Inferno
Thrash Metal Dogs of Hell EP
5.5
With an album title like Thrash Metal Dogs of Hell, I was definitely expecting a little more than what I got with this release from Inferno. The music contained on this 2-song EP is a very mid-80’s style of thrash, but also borrowing minor elements from 80’s punk. There are some things to like here, but it ultimately falls short of being anything memorable in more than one area.
Containing only 2 songs, “Thrash Metal Dogs of Hell” and “Death Squad”, there is obviously very little variation on this EP. The songs themselves are very guitar-driven, which is one of the only promising areas of the EP. The guitar player has an interesting array of riffs, and seems to be pretty confident behind the axe, mixing in a few solos here and there for good measure. There is nothing special in the vocal department. Just mid-high pitched screaming with little variation. The drumming is very uninspiring, but it works for the sound they seem to be going for. I just would have liked to see a little more dominance behind the kit. Which brings me to another problem, the production. Being only a 2-song EP, and pretty much packaged as a demo, you can’t expect an immaculate recording. Where I have a problem is that the guitars seem to be mixed and recorded pretty decent, but the drums just seem way too far in the background. Almost like they were recorded with a room mic. They are very airy sounding, with an almost non-existent kick drum. You pretty much just get cymbals and snare. At least for my personal preference, in thrash music, I like to hear the guitars and drums working tightly in unison, with an equal amount of emphasis on the kick and snare. I think if the kick drum was bumped up a couple notches and the drums mixed a little differently, it would have helped the sound of this record immensely.
If old-school was the vibe that Inferno was going for on Thrash Metal Dogs of Hell, then they pretty much hit it right on the head. From the song structures to the production, this EP feels like it was recorded in 1985. If you are an old-school fanatic, and can look past the production flaws, this might be worth a listen.
