If you are going to relive the glory days of thrash metal then you cant go far wrong with taking a relisten to Slayer’s Hell Awaits and recognising where the foundation stones of the genre were laid. Burning Death have absolutely done that, and whilst not taken the influences literally, there is more than a hint of the former band about them.
That’s not to say there is anything wrong wit that, and on their self-titled album, they deliver possible some of the best old school thrash metal since those heady days. Take ‘Genocidal Litany’ (a Slayer track name if ever there was one) and listen to the buzzing guitars, the slight tempo changes, and even the Tom Araya like scream. It’s pure manna for those missing the glory days, and this reviewer is right here for that.
They still manage to bring their own to the proceedings too with a rip-roaring ‘Vengeance Of The Inferno’ building on the heaviness of the past to create something much more fresh and vital. The production pushes the instruments right up to the forefront so that is wall of noise effect bludgeons your senses, but still allows for the intricacies to shine through.
An appreciation of 80’s thrash has long been forthcoming, and for all the developments in heavy metal in general, there is still something much more vital and real about the classic sound. That a new generation of bands is now rediscovering and reinterpreting for their own is a beautiful thing, and for us who were there first time around it’s like the last 40 years never existed. Throw those devil horns in the air and launch yourself into the circle pit. Thrash is alive and kicking with Burning Death.
