TRANSCENDENTAL were a Thrash band from Madrid, Spain. They formed in 1991, releasing a demo and two full length albums, and then kind of disappeared into the ether, which is a shame. But don't threat; Xtreem Music has released a compilation album of their best work, entitled "Nothingness", which showcases everything that this band did best. How does their material hold up sixteen years after the release of their last record, "Dimensions"?

  Surprisingly well. Right from the outset, with songs like "Cancer of Creation", "Dying" and "ABT", it's clear that this music deserves to be re-released and heard, and that the band were in fact way ahead of their time when it came to music writing. Songs like, for example, "False Answer", could have very easily sat among some of the back catalogue of bands like HAVOK or MERCILESS DEATH. It sounds very cutting edge, especially when you remember that most of the stuff on this record was released well over twenty years ago. It's really great, heavy Extreme Thrash, for the most part with these guys. Although there are a couple of moments from their catalogue where they deviate from this formula, such as in the songs "Outro" and "Millenium's End", which incorporate acoustic guitar parts very well, adding to the overall atmosphere of the tracks. Overall, this album is brilliant.

It's an absolute shame that this band isn't around anymore, because it would have been cool to see what they ended up doing. This is an album that I think a lot of people should hear. If you like really extreme Sounding Thrash, then I highly recommend this album.