On the surface, Hellthrasher Productions seems like a smaller version of Nuclear War Now - "more kvlt than thou" bands for the jacket patch kids to get excited about before their post-college identities kick in. But the Polish label surprised me with a few releases of pure fury, and if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that Polish people know their death metal. As of now, Hellthrasher isn't offering full albums for streaming or purchase, which is annoying; but the selections on offer are a step in the right direction.
A minute into "Exile from Sanity," Malfeitor made my ears start ringing - and I took that as a good sign. Featuring veterans from the Stockholm scene, Dum Morior Orior blasts away like Carnage on angel dust, and makes even Bloodbath sound puny. Holy fucking hell.
Escarnium continue what Incantation started, marching onward to Golgotha with the relentlessness synonymous with Brazilian death metal. Don't look to Excruciating Existence to rock the boat in any way; it's an album short on new ideas and big on old school tenets. But until their countrymen Mental Horror get their act together, this will do nicely.
Sweden's Flagellated Seraph continue the post-Volcano movement to take black metal out of the basement and into the garage. Anyone who misses Wolves in the Throne Room (or found their last album a little half-baked) may enjoy Beyond Salvation's commitment to repetitive, trance-inducing darkness.
Finnish band Decaying employed a drum machine on their early releases, with slightly epileptic results. They've rectified that on their latest album Encirclement, and having a human drummer enables them to hit those Bolt Thrower grooves to maximum effect. They'll get your head a-bobbin' and your fist a-bangin'.
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