MORBID CARNAGE

There is no dearth of acts playing vintage '80s thrash metal is there? It has become a global phenomenon as scores of dudes have donned leather jackets, denim vests, and Chuck Taylors, assuming the position, plugging in, and cranking out. It is something that has taken hold in Hungary as well, although in places like Eastern Europe, the adoration of thrash metal icons has never really gone away. Whatever the case, MORBID CARNAGE pays tribute with their Pulverised debut, "Night Assassins", a no-holds-barred effort that adds nothing new to the equation, which was probably the intention from the get-go.

Owing more to Teutonic thrashers like KREATOR and SODOM with only hints of the Bay Area sound, "Night Assassins" is nothing if not straight to the point and violent as hell. One only need read song titles like "Slaughtering", "Warlust", "Empty Graves", and "Castle in Pain" to realize that that message conveyed is neither one of adolescent longing nor vegan ideology. For that matter, the band name alone should have been your first indication. The big upside is that every track on "Night Assassins" is produced for supreme sonic overload (no circa-1985 recording emulation here) and attacks with, appropriately enough, extreme aggression. The nasty vocals of drummer Blasphemy are reminiscent of Mille Petrozza and little concern is expressed for inflection variation, while the guitars are downright vicious. Aside from the occasional use of backing shouts, the approach does not vary a great deal; the emphasis here is on relentless savagery in no uncertain terms. If nothing else, the sound of "Night Assassins" is robust and the method of delivery is bruising.

No real big downside here, but the songwriting on "Night Assassins" does suffer a bit from one-dimensionality. By the time you reach the last song or two you've had enough and are ready to move onto something else. Sticking to the thrash metal fundamentals rarely results in a richness of diversity, nor would diehard fans expect that to be the case. It sure as hell doesn't get any more belligerent and bellicose than "Night Assassins", which will suit most thrash heads just fine.