Though they've only been together as a band since 2008, Slovenian thrash act Panikk have been pretty busy on the international metal circuit, and Discarded Existence is their second album for Xtreem Music. Talking their cue from the Bay Area greats like Death Angel, Vio-lence, Forbidden, Forced Entry, and Exodus, Panikk wear their influences on their sleeve and aren't afraid to boast about it. Comprised of eight neck snappers and the obligatory 'outro', Discarded Existence is chock full of crunchy riffs and acrobatic drumming, with Gasper "Gapa" Flere's gravelly vocals sounding right at home as if it was 1987 all over again. "Under Pretence" is like a head on collision between Death Angel and Anthrax, while "Rotten Cells" mixes some proggy textures with rampaging thrash metal mania, the guitars leaping about in fierce fashion. The band sure do a great job of keeping the intensity level on max throughout the album, and though that takes away a bit from allowing much diversity (the album is a tad one note and many of the songs sound similar) Panikk do what they do well and it's easy to recommend Discarded Existence to any fan of classic Bay Area thrash.
Track Listing
01 Instigator of War
02 Sedated in Utopia
03 Under Pretence
04 Individual Right
05 Rotten Cells
06 Discarded Existence
07 Eyes Don't Lie
08 Reconstruction
09 Outro