EARLY MAN GET $6.66’ED

Remember when re-thrash wasn’t yet a fad? Remember when Early Man were pretty much the first new band to bring the retro thrash sound back and they did so for genuine reasons instead of a desire to sport their eBay-bought Exodus shirts and hi-tops? Remember when somehow all the kids fell hook, like and sinker for re-thrash bands like Warbringer while seemingly leaving Early Man in the dust?

That’s always how it seems to go down, isn’t it? A genre’s true pioneers are the ones who get overlooked. In the case of Early Man I think it also might’ve had something to do with them being a three-piece / having no live bassist, but hey, if Jucifer can do it as a two-piece anything is possible.

Early Man are finally back with a new album, Death Potion, FIVE years after their last full-length Closing In hit the streets (the 2008 EP Beware the Circling Fin not withstanding). Death Potion comes out July 20th via The End Records, but it’s currently available as a digital download for the very metal and very affordable price of $6.66 at Think Indie. The track “Someone Else’s Nightmare” is available for free and the title track is up on EM’s MySpace, so give those a listen and see what you think.

I love the aggressive, tight and raw sound of this record; I immediately find it more appealing than so many of today’s young thrash bands. On first listen Death Potion seems faster and more aggressive than anything I’ve heard from the band before… but that could just be my morning vodka tonic talking.

Having been without a full, new album to promote for so long, this recent thrash revival has seemingly come (and now, just about gone) without Early Man around… which could actually be a good thing for the band’s long-term career. Presumably heavy touring will soon commence, so it’ll be interesting to see how the youngins that’ve come to embrace re-thrash since Early Man released their last full-length album take to this band.

-VN