The Batlord

Well, unless you're a ****ing retard, you should be aware that for the past decade their has been a rash of thrash metal bands that have been broken up since the nineties that have reformed and either kick-started or participated in the thrash metal revival (for better or worse). I've seen plenty of discussions on new bands that always end up saying "Most of the new bands suck, except for so-and-so" and I'm rather tired of it. By far and away the only bands that are worth listening to are the reformed bands like Exodus or Death Angel. Whether they're doing anything original or just cashing in on a trend, plenty of them are putting out great music either way. I've been sort of sleeping on a lot of this new stuff, but I've become interested in finally looking back and I'd like to start a discussion on what bands are doing well, doing ****, and what albums are worth listening to.


The only band that I've really been keeping up with has been Exodus. They were probably one of the first to get back together back in the late nineties, and have really brought thrash metal into the new millennium. They've never been the most original band, never the most diverse, and never the most consistent, but I've been a diehard fan ever since the song "Bonded By Blood" first exploded out of my ****ty computer speakers, and they have consistently kicked immense amounts of ass on ever release since Tempo of the Damned.






I never really got into Agent Steel's power/thrash eighties material, but since they reformed they've added a more post-thrash sound that has really made them devastating. The vocals are still an acquired taste, but once you've acquired it, they ****ing kill.




I've been seriously sleeping Death Angel's reformation, but I've recently been listening to their first "new" album, The Art of Dying and despite some lukewarm reviews, I've really been digging it and now am totally looking forward to checking out their latest two albums.






Edit: I guess I should have just made this about old school thrash metal bands releasing new material. I wouldn't want to exclude Sodom or Kreator or Overkill or anyone else who's been plugging away all these years. Maybe a mod could change the title to Old School Thrash Metal Bands Releasing New Material

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Mojo

Onslaught reformed in 2004. I went to see them on their tour for 2011s Sounds of Violence, which I think is brilliant.

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Last.FM | Echoes and Dust

LoathsomePete

2010 was a good year for new releases from old bands, and good releases at that.

Overkill - Ironbound
Heathen - The Evolution Of Chaos
Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition
Anacrusis - Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited
Death Angel - Relentless Retribution
Sodom - In War And Pieces

I've been meaning to see if any of these guys have put out anything since then to see if the goodness continues.

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Last.FM
101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

The Batlord

Holy ****, that's awesome! I've never even listened to their eighties stuff. Just one of those bands that feel through the cracks. I'm gonna have to rectify that soon. I'm doing a series of new old school thrash albums in my second journal, and I'm gonna have to do these guys now. I love bands like Exodus and the post-thrash/groove metal influence that they've taken on, but it's good to see a band that can sound modern but still have that unfiltered 80's speed metal thing going on. ****ing fantastic.

I had no idea Anacrusis had reformed. I guess they were just too obscure to get much attention these days. So, are those rerecordings?

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LoathsomePete

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a rerecording and remastering of Suffering Hour, although I haven't actually listened to the original '88 recording so I can't be certain.

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Last.FM
101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

The Batlord

I've only listened to a bit of them, but I remember that they were pretty fantastic. I can't for the life of me remember how it sounds, but I clearly remember thinking that their final album, Screams and Whispers, was one of the most impressive and just totally different thrash metal albums I'd ever heard.

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Forward To Death

Like Testament's last release a lot.

Plankton

Oh hell yeah. Killer album, drumming is some of the best metal beats I've ever encountered. "True American Hate" is a stand out for me. Skolnick is a God.

Wish I had more time to discuss... slammed at work and all that crap...

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Paul Smeenus

I'd love to see Seattle's mighty Forced Entry release something new, I do know they've played some shows in the area recently


Forgive the sh*tty video quality

The Batlord

Honestly I've never been the biggest Testament fan. Chuck Billy is a totally overrated vocalist, and his growly vocals are just embarassing. I don't exactly know what it is about them that kind of bores me, but they just do. I traded in my copy of The Formation of Damnation a while back and haven't regretted it. I still have The Gathering though, which is pretty sweat. There first few albums certainly weren't terrible either.

I was just listening to this album yesterday and it honestly bored me. Some of the songs on the first half were pretty good, but on the whole it just felt lifeless. Like they were trying to pander to Machine Head fans.

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