FARSCAPE hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil celebrate their 25^th anniversary this year. Despite being around for such a long time, the Thrash Metal outfit released only their fourth full-length album and their first one since 2013. However, the Brazilian thrashers have always been an active force and their catalogue contains numerous releases such as demos and splits. "Purged And Forgotten" has a length of about 38 minutes, and it was released via German label Dying Victim Productions, which has many Black, Speed, and Thrash Metal bands among their current roster. No official video for this album has been released yet.

The album starts with a grim intro led by the guitars and a piano, transitioning into the title song. "Purged And Forgotten" is a classical Thrash Metal song at blistering pace with tight, very direct, and aggressive guitar riffing. The harsh vocals range between the medium and higher end of the vocal range. The guitars are the focal point of the track including the extended lead guitar solo. Overall, the opening track has written early 80s Thrash vibes written all over it, and at times it reminds me on early DESTRUCTION material. "Leucotomy" continues with the Thrash attack. It is the same rhythm, the same speed, and similar riffing. The sound is dominated by the guitar riffing and the lead guitar parts. While the first two album tracks were already superfast, the tempo is even faster at "The Last Solstice". It is a Thrash Metal hammering, it is direct, it is aggressive, and it is mayhem. "Backing From The Hole" maintains the speed and rhythm of the opening songs. The Thrash Metal riffing is simple and tight, while the vocals go this time more with the melodies and include backing vocals. Highlight is the short but contributing lead guitar solo.

"Miss Violence" starts with a short and dark guitar-driven pre-lude at mid-tempo, transitioning to another fast track, however, the song is not as frantic as most album tracks. The song emphasizes on a grim sound, not so much on flesh-ripping riffing at crazy speed. The basslines are crunching, and are more dominant compared to the other album tracks. The break for the solo is quite interesting as it has some Jazzy vibes. Overall, "Miss Violence" is at least in parts slightly different from most album tracks. "Captivity Of Souls" returns, after a grim mid-tempo introduction, to the Thrash assault at crazy speed. Occasionally, the riffing is so fast that the drums are hardly able to follow. "Captivity Of Souls" has a spine-chilling mid-tempo break. The lead guitar solo near the end is the best part of the track. The album finishes with "Vengeance Of The Forgotten" and it is another banger at frantic pace. FARSCAPE do not include many tempo and rhythm changes during their tracks. Most often, the pace for verse and chorus parts is the same, in "Vengeance Of The Forgotten" there is an extended up-tempo break leading into the lead guitar solo. After five minutes, the track returns to the melodic theme of the pre-lude of the opening track, which I thought is a nice idea to close the album.

"Purged And Forgotten" is a classical Thrash Metal album inspired by the early 80s. All songs are blisteringly fast and are driven by flesh-ripping guitar riffs. There is no room for any versatility; the album is a Thrash Metal assault from the top to the bottom. FARSCAPE do not re-invent the Thrash Metal wheel, they stick to a 40-year-old proven formulae. This makes the album often one-dimensional. The riffing is often similar, so are the drumming and the vocals. The sound and the production are raw as during the 80s. Old school Thrash Metal fans will love the album with all its flaws, for me it was a time travel back to an almost forgotten time.Purchase Link:

https://farscape666.bandcamp.com/