The rebirth of blackened thrash metal has been a welcoming return unto Satan's glory. DESTROYER 666, AURA NOIR and TOXIC HOLOCAUST are frontrunners paving this new path to hell. Clearly the influence of early SODOM and KREATOR are the blueprints on how to master the sound and technique, especially SODOM's "Obsessed By Cruelty". Unlike other styles of Metal that have shown a revival recently, blackened Thrash seems to capture the attitude and style of the original incarnation the best. Formed in 1999 Australia's VOMITOR are back with the release of their third album "The Escalation" released through America's Hells Headbangers Records.

VOMITOR play a more extreme version of blackened Thrash Metal with the emphasis more on Black Metal. Death Dealer's vocals are screechy and undecipherable. They do fit this style of Metal well. He incorporates the unique squeal made infamous by DESTRUCTION's Schmier in a lot of the material. The speed of the songs is intense. A good percentage of the time of you have a difficult time distinguishing what the actual riff being played is as it's picked so fast and the snare drum is thrashed so hard. An issue I have with the release is that the bass guitar is inaudible and you cannot hear what Anton Vomit is playing. With more bottom end it would give the songs a full and heavy sound.

Overall the most complete track is the final song, "Horrors Of Black Earth". Centered around a mid-paced riff taken right off of CELTIC FROST's "Morbid Tales" it would have been great to see more of these influences creep into the record. "Prayer To Hell" has a riff and overall feel of SODOM's "Brandish The Sceptre." The riff that hits about a minute into "Metal Or Die" is the highlight of the record. The band focuses on a meaty rhythm that will have you headbanging instantly. Then they launch into a very dirty MOTORHEAD style riff that grooves before the blasting begins again. Another killer riff appears halfway through "Hellburst To Fight" along with the albums coolest noise whammy inspired solos. The title track "The Escalation" incorporates so many riffs and guitar leads that it does help break up the monotony of the record.

With only seven songs on "The Escalation" the record is a little over 30 minutes. The songs could all be shortened and tightened up to fit additional material. I think 30 minutes is a great length for a release as chaotic as this but the songs do seem to drag on. Despite the intensity, throughout most of the record VOMITOR slows it down enough to break up the repetitiveness.

VOMITOR obviously lay down at the altar of "Obsessed By Cruelty." You can hear that influence intertwined in every aspect, including the vocal style, inaudible riffs and frenzied drumming. "The Escalation" is a solid contribution to this ever-growing genre. There are other bands during this resurgence that are executing this style better, but if you are into anarchic and very fast paced metal look no further.