DEATHRASH

"I'll still be here even after I'm gone, 'cause I'm gonna thrash beyond death!" It takes a special kind of lyric to be so bone-stupid and such a profound work of genius, all in one. The Spicoli-an depths of burnout glory that New York bruisers DEATHRASH plumb come honestly, though — they were cranking out wild-eyed, incendiary thrash metal back in the early 1980s, and after over two decades out of commission, they've managed to step back into the game like Reagonomics and the Commodore 64 never left. That's no easy feat!

What you get on "Thrash Beyond Death", besides an album cover showing a guy literally headbanging his face right off his skull, is a batch of tunes both old and new. DEATHRASH's 1986 "Faces of Death" demo, three songs that took the east coast underground by storm at the time, is reproduced, as is a rough-and-ready 1986 CBGB's set (recorded by none other than Tommy Victor, later of PRONG fame). Both of these showcase the kind of bashing, punk- and hardcore-influenced thrash that informed their peers, from WHIPLASH and CRUMBSUCKERS to CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER and EXCEL. Their energy and ferocity spill out of the speakers like a lo-fi tornado, and the catchiness of their songs keeps you coming back — these guys easily deserved as much acclaim as the bands who did get records out back then.

But perhaps the most amazing part of "Thrash Beyond Death" comes at the very beginning. The first five songs were recorded in 2009, and four of them are new ("Buried Alive" appears on the '86 demo, the live set, and re-recorded in '09). And they're the best cuts on the disc! These guys not only haven't missed a beat, but they haven't changed for the times one bit. Sure, everything sounds clearer and heavier, but as far as the writing and playing, they're stuck in a time warp, in the best possible way. They didn't wuss out or slow down, and (even more of a relief) they didn't make some clumsy attempt to get even heavier in a misguided effort to connect with "the kids". They're still cranking out high-octane thrash with gung-ho vocals and bridges instinctively designed to create maximum mosh-pit activity. And thank the metal gods for that!

DEATHRASH rock the hell out, and their over-the-top thrash should be on the shelf of anyone who claims to be a headbanger. The intensity they show at this age should be a wake-up call to any old-school band who thinks the world owes them a reunion tour — you still gotta bring your A-game, and DEATHRASH have set the bar insanely high. Thanks for attending to this "unfinished business," fellas, now let's hear some more new stuff!