Hellish Crossfire

If there’s one area where Germany lovingly refuses to evolve, it’s thrash metal. Revelling in their abstinence from allowing the scene to regress into shoddy tongue-in-cheek retrospectives or ham-fisted attempts at revivals, their take — or at least that of Hellish Crossfire — is mired in a time when Slayer still wore makeup and Venom had all of their original members. Blending the ravenous attack of early Kreator — hyperactive drums and lots of low-end chugging — with the reverb-laden recordings of Torment In Fire-era Sacrifice, Slaves Of The Burning Pentagram is a bombardment of tinny production, double-time thrash beats and tormented vocal wailing. It’s as evil as it is grossly under-produced and as exhilarating as it is overzealous. From opener "Conquerors Of Black Soul” through to "Hallowed In Fire,” this brilliantly expedient dose of blackened thrash carouses in juvenile excitement and doom-y overtures.