Thrashing Assault's Top 10 of 2015

No. 10: Band: Kataklysm Album: Of Ghosts and Gods General Info: Year of Formation: 1991 […]

January 14, 2016

No. 10:
Band: Kataklysm
Album: Of Ghosts and Gods

General Info:
Year of Formation: 1991
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records

From my homeland of Québec (Canada) these french Canadians Melodic Death Metaller have been doing their thing since the early 90's and are now an established and renowned band all across the world. I'm very proud of them and also our metal scene! This opus is a solid entry in their catalogue and will please most fans of the band!

No. 9:
Band: Armored Saint
Album: Win Hands Down

General Info:
Year of Formation:1982
Record Label: Metal Blade Records

ARMORED SAINT is the earliest band to appears on this list; they have been through a lot, having a lot of turmoils with their lineup changes across the years (namely the singer John Bush coming back to the band more recently). His voice didn't let me down and aged very well, like good wine. The riffs evokes the good ol' times. Great Heavy Metal, I recommend!

No. 8:
Band: Distillator
Album: Evolutionnary Cells

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2013
Record Label: District 19

This is what the new SLAYER album should have sounded like; raging, uncompromising thrash that blows you away after a listen, instead of that watered down dissapointment! I can hear some DESTRUCTION influences in the vocals too (the high pitched screeches). Excellent release that I recommend to any thrasher.

No. 7:
Band: Fallen Angels
Album: World in Decay

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2002
Record Label: Cyberdyne Records

The smallest and most unknown band on the list, FALLEN ANGELS is a newer Thrash act that has a lot of potential to grow even further; their sound is not entirely original, but what is there is very good and please my thrasher ears. There is also room for improvement and experimentation in the future I think. With a distinct old-school vibe from the 80's, you will get a lot of flashbacks from an earlier era of music!

No. 6:
Band: Enforcer
Album: From Beyond

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2005
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Heavy/Speed Metal from the 80's is back in full force with ENFORCER's new album! The amount of energy emanating from their music is absolutely outstanding and the high pitched vocals are extremely impressive, from a technical point of view. With very stirring and catchy choruses, this band is a sure act to follow!

No. 5:
Band: Act of Defiance
Album: Birth and the Burial

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2014
Record Label: Metal Blade Records

After Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick left MEGADETH and announced their plans for a new band, we were all a bit nervous and skeptic, but the wait was well worth it! Some may not like him, but I find Henry Derek's voice to be absolutely fantastic! Switching between Thrash and (almost) Death metal vocals, his raspy voice is a perfect fit for the band! Drover and Broderick really are coming out of their shells now, with very interesting riffs and solos from the latter.

No. 4:
Band: Metal Allegiance
Album: Metal Allegiance

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2015
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records

A supergroup spanning many bands, this special collaboration between metal legends is the perfect combination of many styles. From the deep and gnarly voice of PANTERA/SUPERJOINT RITUAL/DOWN singer Phil Anselmo, to the Death Metal growl of Randy Blythe from LAMB OF GOD, to the Thrash awesomeness of DEATH ANGEL's Mark Oseguada and Testament's Alex Skolnick, there is plenty of things to like here! Sure, the cover songs are maybe a bit overdone with too much singers, but the outstanding original songs are bound to become classics! The lyrics are very well done too!

No. 3:
Band: Soldier
Album: The Great Western Oligarchy

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2012
Record Label: Independent

Very underrated and unsigned band from Spain, SOLDIER's new album should make you Thrash lovers proud and head-banging! A bit more groovy than their other thrash brethren from this list, they are very talented and should be a perfect candidate for a major music label! The ballad is also very well done and worthy of being compared to the greats and there is a surprising cover! Mark my words, they will get even bigger someday! What might hurts them in the long run however is the generic name of the band, but don't base your first impressions on the name alone!

No. 2:
Band: Battlecross
Album: Rise to Power

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2003
Record Label: Metal Blade Records

BATTLECROSS have an amazing mix of Melodic Death Metal and Thrash Metal, their sound is unlike anything I have heard in a long time, they are extremely original sounding and passionate! The impressive vocal range of Kyle Gunther's voice and the amazing melodic solos from the Tony Asta/Hiran Deraniyagala are the highlights here for me, but everything sounds "right" and have that special "synergy"! The lyrics sounds very personal and very authentic, once more (fourth album). They helped me go through difficult times lately! Their energy when seen live is contagious, so be sure to contract the sickness!

No. 1:
Band: Angelus Apatrida
Album: Hidden Evolution

General Info:
Year of Formation: 2000
Record Label: Century Media Records

My absolute favorite release from 2015, this masterpiece from Spain is everything a thrasher wants: raging technical riffs, fast solos and catchy choruses! If you consider yourself a Thrash metal fan, you should absolutely not miss out on this one! Pretty much all the songs (except maybe one) are stellar and I listen to them extensively since I found out about the band! It begins and finishes with a bang, thus my most recommended release from 2015!

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