Tag: thrash metal

It’s Holy Week, the most important season in the church calendar, so it’s important to celebrate everything Jesus did for us, displaying his love through the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. When it comes to music, it seems that the metal bands give us the most material when to comes to focusing on the passion events. Sacrament was a super-heavy thrash metal band from Pennsylvania. They formed in 1989, and played a style of thrash that was at times much closer to death metal. One could almost argue they were the first Christian band playing in the death metal style, and they wouldn’t be too far off.… Continued →

In the “I never thought that would happen” news department, official members of Tourniquet have reformed the band (sans drummer/composer Ted Kirkpatrick, RIP) recently for a few shows. Guy Ritter, Gary Lenaire, and Luke Easter are all currently performing together as Stop the Bleeding, as they don’t currently have legal rights to use “Tourniquet.” While not much is known about future plans, (and the band is being somewhat secretive) they are, however, playing a few upcoming shows of note. They’ll be playing in Sweden in March (with Extol’s David Husvik filling in on drums) and one in Versailles, OH at home of Immortal Fest, BMI Center, (with former Haste the Day drummer Devin Chaulk filling in).… Continued →

This Ukrainian band started out as a semi-melodic black metal band, who later morphed into a thrash/death metal band, with a sound that worked a little better overall. After forming in 2003, in their hometown of Kremenchuk, they released a full-length album in 2007 in their native tongue. In 2008 Sullen Records issued an English language version of the album, which was entitled Evangelion. This pressing was on limited edition, hand-numbered CDr. The label re-issued the album yet again in 2010. In 2010, Australian label Soundmass (known for top-quality extreme metal releases) issued a follow-up release, the mini-album Death is Dead.… Continued →

Today's song of the day comes from Seattle, Washington's Thrash/Speed Metal act Sword of Judgement. FFO: Deliverance, Ultimatum, Disaffection, and Moshketeers

Shamash is one of the few (only?) Christian metal bands from Malaysia. Vocalist/guitarist Andre Chiang has a lengthy history with Christian metal going back to the late 90s with thrash/death metal band Necromanicide, and more recently as a member of the transcontinental act Vultures Gathering. Distinct from those bands, Shamash plays in a hybrid style fusing elements of metalcore, death metal, and black metal to interesting and effective results. “Not by My Heart” opens the album with a mix of metalcore and melodic death metal with some blackened vocals on the verses.… Continued →

The “Christian Metal Group” (aptly named) on Facebook is one of the largest social media groups dedicated to the promotion and discussion of Christian heavy metal. The page is taking its support to a new level by sponsoring its first compilation. Full track list was announced this morning, and the compilation (vol. 1) drops next Saturday, September 14th. For more information, check out the page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564859173268 1. Scapegoat – Stand Your Ground 2. Testimony Of Apocalypse – The Time Has Come 3. Every Thought Captive – Punishment 4.… Continued →

Possession was a thrash metal band (with speed metal, black metal and death metal tendencies) from Kansas. They released one full-length album and 2 EPs in the mid-90s (as well as a 2-disc compilation of all recordings in 2020), and despite their innovative, genre-bending sound, managed to stay very underground. To evade a controversy with secular metal label Metal Merchant–and some alleged wrongdoing on the part of the label–Possession self-released their recordings, to much critical acclaim but to no commercial success. Ironically, what made them a listener’s and critic’s favorite, yet kept them in the underground, was precisely their unique take on extreme metal.… Continued →

Powersaint are a Christian Thrash/Speed/Power Metal act out of Washington D.C. FFO: The Moshketeers, Theocracy, Diviner, and Golden Resurrection.

This thrash metal band hailed from Brazil in the region of Belford Roxo, just outside of Rio de Janeiro. They were active in the mid-90s, playing a form of thrash that was occasionally influenced by related styles like death metal, groove metal, and metalcore. They broke up in the late 90s and then re-formed in 2001, and have been active on and off. This video was posted in 2017, but I’m not aware of an accompanying album to go with it. Nonetheless, the band has had at least one full-length and one EP, both on the Brazilian indie label Força Eterna Records.… Continued →

The first time I heard this band, I was completely blown away. The year was 1988. I was about 14 years old, and I had just started getting into Christian metal via bands like Jerusalem, Whitecross, and Barren Cross. Sacred Warrior was probably the heaviest I’d heard at the time. Then one night I was listening to KOKF 91FM out of Oklahoma City, a Christian radio station that had a late night metal show. I heard the most intense, loud, gnarly thing I’d ever heard in my life.… Continued →

Greg Minier, the famed guitarist of The Crucified (and later of grunge/alternative/metal project Applehead) released a solo EP of straightforward thrash metal (the yin to The Crucified’s crossover yang), under his last name. The mini-album contained 7 songs and featured Greg playing all the instruments as well as handling the vocal duties. I remember talking with several metalheads at the time and we all agreed it was unfair for the Lord to bless some individuals with so much talent, while others of us got so little!… Continued →

Nordic Mission will be re-releasing the 1992 Living Sacrifice album “Nonexistent” for the first time on Vinyl. The now 30 year old album (wow!) will be totally remixed from the original 2 inch master tapes by producer Jeremiah Scott. It will be available on both Vinyl and CD. Once pre-order info is revealed, we will share it here. Nordic Mission is very proud to announce that for the first time ever, the fantastic Living Sacrifice sophomore album “Nonexistent” will be available on LP & CD. Not only is it remastered, but totally REMIXED from the original 2 inch master tapes by Producer Jeremiah Scott… Continued →

Many fitting tributes have been written about the one and only, the mighty drummer/musician/song-writer/animal rights activist Ted Kirkpatrick. So much has been said about his life, his music, and his impact that I can’t really add much here. Ted’s incredible musicianship is impossible to overstate. He was revered even by the most ardent anti-religion folks, for his musicality alone, including folks like King Diamond and Marty Friedman. While I never got to meet Ted, I did have the chance to see Tourniquet live once. It was their first tour with Luke Easter as the new lead vocalist.… Continued →

It is with a heavy heart and coming seemingly from a never ending stream of bad news of late, that we report the passing of Ted Kirkpatrick who has become the face and man behind the legendary metal band – Tourniquet. Ted Kirkpatrick was a founding member of the long running band, drummer, songwriter, animal rights supporter, thinker, seeker, and a man of God. Ted passed from IPF, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis which is a rare and terminal lung disease. While it is certainly tragic especially amongst news of several other recent Christian musician deaths, we know that Ted has gone home to be with the Lord where he is jamming with Michael Bloodgood, Keith Green, Rich Mullins, Gene Eugene, Larry Norman, Kaleb Luebchow, and so many others gone too soon.… Continued →

New Thrash/metal pioneers – Testimony of Apocalypse, that are forging a path all their own with a debut record titled “None Will Escape The Judgement”, will drop said album on September 2nd 2022 through The Charon Collective. A great band with a heavy hitting message and music to match. Check out the teaser below.… Continued →

Metalheads are divided over whether the subgenre dubbed “speed metal” actually exists or not. Often confused with shred metal and/or Neo-classical (yes, those guys play fast, but that’s not the same thing), it’s almost synonymous with thrash except there are often clean vocals and/or slightly cleaner guitars. In the Christian scene, the most obvious examples are the seminal and fantastic Valor, Tourniquet’s early work (also adding a progressive element) and the mighty Deliverance. While Deliverance has flirted with a lot of different styles (speed/thrash, gothic metal, alternative metal, groove, etc.),… Continued →

Southern California based hardcore/thrash/punk band – xDOULOSx, just dropped 2 new songs. Listen to “Cycles” and “Shots Fired”, below. This is really great heavy hardcore thrash-punk music. Sounds amazing and has a certain classic sound mixed in with the new school. Kinda reminds me of a mix of Downset, Six Feet Deep, The Crucified, The Warriors, No Innocent Victim, Knocked Loose, and All Out War. Good stuff. Listen to both songs below. Follow the band here.… Continued →

A new So Cal hardcore/thrash band called “Inner Vision” just dropped their debut EP titled “No Going Back” and it goes hard. Check out one of the songs below and make sure to stream/download the songs now wherever you get your music. Featuring ex-members of No Innocent Victim, Born Blind, and Jumped In. Heavy stuff indeed.… Continued →

If you’ve been around the Christian punk/metal/hardcore/indie scene for any amount of time, you will likely have heard the name Burrito. Not his real name, of course–the man David Villalpando was a legend in the underground scene. Sadly, the man that many called a friend passed away this week from covid-related illness. For those who didn’t know him, it is difficult to overstate his impact on the scene. From a musical standpoint, while none of his projects ever achieved mainstream success or financial prosperity, they were always on the bleeding edge of innovation.… Continued →

Insane new thrash/groove metal inspired band – Testimony of Apocalypse, have dropped their new song “Truth Vs. Lies” that you can listen to right below this post. I also placed the recent lyric video for their first official song, “Redemption”, that now has a lyric video. Be sure to follow the band here and pick up more music from the band and label here.… Continued →

New independent metal label The Charon Collective have recently re-issued Pennsylvania band Sacrament’s debut demo Presumed Dead on CD and digital formats. The death/thrash metal band went on release two full-lengths, seminal death metal release Testimony of Apocalypse and technical thrash beast Haunts of Violence. The re-issue is accompanied by the news that former Sacrament members have re-formed as Testimony of Apocalypse, and are writing new material for a future release. Presumed Dead can be ordered from The Charon Collective here: https://thecharoncollective.bandcamp.com/album/presumed-dead-2021-remaster?fbclid=IwAR3RtKoHZ2sSGB2-zSPwhS1tABQrTwI-gVHda1Z19zNFQHrk0SluASZ4XvM… Continued →

Testimony of Apocalypse are an insane new metal band featuring members of classic Thrash Metal band, Sacrament. While members of Sacrament await their potential reunion in the future, a couple members got together and have pursued this really great new project called Testimony of Apocalypse, which is actually named after the Sacrament album of the same name. Check out the DEMO of a new track titled “Redemption”, below. The band plan to release their debut full length in the spring of 2022 via a label on the rise, The Charon Collective.… Continued →

That’s right, two giants in their own respective genres (Punk and Metal) are here to bring the fun and the noise on February 19th. You will be able to livestream an event featuring FLATFOOT 56 and THE BLAMED for one night only. Purchase your tickets in a few different options plus check out some great merch items right here. You don’t want to miss this great LIVE (from your living room) show. I’m all about The Blamed and Flatfoot 56 and I know this will be really great.… Continued →

"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation." -Psalm 95:1

There are so many different types of Living Sacrifice fans. People who started listening from the beginning, and those who joined somewhere along the way. Fans who praise their experimental phase, those who prefer the -core era, and those who swear by the traditional metal era. Heck, I even know one guy who claims they only released one album (he’s a thrash fan), and all the others were recorded by imposters! The band has certainly seen a number of different phases, most easily broken down into two main categories (metal and -core) with a few other splinters.… Continued →

When Seventh Angel’s debut album The Torment came out, I was an instant fan. I was a huge thrash fan in my teenage years, and their unique take on it–lots of acoustic interludes, and darker chord progressions–appealed to me. A couple of years later, the band followed up with Lament for the Weary. I must admit that at first I didn’t get it. It was much slower than any thrash I’d ever heard, and I hadn’t discovered doom yet as a genre, so I didn’t have a frame of reference for slower tunes.… Continued →

Zurisadai (Translated from Hebrew: The Almighty is my rock and strength) are a 3 piece Christian Extreme Metal act hailing from Brazil. FFO: Thrash and Black metal. RIYL: Herd, Hating Evil, and A Hill to Die Upon.

I’ve reviewed 3 different releases from Shadow Puncher (for 2 different publications), and one of the things I’ve noticed is the diversity of sounds and influences on each project. While the one-man band from Norway functions within the death metal genre, each release has a different feel. The earliest material had a strong thrash influence, then moved into a djent-heavy sound. This EP is the first to utilise keyboards in a prominent way, thus adding a progressive element. After a 1-minute ambient keyboard intro, “One End of Heaven” rips into the speakers with brutal rhythms, blastbeats and plenty of time changes.… Continued →

The Crucified is probably the most legendary Christian hardcore band of all time. They only released 2 full-length albums (plus some demos, and later re-issues) before disbanding in the early 90s. However, their influence cannot be overstated. Their blending of hardcore punk and thrash metal into a unique take on crossover thrash touched and influenced bands in genres as diverse punk, alternative, metal, hardcore and even industrial. Their sophomore effort, The Pillars of Humanity was heavy, fast and bold. And it wasn’t just the music. They lyrics hit hard as well.… Continued →

How do you like that headline? Was it over the top? Well when you have a powerful band with a heavy presence like this band – MESSENGERS (Texas), you can’t help but feel floored. This band released an EP called “Anthems” 10 years ago on the Facedown Records imprint, Strike First Records and it blew a lot of people away. Part thrash, part metal, part rock n roll, and pure heaviness. The band has emerged from their slumber after releasing their last Ep in 2013, to sort of announce a return?… Continued →