I love Thrash! I love everything about it from the smack, smack, smack of a snare drum at 200 miles per hour (300 Kilometers/hour) to the constant thugging and chugging of the guitars and bass. I find the speed and aggression to be cathartic and a great way to release all of the stress of my day in a single song or album on any given day. Additionally; I love when I find a new thrash band that I had not heard before and they floor me with what comes out of the speakers. The beauty of thrash is that you don’t have to be the most original band in the world to be a really great thrash band. There are only a few ways in which one can portray the speed and aggression of thrash without moving into other genres of metal. Let’s face it death metal is just an extension of thrash without the melody and clean vocals. I am not saying that as a bad thing just stating the facts.
One of the things I try very hard to do before I review an album, especially of a band I am not familiar with, is listen to the album first and for several listens before I do any research on the band or that particular album. There are several reasons I do this but the most important is that I do not want to have any pre-conceived notions of what to expect from the band. This holds especially true for a band like Potential Threat SF because of the music that they play and the way I feel about thrash as a genre. I want to be able to listen to the album and try to take in what the band is trying to do musically first without reading a press release of who their influences are or what a press release tells me they are trying to accomplish. If the music is good enough I should be able to figure that all out on my own and be satisfied with my discovery.
This (finally) brings us to Potential Threat SF forthcoming album Civilization Under Threat. Is it a solid thrash album? Yes! Does it have the flavor of the Bay Area Thrash that we all grew up loving? Absolutely! Were you surprised it was produced by the same man that produced Testament? Not at all! That last question I asked and answered is an important part to this whole album filled with inviting and aggressive thrash. The album was produced by Juan Urteaga and his influence on Potential Threat SF is obvious and understandable and his knowledge of how thrash should sound is immediate. The beauty of this album is how close it sticks to the formula that some of the Bay Area greats created and because of that this album is a monster from start to finish. There is homage here to the great thrash songs of our youth and a familiarity that is both inviting and comforting. Sure there are obvious and blatant influences from Testament, Metallica, Megadeth, Machine Head and many others throughout this album, especially on the mid-album beauty 'Behold The End'. In this one song is the culmination of the entire 80’s thrash scene and it works perfectly. From the Mettalica-esque opening through the Testament chugging bridge into the Megadeth solos and finally back to the familiar and final Metallica ending that completes the circle; this song IS thrash!
One listen to this album and you know where these guys are from and what influenced them throughout their lives and it translates into powerful thrash that will have you instantly banging your heads to the music. 'Destroy And Dominate', 'Edge Of Insanity' and 'Stick to Your Guns' are particularly solid songs but this whole album is filled with solid thrash from almost the beginning (they included an intro, I really dislike intro’s) to end. Is it a classic thrash album to be coveted for all eternity? No! But it is thrash at its best, most headbanging and familiar. This is an album those of us who are thrash aficionados will enjoy for a long time.
Until Later, Peace!
