"LIVE FOR METAL ZINE" REVIEW ON "HELLISH METAL DOMINATE"
Well slap my ass and call me Sally, if this aint some primo Black Thrash right here! Now, whenever I smell the word "retro", I'm immediately sceptical of the results. Moreover, I've also never been partial to Greek acts for some reason. Don't ask me why, I've just always ended up disappointed with most Greek bands (Varathron excluded). Drunkard (not to be confused with Germany's Kings of Beer, Tankard), however, are the real deal. "Hellish Metal Dominate" is a release that is full of metal, leather, and hell. It has all the right elements to fuel any thrashaholic's keg party for days on end, with tons of passion, energy, and aggression. This album isn't a Destruction rip off, or a Slayer parody, or an altar of Venom worship. Rather, it is an amalgam of all of the aspects which make Thrash Metal so fucking great. You can hear the influences from all of the legendary metal acts both Stateside and overseas, yet the whole affair ties together with Drunkard's own charming take on things. The album opens with one hell of a song, the hilariously titled "Drunk With Satan". I'll admit, at first I was again sceptical. I thought to myself, "ok, this is some decent thrash, let's see what they do with it..." Then, my friends, Drunkard proceeded to BREAK IT DOWN, old school style, with a great Bay Area styled circle pit riff right in the middle which made me mosh in my seat with great and glorious glee. That's the coolest thing about Drunkard. You can tell right off the bat that they love EVERYTHING about thrash, and they're not afraid to show that they can rock Exodus right next to Sodom, and it sounds perfectly natural. A song like "Thrashing Vein" (after the speedfreak introduction of "Ride Thru Hell") possesses this same feeling. From then on, it's just a matter of sitting back and letting "Hellish Metal Dominate" take you on it's whirlwind ride straight into the depths. I'm so glad that a band like Drunkard has come around. The songwriting is strong, the vocals are brutal, the music is catchy, and the sound quality is just raw enough to bring back the feeling you had when you first began purchasing those old Thrash Metal tapes back in the day. "Hellish Metal Dominate" is an album that I can highly recommend to just about anyone; whether your only into oldschool metal like Venom, Exodus, and Kreator, or if you also hold appreciation for fellow new school thrashers like Aura Noir, Gehennah, or Hypnosia, it doesn't matter: I feel that everyone can understand where Drunkard is coming from. From "Drunk With Satan", to "Spiked Fist", "Sell Your Soul", and everything in between, this is one hell of an album. Track this fucker down and thrash your brains out! Cheers!!!
-- Metal George
http://www.live4metal.com/reviews-220.htm
Well slap my ass and call me Sally, if this aint some primo Black Thrash right here! Now, whenever I smell the word "retro", I'm immediately sceptical of the results. Moreover, I've also never been partial to Greek acts for some reason. Don't ask me why, I've just always ended up disappointed with most Greek bands (Varathron excluded). Drunkard (not to be confused with Germany's Kings of Beer, Tankard), however, are the real deal. "Hellish Metal Dominate" is a release that is full of metal, leather, and hell. It has all the right elements to fuel any thrashaholic's keg party for days on end, with tons of passion, energy, and aggression. This album isn't a Destruction rip off, or a Slayer parody, or an altar of Venom worship. Rather, it is an amalgam of all of the aspects which make Thrash Metal so fucking great. You can hear the influences from all of the legendary metal acts both Stateside and overseas, yet the whole affair ties together with Drunkard's own charming take on things. The album opens with one hell of a song, the hilariously titled "Drunk With Satan". I'll admit, at first I was again sceptical. I thought to myself, "ok, this is some decent thrash, let's see what they do with it..." Then, my friends, Drunkard proceeded to BREAK IT DOWN, old school style, with a great Bay Area styled circle pit riff right in the middle which made me mosh in my seat with great and glorious glee. That's the coolest thing about Drunkard. You can tell right off the bat that they love EVERYTHING about thrash, and they're not afraid to show that they can rock Exodus right next to Sodom, and it sounds perfectly natural. A song like "Thrashing Vein" (after the speedfreak introduction of "Ride Thru Hell") possesses this same feeling. From then on, it's just a matter of sitting back and letting "Hellish Metal Dominate" take you on it's whirlwind ride straight into the depths. I'm so glad that a band like Drunkard has come around. The songwriting is strong, the vocals are brutal, the music is catchy, and the sound quality is just raw enough to bring back the feeling you had when you first began purchasing those old Thrash Metal tapes back in the day. "Hellish Metal Dominate" is an album that I can highly recommend to just about anyone; whether your only into oldschool metal like Venom, Exodus, and Kreator, or if you also hold appreciation for fellow new school thrashers like Aura Noir, Gehennah, or Hypnosia, it doesn't matter: I feel that everyone can understand where Drunkard is coming from. From "Drunk With Satan", to "Spiked Fist", "Sell Your Soul", and everything in between, this is one hell of an album. Track this fucker down and thrash your brains out! Cheers!!!
-- Metal George
http://www.live4metal.com/reviews-220.htm