“Looking through the eyes of a new machine.”
Is it fair to call thrash the genre of geriatrics? Perhaps. Most who indulge in these longstanding whammy and solo fests are eligible to apply for Social Security. Hell, even Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth are still defying their chiropractors’ orders and pushing ahead. Yet regardless of which side of the aisle you stand on, there’s no denying thrash’s perennial influence on a litany of other acts and genres. Hardcore, death metal, and whatever else the kids are listening to these days are rooted, if ever so slightly, in thrash’s breakneck fundamentals.
Emaciated are a true example of the aforementioned. Comprised of No Cure, STOLEN GUN, and Dysmorphia members, their brand of thrash is a reinvigorating approach to a sound that has been bogged down by an aging roster of bands that have lost some of their luster (going on a couple of decades now). If you’re looking for early-era Demolition Hammer, Sodom, and Municipal Waste, look no further than Emaciated’s sophomore project, Praise Be, The Iron Apostle.
Praise Be, The Iron Apostle should remind many that what we’ve come to describe as thrash is rather interchangeable with hardcore. Gang vocals, unrelenting pace, and lyrical themes obtusely intersect on the Venn diagram. Emaciated, however, is a bit more technical than No Cure and STOLEN GUN, and more sonically forgiving than Dysmorphia. All this culminates into what you would expect out of a high-quality thrash quartet: Heavy enough keep hardened gatekeepers fully attentive, dialed back to the point of piquing the interest of adherents of softer metal, and fanning the ire of boomer parents who think their children need Jesus.
Emaciated do not shy away from incorporating elements of their derivative troupes into what’s an otherwise predominant thrash showcase. Many of the hooks tug and pull between the veil of death and hardcore, with Duncan Newey’s vocals eerily reminiscent of James Hetfield’s prime (and don’t worry, his drumming is what Lars Ulrich doesn’t even attain in his dreams). Furthermore, guitarists Wavy Ramirez and Ian Straface channel their inner Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman tandem of shredding, alongside Joshua Peltoma’s curdling bass work. Praise Be, The Iron Apostle is a cryogenically unfrozen artifact that’s been unleashed on the underground landscape for both the young and decrepit to revel in.
Front to back, there’s hardly anything to dwell on. “A New Begotten Son” sets the thematic backdrop for Praise Be, The Iron Apostle, if only at the potential expense of Emaciated foregoing what could’ve been an opportunity to start things off with a true thrash-laced bang. Most will probably be ambivalent to that notion. Still, with four starkly solid iterations (most notably the title track) following for the remainder of the EP, there may be others left somewhat wanting.
Praise Be, The Iron Apostle combines thrash, death, and hardcore rudiments with almost no blemishes. Emaciated have a clear focus on what they want to achieve in terms of relinquishing modern mysticisms that are arguably staining what thrash once stood for by simply entrenching themselves with the basics. They may only have two projects under their belts, but Emaciated will continue to be recallers of a bygone era for as long as they maintain their current path without straying off. Emaciated’s flavor of thrash is what many of the genre’s quintessential acts were renowned for before the 2000’s, and what Megadeth (except in Dave Mustaine’s version of reality) wish they sounded like. Tailgate with those worn-out denim jackets to your heart’s content; Praise Be, The Iron Apostle is an essential listen for anyone who claims to be a fan of thrash.
8/10
Praise Be, The Iron Apostle has released as of today, January 9, via Iron Fortress Records and can be pre-ordered here.