Black Thrash has offered some nerve racking bands over the last few decades; DESTROYER 666 being the most prominent in my memory. Hailing from Germany and holing the Teutonic flag high are Black Thrashers NOCTURNAL who have released plenty of splits and EPs amidst their 3 full lengths cementing the band as one of the global underground Metal giants. Having recorded originally way back in 2004 and originally released in 2005, the band's first full length "Arrival Of The Carnivore" has been re-released by High Roller Records this March 15^th.

The album offers everything that Black Thrash as a sub-genre has to offer - satanic and violent lyrics, hair raising riffs, fast paced guitar work, nasty guttural vocals and constant drums and bass work leaving the listeners begging for some air. With shades of atmospheric sound, the music is really heavy and captivating, especially due to nasty vocals of Mayhem. With an intro of over 3 minutes, the album nearly ticks off every box for the old school connoisseur in me here. Even though this is a reissue, the raw sound of the original record is still kept intact and can be felt in songs like "Temples Of Sin". There is a touch of Brutal Death Metal in songs like "Satanic Oath" with the vocals barely being heard in the background amidst the massive sound of guitar work. The riffs are fast and remind me of good old SEPULTURA, yes the Brazilian legends, especially due to the grinding nasty thick riffs and still managing it not to sound like Death Metal. The sound as a whole reminds me of one brought by VENOM and POSSESSED, catchy and raw as fuck.

As much as a good album it is due to its infectious sound, the album gets slightly boring towards the latter half of the album as the riffs aren't inspiring enough to keep the listener interested and are mostly tried and tested. Frankly speaking I have mixed feelings towards this album as the band succeeds in getting the right sound of the nasty Black Thrash to the fans, but after listening to the album multiple times I realize that the record doesn't have enough to stand the test of time. "Arrival Of The Carnivore" may have been considered a classic back in 2005, but we have heard way too much great music since then and sadly this record doesn't have enough meat in it to stand the test of time. But having said all of that if you're a die-hard fan of Black Metal inspired Thrash and can relate to the aforementioned bands, then you should give this a try.