JEWEL THRONE hailing from Espoo, Finland were formed in 2019. The Thrash Metal outfit released five EPs and “Blood Vultures” is their debut full-length album. It has a length of about 41 minutes, and it was released via Finnish label Inverse Records, which have many Death, Power, and Heavy Metal bands among their current roster. The album starts with the title track and with tight guitar riffing at fast tempo. There is a lot of aggression in the track and that is intensified by the growling vocals, which vary between the low to medium end of the guttural range. During the chorus part, there is additional background vocal support. The melodies are dark, in particular during the break, which is played at a measured tempo. “Blood Vultures” is a good opening track and it has been released as lyric video with the YouTube link provided below. “Cosmic Titan Engines” continues with the pace during the verse parts. The guitar riffs have a few progressive elements during the mid-tempo chorus parts. The break includes a lead guitar solo, which has a lot of grooves.

“Psychotoxic Assault” is another fast track with tight Thrash Metal riffs during the verse parts. The chorus parts include more thunderous riffing and a simple, almost anthemic, chorus line. The break leads to a mid-tempo part with powerful riffs. “Psychotoxic Assault” is one of the album highlights. “The Graveyard Of Dreams” keeps going with the Thrash Metal attack. The main melody is orientally inspired and introduced right at the start leading into a fast verse part. There is no tempo switch between verses and choruses, and the chorus part is short using the main melody. The break includes a contributing lead guitar solo.  “Megaton Headshot” is a frantic Thrash song. The guitar riffing is tight at times but does not necessarily follow traditional Thrash Metal patterns. The vocals are more versatile with a few higher growls added to the track. “Instant Apocalypse” starts with grim melodies delivered by the guitars, leading into a fast verse part, which, as time goes on, gets even faster. There is a back and forth between fast parts and parts at crazy pace. The riffing is punishing throughout the track. “Instant Apocalypse” is a short, but strong track.

“The Extinction Level Express” is one of the few tracks with old school Thrash Metal riffing at a fast pace. The vocals switch constantly between low and higher pitched growls. Verse and chorus parts are delivered at one tempo until the break at a measured tempo starts kicking in. The break is driven by the riffing and the low growls but eventually transitions into a cool lead guitar solo at high pace. “The Extinction Level Express” is another album highlight. “Hate Overdrive” starts with the drums and leads into another frantic verse part. The riffing has once again a mixture of progressive and groovy elements. The vocals are mainly deep-lying growls. The short lead guitar solo contributes well to the track as it contains a few groove vibes. “Mental Self-Mutilation” starts with thunderous riffing at a measured tempo leading into the verse part. However, it does not take long until the pace is accelerated, and the verse and chorus parts are played again blisteringly fast. The break is a classical mid-tempo break leading to an extended lead guitar solo, which has a few Rock ‘n Roll vibes. The final part of the track goes back to the thunderous part at measured tempo.

“Hammer Down The Last Nail” starts with tight riffing at mid-tempo and after an introductory part, the track transitions into a verse part at insane pace. The riffing during the fast parts is punishing and delivers chilling melodies. The break uses the initial riffing and melodies at mid-tempo, but without lead guitar solo. “Hammer Down The Last Nail” is another one of my favourite album tracks. “Suffer The Fools” is a traditional Thrash Metal assault at crazy pace. The guitar riffs are flesh-ripping and there is a lot of aggression in the track, which is intensified by the vocals. The growls are an alternate delivery of deep and higher pitched growls, where the chorus line comes with the high growls. The album finishes with the fast “The Overlord”. The riffing is tight during the verse parts and more thunderous during the chorus parts. The break is played at the same pace as the rest of the track. The short lead guitar solo has once again a few Rock vibes. The chorus part has catchy melodies and a sing-along chorus line. All in all, “The Overlord” is a good way to end the album.

JEWEL THRONE deliver a promising debut album. “Blood Vultures” is modern Thrash Metal and it includes a few Groove Metal and progressive elements as well as a few Rock twists. All that keeps the album fresh and dynamic. The album is all about the guitar riffing and the vocals. Conservative Thrash lovers might be disappointed with the lack of extended lead guitar solos, however, all the solos fit very well into the song concepts. The album is well produced. JEWEL THRONE set a mark with their debut album. Thrash Metal fans, who like a modern Thrash sound will surely dig the album.