Minotaur

This 1988 debut album from forgotten German thrashers Minotaur (who formed way back in 1983) is a treat for thrash fans. This is the first official reissue of the Teutonic gem, tacking on some recently recorded tracks (the band put out a comeback release in 2009), but the vintage material is what matters: this is some serious, treble-heavy, evil thrash. Were it released today, it'd be black thrash; back in the day, it was Sodom and Destruction's evil little brother, which was just a bit too extreme for most fans. Sure, some songs, like "Maggots in My Body," have some semblance of structure, some hooks buried in the chaos. But most of the album flies past in a delightfully fast frenzy, way evil, way raw and, again, way heavy on the treble, just like all those classic thrash cassettes. This is a little thrash footnote that was almost totally forgotten but deserves to be remembered, at least among select, freaky circles. Thrashers who love it noisy and old school, give it a shot. It goes in one ear and out the other, but it does so as a perfect thrash attack.