Ravager - Thrashletics

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Old School Thrash Metal should be left to old bands. It’s hard to many understand that it’s not so simple to play as EXODUS, TESTAMENT,  KREATOR, TANKARD and others did in the 80’s. They created their own paths, and to the bands on these days, if you dare to follow their paths, it’s a dangerous work, because you’ll be compared to them, and will never be seen as creators of anything. And the German quintet RAVAGER will bear such stigma for their life, even making a good job on “Thrashletics”.

It’s an Old School Thrash Metal blending 65% of North American school with 35% of German school. Obviously the musical talent of the quintet can be heard on the rhythmic conductions and fine arrangements, with excellent guitars and good vocals (that can evolve a bit more), but the influences from old days are extremely evident sometimes, what can make you think of many names, but never on their own name. It’s good and truly funny, but the lack of personality is dangerous. “Thrashletics” bears a very good sound quality. Although the band tries to sound as basic as it can (because the need to be far away from the endless digital techs from recording ways of the present days), it’s clean and heavy in a way that the band’s songs can be fully understood. But the choice for the tunes of the instruments gave the sound quality a feeling of being “hollow” sometimes.

Their songs are filled with a great dose of energy, making the veins of listeners’ ears pump savagely. And the slow parts of “Mindblender” (where bass guitars and drums are doing a fine work), the outrageous “Thrashletics (Out of Hell)” (where exists a contrast between parts with slow tempos and faster ones, with very good vocals), the fast and adrenalized “Dysphoria” (excellent guitar riffs), the crushing rhythmic changes of the long “Slaughter of Innocents” (almost nine minutes of skull crushing guitars), and the jigsaw massacre of “Dead Future” are proof of their talent, that they deserve a chance.

“Thrashletics” shows a band that can do better than fitting in a model that is already established, so let’s hope that RAVAGER can walk away from the shades of the past, because they’re too good to be stigmatized as just another Old School Thrash Metal band.

Originality: 5
Songwriting: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 7