UK Thrash metal EP. That is in short what TORANAGA U.K. is throwing into our laps with “A New Order”. Even though this is the first music I ever have heard by this band, they are not exactly newcomers to the scene. Originally formed in 1982 in Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire in England, the existed for some 24 years, in which time they released the albums “Bastard Ballads”(1988) and “God’s Gift”(1990). After disbanding in 2006 they returned in 2010 with their name altered into THE BASTARD SON OF TORANAGA. That produced an EP (“Cynical Eyes”) in 2011 and the album “Righteous Retribution” in 2013. When this stopped in very unclear, but what is clear that the resurrected again in 2024 under their current name TORANAGA U.K. Their first port of call in releases is the one that I am reviewing here, “A New Order”.

It houses for songs that from beginning to end take more than 22 minutes to pass through your speakers. And what are you getting in that time? Well, I would say that if you take early DEATH ANGEL and give them a British upbringing whilst simplifying their music (in other words; lessening the amount and simplifying the sort of breaks and tempo changes that DEATH ANGEL used in the beginning) you would be quite close. What helps in this case is that the production is quite good, giving TORANAGA U.K. a kind of sound which makes the music on “A New Order” sound just right. At least to me. This is not too Heavy, but definitely not soft. No, for a Thrash Metal band you could argue that they are a bit middle of the road. And seeing what these lads bring and judging by what I hear that’s just fine by me.

The songs themselves on “A New Order” will not disappoint you either. They might be lengthy in stature, but somehow, they never get to the stage that you wish that the songs might as well just end. They have that quality that requires you to keep on listening and appreciating the effort that TORANAGA U.K. has gone through to make their music sound as it does. And that is where the experience of the players on this EP shines through, because I doubt if many a newly formed band would be able to make Thrash Metal that is so new but sill sounds and feels so familiar. The thing is, if you are a Thrash Metal fan and you like your Bay Area Thrash as much as the UK stuff, this is one to look out for. It might not have the extreme power or energy of some others out there; you can be assured that “A New Order” will make you like what TORANAGA U.K. is bringing your way.