Aaaaaaaaaand I'm back again!
So black/thrash... yeah...
I have issues with some of you whippersnappers classifying certain bands as black/thrash. Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: VENOM ARE NOT BLACK/THRASH!!!!! To say this is historical revisionism which, by the way, I hate. Neither are Midnight by the way. /end rant/
When we talk about black/thrash we are talking about Aura Noir, Nocturnal Breed, mid period Absu and, of course, Blood Storm. If you don't know Blood Storm, then I am sorry for you. Your experience in extreme metal has been empty of an amazingly creative and brilliant band. Blood Storm has been cranking out quality black/ thrash since 1994 and, in that time, has released 5 magnificent records that have somehow been completely overlooked despite outclassing many of their peers.
The Stellar Exorcism is the latest of their albums and continues their path of destruction. It rips through your speakers straight to your ears. The guitars are searing and blazingly fast with exceptional leads bursting froth from the chaos on occasion. Even in midpaced parts, they tear through the song with abandon. I really have to compliment the tone. It eschews the down tuned nature of death metal in the last twenty years without sounding like someone's skinning a cat, like almost all modern black metal. The drums are well played and fast with some tasty rolls thrown in for effect. It is just really executed metal for anyone into real underground metal!
The whole record has a classic feel and you can hear the influences from classic black metal (that's Venom, Bathory, Mercyful fate if you kids are playing the home game) and classic death metal (Slaughter[Canada], Necrovore, early Morbid Angel), and the of course thrash influences (mostly German and the heavier end of American thrash).
Highlights, for me, are The Howling Void, Disease Falls From the Stars, and Venom Elementals but really the whole album is bursting with highlights... Truthfully barring a new release by Megiddo or Obsequiae this is my album of the year right here, folks, so go check them out here-
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/shop/
https://www.facebook.com/bloodstormcult?ref=br_tf
And while you're at Witches Brew buy some other great metal too!
