ASHES OF MANKIND is a Thrash/Death Metal band from Baltimore, Maryland.  Their latest album, "Blistered Earth," is their second full length; they have also released a demo and a live album. This trio is basically a wrecking crew, using their instruments as tool to bludgeon the listener to death.  Across the six tracks and 26:15 runtime, there is never a shortage of riffs, growled vocals, or furious drumming.  They definitely have the energy levels of some of the original thrash bands from the 80's but the death metal side to their music, the sheer brutality gives the album a more modern feel to it.  However, please don't misinterpret "modern" to mean mainstream or polished.  "Blistered Earth, is a album that is far removed from either of those descriptions.  The production is raw (not in a lo-fi garbage way) and powerful, each riff and bass line can be heard with little strain on the listener's part.  In essence, "Blistered Earth," is an album that sounds good but also appropriately gritty and dark.

But where to begin talking about the individual tracks?  All six of them are face melters but it would be a true disservice to leave at just that.  Despite their rough, unforgiving nature, each track does have its own identity.  Due to it's somewhat short nature, the album is easily digestible in one listen but there are more than enough highlights contained within to warrant individual track listens on a piecemeal basis. The album begins with the title track which opens up deceptively calm using clean rhythm guitars to back up the short, accented leads.  The first minute or so builds nicely and then demons burst through the gates.  Choppy thrash riffs and speedy snare attacks settle the abrasiveness early on but it is the low death growls and thick wall of double bass that adds yet another layer of extreme thrash.

"Wasteland Butcher," finds the band somehow finding a way to play even faster.  The drums compliment the riffs well here. All in all, ASHES OF MANKIND's "Blistered Earth," is twenty six minutes of pure, concentrated energy that thrashes fast, pummels hard and is guaranteed to leave you with a sore neck.