Lost in the current retro thrash revival is the fact that Norway’s Audiopain have been chugging along and kicking out 10 plus releases since 1998, two EP/splits just last year, and their latest 6 track offering, is arguably the most pure throwback and raw of all the so called current thrash revivalists.
Whole promoted as a full -length album, the measly 26 minute running time comes across as more of an EP, but in that 26 minutes you get 6 decent length tracks of pure old school thrash heavy metal, that never comes across as a forced homage, but more a dug up, dusted off and resurrected 1984 band more akin to Possessed, early Metallica, early Slayer and even the very beginnings of Death.
The gritty, almost sloppy style is pure old school, high tops and denim, with a dash of spikes and Satan. Mixing the German drive and American energy, the tracks are primal, simple and basically similar in pace and gait, all layered with Sverre Dæhli’s unusual, slightly higher pitched shout/scream.
To these ears, Audiopain are a studio knob twist and blast beat away from black/thrash (Nifelheim, Gospel of the Horns) as the title track hints at, but manage to keep things in the 80’s with the delivery of tracks like “Hellbound”, “Holy Toxic” and “Cobra Dance”, which will definitely appeal to old timers and pure thrash fans, but I’m not sure beyond that.
