Metal Heads Assemble!!

[aaron]

anyways retro thrash kinda sucks 'cause most bands are way too into being retro and not enough into being thrash

I really hear you on this. For instance I really dig Toxic Holocaust. They nail the look, vibe and attitude of old school thrash. Heck even their playing is on point, but the vocals sort of kill the thrash vibe for me. It winds up being thrash/death hybrid which is great but certainly not a throwback to the days of yore.

For that matter I think most of the best thrash being produced today is actually hybridized. Skeletonwitch plays fantastic thrash riffage, but mixes it up with blackened vocals. I raved for a minute about Exmortus up there but in truth they blend thrash riffs with power metal leads (and gruff vocals to boot).

I think part of the issue is that a lot of modern and up and coming metal bands are afraid to embrace clean-ish vocals (outside the realm of more cheese-tastic strains of metal like power and prog) Sure rough vocals have existed in thrash since practically forever, because ... early Sepultura, but I think when most people think of that classic thrash sound (i.e. Slayer, early Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Anthrax, etc., etc.) they also think of the clean vocal stylings associated with those groups.

I love death growls and blackened shrieks as much as the next metalhead, but it would sure be great to see a real thrash band with properly sung vocals every so often. OTOH Municipal Waste has the whole throwback crossover thrash scene on lock (and Iron Reagan if I'm being exceedingly generous, but really if I wanted more D.R.I. I would just listen to D.R.I) so maybe I'm just not looking in enough of the right places.

just listen to older bands. there aren't very many good nü-thrash bands out nowadays, imo. Havok, Evile, Gama Bomb, Guillotine, Vektor, Toxic Holocaust, Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan, etc... they're good, but they all get pretty stale after a while. there's not a sense of urgency like there was with the older bands. not really sure how else to describe it.

[nullPointer]

just listen to older bands. there aren't very many good nü-thrash bands out nowadays, imo. Havok, Evile, Gama Bomb, Guillotine, Vektor, Toxic Holocaust, Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan, etc... they're good, but they all get pretty stale after a while. there's not a sense of urgency like there was with the older bands. not really sure how else to describe it.

This is a true statement. I sometimes make a mental comparison between the re-thrash scene and remakes of classic games. Often times the remakes are flashier, technically superior, and fun little romps in their own right, but they generally miss a certain spirit captured by the originals. I suppose it's a bit like the old river analogy. You can return to the same point in the river but you'll never pull out the same bucket of water.

Luckily the stable of quality old thrash releases runs very deep, and there's seemingly always something new to discover.

[AppleQueso]

anyways retro thrash kinda sucks 'cause most bands are way too into being retro and not enough into being thrash

I really hear you on this. For instance I really dig Toxic Holocaust. They nail the look, vibe and attitude of old school thrash. Heck even their playing is on point, but the vocals sort of kill the thrash vibe for me. It winds up being thrash/death hybrid which is great but certainly not a throwback to the days of yore.

For that matter I think most of the best thrash being produced today is actually hybridized. Skeletonwitch plays fantastic thrash riffage, but mixes it up with blackened vocals. I raved for a minute about Exmortus up there but in truth they blend thrash riffs with power metal leads (and gruff vocals to boot).

I think part of the issue is that a lot of modern and up and coming metal bands are afraid to embrace clean-ish vocals (outside the realm of more cheese-tastic strains of metal like power and prog) Sure rough vocals have existed in thrash since practically forever, because ... early Sepultura, but I think when most people think of that classic thrash sound (i.e. Slayer, early Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Anthrax, etc., etc.) they also think of the clean vocal stylings associated with those groups.

I love death growls and blackened shrieks as much as the next metalhead, but it would sure be great to see a real thrash band with properly sung vocals every so often. OTOH Municipal Waste has the whole throwback crossover thrash scene on lock (and Iron Reagan if I'm being exceedingly generous, but really if I wanted more D.R.I. I would just listen to D.R.I) so maybe I'm just not looking in enough of the right places.

just listen to older bands. there aren't very many good nü-thrash bands out nowadays, imo. Havok, Evile, Gama Bomb, Guillotine, Vektor, Toxic Holocaust, Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan, etc... they're good, but they all get pretty stale after a while. there's not a sense of urgency like there was with the older bands. not really sure how else to describe it.

old bands were charting new territory, these bands deliberately put themselves in a box

[nullPointer]

old bands were charting new territory, these bands deliberately put themselves in a box

Well said! Perhaps this is why hybrid thrash combinations (when properly executed) can still sound fresh and exhilarating (to my ears at any rate), whereas pure re-thrash always seems to be lacking in a certain something.

[Forlorn Drifter]

I feel like Vektor makes some pretty good stuff, but other than that I don't mess with much nu thrash.

[AppleQueso]

To be fair, I'd be up to seeing most of these bands live. I mean a lot of the old bands really aren't much to watch on stage anymore, I'd kinda rather see some 20-somethings giving it their all to an audience.

[pepharytheworm]

Vektor is definitely not a rehash but really brings something new and is not the same old same. I can agree with the rest missing the soul though. I think Bonded by Blood is my favorite of the straight thrash sound of the newer generation.

To be fair, I'd be up to seeing most of these bands live. I mean a lot of the old bands really aren't much to watch on stage anymore, I'd kinda rather see some 20-somethings giving it their all to an audience.

Thrash wise Overkill, Anthrax, and Exodus are stiil pretty energetic live. Just saw Voivod and they put on a great show but I guess it helped having new blood in the band. Iron Reagen opened for them but besides the singer stayed in one spot hardly moving. Evile is actually one of the most boring bands I have ever seen live.

[AppleQueso]

Vektor is definitely not a rehash but really brings something new and is not the same old same. I can agree with the rest missing the soul though. I think Bonded by Blood is my favorite of the straight thrash sound of the newer generation.

To be fair, I'd be up to seeing most of these bands live. I mean a lot of the old bands really aren't much to watch on stage anymore, I'd kinda rather see some 20-somethings giving it their all to an audience.

Thrash wise Overkill, Anthrax, and Exodus are stiil pretty energetic live. Just saw Voivod and they put on a great show but I guess it helped having new blood in the band. Iron Reagen opened for them but besides the singer stayed in one spot hardly moving. Evile is actually one of the most boring bands I have ever seen live.

Hey generalizations are what they are.

I missed seeing Overkill here. They played right before I moved into town.

[nullPointer]

So Relapse records is celebrating their 25 year anniversary this year, and as part of that celebration they've just released a name-your-own-price sampler album containing a whopping 184 songs from various artists in their stable from over the years. I'm a sucker for sampler albums, but this is pretty much unreal.

For along time Relapse was one of those labels that could do no wrong for me, and they still have an incredibly strong lineup AFAIC.

You can both stream and purchase the album on bandcamp right here.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Oh how I love Nasum.