In the next week or so the odd bruise may start to appear all over certain parts of my body that got battered in the craziness of a Thrash Metal mosh pit. The particular event I am speaking of is when Californian bred Thrash Metal titans HIRAX came to conquer The Railway Inn, Winchester. They were not alone as they had equally brutal support from local talent in the form DESOLATOR, SEPREVATION and TERROR DRONE.

I was on my way to experience this crazy I was excited as I was keen to try something new; before tonight I was still rusty on knowledge of Thrash Metal contained so this was a fantastic lesson that you certainly wouldn't have learnt in the classroom. I should also note that considering HIRAX have been around for at least thirty years this was their first tour of the UK; so to say the atmosphere was buzzing would be an understatement.

This Old School evening kicked off in a truly chaotic style with Gosport Speed/Thrash quintet TERROR DRONE; in terms of Extreme Metal, starting the evening off in a chaotic fashion is a compliment. TERROR DRONE didn't waste anyone's time as from the word go blistering guitar riffs, aggressive drums and strong vocal work broke the silence in the confinement of that tiny room.
 

Now I say that tiny confinement of the room as I went to get a drink from the other bar you couldn't hear the Thrash Metal but disco music in the bar. I found this contrast of two extremely different genres of music being played at the same venue highly amusing and seeing the reaction of fellow gig goers practising Saturday Night Fever type moves along to the disco music. I think they'll agree.

Back to TERROR DRONE however, as well as the excellent musicianship they had the most excellent stage presence. It was full of infectious energy and passion as this passed onto the crowds. So I reckon TERROR DRONE were a fantastic choice to kick off the evening.

Since I was interviewing the headliners HIRAX themselves upstairs I was only able to witness the last few songs of Bristol Death Thrash quartet SEPREVATION. I remember witnessing them prove to be the perfect ally when they supported BLOODSHOT DAWN at my local hotspot The Firehouse, Southampton. Last night they proved to be just that if not better for HIRAX at The Railway Inn. It was this point of the evening where the mosh pits and carnage broke out in the crowd.
 

Southampton Thrash trio DESOLATOR have always been known to put on mad, crazy shows for their ever growing fan base and that fateful night at The Railway Inn was no exception. Their set kicked off in the true Thrash Metal fashion with manic up tempo drums from Mr Sam Talbot and fronted with speedy riffs and solos. DESOLATOR certainly don't mess around when they perform; once they are on stage they mean business and their crowds certainly show their love by rapid headbanging, fist pumping and foot stomping. They secured the end of a perfect Thrash set with their anthem "Thrash Or Fuck Off".
 

It was quite funny strolling through to the Thrash Metal area along to "Bingo Bango" playing as photographer Chris and I strolled on through to secure the ideal spot to watch these legends in Thrash Metal.  To say anticipation and excitement filled the venue as they awaited the appearance of HIRAX would be an understatement; speaking with the guys earlier they mentioned that they play every show like it's their last and give one hundred and ten percent. They were not wrong.
 

As the background music stopped and they made their way onto the stage the crowds went wild for HIRAX's highly energetic stage presence, vocalist Katon Pena's natural showmanship and the skilful musicianship from Lance Harrison, Steve Harrison and Mike Vega. It was evident to me that from the word go HIRAX were unstoppable; the chaos their set created was reinforced by repetitive stage diving, rapid headbanging, rhythmic fist pumping, violent yet stress relieving mosh pits and a lot of cheers and screams.
 

The part that touched me more than anything during the whole show is the community spirit being kept alive by bands interacting with their fans in any way they can. For me that's what the true spirit of Metal is; a community of like minded individuals coming together to enjoy the chaos and madness that each band left in their path.

*Photography: Chris Green

American Thrash Metal heavy-hitters HIRAX made a massive comeback in 2004, an 18-year gap between 1986's "Hate, Fear and Power" and "The New Age of Terror". 2014 saw the release of "Immortal Legacy"; clearly breathing a spot of fresh air, I managed to squeeze in an interview with the band on their recent UK tour, talking about the differences between the US and UK Thrash scenes, the special surprises that crop up on tour, and wimps who cancel shows over a cold.