For me, Thrash has sort of wavered in the past couple of years. I hadn't quite heard anything along the lines of what I'd consider true Thrash, most of it ended up being mostly either Metalcore or Deathcore (seriously, track through any previous reviews by myself for thrash and this is a common problem: mislabeling). I, honestly, thought it to be dead for the most part - some few seeds still existing but far out of my own reach. No, apparently I was just looking in the wrong place because hey, out of nowhere comes OBJECTOR with "Stand Your Ground".

Hell, I don't know where Antwerp is but apparently they know real thrash. OBJECTOR simply just kills with... Thrash-y goodness. It's hard to explain exactly. There are some faint influences from a number of great bands: a little SLAYER, a dash of VENOM, maybe even a tiny pinch of CELTIC FROST - definitely some METALLICA in there. But at heart "Stand Your Ground" is wholly OBJECTOR. From what the band claims, its spend some time 'treading the water' and finally came about with "Stand Your Ground" after many years of, I guess, praying at some ungodly thrash monastery in the sky. These guys have ate, drank, slept, and breathed thrash it seems - forever. The byproduct is something fun, genuine, and unlike anything you've heard from today's so-called "Thrash" groups.

However, with all this thrash-y goodness comes a fatal drawback - thrash itself is a tad limited. By no means is OBJECTOR's "Stand Your Ground" repetitious (except where it is called for) but at times things can feel just a bit same-y. You can guarantee that when you listen to the EP, you'll enjoy it, but repeated listens might be a bit taxing without mixing in other bands albums to help with variety.

All things aside, this EP is certainly a gem and draws in a lot of influences to create a pretty great listen. For what it is, its fresh and full of spirit - something I haven't personally been able to experience in years when it comes to Thrash.