Saturday, February 8, 2014

Shrapnel - The Virus Conspires (2014) *Pick of the Week*


Ive said it many times that in the modern era of thrash metal its very hard to find those bands that not only stick out but bring the attitude and feel of the classic 80's thrash metal scene. But ive noticed in the last 3 years that there are some bands that have separated themselves from the mediocrity that tends to plague the current thrash scene and Shrapnel is just one of those bands. In the vein of such acts like Warbringer, Havok, and Vektor, Shrapnel have found the perfect recipe and musical makeup that will make them a force to be dealt with for years to come.

With their new opus The Virus Conspires the band has continued the onslaught of bringing a revamped and revived thrash attitude that the scene sorely needs. Shrapnel bring a vicious barrage of thrashtastic and unrelentless riffage that would make guys like Kerry King and Gary Holt wet themselves with envy. Shrapnel is not here to be pretenders as the are technically sound with a virtually flawless performance of musicianship and song writing. The Virus Conpires is a precise and straight forward no holds barred thrash record. The band knows what they want to achieve and waste no time breaking the door down and kicking the listener in the face in the process.

So reminiscent of the golden era of thrash in the likes of Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, etc the band proves they can not only bring the nostalgia back but put their own mark and signature on the music they create. Some of the obvious highlights for me here are songs like "Braindead", "The Virus Conspires", "The Watchers", "Kingdom Come", and "Titan". The record flows so effortlessly and never loses impact or intensity. While just falling short of a perfect record for me it could easily stake its own case of album of the year so far. For the avid thrash fan this record is a breathe of fresh air and also very gratifying for metal fans old and new. The technical prowess is easy to see here and the band is able to convey it all without losing focus of the main goal.

Currently you can hear some of these fine pieces of work on Metal Tavern Radio in the general rotation as well as on the Metal Tavern Spotlight 2 segment every Monday from 12-2pm Est (5-7pm for those in the UK). If you are looking for one record this year that will totally snap your neck and pulverize you into the floor than be sure to pick up this massive record as you will not be disappointed. I mean after all, its just good friendly violent fun.



01. Kingdom Come
02. Titan
03. Braindead
04. 22
05. The Virus Conspires
06. The Wake
07. Red Terror
08. The Watchers
09. Pseudocommando
10. Poison The Mind
11. All That We Know

Genre: Thrash Metal
Rating: 9/10




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