Hailing from London, this four piece thrash band first came to my attention at the Moshin' The Roof On festival in Derby earlier this year, where they played a blistering gig of pure thrash metal; one of the most memorable sets of the day.
Their current line-up comprises Daniel Lucas on guitar and vocals, Jack Saunders on second guitar, Zaq Razaq on drums and Raimond Dobelis on bass. The band formed in 2016 and released their first album We Are Revolution in 2020, to great reviews and acclaim. Their second album Inside the Sickened Mind is a definite move forwards in the field of thrash metal, with a more polished sound and a established sound of their own.
The opener Final Act of Aggression prepares the listener that this is going to be a blistering album with a classic, jagged guitar and drum intro leading into the full band and almost spoken vocals. I y view this would not be out of place on any East Coast or early British thrash albums. The band have managed to create a feel like a classic US thrash band whilst retaining their Britishness, a hard thing to do.
It would be easy to point out their influences; Slayer, Exodus, Death Angel etc, but there are broader inspirations, as you can hear a lot of the NWOBHM bands as well in the vocal style and delivery. The intro to GBH (Gratuitous Bodily Harm) is almost Thin Lizzy or Saxon, obviously speeded up but nonetheless, this sound is there.
The tracks on this album are fabulous and way above their competition. I am aware that many of my fellow reviewers are big fans, and in this case they are well justified. If you are not banging your head by the opening bars of Hanging House, you must be dead inside. The riffs are infectious and the balance of speed and aggression keeping it true thrash without venturing into the realms of speed metal. Scream till Death, Consumed and Haunted are all great tracks, keeping the balance just right with feet tapping and heads bouncing throughout.
The title track Inside the Sickened Mind is an epic seven-and-a-half minute track and feels like one of those massive Iron Maiden tracks, think Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner but without losing the thrashing edge. It bounces along with a bit of a crossover sound to start, a slow interlude in the middle, and then gets going again with those thrash guitars and clear vocals. It works on every level for me and is a perfect balance of styles.
As I said, the range of influences are wide and varied from Maiden to Suicidal Tendencies through to early Metallica, but mixed and blended into the perfect sound; very much the future of British thrash metal. The album overall is a success and demonstrates the band are moving forwards at a good rate of knots. I am looking forward to see how they play out live at Thrashchester Festival in a couple of months. One of my top albums for this year.
Inside the Sickened Mind is out on 4th October.
Review by John Caffrey.
Live photos by Hutch
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