Hailing from Finland and playing a brand of thrash metal which offers no compromises, Axegressor unleash their third full length album entitled “Last” which is a 36-minute slice of intense thrash. With a sound reminiscent of the Teutonic four (Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and Tankard), the Finnish 4-piece are clearly well versed in the art of thrash and some of the older bands could take a page from their book if they want inspiration for coming up with something new.
“Freedom Illusion” opens the album with a pounding galloping style riff and tight rhythm section which almost instantly draws you into headbanging along, before it kicks in to the verse which kicks up the pace with fast, aggressively spat vocals and more intense backing from the band. It leads into a more technical section with twisting riffs before breaking down and kicking right back into the frantic pace again with a fast paced, intense guitar solo before dropping back to the familiar pattern of the verse. “Lead Justice” comes next and it leads with a fast paced assault of riffs and vocals. Tightly controlled riffs and rhythms keep the song rolling before it slows down slightly into a more groove styled section. The pounding bass sound shines through on this track and the raw vocals make it sound like something which came right out of the 80’s.
“Mind Castration” opens with a huge squeal of feedback and a steadily building drum beat which has an almost punk-like feel to it before the singer’s shout of ‘Mind Castration’ brings in the riffing, giving it a very early thrash like feel. The simple but effective riffs and rhythm section compliment the vocals which contain the occasional emphasised words with the slight wail that most thrash vocalists use to add more intensity to the song. The song shifts into a heavier, more pounding section which has a perfect headbanging rhythm and in a live setting could work great with the “Hey! Hey!” fist in the air chants before it kicks up a gear and shifts back to the previous riffs of the song. “Merciless reality Check” follows and it’s a much slower paced track that emphasises the groove and rhythm over speed but retaining the intensity which has ran through the album so far. A melodic, technical solo midway through the song fits in perfect with the groove of the song and a second solo section towards the end allows the rhythm section to come through once again with the pounding bass tone and precise drums.
“15” starts off with a fast drum section which overpowers the guitars and brings the faster pace of the album back. The relentless drums run throughout the song, dictating the feel whilst the guitar twists in and out of the drum’s shadow with some catchy hooks and fast, heavy chugs leading into a frantic solo which ups the urgency of the track towards the end, leading it into a big groove at the end full of double kick and gang vocal shouts over the top. “Social Pressure” follows with a frantic fast paced string of riffs and for a moment it could be mistaken for a Municipal Waste track with the fast paced music and the quick vocals with gang vocal emphasis in the chorus areas. Around the middle of the song there is a brilliant fast riff section which continues into another solid thrash solo before it drops back out to return to the verse riffs once more, before a classic thrash vocal wail ends the song.
“A fistful of Ignorance” brings back the groove emphasis once again, shifting the tempo between solid groove and fast paced thrash, allowing the vocal work to stand out more with more use of the backing vocalists to emphasise some of the riff changes. It’s not really a stand out track, but it’s still a solid slice of European thrash and something slower paced to build you up ready for the next song. “Command to Last” starts off once again with a massive wall of sound, fast paced guitars and a pounding rhythm section lead into a frantic paced, two minute thrash assault, perfect for the thrash gig staple of the circle pit which the vocalist repeatedly mentions through the song as it goes from fast, to ridiculously fast. “Determinator” is the album’s closing number, and much like the rest of the album, it is a fine piece of thrash which shifts between groove and fast, keeping the intense rhythm going which runs throughout the entire album. As an album closer, it doesn’t offer anything special, it just wraps it up nicely.
Axegressor are a thrash band who know what they want their music to sound like and the way they deliver it ensures it does. It’s no nonsense thrash metal which offers no compromises, even in the slower groove filled sections, and that’s just the way thrash should be. Fans of thrash need to give this a listen.
(9/10 Fraggle)
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