Aussie extreme Metal: for many many years the only band coming to mind was the excellent MORTAL SIN and only. Since the mid-to-late 80s the ever-growing extreme Metal scene of Australia saw countless bands developing their own aggression and - even if the whole country/continent is not that famous in 'donating' quantity in Metal music, it is essential to be said that most bands seem to put lots of 'twisted' work in their Metal madness; THE HARROWED - undoubtedly - being among them.
Previously acting under the FURY moniker (5 private CDs released), they decided to alter their name to THE HARROWED in 2005. The quintet's mainman, Ricky Boom, has lost his eyesight but does not fall short of writing excellent tunes for the band, assisted by a set of equally skilled musicians with similar thirst to envision THE HARROWED's aim for neckripping Death (with lots of Thrash) Metal. Signing to Massacre Records, their first full length sees a set of nine tracks full of aggressive riffs enriched with both 'evil' and 'melodic' solos. Still, don't expect to hear something full of atmosphere or gothic romantism. THE HARROWED love the Thrash-to-Death US Metal sound and proceed to writing short and in-your-face tunes.
The album may lack duration - who was bothered by the 28 minutes of Reign In Blood back in '86/'87, anyway?  - but is full of energy, hostility and outrage. The drums are killers, full of breaks and double-bass outbursts while the bass lines are fiery and scorching. As pre-said, and taking a closer look to typical (of the genre) tunes like Profile Unknown, Dark Bliss and Wisdom From The Flesh Of The Fallen, you cannot avoid but noticing the efficiency in the guitars' crossfire, with tons of MORBID ANGEL-ish riffs interacting with DEATH-isque harmony breaks and KATAKLYSM or SUFFOCATION riff-full verses. The vocals of O'Neil are rather 'angry', with enough of aggression and limited evilness, while he certainly holds strong throat and lungs by singing nonstop.
Featuring a superb production (everything is crystal clear in here), The Harrowed is certainly a 'must' 'for new-school' Death/Thrash Metal fans; it has lots of balls and notable instrumentation. To extend, even old-school Thrashers may love this album since it definitely holds a 'classic' aura, a prominent mix of the past and present. The Harrowed is a 'thumbs up' album by no means. Take your chances and let your ears be grabbed by this Aussie monster.
P.S. 1: You like simple yet ample instrumental songs? Take The Voyage as an example.
P.S. 2: The cover artwork is made by Anthony Clarkson (KATAKLYSM, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, EXODUS, BLIND GUARDIAN etc)