to bring to the table. He should be as regarded as a guitar god in the same way as Hendrix, Vai or Malmsteen.

I always said that it was Testament's 1987 debut that were the bands best effort but in more recent years it's The New Order that I most often comes back to. The album may have a few filler tracks but overall The New Order stands the test of time and it has proven to be one of the highlights of the whole Bay Area movement.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - THE NEW ORDER (1988) (Review by: Per-Ola Nilsson)

It was hard to establish and get a huge following playing thrash in the late eighties as there where so many bands. But Testament made it, although they debuted as late as in 1987. And hearing their second album "The New Order" (1988), it is not hard to understand why they did. 

This is one of the major classics to rise out of the Bay area back in the days and my opinion is that it is even better than "The Legacy". Testament presents a thicker sound than on the debut here. Alex Skolnick delivers riffs, riffs and riffs that are worth breaking your neck over and over again for. The first half of the disc is a parade of thrashing classics. Just listen to the savage riffing of "Eerie Inhabitants" and "The New Order" or the viciousness of "Into the Pit". And "Disciples of the Watch", with it's hammer-like guitar attacks, is in my opinion the best thing the guys ever came up with.

The second half of the disc also contains some fair songs, but not of the same quality as the first one. All in all though, "The New Order" is the obvious choice for your Testament-buy and a piece of thrash history.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TESTAMENT - THE LEGACY (1987)

Due to a namestruggle with another band called The Legacy, The Legacy changed their name and became Testament. As nod to their past Testament called their debut-LP "The Legacy". When the album first hit the stores it was an instant classic and Testament was hailed as a serious contender to the giants of the first wave of thrash, Testament quickly became one of leading bands of those bands that arrived in the late eighties.

The Legacy is filled with raging and speedy thrash metal, melodic and intense at the same time. C.O.T.L.O.D. (Curse Of The Legions Of Death) and First strike is deadly are Testament's two best songs, fast like hell and extremely great, they take this album to another heigths. There are other killer tracks here too, the more melodic Over the wall, Burnt offerings, Alone in the dark & Apocalyptic city, well the whole fucking album totally kicks everything Testament has done since, especially when it comes to speed and intensity.

The musicianship are outstanding, Louie Clemente is relentless, Alex Skolnick is the king of melodies and who can deny the greatness of Chuck Billys voice? The Legacy is a totally frenetic rip-ride of an album, so full of energy that your neck will hurt in no time. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

THE GREAT KAT - WAGNER'S WAR (1992)

Well, here we go..., I recieved this disc through The Great Kat's homepage, because she wanted me to do a review of her latest effort "Wagner's War". The Great Kat is for sure one hell of a personality with her sexy yet deadly image. Anyhow Wagner's War is twelve minutes of frenzied classical music with earpiercing horrid vocals. The high priestess of guitar shred gives us a lesson in classical music with a twist of Yngwie Malmsteen mixed with some type of unfocused speed metal, calling this thrash metal would be wrong, so this album doesn't fully belong to a site like this. And I'm personally no bigger fan of guitar shredders like that, where some type of musical elitism is a measurement how good something is.

A simplistic riff can be better than a stream of guitar notes played at a high speed. I really like her full sexy maniac image and she is a a quite talented and original guitarist but the music is just not my style, if you are very experimental and like both real fast shredding with the blood and gore then maybe the Great Kat is for you, me personally don't see the greatness here.  

❌

........................................................................................................................................

THE HAUNTED - MADE ME DO IT (2000)

Maybe this album doesn't belong to a thrash metal site like ours, or maybe it does. Anyhow the winds of change has blown over the Haunted camp. Vocalist Peter Dolving has left and drummer Adrian Erlandsson have been recruited to english posers Cradle of filth.

This album is much more varied then their debut, more heavy and melodic but lacking a bit in speed without losing it at all. Sounding a bit like more recent Slayer. The intro are very Slayer-like, a strong and violent album right through a bit like Dark Angel sometimes, the song Leech is a heavy song, Hollow ground, World burns and Silencer are all strong thrash songs, Vocalist Marko Aro is more the hardcore-type screamer than Dolving's death metal type of singing.

I prefer Dolving. This album mixes 80's thrash with a more modern updated Gothenburg-style without feeling like a metal goes rap album. "The Haunted Made Me Do It" actually won a Swedish grammy back in 2000, as the best hardrock/metal album of  the year. The Haunted is somewhere in the region of melodic death metal and thrash. Pushing the boundaries, but I'm not sure it's in the right direction for an old school thrasher like myself.  

⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

THE HAUNTED - THE HAUNTED (1998)

The Björler brothers Anders & Jonas formed The Haunted from the ashes of death metal legends "At the gates". They teamed up with Patrik Jensen (Ex. Seance) and Peter Dolving (Ex. Mary beats jane) to form a scandinavian "super group". The Haunted mixes the modern Gothenburg sound with old school thrash metal to a great success.

Metal magazines from all over Europe praised the Swedes as the next big thing in metal. Months after they released this debut album they were opening for bands like Slayer and Testament. But what about their album then?, well...it reminds me a bit of modern day Slayer but with even more aggression and hardcore styled aggression. With dark and hateful lyrics that are a bit like Pantera, so expect nothing intelligent here, this album celebrates hate and aggression more than interesting and intellectual compositions.

There are no stop signs here, just straight ahead modern hardcore / melo-death / thrash from the start to the end. Personal favourites on this album has to be "In vein", "Choke hold" & "Three times", One thing that is disturbing that is the lyrics, Mr. Dolving just loves the word "fuck" which he uses all the time. Like some emo teen who has unresolved issues. This album is not that varied, it's just skinbattering, fast and speedy hardcorish death/thrash. For the openminded modern metal fan only, this is avoidable for the old school thrasher. 

⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TORANAGA - GOD'S GIFT (1990) (Review by: Per-Ola Nilsson)

Toranaga was an english band, fitting perfectly alongside their thrashing countrymates in D.A.M. and Slammer soundwise. However, thanks to their somewhat laid back style, Toranaga creates a niche of their own. Almost only mid tempo-songs on this 1990-release, as the drums roll on at a steady, moderate pace. On top of that, though, we get fast, frenetic and thrashing riffs. Occasionally, they sound something like a thrash version of Ozzy Osbourne's band. Strong vocals, amazing riffing and nice song build-ups marks this album. Competent numbers throughout, with the opening duo "The Shrine" and "Psychotic", along with "Food of the Gods" shining brightest. Well, what the heck, if you like to bang your head and jump around your bedroom riffing when no one sees, track "God's Gift" down. It's not the best thrash album ever made, but a fine one indeed.   

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TORANAGA - BASTARD BALLADS (1988)

Hailing from Great Britain, Toranagas debut mini-LP Bastard Ballads was released in 1988. England had lots of promising thrash bands. But the scene was in the shadow of the old 70's giants and the NWOBHM-era that dominated the islands. There is a funny sticker on my LP that says "Contains no hit singles". That is true, Toranaga wasn't a band for the big arenas. But they certainly were a solid underground-band.

Toranagas style is reminiscent of early Exodus occasionally but Toranaga has a melodic sensitivity that Exodus never cared about. Early Metal church or perhaps late eighties Lääz Rockit would be a fair description, fans of early Overkill will probably also take great pleasure by spinning Bastard ballads. Mostly because of their frequent use of fast galloping rhythmguitars, the music itself is very diverse, never a boring second.

I like it when bands can slow down without losing the thread in their music which Toranaga does with grace. Vocalist Mark Duffy is quite ordinary, with no real wailing or falsetto screams nor a growling death metal approach. It sounds like any man taken from the street without spoiling the music. If you're looking for a big and fanzy thrash metal band with perfect production you may look elsewhere, this is thrash metal the way it was meant to be.   

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TORCH (SWE) - ELECTRIKISS (1984) (Review by: Per-Ola Nilsson)
Torch was the ultimate party band on the swedish scene. They alwas mixed Manowar/Heavy Load style through-to-the-core heavy metal with the raw and mindless feel of W.A.S.P. (before W.A.S.P. was even an idea inside Blackie Lawless' head). "Electrikiss" is the kind of album you would put on at maximum volume at a party, and had people in general only had the slightest taste in music, everybody would sing along, raise their fists and bang their heads.

On this album, which was to be their last release, Torch took their raw and simple style to perfection. Every song is more or less a gem. You don't get anything fancy or innovative (fuck innovation!), just fat riffs, sing along-choruses and lots of headbanging. The shit heavy title track, that still has a feel good-touch, is a true classic. That was Torch's strength - no matter how heavy, raw or angry they got, their songs were always good drinking and laughing partners. Pretentious assholes would probably mumble something about Spinal Tap. I say tie them at the gallows of heavy metal and crank up "Electrikiss", so we can't hear 'em.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TORCH (SWE) - FIRERAISER (1982) (Review by: Immerstahl)

TORCH is a band that I’ve always looked up to. A band that, from my point of view, has been very important to the Swedish Metal scene. Now this record, the first one in chronological order, really does punch you in the face, and you'll like it. Straight forward Swedish Metal with an attitude which won’t leave anyone untouched. The track; “Fire Raiser”, “Retribution ” carried by the raw vocals of Dan Dark really proves my proclaim!

Edit: The track “Beyond” from this record also appears on the record. “Torch”, but then it is called “Beyond the Thresholds of pain”.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TOURNIQUET - VANASHING LESSONS (1994)

On Vanishing Lessons Tourniquet parted ways with vocalist Guy Ritter and in came Luke Easter, the difference was monumental and Luke Easters clean and more modern way of singing took the band in another direction in the mid 90's and forward. Just look at the albums artwork and you'll understand that this is another type of album. Big steps have been taken to ride on the mainstream wave of 90's Groove and Grunge, or to be more specific I would say that the band has infused elements of alternative rock with smaller elements of Funk metal a la Suicidal Tendencies and with some nods to Metallica. Simply, Tourniquet's sound is softer and speed limits seems to be enforced.

In retrospect we could see the bands popularity decrease in the nineties with the arrival of Luke Easter, but it was definitely not just his fault. The band knew they had to leave the field of technical thrash to survive but this alternative rock infested album didn't go that well with the fans. Just listen to Twilight, an acoustic song sounds that sounds like a terrible pop song that you could hear on MTV in the mid nineties. There are definitely some Green Day meets The Offspring thing going on here and it's just sad. This album is a sad low point in the bands career.   

⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TOURNIQUET - PATHOGENIC OCULAR DISSONANCE (1992)

Tourniquet's third album was the last release from the classic lineup and soon after the release both vocalist Guy Ritter and guitarist Erik Mendez left the band and Tourniquet went in a more progressive direction. But that's another story. In 1992 the original lineup was still intact and they gave us one last thrash beast before moving on. The album was produced by Bill Metoyer and released on Intense records for the christian crowd and on Metal Blade for us savages.

So how about the album then. First the negative, The Pseudo-Intellectual god-praising and kind of bizarre medical terminology. The album has also a different feeling than the first two, this is much more progressive with elements of blues and jazz incorporated.

I would say that the first two are thrashier but the band is still within the thrash realm. The track Gelatinous Tubercles of Purulent Ossification has some stupid sound effect on the vocals which destroys the song completely. So this is a bad album then? Not exactly let's go through the positive sides. The drumming is as tight as it can be and the guitars are innovative with a neo-classical edge to them and overall the music is way above average. The vocals are diverse and well-executed.

Many wild ideas are incorporated here and most of them works out well. Tourniquet's third album is varied and variation is good. Tourniquet is a very talented band and they explore more than your average thrash band and that is mostly good even if it doesn't hit home all the time. Four out of five!  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TOURNIQUET - PSYCHO SURGERY (1991)

Tourniquet's second studio album was released in 1991 through Intense Records. It's also the second with the classic Tourniquet-lineup of Ritter, Lenaire, Machias, Kirkpatrick and Mendez. Tourniquet's second album feels more mature than their debut when Guy Ritter moved away from using his falsetto screams. The album is also more technical and psychotic. Tourniquet handles their instruments better than most bands, just listen to the guitar work and the brilliant drumming, the band delivers both crunch and melodies in an impressive way.

The album is strong but it has it's weaker moments too, like the song Spineless which has some scratching and rap elements which is highly annoying when the rest of the album is so focused. But I guess they wanted to highten the psychotic feeling of the album but that try definitely falls short. But overall this is still a techno thrash album with some brilliant drumming and guitars. I especially like the title-track, which has a memorable chorus. But let's be frank, the album has a few filler tracks as well. Still I'll recommend Tourniquet's Psycho Surgery to all fans of technical thrash.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TOURNIQUET - STOP THE BLEEDING (1990)

After Vengeance Rising, Tourniquet was one of the first christian thrash metal bands. Tourniquet's reputation grew fast after releasing a few strong albums in a row starting with Stop the Bleeding from 1990. Today they are considered as one of the greats when it comes to white metal. But if we put jesus aside for a moment and focuses on the music for a while.

 Tourniquet brings their A-game right from the start. Luke Easter's voice is rather high and his voice reminds me of vocalists such as King Diamond, Udo Dirkschneider and Rob Halford depending on what track you listen to. The musicianship is tight and Gary Lenaire and session musician Mark Lewis delivers some impressive guitar work. The drumming by Ted Kirkpatrick is is also worth mentioning, he is an excellent drummer.

The album was produced by genious Bill Metoyer and Roger Martinez from earlier mentioned Vengeance Rising. So the production is also great. On the negative side it sounds like the band ripped off a vocal melody from Metallica's Welcome Home (Sanatarium) for their The Threshing Floor. The album are leaning quite a lot towards more traditional heavy metal with smaller progressive elements into the mix. Especially in how the riffs are executed. Stop the Bleeding ain't the most aggressive album I've heard, but the band's brilliant in so many other aspects. Overall I do recommend Stop the Bleeding, it's not an album just for the religious freaks. Any thrash and heavy metal fan can enjoy this for sure. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TOXIK - THINK THIS (1989)

Toxik displays some real technical thrash mastery here. Think this is filled with incredible high-pitched vocals and shouting backing vocals. The album is filled with paranoia and fears over an Orwellian society. Think this has a serene and calm guitar feeling, creating a peaceful and soothing atmosphere. Then, slowly but surely, the pressure of advertising and propaganda overcomes the peace. And then all hell breaks loose, with fast and hammering guitar riffs, relentless pounding drums, and soaring and shrieking vocals.

Think this is a surely a masterpiece, it was released in 1989 and it was Toxik's second and unfortunately last album. Vocalist Charles Sabin and guitarist John Donnelly were new members of Toxik and the band went from a quartet to a quintet. Think this has thoughtprovoking lyrics, great vocals, innovative and highly skilled musicians and a good solid late 80's production. So shut off your TV and go and get yourself some Toxik thrash metal. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TOXIK - WORLD CIRCUS (1987)

Toxik's debut was released in 1987 and it took the thrash metal community by storm. Toxik fastly gained a reputation as one of the most talented thrash metal bands around. This album is so intense yet very technical. Their music definitely has some progressive elements to it. The guitar is screaming and the riffs are unbelievably fast. The drumming is intense and the bass keeps pounding like a hammer. If you haven't heard World Circus by Toxik, You missed out on one of the best speed / thrash albums out there.

The vocals are highpitched and earpiercing and Josh Christians guitarplay is out of this world, he must be considered as one of the most talented guitarists in thrash metal. Toxik's sound is like a mix between early Agent Steel and Watchtower. But the album is not as progressive as the second Toxik album. On World Circus it's more straight forward bashing we get. The lyrics are great and thought provoking, Toxik was always the thinking man's thrash metal. Toxik's debut World Circus has everything you could wish for in a thrash metal album. Heart, Heart, Heart, Heart, Heart Attack!  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TURBO - LAST WARRIOR (1988) (Review by: Per-Ola Nilsson)

Polish thrash, how about that? Reportedly the early works of Turbo, who hail from Poland indeed, were more traditional heavy metal. On 1988's "Last Warrior" though, there is no doubt about it - it's thrash the boys are aiming for. However, their heavy metal roots shine through at places, as in the title track, and therefore this album ranges from that to very intense thrash. Singer Greg is very agressive, like a Paul Baloff on crack or something.

I don't really like his shouting, but he certainly adds the brutality. Quite a few great thrash-anthems here actually, with "The Trojan Horse" and "Seance With Vampire" deserving a mentioning each. As hinted before, Exodus is an influence, and I think we can add Kreator too (listen to Angel From Hell!). There is something, though, that prevents this album to fully get through to me. Even though it's not the fastest or most brutal album put out, it feels over-intense in a way. It must have something to do with the vocals. But, on the other hand, intensity is something we want, so why shouldn't I like it? Take the vocals out, and this is a great album. I even think it has recently been re-issued on CD, so it shouldn't be hard to find. 

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TURBO - OSTATNI WOWOJNIK (1987)

In the world of thrash metal few bands are as underestimated as Turbo from Poland. Why you might wonder, there is only one reason, they rarely sing in English. But don't be like your dad when you show him your Slayer albums: "I can't hear what they sing therefor I can't like 'em.". No, It's time to man up and give Turbo from Poland a chance because they are a truly brilliant band. If you haven't heard Turbo before you can skip their first two records because they were more in the Judas Priest mold, they picked up the speed on their third album, Kawaleria Szatana.

Here on their fourth record it's another full on thrash attack. Ostatni Wojownik starts with an epic Metallica like intro with military drums that leads into some seriously devastating thrash. Like Slayer in their prime Turbo pummels away with occasional high pitched Tom Araya shrieks from Grzegorz Kupczuk, the intro track even has a female back up vocalist, which was highly unusual back then. When most thrash bands evolved with some maturity and sophistication, Turbo brought back the pure debauchery the genre started losing in the later half of the eighties.

Sure they give you a few Metallica inspired intros here and there, but Turbo's goal is not to be an Eastern European Metallica instead they give us a thrash attack with screaming guitars and rhythm section that smashes their guts out. Their sound reminds me like a bit of early Slayer or Destruction with some more sophistication and a more technical approach. The production sounds pretty good as well, so there's nothing to be bothered by here.

To reach a broader market Turbo re-recorded and released the album with English lyrics under the name Last Warrior, that album was released through Noise records and are perhaps easier to find a copy of.

Turbo was not another generic thrash band that gets cred for simply playing thrash where no one else did. Turbo were real savages back in the late eighties and Ostatni Wojownik might very well be their best effort. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TURBO - KAWALERIA SZATANA (1986)

I don't understand a word about what Turbo sings about, they could be singing about fluffy pink clouds for all I care. By looking at the mysterious album cover I would guess that the songs are about the opposite. As you might have guessed this album is sung in their native polish language. Turbo is a long lasting heavy metal band who started to play thrash metal in the mid 80's. Kawaleria Szatana was released in 1986 and it's their most popular album amongst most fans.

You can still hear a few Iron Maiden, Helloween and Running wild similarities here and there. It has a lot in common with the speedy power metal era from the mid 80's. The guitar soloing is intense and the intricate riff structures are out of this world. The vocalist has hoarse but still a melodic voice, his screams makes him sound like a total psychopath, which in this case is good. If you're not that familiar with thrash metal from the eastern block I would suggest that you start with Turbo's Kawaleria Szatana. It's flawless.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................

TYNATOR - LIVING IN PAIN (1989) (Review by: Mr. Thrash)

In the early nineties I recieved an album with the thrash metal band Tynator. A relatively obscure band which I never heard from again. I don't know so much about this band, but I never spent time on research either. No names of the musicians or lyrics are mentioned on the CD, I have no idea if it's different on the vinylrelease. The album is pressed in France, and released on the english company CCG UNDER GROUND RECORDS with copyright from TORTURE MUSIC. The band itself is from the U.S.A, rather confusing!

Tynator plays a technical/melodic thrash metal, and their musicality is nothing to doubt about. It's a good variation of songs and bands like Exodus/Megadeth/Intruder/Metallica comes to mind. The drummer is skillful and plays with solid double kegs. The guitarist/guitarists is on a uneven level. The first three songs is of a higher class musically and production wise, with a couple of solon and interesting speed changes. Song 4 up to 7 has a worse sound quality and they sound worse overall, the drumming is intact though. There are rumours going around that Living in pain is a compilation of Tynators demos.

I don't care if this is true or not. The only thing about this album that I don't like is the vocals. He can sing, but it feels like he is holding it back. Like if he is afraid of using his capacity. Unfortunately is the vocals too tame and it takes away the great experience of the music. This is no album that you'll cry your eyes out if you miss, but for people with a perverted desire to collect odd thrash, this album will be a main target to hunt down.  

⭐⭐⭐

........................................................................................................................................