It appears that Brazil houses a prolific thrash metal scene. Citing Metallum, there are easily over 2,100 thrash metal bands, both defunct and active, in the biggest South American country. I guess I'm going through them, very slowly, starting with the group Deathraiser. They've been around since 2011, and their new LP "Forged in Hatred" marks their first full-length album since their 2011 debut, and their fourth work on Xtreem Music. We actually reviewed their first album "Violent Aggression" back when it came out, and now it's my time to carry the tradition.

"Primitive Medicine" is the first single for the album. The song is a fast-paced, high-energy composition that radiates the sound of the Teutonic thrash metal scene from Germany. The singing is bitingly sharp, spitting out lyrics with an attitude that would make any mother want to ground someone. Practically everything else is sharp and precise, too. The slamming drums never stop, the riffs are chugging away, and while I don't remember if there was a guitar solo (as there's just so much going on), I can hear every instrument just going at it with full force. The second single, "One Step to the Grave," has a gorgeous purple cover. The song is shorter, and it opens calmly, but the barrage of shotgun-sounding drums unleash fire once again. I guess since that the track has a shorter runtime, the band has to cram everything in as fast as they could. This isn't ideal, as the technically proficient solos overlap with the percussion, and then the bass, and then the whole thing just sounds convoluted. It's clear Deathraiser would benefit from longer songs, but do long thrash tracks work?

Moving on, "Severe Atrocity" properly opens the project with vine boom sounds effects that physically made me flinch. Now THAT is hilarious. The track is simultaneously full to the brim with instrumentation, yet it sounds like there's a lot missing in terms of feel and atmosphere. A fine song, but I can't shake the feeling like something was left out. "Everything Dies" thankfully switches the groove up. It's only been a handful of songs, but the typical thrash formula is already being abused. "Everything Dies" may be a little less harsh than the rest of the tracklist, but at least it sounds a bit different. This is also the longest song on the album, so my theory holds true. "Corporation Parasite" travels down the lyrical path of anti-corporations and the usual angsty messages you'd find in thrash. The song, again, is longer, so it has time to build up an actual musical environment, instead of throwing a bunch of notes in your face. "Empire of Ignorance" continues in the previous song's theme, but groovier.

"Symphony of Violence (Instrumental)" is, well, an instrumental track. I guess it's cool to take a break from the raspy vocals. Some technical wankery is present, but I'm not sure what this did to help the album. The last two tracks, "Toxic Legacy" and "Dead Generation" are not horrible by any means, but they follow the formula that's been wrung dry by the rest of the album.

Vine booms aside, "Forged in Hatred" a fine modern-day thrash metal album by Deathraiser. Notes of Kreator, Sodom, and other German bands are emitted from Deathraiser's music, and that's a fine thing. It's fine - want me to say it again?