The coming of the Second Wave of Death Metal in the early days of the 90s revealed a new feature: no more the genre was exclusively played by North American acts, because the genre was present in many countries, but no one can deny the value of early releases of ENTOMBED, CARNAGE, UNLEASHED and DISMEMBER to concrete what’s usually known as Swedish Death Metal. And it’s precisely what is unleashed on “The Bastard”, the sixth album of the Danish quartet THORIUM.

Well, people would think why a Danish band took such model on, but the answer is simple: the quartet is an Old School Death Metal act, and as Sweden is nearby, the influences are clear. B-U-T they guide things into a personal and brutal way, unleashing a maelstrom of chaos and fury made Death Metal, but without sounding as a copy. And this album is full of energy and aggressiveness, and bears a personal outfit of the band, in a way that means: they’re Old School, but they’ll do things on their own way.

The songs were mixed and mastered by the Italian producer Marco Angioni at Angioni Studios. The album has an aggressive impact, with a massive energy flowing from the speakers, but always in a modern way of sounding. It means that its aggressive and nasty, with the Death Metal distortion needed, but always in a way that’s easy to understand. And the artwork for the cover is signed by the Italian graphic artist Roberto Toderico (who signs works for VULCANO, ARTILLERY, ASPHYX, TYGERS OF PAN TANG and others etc.), who shaped the music of the quartet on a visual way.

There are ten apocalyptic songs waiting to smash your ears and necks on the album, so be careful. But if you’re into Death Metal, “Eclipsed” (a brutal song with some dissonant melodies coming from the guitars), “Over the Mountains” (a heavy and technical work on bass guitar and drums, but this song is truly addictive), “Nightside Serenade”, “Pest” (some guitars' arrangements remind what POSSESSED did on “Seven Churches” days, and some Hardcore hooks can be heard), “Not Equals” (again fine Hardcore-influenced parts can be heard, with very god grunts and snarls), “It All Comes Back to Me Now” (bass guitar and drums are really great here, with fine contrasts between technique and brutality), “Underground”, “Infamy” (nasty guitars once more), and “Legacy of the Forgotten Path” are truly pieces of aggressiveness that you must hear. And as bonus track, prepare your ears for the brutality of “Mesmerize”.

“The Bastard” is a very good release, proving that the Danish Death Metal Beast known as THORIUM is still great.