RAVAGER hailing from Walsrode, Germany were formed in 2014. The Thrash Metal outfit released one EP and three full-length albums so far. Their fourth album “From Us With Hate” has a length of about 45 minutes, and it was released via German Heavy, Speed, and Thrash Metal specialists Iron Shield Records. The album starts powerful with the track “Freaks Out Of Control” and the Thrash Metal onslaught begins with an extended instrumental pre-lude, driven by the guitar with thunderous guitar riffs leading into a fast verse part with traditional Thrash Metal guitar riffing, plenty of aggression, and dark melodies. The vocals are harsh and vary around the medium end of the vocal range with some tonal shifts towards higher pitched screams. The chorus parts are slowed down for the anthemic chorus line. The break is played at mid-tempo with a lot of lyrics into and backing vocal support. “Freaks Out Of Control” is a strong opening song, setting the tone for the album. “Alone We Won’t Survive” starts frantic with the guitars transitioning into a fast verse part. The guitar riffing is tight, and guitars and vocals deliver aggressiveness and anger. There is a switch in tempo and rhythm for the chorus part, and the vocals are supported by backing vocals. The break is a fast one with a short but contributing lead guitar solo.

“Alone We Won’t Survive” is an early album highlight. “Curse The Living, Hail The Dead” maintains the pace of the preceding track right from the beginning. The intro is driven by strong basslines that are accompanied by the guitars later. The verse parts are driven by tight guitar riffs and the aggressive vocals, which have hardly any tonal shifts. The chorus parts are played at a measured tempo and supported by backing vocals with the chorus lines almost being anthemic. The highlight of the track is the extended lead guitar solo during the break. “Curse The Living, Hail The Dead” is the official lyric video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Aggressive Music for Aggressive People” offers darker melodies during the guitar-driven intro, which is supported by crushing basslines at mid-tempo. When the track transitions into the verse part, the pace is blisteringly fast with flesh-ripping guitar riffs and slightly higher pitched vocals. The pace is maintained during the chorus parts with sing-along chorus lines. After the repeat of the verse/chorus parts, there is a short mid-tempo break at the end of the track. “Speed Trap” is arguably the fastest track with insanity right from the start. The guitar riffing is tight, direct, and aggressive and so are the vocals. There is no tempo switch between verses and choruses, and the choruses are simple with a simple chorus line. The break slows down the tempo for just a short while and then circles back to the Thrash Metal mayhem.

“Speed Trap” is a track for all those Thrash fans, who wants it fast and faster. The title track starts with a guitar-driven intro that has plenty of oriental vibes in the melodies. It transitions into a fast verse part with a mixture of tight and more powerful guitar riffs. The vocals are slightly deeper compared to other tracks during the verse parts, and more aggressive and higher for the chorus line. There is once again a lot of backing vocal support during the track, which gives it an additional layer. At the heart “From Us With Hate” is the extended and very contributing and cool lead guitar solo. “Time Has Come (To End All Wars)” slows down the tempo a bit. Starting with a mid-tempo verse part and thunderous guitar riffing, there is a slight up-tempo part for the bridge. However, the chorus part goes back to mid-tempo, and the break is played at a measured tempo. The melodies are dark throughout the track. There is a bit more complexity in the song structure, the riffing, and switches in tempo and rhythm compared to other tracks. “Legends Of The Lightning” increases the pace and aggression. The guitar riffing is a mixture of being playful during the verse parts and direct and aggressive during the chorus parts. There is backing vocal support for the choruses. Central to the track is the break with the extended lead guitar solo.

“Defender” starts with a slow guitar solo, where the bass joins later, leading into a slow bridge and finally into a fast verse part. It is a long build-up to the track with the vocals starting only after two and a half minutes. It is not a super-fast track with the chorus parts being slowed down. The focus is put on a melodic delivery, rather than on pace and aggression. It is a multilayered track with a lot of complexity, twists, and turns. The lead guitar solo seems endless and includes some classical melodies. “Defender” is with more than eight minutes playing time the longest album track. The album finishes with the EXODUS cover of the classic “Bonded By Blood” and it is a fitting end as there were many EXODUS vibes notable on the album. RAVAGER deliver a classical Thrash Metal album. “From Us With Hate” has all ingredients of a great old school Thrash album: pace, aggression, flesh-ripping guitar riffs, and great solos. The album is pure Thrash Metal mayhem at its best. The guitars take the centre of the stage; however, the vocals keep the sound perfectly together. The album is well produced. RAVAGER prove that traditional Thrash Metal is well and alive and “From Us With Hate” is a banger of an album!