NORUNDA is a Thrash Metal trio based in Portugal/Spain. Being fairly new in the industry, I was not able to find out a lot of information on the band. I did discover however that this is their debut full-length release on Suspiria Records, and contains ten tracks. "Asshole In Your Way" is the opening track. A dark and ominous main riff quickly turns to a chaotic sounding Thrash blueprint. The vocals are semi-harsh, falling somewhere between clean shouts/singing and the deeper rasps of some other singers in the genre. "Dynamite" sounds like something from MEGADETH's first album, particularly "Devil's Island." A surprising twist comes with the spacy clean vocals, echoing throughout, and an advanced sound in connecting the riffs. The brief acoustic bridge is a nice touch as well. Thrash Metal with a side of sophistication? I like it. "Face To Face" again starts with a good build-up before the mid-tempo main part of the song carries forward.

"Hit You" is a nod to some of the NWOBHM bands that influences many of the Thrash forefathers, particularly from the dual guitar harmonies and riff driven power. Though not overly complicated, the point is easy to understand. The riff in "Infoxication" is a unique blend of a set of opening power chords that have a modern sound. They really nail the rhythm here as well-simple but effective. "Sultan Killer" is an interesting title and that opening lead guitar pattern does remind you of a sinister deed that is forthcoming. "Violent Street" has a soft opening and leaves your mind to wander what might be next. A well-crafted guitar solo joins the fold with a wonderful tone-the kind of tone that sounds like it is enveloping you from all angles. The main riff is heavy and plodding, and the partly spoken vocals focus on a tale. I like how this song is different from many of the other tracks.

"Into My Game" closes the album with the snarl of Dave Mustaine. They seem to have their eye on advancing this genre rather than living in the past. The proper due is given to the forefathers in their album as a whole but they blend other elements in as well. This is a solid Thrash Metal debut from a band that is clearly not afraid of stepping outside of the boundaries a bit that so narrowly define this genre. Keep your eyes on this band in the future, as it seems the sky is the limit for what they can do.