Since their formation in 2021, Aussie thrash metal band Decimator have gone through a variety of line-up changes, but this potential instability only seems to have made frontman (and only original member) Lance even more determined to make his band a success. Decimator’s 2025 release ‘Downfallen’ features material that, prior to its release, had been pitched as having “more fire and ferocity” but also “a more refined approach to songwriting”.

All the hype in the world cannot disguise the fact that the ‘Downfallen’ EP looks cheap; very much like a DIY release from a thrash band from 1987. Nor can it get around the material featuring some very average vocals. Throughout the opening track ‘Hexenkrieg’, Lance bellows and grows like a man who can just about hold his own, and the huge whoahs that are designed to bolster the very macho sound end up sounding a little too low budget, almost to the point of sounding a bit lost.

That said, the old school riffing that drives this number is in a classic style. Lance’s sharp edged guitar work, for the first half of this performance, latches onto a brilliant chopping sound, drawing equal influence from the melodic end of thrash and the fiercer elements of 80s trad metal, and the rhythm section are suitably fierce. Better yet, the middle of the number dispenses with the thunderous riffs, and working through a lengthy instrumental break, the band slows down to allow for a more melodic approach where soaring lead guitar and some really impressive twin sounds tap into something that sounds like a cousin of 80s era Iron Maiden sharing one of their prog tinged epics. Pulling everything to a close with the original thrash oriented sound, there’s a reminder that this band does also have potential when it comes to a heavier approach, and despite the vocals, the galloping riff is able to retain a more than solid presence.

The title track opens with a guitar based rendition of the French national anthem, before dropping into a meaty chug that fuses the sounds of trad metal with the dark edge of one of Slayer’s slower numbers which, again, shows off the potential in this band’s shamelessly old school sound. Unfortunately, Lance then begins to sing. His rough around the edges delivery has a less than professional approach that no amount of filters can disguise. He’s not as woeful as Sacrilege’s Bill Beadle – and he’s clearly a far better songwriter than that British veteran – but, vocally, he’s very much the weak link in his own band. Thankfully, there’s some great music here once again, and the very traditional metal riffs attack with a tough edge during the verses in a way that’ll take most of the audience back to the 80s, while some absolutely flawless twin leads heard en route show off a band who clearly have a lot of confidence when it comes to an old school style.

Something that can also be said in Decimator’s favour is that, on a musical level, they aren’t afraid to mix things up. ‘Teuer de Paysans’ opens with a quasi-folk riff played on a clean guitar, calling back to a couple of Metallica intros from the 80s, and when joined by a soaring lead, there’s a clear prog metal influence coming into play. This quickly gives way to the EP’s heaviest – and fastest – riffs when the band launch into some unapologetic thrash; lightning speed rhythms that pay homage to the scene’s forefathers, taking influence from Exciter and early Metallica. This is a great move: the faster the rhythm section play (both drummer Bon Lowe and bassist Riley Perry are insanely tight) the better Lance sounds, and even his roughest tones seem to fit well against the music’s sharpest edges. Obviously, the results aren’t particularly original, but between some terrific riffs and a great interplay between a semi-atonal lead guitar and gravel edged vocal, followed by some very confident lead guitar work from Caiseal Duncan, this is the EP’s finest track.

Due to some vocal inconsistencies, this isn’t a flawless work, but when it hits the mark, it does so with a great force and with a classic old school energy. It’s worth hearing for the twin lead moments that pepper the material throughout, and also for the ferocious rhythm guitar work present during ‘Teuer de Paysans’. That track alone ensures this isn’t a waste of seventeen minutes, and definitely hints that Decimator could be capable of delivering greater material in future. Until then, there’s a raw promise here, but ‘Downfallen’ will likely only appeal to thrash and trad metal obsessives only.

November 2025