BLESSED CURSE hailing from Colfax, California were formed in 2010. The Thrash Metal band has been formerly active as ATROSITY and DEVASTATOR and released so far one EP and one full-length album. Their sophomore album “Pray For Armageddon” was recorded, mixed, and mastered by John Johnston at Pus Cavern North Studios. It has a length of more than 41 minutes, and it was released by Thrash, Black, and Doom Metal specialists M-Theory Audio from Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The album has a furious start with the title song: a mixture of thunderous and tight guitar riffs and a lot of double-bass drumming at mid-tempo. There are a few subtle changes in tempo and rhythm throughout the song. The vocals are harsh and are at the medium end of the vocal range. Highlight of the title track is the contributing lead guitar solo. “Beheaded” raises aggression, intensity, and pace. While the riffing is quite similar compared to the opener, the lead guitars have a lot more contribution and the vocals are slightly lower than in the title track. “Subspecies” is another mid-tempo track with classical Thrash Metal riffing and occasional double-bass outbursts. The track is driven by the riffing and the head-banging rhythm. The lead guitars have again many contributions during the track, including a cool lead guitar solo. “Subspecies” is the official video release, and the YouTube link is provided below.

“Lock Me Up” starts with an extended guitar driven part with crunching basslines, and then transitions into a mid-tempo track, which includes a few tempo and rhythm changes. The best part of the track is the break with the lead guitar solo and the following classical riffing. Altogether, the track cannot quite keep up with most of the album tracks. “Skinned Alive” starts with crushing and aggressive riffing, transitioning into a mid-tempo track. The riffing is very direct and simple and that makes “Skinned Alive” to a great track. Tempo and rhythm remain the same for most parts of the track with very few slight changes. Highlight is the excellent lead guitar solo once again and “Skinned Alive” is one of the best songs on the album. “Street Freaks” starts with a short pre-lude, transitioning into fast verse part. The bridge and chorus parts vary in tempo and rhythm towards mid-tempo. During the mid-tempo parts and the break, there is a lot of double-bass drumming, which contributes to the track very well. Altogether, “Street Freaks” is one of the fastest album songs.

“Into The Dark” has a frantic instrumental start before transitioning into a mid-tempo verse part. The riffing is very direct and aggressive during verse and chorus part, where the chorus part is played at a fast pace. There is an extended mid-tempo break for the lead guitar solo and a head-banging part with thunderous riffing. After the grim one-minute inter-lude “Aftermath”, the Thrash Metal attack continues with the mid-tempo track “Graveyard World”, which is driven by tight guitar riffing and a dark melodic framework. It is a head-banger for most of the time with perhaps the most anthemic chorus line. The extended lead guitar solo is again second-to-none and “Graveyard World” is one of my album favorites. The album closes with “Throne Of Bones” and it closes with a fast Thrash Metal assault. The riffing is direct and sharp, and the verse and chorus parts come with a lot of pace. There is a short mid-tempo break leading into a lead guitar solo at fast pace. “Throne Of Bones” is another album highlight and arguably the best album track.

BLESSED CURSE deliver a good Thrash Metal album. “Pray For Armageddon” has many of those ingredients that make a cool album: the riffing, the drumming, the lead guitars, and the vocals. The riffing is often direct and aggressive, but the highlight are the lead guitars. “Pray For Armageddon” is a traditional Thrash Metal album with many mid-tempo tracks. In my opinion, it lacks occasionally pace, I would have liked two or three faster tracks on the album. The album is well produced. Thrash Metal fans will like “Pray For Armageddon” and look forward to exciting live shows of BLESSED CURSE.