ALBUM REVIEW: The Bleeding – Monokrator


Within the ferocious realm of UK underground scene, the all-around relentlessly fiery thrash/death unit The Bleeding have been hitting the ground since 2010, (technically) kickstarted by the release of first full-length entitled Rites of Absolution (2017) after several years of releasing EPs and demos, followed by second-full length Morbid Prophecy (2019). Having been noticeably compared to the likes of Exodus, Kreator, Death, and Demolition Hammer, they never cease to present the best of reaping thrash-death metal eclectic rawness.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Hellripper – The Affair of the Poisons


The reignited interest in distinctly eighties-sounding metal styles, and more specifically, the thrash revival of the 2000s, has brought with it a handful of blistering new acts, alongside a slew of respectable releases from its originators. However, as a general scene, it has also suffered from a lack of innovation and compositional creativity. Often bands of this scene are perfectly content to just emulate classic sounds long-established by Sodom, Kreator, Venom, Bathory, and Slayer. Oftentimes, I find it a dull guessing game of which thrash bands are being ripped off whenever I listen to these bands. But there are nevertheless a handful of acts that in addition to paying tribute to the old guard’s sound manage to capture that fury, excitement, and blasphemous spirit of heavy music during the proto-extreme metal era. James McBain, the singular creative force behind Hellripper, clearly loves the style of first wave black metal and Teutonic thrash but is also creative enough to blend them to create something that sounds completely fresh. The result here is The Affair of the Poisons (Peaceville Records), a sophomore effort to the more straightforward Coagulating Darkness, and a release of blackened thrash/speed metal fury that will leave you yearning even more for a destructive live experience in 2020.Continue reading