Atrophy is a thrash metal band from the USA formed during the mid-eighties thrash metal explosion, the band releasing two albums – ‘Socialized Hate’ (1988) and ‘Violent Nature’ (1990), before breaking up in 1993. Reforming over two decades later, the band endured numerous line-up changes to leave founder Brian Zimmermann (vocals) as the sole surviving original member – the line-up for the bands new album ‘Asylum’ completed by guitarists Nathan Montalvo and Mark Coglan (Condemned To Dream), bass player Josh Gibbs (Thrash Or Die, ex Malevolent Creation), and drummer Jonas Shutz (Diesis, Condemned To Dream, Sacrosanct).
Released in 2024, ‘Asylum’ is nine songs and forty-four ferocious minutes of full-throttle thrash metal, all delivered with incredible levels of energy and head-bang ability! The band are on fucking fire, setting light to the touch paper with (album) opener ‘Punishment For All’. Roaring down the freeway at incredibly high speed, Atrophy is red hot here, ‘Punishment For All’ fuelled by aggression and menace, the intensity level rocketing off the fucking charts! And maintaining the album’s electrifying start, ‘High Anxiety’ is a high-powered thrash metal rampage with more hustle and bustle than a frenetic Black Friday shopping spree! Atrophy are fired up no doubt about it, setting off incendiary devices left, right and fucking centre with a blistering brand of thrash – every single listener everywhere rocking their heads back and forth at an extreme rate of knots. The band have been unforgiving across the albums opening brace, an album that roars on with the furious ‘Seeds Of Sorrow’. Maintaining the album’s blistering pace, ‘Seeds Of Sorrow’ is gonna fuel the worldwide mosh pits for decades, Atrophy oozing power and force as though it’s the most natural thing in the world!
Thrash metal has always been about aggression, menace and electrifying speed, ‘Asylum’ offering all three in abundance – Atrophy plugged into an endless supply as the album storms on with ‘Distortion’. And the first slow down heard so far, the band adopting the mighty foot-stomping style of thrash, the ground shuddering under the sheer weight of ‘Distortion’. Yet Atrophy is not content to just foot stomp their way across the land, changing gear and tempo as ‘Distortion’ romps on to a conclusion – ‘Bleeding Out’ restoring high velocity, high octane thrash metal to the fore! The band are unrelenting in their aggressive rampage, brutally slamming listeners to the floor and screaming “Listen to me” – and listen you will, for ‘Bleeding Out’ (and ‘Asylum’ so far) has been one of those can’t stop listening to albums that grab your attention and never lets go. But let’s be honest here, why would you wanna go anywhere else when the thrash metal on offer is this fucking good! The five piece outfit from Arizona are blazing a fiery trail for thrash metal this year – and yes I know there’s been some terrific thrash already this year, from the likes of Suicidal Angels, Drain Down, Full Assault, Morbid Saint, and Sabotage to name just a few – with the end of year award for Best Thrash Metal Album Of The Year 2024 liable to be a fiercely contested battle! And bear in mind too, that we’re not even halfway through the year yet – just imagine how much more thrash metal’s to come! The mind boggles – Atrophy steaming ahead with ‘American Dream’. I’m telling ya readers, the pace of ‘Asylum’ has been outstanding, ‘American Dream’ probably edging it as the fastest song heard so far – and with three songs still remaining there’s a fairly good chance there’s gonna be a faster one yet!
And with all the urgency, pace and purpose shelved for a moment, ‘Close My Eyes’ enters the fray sounding like a melodic rock song – until fifty seconds in when a blood-curdling “metal scream” shatters the rocky stillness, Atrophy adopting the heaviest foot stomp this side of thrash metal legends Slayer. ‘Close My Eyes’ is a menacing march of intensity, headbang ability and mosh pit ferocity, the band emphatically maintaining their incredible all out thrash metal attack! An attack that’s not finished just yet – the sinister sounding ‘The Apostle’ increasing its heaviness as it gets going, finally letting all hell break loose at the minute mark to speed forth like the Japanese bullet train! Changing gear and tempo throughout, Atrophy keep listeners on their toes, second guessing in which direction ‘The Apostle’ will turn next! And bringing the album to a close, the band are in a mellow mood once more, a veil of serenity draping over ‘Five Minutes ‘Til Suicide’ – for all of the first fifty five seconds! And then it’s business as usual, ‘Five Minutes ‘Til Suicide’ resuming the all-out aggression and menace heard everywhere else on ‘Asylum’ – not to mention the blistering pace!
Overall, an all-out and aggressive thrash metal attack featuring tonnes of brutality and a sky-high head bang ability.
TRACKLIST
Punishment For All
High Anxiety
Seeds Of Sorrow
Distortion
Bleeding Out
American Dream
Close My Eyes
The Apostle
Five Minutes ‘Til Suicide
Atrophy: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: Massacre Records
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
