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Report: Vintage Thrash Metal Is Back With A Vengeance, And It's Speaking Spanish

August 6, 2007

Phil Freeman of The Village Voice reports: For some reason, '80s-style thrash is making a major comeback in the metal underground, led by a wave of Latino-dominated bands from Southern California, Mexico, and South America. These new disciples are hardcore, sporting the Metallica-circa-'83 look — denim vests, bullet belts, tight jeans — and generally paying heartfelt tribute to the old school in their band photos, logos, and demo titles. Almost all these groups are unsigned, playing tiny shows with each other and maintaining a Net-based scene. Whereas their '80s counterparts mailed home-dubbed cassettes out to a circuit of zine-writing pen pals, these bands all stream (often downloadable) music on their MySpace pages.

The movement's flagship act, if there is one, is FUELED BY FIRE, from Norwalk, California. They're signed to Metal Blade (the label that first presented METALLICA and SLAYER to the world),and their sound is pure '80s mayhem: "Thrash Is Back" could be a lost EXODUS track, as vocalist Giovanni Herrera barks out a tribute to moshpit mayhem. Their debut CD, "Spread The Fire!", rages full-on from the opening instrumental "Ernest Goes to Hell" to the closing "Put to Death", precise, unrelenting, and fast. The neo-thrash acts, despite occasional sonic crudity, outrace their forefathers with astonishing frequency — some of this stuff makes vintage MEGADETH seem like mid-tempo balladry by comparison.

Read the entire article at www.villagevoice.com.

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