Maniacal thrash metal comes to you straight from the heart of kvlt country, Cvlt Nation – The band is Bütcher. Their album is entitled Bestial Fukkin’ Warmachine.
Let me get this straight. Thrash is supposed to be dead? Uh-uh, it isn’t. Take this band of lunatics from Bütcher, for example. Bestial Fukkin Warmachine is primitive thrash/first wave violence with an excellent blend of uptempo banging songwriting chops and passionate playing. Simply said, they slay on this album. The many thrash shredding sections and drumkit violence will excite metal fans who remember the European underground thrash movement before Dave Mustaine put his mark on it. Did ol’ Dave start it then? That’s a fat no, and Butcher is evidence as to why.
Sounding similar to Pleasure to Kill Kreator and a hint of Mercyful Fate, Bütcher plays fist-pumping, uptempo ragers that will send thrashers to thrash heaven in 0-2 seconds. They add some acoustic guitars and keyboards the way Mercyful Fate used to, and the falsetto vocal screeches remind fans of authentic eighties style all over again.
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So, crush the weak! If we entrust thrash’s continued relevance to Warbringer, we might as well call it a day for genuine thrash metal. No overt-Pantera style groove on this album either. No shameful comparisons to the best bands during the heyday of the Bay Area. Bütcher steers away from the 90s hair bands that used to play more pop than metal in any shape or form.
Unlike Bütcher, Slayer’s best days are behind them. Presumably, that’s been the case since Divine Intervention was released. To make things clear, these guys in Bütcher don’t ape Slayer’s style. The intros don’t linger too long, and the ambient tracks are wisely utilized as accent portions. Bütcher plays thrash that initially spawned what we now call first wave black metal, but the monikers are seriously unnecessary for a band with such great promise. Whatever it is, it’s fast, it’s got hooks, it rocks, and it’s got Cvlt Nation Headquarters rocking like headbanging maniacs in spandex all over again. No, they’re not like toothless Metallica, be it the overrated Master of Puppets or the perpetually played pop metal of the Black Album. This sounds closest to Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica if you needed some comparison, but they never play slow, like Metallica does on “Seek and Destroy,” and Bütcher was clearly wise not to slow down for far too long.
I love old-school thrash. But not the party thrash variety that no one takes seriously. Let Armageddon come to thrash fans who await the next Slayer album. If the scene is dead, let modern thrash die its due death. Old-school thrash needs more coverage, because Bütcher might be one of the last bands on earth to play it. Stream Bestial Fukkin Warmachine and support the album now. For fans of sell-out thrash, there’s all sorts of records on Spotify to deliver your latest fix. Bestial Fukkin Warmachine is essential for thrash addicts, and you’ll hear it here first.
Label: Babylon Doom Cult Records
