LETHAL - Demolition (Demo)
2004
http://algol.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/
Tracklisting:
1 - Devastation
2 - Lethal Injection
3 - Silent Strike
4 - Violent Solution
5 - Cleansed in Flames
6 - Tormentor
Welcome to Thrash metal terror. Its either in your blood, or its not. Its that simple. Being fortunate enough to have lived through the Thrash filled 80s, denim and leather, a decade ending with arena-filled shows like the Clash of the Titans tour, this centerpiece genre of metal is always running through my veins. Probably the most interesting aspect of Thrash is that it has NEVER been improved upon. Its been tweaked, and its been thrown into other genres, but the world has never seen anything surpass what was once accomplished before, all those 20 years ago.
And so along comes LETHAL in 2004. Rather than insist on progression, or modifying something to fit a modern day mallrat sound (see: anything on the MTV2 airwaves), these four teenage guys from Sweden pay homage to those that once stood before them. Bands that evolved from the Punk heyday, lifted the metallic sounds of the NWOBHM, and formed an entirely revolutionary genre called Thrash. When everything went wrong in the 80s world of Hair/Glam metal, Thrash kept the integrity and technicality alive. It was always very genuine, and thats just one way of describing LETHAL.
Devastation kicks the album off with a melodious intro, sounding curiously like BLUE OYSTER CULTs Dont Fear the Reaper funnily enough, but left eating dust as all hell breaks loose in a mass riff-tight Thrash frenzy. Listen out for the Kirk Hammet inspired solo sounding like it fell off the And Justice for All bandwagon; Lethal Injection sounds like something lifted from SEPULTURAs Beneath the Remains, its probably as close to a SEPULTURA riff/tempo breakdown as youre going to get here; Silent Strike delivers lots of SLAYERisms with a Raining Blood thumping intro leading into an all out Thrash-filled frenzy, open E strings hopelessly begging for mercy at the assault of an Angel of Death-like sweeping riff.
Best song on the demo? Cleansed in Flames. Well, the entire demo is a Thrash metal attack as if it was 1984 all over again, but this was the one track that had me hit the repeat button on my CD player more than once. Probably my favorite main verse riff, I just like the trills in the guitar play. It keeps the track bouncing along.
A few things worth noting at this point; some of the guitar solos are completely whacked out in a Kerry King kind of way lots of frenzied fret board runs becoming drenched in lashings of whammy bar dive-bombs. Also, the vocals are more extreme than your average mid-80s Thrash delivery, but refraining enough from falling into a modern-day Tomas I couldnt sound more bored if I tried Lindberg territory.
Most importantly, however, is the honesty in what youre listening to. Having obviously fallen into a semi-obsession with an era that existed at strength some 18-20 years ago, LETHAL are representative of the youth of today influenced by albums originally released before their time. Just as the generation before them grew up listening to the likes of BLACK SABBATH that may have predated their own adolescent existence, this is the circle of life in metal history: the best influence always stems from the innovators of their art.
LETHAL: Thrash metal terror coming your way! And with 2004 turning into the year for the Thrash metal comeback, they couldnt have picked a better time to deliver their own shell-shock blitzkrieg.
8/10
JayKeeley
At time of writing, LETHAL have been signed to the Witches Brew record label.
2004
http://algol.ath.cx/~erik/lethal/
Tracklisting:
1 - Devastation
2 - Lethal Injection
3 - Silent Strike
4 - Violent Solution
5 - Cleansed in Flames
6 - Tormentor
Welcome to Thrash metal terror. Its either in your blood, or its not. Its that simple. Being fortunate enough to have lived through the Thrash filled 80s, denim and leather, a decade ending with arena-filled shows like the Clash of the Titans tour, this centerpiece genre of metal is always running through my veins. Probably the most interesting aspect of Thrash is that it has NEVER been improved upon. Its been tweaked, and its been thrown into other genres, but the world has never seen anything surpass what was once accomplished before, all those 20 years ago.
And so along comes LETHAL in 2004. Rather than insist on progression, or modifying something to fit a modern day mallrat sound (see: anything on the MTV2 airwaves), these four teenage guys from Sweden pay homage to those that once stood before them. Bands that evolved from the Punk heyday, lifted the metallic sounds of the NWOBHM, and formed an entirely revolutionary genre called Thrash. When everything went wrong in the 80s world of Hair/Glam metal, Thrash kept the integrity and technicality alive. It was always very genuine, and thats just one way of describing LETHAL.
Devastation kicks the album off with a melodious intro, sounding curiously like BLUE OYSTER CULTs Dont Fear the Reaper funnily enough, but left eating dust as all hell breaks loose in a mass riff-tight Thrash frenzy. Listen out for the Kirk Hammet inspired solo sounding like it fell off the And Justice for All bandwagon; Lethal Injection sounds like something lifted from SEPULTURAs Beneath the Remains, its probably as close to a SEPULTURA riff/tempo breakdown as youre going to get here; Silent Strike delivers lots of SLAYERisms with a Raining Blood thumping intro leading into an all out Thrash-filled frenzy, open E strings hopelessly begging for mercy at the assault of an Angel of Death-like sweeping riff.
Best song on the demo? Cleansed in Flames. Well, the entire demo is a Thrash metal attack as if it was 1984 all over again, but this was the one track that had me hit the repeat button on my CD player more than once. Probably my favorite main verse riff, I just like the trills in the guitar play. It keeps the track bouncing along.
A few things worth noting at this point; some of the guitar solos are completely whacked out in a Kerry King kind of way lots of frenzied fret board runs becoming drenched in lashings of whammy bar dive-bombs. Also, the vocals are more extreme than your average mid-80s Thrash delivery, but refraining enough from falling into a modern-day Tomas I couldnt sound more bored if I tried Lindberg territory.
Most importantly, however, is the honesty in what youre listening to. Having obviously fallen into a semi-obsession with an era that existed at strength some 18-20 years ago, LETHAL are representative of the youth of today influenced by albums originally released before their time. Just as the generation before them grew up listening to the likes of BLACK SABBATH that may have predated their own adolescent existence, this is the circle of life in metal history: the best influence always stems from the innovators of their art.
LETHAL: Thrash metal terror coming your way! And with 2004 turning into the year for the Thrash metal comeback, they couldnt have picked a better time to deliver their own shell-shock blitzkrieg.
8/10
JayKeeley
At time of writing, LETHAL have been signed to the Witches Brew record label.
