Thraxas! is a thrash metal band from Australia formed in 2011 releasing their debut E.P. ‘Planetary Terrorism’ in 2021.
Six songs and thirty minutes of groove-styled thrash await anyone who dares to press play on the debut release from Australian metallers Thraxas! The band describes themselves as “a touch of gasoline and chili powder” – and who am I to disagree! The blend of groove, gasoline, thrash, and chili powder is an interesting mix – and a very good listener too! E.P. opener ‘Concrete Cowboy’ is a bouncy cruncher of a song – mixing groove with a heavy-hitting barrage of thrash. A harsh yet clean and somewhat aggressive vocal performance accompanies the brash nature of ‘Concrete Cowboy’, a nature that continues on with ‘Ecophagy’…
…but only after a minute or so of mellow serenity – and then boom! ‘Ecophagy’ takes off at high velocity, scorching the Earth as it blazes by in a fierce fury. The pace, purpose, and intent are synonymous with blistering thrash metal – Thraxas! showing their prowess and potential. Keeping the high-velocity pace high, the band stride on with the much heavier and more aggressive ‘Seven Sided Strike’. Think ‘Low’ era Testament but with a groove… Time to get those heads nodding you moshers, this is getting good! ‘Phantom Pain’ is the shortest song on offer, clocking in at under four minutes in length. Groove combines with muscular thrash to create a heavy-hitting foot-stomper guaranteed to numb the senses and tickle the taste buds…
…for the band’s style of thrash is a real tasty flavor – and I want more! And more I get…with the searing avalanche that is ‘Warchief’. A real gritty, rabble-rousing romp, ‘Warchief’ has blistering speed, aggressive vocals, and a bludgeoning rhythm that is so punchy, you will feel pain! Be prepared to suffer cuts, bruises, and maybe some broken bones too.
The final song ‘Sarcophagus’, is seven and a half minutes in length, and is by far and away from the longest song on offer. The menacing, tension-filled intro, builds to a crescendo – and then all hell breaks loose. And at a breakneck speed too! ‘Sarcophagus’ sets a blinding pace as it steams on, trampling everything and everyone standing in its way – the band ending their debut release very much on a high.
Overall, a storming thrash metal assault, Thraxas! deliver pace, power, groove, and grunt over a blistering thirty minutes.
TRACKLIST
Concrete Cowboy
Ecophagy
Seven Sided Strike
Phantom Pain
Warchief
Sarcophagus
Thraxas!: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: self-released
Category: EP
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, Metal Gods TV, and Metal-Roos.
