Fastkill’s Bestial Thrashing Bulldozer is a Thrashing, Bulldozing, Bestial Good Time

Japan. Thrash. Bulldozer. Three words that will pretty much guarantee my attention. So you got me, Fastkill. Now dazzle me!

And dazzle me they did. Though they’re an amalgamation of other, better Japanese bands (the vocals have shades of Sabbat while the bulldozer reference is clearly ripping off Metalucifer), Fastkill still manages to deliver a punch of superfastpoundingkillkillkillragemachineMETAL! I’m pretty much going to be fond of any band that spends their entire album praising the genre of said album. That’s when you know they’re sincere.

Take, for example, the song “In Thrash We Trust.”Putting aside the fact that the entire record only uses about three chords, it is this joyous battle-cry of a metal hymn that convinced me, just two cuts deep into the album, that while Fastkill might not be the most original band, they certainly qualify for a place on my roster of groups I want to drink with. Take a moment to admire their artwork. I feel like they need to go on tour with Municipal Waste.

Fastkill have actually been around since 1996. Their first album, Infernal Thrashing Holocaust, established their penchant for three-word, to-the-point album titles (2007 saw the release of Nuclear Thrashing Attack). This marks their first full-length release in about five year,s and it seems they’re making up for lost time with speed. And thrash. Ten songs, all spitting, fighting, racing from start to end, and fading into each other so that it’s 30 minutes of non-stop, psychotic speed. “Die in the Pentagram” almost sounds like it could be a ‘90s hardcore song but no. It’s thrash. It’s all thrash. “Terminal Disease,” “Stench of Hell,” all thrash.  In fact, “Guillotine Attack” and “Toxic Tormentor” are so thrash, they survive on Araya screams to bring complete destruction. The only breath of air comes with, ironically enough, “Merciless Onslaught,” with it’s poignant bulldozer sound effects intro before it too dives into shit-kicking madness.

A thrashing, bulldozing, uh, bestial fun time to be had by all.

Fastkill’s Bestial Thrashing Bulldozer is out now. You can purchase it here.