Skull Fracturing Metal Zine (CAN)

When I think of thrash, the Bay Area is usually the first place that comes to mind. It’s crazy how many good bands there were: Forbidden, Heathen, Vio-lence, Death Angel, Testament, and the list goes on. Perhaps what is most impressive about these bands is that they don’t sound alike at all. Besides the fact that they are thrash, they are completely distinguishable from one another. And that’s where Eruption comes in. Despite being from Slovenia, these guys sound more like they are out of the Bay Area than any newer thrash band out there. What makes Eruption so convincing? It is mainly a combination of avoiding all of the major pitfalls of thrash, namely: a lifeless vocalist, and boring songwriting.

For starters, Eruption’s vocalist, Klemin Kalin, is a maniac. He has an excellent shout that is both easy to understand but still quite menacing. In terms of his high-pitched screams, he is unparalleled in the sheer number of times he uses this range. While Schmier is the undisputed champion of this style of wailing, Kalin seems to have far more endurance. The rest of the band compliments him quite well. This rifftastic affair has crunchy, Warbringer-like guitars. Combined with the loud, easy-to-hear bass, and lively drumming, this is a very complete band. In many respects, the songwriting is the weakest aspect of this band, which, in this case, says a lot about how good Eruption is. “Empty Shells” brings back memories of Death Angel’s “Act III” in the chorus, with the huge drawn out notes and vocals that remind one of Mark Osegueda, this is sure to be a favourite. “Fractured” and “Enter The Hive” are two of the stronger, thrashier tracks, but unlike many newer thrash bands, each song isn’t 4 minutes of straight break-neck speed. While most songs have a consistent tempo, Eruption makes excellent use of different rhythms to prevent the songs from becoming monotonous. The only real flaw I can point out is that some songs don’t have the same staying power as others, but it’s hard to fault a band that put in a lot of effort to make each song stand out.

If you are into any sort of thrash at all, make sure you buy “Tenses Collide”. While it is a new thrash record, it feels as original as anything out of the 80’s, simply because the band does not ape off of the originators of the genres. This is one band I’m very curious to watch as time goes on, because they’ve definitely demonstrated that they have the ability to stand up with current thrash giants Warbringer and Evile, among a few others.