Suicidal Angels – Sanctify The Darkness

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An unlikely Greek export, Suicidal Angels have taken a typically German route to finding their sound, mixing classic thrash influences like early Sepultura, Sodom and Slayer with modern aggression keeping just the right side of death metal growling with non-stop, varied thrash riffs. Unrelenting for 40-minutes but never dropping to the monotonous level of a lot of young thrash bands (i.e. constant high-speed drumming and no variation in riffs), who only want to sing about zombies, science fiction and drinking, Sanctify The Darkness is pure anger produced to perfection by R.D. Liapakis (Mystic Prophecy vocalist) and borrows a lot of influences from the thrash establishment, like some of Overkill’s groove, Exodus’s venom and the oppressive heaviness of Kreator records like Outcast and recent Kataklysm. No track stands out above the rest as just when any of them threaten to lose their way a blistering solo, a change of pace, or a even better riff take over. Break new ground it may not, but this is the best thrash metal record of 2009 bar none.

Written by Andy Lye
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