2013
Thrash metal from Canada? Now, that's a novel idea! OK, so it has been done before (Annihilator, D.B.C., Exciter, Razor, Sacrifice and of course Slaughter!) and this Ontario group isn't exactly rocking out to a new beat or anything. Still, underground thrash, which is what this sounds like more then anything (it's gritty, somewhat raw and bleak), is never a bad thing when it crosses your path. With "Psychonaut" making it album number two for this 4-piece, who were formed in 2003 (with their debut album, "Beers from the Grave" coming out in late 2009), things look quite promising for this bunch. This 8-track LP runs about 46 minutes of so and, for the most part, is actually a fun listen. Despite the nagging feeling that you've heard a lot of these riffs before, or for that matter how some of these tracks just run over into the next cut with variety (or lack-thereof) being an issue, there are some strong points to be highlighted. First the vocals work really well. Sure, they are raw and a bit raspy and yes, they do seem like they would have been better suited for some crossover act from the eighties, but damn if it doesn't give this album a real kick in the ass. Those almost punk-like vocals come from Spencer Le Von (who also handles guitar duties alongside lead guitarist Eytan Gordon) and they make Fatality feel like they fell out of the sky from the eighties with just one goal on their minds-to thrash and thrash hard! There's no "retro" thrash to be found here which is definitely something that has run it's course if you ask me. Instead this sophomore release finds Fatality unleashing killer leads that remind me a bit of what New York's Primal Scream was aiming for back in the day. They (Primal Scream) tried to give the listener something (somewhat) new by combining thrash with rock. It didn't always work for them, but here on "Psychonaut" the guys in Fatality try their hand at it with better results. Mind you it's more like thrash metal meeting garage rock for a few beers before everyone got sloppy drunk and tore into some metal that wouldn't be too hard to envision having come from a 80's crossover act! With Adam Zlotnik (bass) and Mason Le Von (drums) doing their best to add to the fun this Canadian 4-piece travels between crossover and a more raw form of Bay Area thrash while also tipping their hats towards some of their countries' forefathers (specifically Razor and Exciter). All told what we have here is a fun thrash album that's raw delivery is only matched (appeal-wise) by the group's punk attitude and their street metal mentality. So yes, this is more Canadian thrash, but when it comes charging out of the gate like this the more the merrier!
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