THIS is 80s thrash done right in the now
In an age of post-everything-this, nu-something-else and whatever-else-core, you have to wonder just what happened to good ol’ days of metal? Y’know, back when there were only a two real genres – heavy and metal Ok, attempted Blues Brothers jokes aside, I’m talking about back when being a metal head meant long, scraggly hair, patch covered denim jackets, bullet belts and white top Reeboks! Yeah, those good ol’ days. Well, Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) trio Merciless Death, who are vocalist/bassist Andy Torres, guitarist Dan Holder and drummer Cesar Torres are 80s thrash incarnate and their album, Evil In The Night – complete with artwork by legendary artist Ed Repka (Megadeth, Death, Evil Dead) – is testament to that.
When things were this simple, there was never a mistaken description associated with a band’s style, and Merciless Death are 100% pure old school thrash. The opening track, Slaughter Lord, not only boasts the classic thrash like production values, but the guitars and more importantly Torres’ Steve “Zetro” Sousa (Dublin Death Patrol, ex-Exodus, ex-Legacy) sounding vocals leave absolutely no doubt to the fact that these guys eat, breath and sleep 80’s thrash metal. The barrage of underground thrash continues with the flat out duo of Deadly Assault and Command Death, before the riff tastic Burn In Hell will have any fan of 80s Slayer turning their head in surprise!
If the music of thrashers such as Exumer (which reminds me of a hybrid of Kreator’s Pestilence and Riot Of Violence, both from 1986’s Pleasure To Kill) and Act Of Violence doesn’t speak for themselves, then the names sure as hell do. These are classic titles and exactly what you could expect from releases from back in the thrash heyday, and the pummelling The Final Slaughter and Ready To Kill are right in line with that mentality as well.
There’s nothing about Merciless Death that hints at them being “thrash influenced” or the like. These guys ARE a thrash band through and through and they would unquestionably fit within the ranks of the 80s thrash movement. It’s all here - biting vocals, buzzsaw guitars, thrashing riffs – hell even the artwork by Ed Repka and the photo collage inside the booklet are straight out of the scene from back in the day. Make no mistakes. These guys are the real deal and it shows. For the old guard thrash fans and even those who are over a lot of what passes for metal today, this one is for you. Buy or die!
(Heavy Artillery Records)
