Thrillkiller-Showdown

Self-Release/Independent
2016

It was back in mid-January of this year that I first covered Baltimore, Maryland rock/metal act Thrillkiller. Their debut offering, "Time", was a hell of lot of fun and that explosive 4-track EP proved to be a easy recording to love thanks to it's simply unreal combination of  hard rock/guitar rock, AOR, and eighties pop metal! With their brand new disc here lead vocalist/main man Rob Bradley and crew* prove early on and often that sophomore slumps are for suckers and that it is indeed possible to out-think, outperform & outplay perfection!! More or less picking up where "Time" left off, "Showdown" builds upon the success of Thrillkiller's debut EP by adding six great new tracks to the mix. In addition to the fantastic title cut(!) there is "Living in Infamy", "The Fever", "A Reason", "The Believer", and "Social Disease". All six numbers sound simply amazing (and then some!) and showcase the insane amount of growth that this Baltimore group has achieved in it's short time together. What's more they fit perfectly in with the material from "Time" so that when it's all said and done you have the album to beat for 2016! If "Showdown" doesn't get Thrillkiller scooped up and signed then they is something terribly wrong with this thing we call reality!!


*Maxim Sobchenko - Guitar/Co-Founder
  Sebastian Ochoa - Bass
  Matt Bittman-Enginer and Drums

Thrillkiller-Time

Self-Released/Independent
2015

Released back on December 17th, 2015, "Time" is the debut offering from Baltimore, Maryland act Thrillkiller. A relatively new name to the rock/metal scene, Thrillkiller features two former members of the (sadly) now-defunct band Aries in it's line-up in Maxim Sobchenko (guitar) and Rob Bradley (vocals). But whereas Aries was a hard rock/heavy metal band (and a damn good one at that!) Thrillkiller comes across a slick combination of hard rock/guitar rock, AOR, and eighties pop metal. And when I say slick what I'm really trying to say is that this new project from Sobchenko & Bradley is top-down, turn yourself all the way around fucking phenomenal! With the help of engineer Matt Bittman (a hell of a talented individual himself Matt not only twisted the knobs on this SICK 4-track EP, but he played bass and arranged the drums to boot!) these two former Aries' members make it all sound so easy! Without sounding as if I'm off my rocker again (or worse yet my meds!) Thrillkiller has the chance to be the breakout band of 2016! Frankly speaking this is one hell of a hot new band that everybody is going to be talking about soon enough! Picture if you will a smooth (and dare I say sexy?) band that combines influences as diverse as Michael Jackson, ("Achtung Baby"-era) U2, Maroon 5, Fallout Boy, and Coldplay with the likes Van Halen, Firehouse, Tesla, King's X, and Extreme! Toss in the likes of Boston, Styx, and REO Speedwagon and you've got the basis for what Thrillkiller is all about! But, before you go thinking that this is some kind of retro con-job, "Time" is the story of a young band that sounds modern, bold, and and hip! The material on this EP could just as easily appear on rock radio as it could Top 40 stations thus putting Thrillkiller in a unique position. Is it possible that this Baltimore-based band could actual force it's way to the top of the charts and in the process bring rock music back to the mainstream? That's an interesting thought and yes, honestly it just might be a bit far-fetched. But, given the way that "Time" feels like the first step towards greatness maybe it's not as crazy as it sounds....