READERS CHOICE: THE RE-THRASH EDITION

As you all probably know by now, I’m a bit tired of the whole re-thrash thing; I wasn’t even that into it from the get-go. I look for music that pushes forward rather than music that recycles what’s already been done, but that doesn’t mean that I think re-thrash is bad — a lot of is quite good, actually — it just doesn’t often tickle my fancy. It also doesn’t mean that sometimes I can’t bang my head to some killer new thrash tunes from time to time without getting overly analytical about it. So to that end, here are a few re-thrash bands to come through our inboxes lately and my thoughts on ’em.

• Angelus Apatrida: Sent in by El Peras, the self-proclaimed “Spaniard Suckaloo,” this young re-thrash outfit apparently recently signed to Century Media. But where most re-thrash bands re-hash early Metallica, crossover, Testament or Exodus, these guys channel the Megadeth spirit which is kinda a rarity in today’s re-thrash scene for some reason. I don’t see the world going gaga over Angelus Apatrida, but they’re a solid band for sure.
• Solity: The first track on Solity’s MySpace page starts off all thrashy and you’re all like “OK, yeah, this is alright! Thrash on, bros.” Then the chorus kicks in and you’re all like “When the fuck did this band decide they want to be Weezer instead of early Metallica?” Then the post-chorus kicks in and they’re all about Soundgarden drop D riffing. And later on, a bluesy rock Jerry Cantrell-ish solo. Zuh? I’m all for bands taking influence from different genres of music, but this just does not work. Sorry dudes.
• Vektor: Blackened progressive thrash? I can get down with this. Tempe AZ’s Vektor mix thrash metal riffing with a black metal sense of melody, tremolo picking and high-pitched scream vocals and the results are pretty interesting. They inject a bit of technical/progressive playing into the sonic stew as well, giving the music an epic compositional feel that takes the listener for quite a ride. The mix is so seamless that it’s a wonder no one tried this sooner. [Thanks: Adam Ellsworth]

-VN