EXA – Left In Shards

From the early years of Sodom and Kreator, through to latter day revival sounds with Dust Bolt, the Germans have always had a great ability when it comes to thrash metal. Here’s another band that really should be on your radar. Formed in 2016 when the musicians were still at school, EXA’s music carries all the ferocity of your 80s favourites, tempered by a production sound that’s a little more modern.

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COSMIC JAGUAR – The Order Of The Jaguar Knights EP

Ukraine’s Cosmic Jaguar conjure some amazing riffs on their 2023 EP ‘The Order of The Jaguar Knights’. The four songs mix classic thrash – played at the high octane speeds set by bands like Exciter and Exodus in the early 80s – with lop-sided prog metal breakdowns, and the bulk of the music is joined by abrasive vocals that appear not to fit squarely with either genre. What this means, of course, is that Cosmic Jaguar are capable of summoning a hefty sound throughout.

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STRIKE MASTER – Tangram Apocalypse

On their earliest albums, Mexican thrashers Strike Master conveyed a great energy, but their material was often hampered by a thin production sound. In some ways, this made them no different to many of their musical heroes; after all, a lot of the second division thrash albums released in the late 80s sounded pretty cheap, and it was often the bands’ energies in the live field that secured them a fan base. By the time Strike Master released their self titled album in 2017, there was obviously an increased budget, as well as a bigger bass sound driving their material, but there was still a nagging feeling that this talented trio were capable of producing something even better.

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DREAMS OF GRAY – The World Over EP

According to his own press materials, Abolisher’s Luis Rivera formed Dreams of Gray almost by accident. Finding himself unable to perform due to the pandemic lockdown of 2020, he spent time working on new studio ideas, and this intensive thrash/death crossover release was the result. Although it only features three tracks, ‘The World After’ delivers very highly in terms of old school riffs.

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