For a little while now, we’ve found ourselves in a new golden era of Thrash, and being that it was pretty much my gateway drug into the world of metal, I couldn’t be more thrilled that thrash itself has expanded and become home to such a wide-reaching spectrum of bands and sounds. From the dizzying, super-technical Vektor, to the more evil, blackened Skeletonwitches of the world, to new bringers of the old school like Vulture and Enforcer and modern heavyweights Municipal Waste and Warbringer, thrash has become a much more vibrant subgenre than I think many could have anticipated in it’s early days.

Germany’s Teutonic Thrashers Eradicator enter a crowded field, in a year which has already brought us some amazing releases from the likes of Paranorm, Nervosa, Enforced, and my personal favorite, Demiser. But despite the saturation of efforts – there’s still plenty of room for quality releases like Influence Denied. From the opening gun blast of “Driven by Illusion,” to closer “Descent into Darkness,” Eradicator is bringing a non-stop thrill ride of riffs, dipping into a pretty wide pool of influences to bring a sound that’s not rewriting any books, but still manages to feel fresh through sheer will of force and enthusiasm.

There’s a little bit of everything here from the wide world of thrash, including a super infectious crossover appeal found scattered throughout the record, most prominently displayed on the hardcore-influenced drumming and chugging of “Hate Preach” and quasi-breakdown on title track “Influence Denied” that serves as one of the albums high points.  It’s that kind of super upbeat energy that gets the blood pumping and you just can help but bop to. I’m also really digging some of the more classic Heavy Metal sounds at play here, like the great Maiden-inspired melody found on the back half of “Echo Chamber” and mighty, chugging riffs on “Descent Into Chaos.”

And while the band’s Teutonic roots certainly shine through aplenty, the band also leans heavily on some of the West Coast’s best, namely a lot of Exodus and Overkill influence on display on album highlights like “Driven By Illusion,” “Jackals to Chains and “Anthropocene.” Again, we’re not talking about anything groundbreaking, but that’s just fine with me. Where there’s certainly a place in thrash for new ideas and experimentation, there’s also a place to celebrate the building block sounds that inspired generations of musicians, and Eradicator certainly do a damn fine job of it.

Eradicator may not win any awards for originality, but with some truly inspired, tight performances all-around on Influence Denied, the album certainly deserves your attention and a place among the top dogs in the modern world of Thrash Metal. This isn’t one you need to think a whole lot about, just put on the headphones, turn up the volume and blast away with a big dumb grin on your face. I think we can all use a little of that in our lives these days.

[Visit the band's website]

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