Hatework
Thrash 'n' Roll
6.5
Thrash and Roll, harkens back to a simpler time, when thrash was metal, period. You either had the riffs, or you picked up your guitar and went home, and you sure as hell didn’t get record deal with Century Media. I don’t mean to be sentimental here, I’m just trying to create for you a mental image of the time and place to which Hatework’s Thrash and Roll pays homage. The concept is really simple; take equal parts Motorhead speed metal and mix it with the NWOBHM inspired riffing of early Metallica and sing songs about how awesome metal is and you’ve got a recipe for some beer tipping Thrash And Roll.
"I.D.T" starts the album with some cool pentatonic riffing. Nothing too fancy, but fast and punchy enough to get the head moving. It also features a well executed thrash break. Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve heard one of those, too. The title track follows a similar aesthetic; plenty of riffs and catchy but never cuddly. This is thrash folks, and vintage thrash at that, so there’s nothing particularly sweet about anything you hear here. “I Don’t Care” displays a good deal of the Roll element of Thrash and Roll . Not a terribly deep composition, but I can see myself yelling this at my confused dog at excessive volumes. "Heaven’s on Fire" is what I would probably peg as the album’s standout track. Early Metallica worship at its best, from the driving power chords to the finger tapped solo, it all screams classic.
Now here’s the part of the review where I point out negatives and say something along the lines of. “Well, of course there are always downsides to playing such an antiquated style in this day and age where metal truly does bleed on the cutting edge.” Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to shovel that bullshit, and I’m pretty sure that you don’t want to sniff it. This is a solid thrash album, period. It’s full of cool riffs, and a purely classic feeling that makes you want to jump in your car and blast this just so everyone can see how bad ass you are. It’s not perfect, and it probably wouldn’t have hit with the big boys back in 1986, but I’ll be damned if I don’t get my motor running.
