Paralysis Album "Life Sentence"

    Usually when I think of New Jersey and thrash metal two bands come to mind right away, those two being Overkill and Whiplash. After listening to Paralysis and their debut full-length release, “Life Sentence,” it looks like there is another band from the Garden State that knows how to deliver some cranium crushing thrash metal music.

    Paralysis is a young band with tons of potential and the music on this debut full-length demonstrates great crossover thrash talent. There are too many bands who rush their recordings and release in my opinion generic worship music which shows no imagination and consideration for quality. The production quality and the songwriting are two areas where I felt Paralysis did very well, especially considering this is their first full-length album. Although they are not reinventing the wheel, these guys are keeping that brutal crossover thrash style alive and kicking.

    “Life Sentence,” contains ten songs of headbanging aggression with raw thrash riffs that will conjure instantaneous mosh pits of relentless brutality. The opening track, “Ignorance,” brilliantly builds up anticipation with a killer bass riff and the slower tempo eventually explodes into a tornado of thrash chaos. I really liked the singers vocal style and he delivers the lyrics with an aggressive and unapologetic attitude. Plus, the vocals were extremely well recorded, so the lyrics vividly standout during the song. The second song, “Your Will,” contains some catchy riffs that fans of old school thrash will feverishly enjoy.

    Songs like the title track and track number four “Misery,” don’t stray far away from the traditional crossover thrash formula, but these guys do not write boring recycled riffs of monotonous garbage. Other tracks I want to mention would be, “Deepest Void,” “Nothing But Death,” and “Karma.” The lead guitar part at the end of, “Deepest Void,” sounded great when matched with the overall composition. “Nothing But Death,” contains an adrenaline pumping verse riff that makes way for a classic sounding eighties thrash chorus section. The final song on the album, “Karma,” hammers out some intense sounding riffs that are as fast as a blood craving shark. I really hope their live shows bring about the same level of energy which they offered up on this album, because I bet the venue would be decimated after their set.

    I find when evaluating young metal bands you need to understand that even though their style of music is nothing new, at least they are breathing new life into the genre and keeping the music alive. Paralysis showed that they know how to write some vicious sounding riffs, lay down some tight drum parts and can get the job done by recording some good quality crossover thrash. In the years to come we shall see where Paralysis will take their music, but I hope they always maintain their solid raw and unforgiving sound. Like with all those bands who came before, it is about crafting a sound that can stand the test of time. I do believe Paralysis is on a good path and I think the world of thrash will begin to take more notice with the release of this new album.


Paralysis "Life Sentence" :

Paralysis Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/paralysisnj

Toxik "Breaking Class"

    Highly respected for being a pioneering force in the world technical and progressive thrash, Toxik is seeking to conquer 2017 with some epic new material. The band will be releasing a new three song EP called, “Breaking Class,” August 4th and there is talk of a full-length album to be out around the end of the year.

    Although Toxik may not receive the same mainstream recognition as Metallica, the band has a strong cult following who will lose their metal minds once they hear Toxik is releasing new material. Toxik’s first two albums, “World Circus” (1987) and “Think This” (1989) are brilliant releases that pushed thrash into a more technical and progressive world back in that mid-eighties to late-eighties period. I have friends who play in bands that worship Toxik and work on crafting their music in a similar fashion by being progressive with thrash instead of just copying the same old generic song structures.

    The new EP, “Breaking Class,” features three songs that continue to fuel the minds of thrash fanatics with insane lead parts accompanied by thought provoking lyrics. Josh Christian, guitarist and founding member of Toxik, is an unbelievable player with such a tremendous technical style that crafts some wicked riffs. Singer Charles Sabin who joined the band for the “Think This” album, delivers a killer vocal performance and I think he is one of the best singers in the thrash/speed metal genre. Toxik has always been about high caliber musicianship, so one should expect that this new music is far from basic and simplistic.

    The opening song, “Stand Up,” starts out with an eerie sound clip of children singing “America the Beautiful” and then explodes into a furious thrash assault. Josh lays down some vicious riffs of blistering fury and his leads are extremely well executed. He demonstrates that playing fast does not mean shit if your solos can’t compliment the music. All around the band’s sound is impactful and each musician contributes an equal amount of monumental energy to the song.

    The second track, “Breaking Class,” definitely maintains that rapid fire tempo of technical thrash madness with crushing drum parts and blazing guitar riffs. Some of the riffs even reminded me of something you would have heard on, “World Circus.” Instead of just hammering out recycled riffs, Toxik strives to add a refreshing variety of clever sounding instrumental compositions. The final song, “Psyop,” is probably my favorite song off the EP. There are plenty of dynamic compositions that fans will be frantically banging their heads along to when listening at max volume. Musically you just can’t complain and the song keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

    Even though there are only three songs, fans of Toxik are going to want to pick this up when it is released. Also, I am definitely looking forward to a full-length release from Toxik. Unlike some bands who return after a long hiatus, Toxik is not hastily rushing to throw an album together. These guys take pride in their music and the new tracks show a desire to offer fans some brilliant technical and progressive thrash metal. Plus, I think right about now is a great time for Toxik to return since the world is truly becoming a World Circus! …Just look at the news! ...Don't do that actually, but instead listen to Toxik!



Toxik "Stand Up" :

Toxik Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TOXIKMETAL/

Phylactery "Necromancy Enthroned"

    Hellish death thrash devastation invades the metal world with Phylactery’s debut full-length release, “Necromancy Enthroned.” These Canadian extreme metal musicians take the relentless speed of thrash with the unforgiving brutality of old school death metal and create some terrorizing sounds of unholy proportions.

    Phylactery happens to be yet another band from Unspeakable Axe Records that does not disappoint and knows how to construct solid extreme metal music. Their debut album features eleven tracks of vicious riffs, thunderous drumming and demonic sounding vocals of unworldly terror. For their first album I think the band did a solid job crafting a unique raw and brutal sound that simply does not fall into the category of generic metal garbage.

    Each track on the album runs about the same length of time and the songs are usually about two to three minutes long. I think length of each song is just perfect for the band to deliver their merciless death thrash assault. If the songs were longer I believe the band would be recycling riffs to the point of complete and unbearable redundancy. The opening song off the album, “Risen Restless Dead,” wastes no time by thrashing away at a flesh tearing riff. Even though the song is short there are plenty of distinct riffs that are vicious yet extremely catchy. The band’s nonstop aggression continues on the second track, “Wisdom of Heretics,” with bombastic drumming and lightning fast guitar parts. I really liked the guitar solo, because the lead guitarist composed something that actually complimented the song instead of being a random hurricane of obnoxious shredding. Don’t get me wrong, I like shredding when it has a purpose and is not just an excuse to show how fast you can play through scales.

    Out of the elven tracks I find choosing a favorite to be a difficult task, but I will name some of the ones that I think standout a little more than the others. “Morbid Existence,” is a furious cut of metal music with insane sounding verse sections accompanied by haunting vocal parts. “Where I Dwell” contains some bone crushing guitar riffs and the bass sound adds an extra explosion to the distorted fiery chaos. I have talked about this before in previous reviews and still want to stress the importance of having a strong bass sound. There are some bands who turn the bass volume down to where I question if the bass player even showed up during the recording process. The final song I want to mention is, “Enslaved by the Dawn.” On this track the band delivers some nasty riffs of raw thrash attitude. I want to try and compare them to other bands, however, it is hard because their sound takes from so many different extreme metal elements.

    For their debut album I think Phylactery did a great job being themselves and leaving room for them to take their music into an even more unforgiving and brutal level. Some bands want to hit home runs for their first album, but sometimes just offering a consistent brutal sound is enough to peak the interest of listeners. Highly recommended for people who desire some vicious thrash and raw old school death metal blended together into one diabolical concoction. Also, I recommend people check them out because they are signed to Unspeakable Axe Records. I trust Unspeakable Axe Records more than I trust the people in charge of running the state I live in…


Phylactery "Unholy Empire" :

Phylactery Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Phylacterydeaththrash/

Unspeakable Axe Records Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/unspeakableaxerecords