Yep, you guessed it, that's cover artwork from good old Ed Repka adorning the Nuclear Blast debut from Finnish thrashers Fast Loud Death. Theoretically, Nuclear Blast teaming one of their up & coming acts with an artist who has a long history of working with bands like Megadeth, Death, Nuclear Assault, Possessed, Sanctuary, 3 Inches of Blood, Toxic, and Whiplash (just to name a few), should go a long way to getting some buzz going for this album, but the music also has to carry its load as well. Thankfully, Fast Loud Death shows plenty of promise and will no doubt find loads of fans who like furious old school styled thrash.
Normally, Finland is not a country where you hear a lot of thrash acts trying to make a name for themselves, but perhaps Lost Society have done the right thing not getting themselves involved in black metal or power metal. They no doubt have studied the classic thrash bands quite well, as the influences of Kreator, Destruction, Anthrax, Exodus, Metallica, and Megadeth are all over Fast Loud Death. "Bitch, Out' My Way" could have been a leftover from Kill 'Em All or Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good, while "Thrash All Over You" has a certain German thrash feel not unlike Kreator or Destruction. Razor sharp riffing and relentless double bass drumming fly about the mix on the crushing title track, and the brief yet effective "Diary Of A Thrashman" is for the most part a highly technical instrumental, and well done at that. And "Braindead Metalhead", besides for having a hilarious title, is a fine slice of Antrax/Exodus/Megadeth styled raging thrash that will incite some serious headbanging and air guitar mayhem.
On the downside, too many of these songs are extremely brief, and come across as an excuse to throw together some fancy, shredding riffs and a few vocals, making portions of Fast Loud Death seem patched together and almost unfinished. There's no denying the talent that Lost Society have, and they KNOW their '80s thrash, so I don't know if this album was quickly put together and rushed to delivery or whether the bands songwriting skills just haven't quite hit their peak yet. Either way, this is extremely solid Finnish thrash that won't win any awards for originality but is a kick to the teeth for anyone who loves those classic sounds. I'm predicting their next album will be a monster as long as they can deliver songs that have a little more meat and length to them.
Track Listing
01. N.W.L.
02. Trash All Over You
03. E.A.G.
04. KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)
05. Bitch, Out' My Way
06. Fast Loud Death
07. Lead Through The Head
08. Diary Of A Thrashman
09. Toxic Avenger
10. This Is Me
11. Braindead Metalhead
12. Piss Out My Ass
13. Fatal Anoxia
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