Like with any other retro or revivalist band, there really isn’t much in the way of originality here. What they do have is a firm grip on just what made the old Thrash so badass, and the skill to match, which allows for flawless execution. Leaning towards the more extreme end of the genre, they cull influence from the likes of early Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Slayer and Sepultura, blazing away at breakneck speeds and injecting portions of razor sharp melodies along the way. Pete Evil commands an excellent raspy blackened vocal style, backed occasionally by bass thumper Bosse’ deeper death growls. Pete is also one of the six stringers, accompanied by Dor Amazon, and together they lay down some of the best and vicious Thrash riffs and leads I’ve heard in quite some time. The soloing is top notch as well. Then there’s Faust of Emperor fame behind the kit, throwing down an absolutely devastating performance. The production is clear but still raw – there’s a heart warming fuzz to it, the way it should be.

The albums first two cuts, “Castle of Skulls” and “Nothing but Contempt” set the stage well with some good and memorable high octane, evil Thrash, but things really take a turn for the stars with “Personal Exorcism”, an 8 and a half minute jaunt through the depths of hell. There’s a two minute build up before any vocals kick in, going through several different riffs and paces before finally locking into a main riff that had me reeling my jaw up from the floor. The battery continues through “Laid to Waste” and the title track, both menacing and dominating in their own right, but the real star here is the 12+ minute monster instrumental, “Horsehead Nebula”. A roller-coaster like ride of epic-fucking-riffs and melodies that are set to burn, with ripping solos piling in one after another. The dominate riff sounds like Iron Maiden on steroids and speed – highly melodic, but still very muscular and thrashy. The album then closes out with the equally epic “One Step Closer to the Grave”, which is where the band lets off the accelerator, if only momentarily. Another long intro before the vocals kick in, the song begins to really take off at the five minute mark, and continuously builds through to the climatic album closing ending.

Words cannot properly convey the greatness of Grand Feast For Vultures. It’s simply a phenomenal thrash album, and the best I’ve heard over the past couple years. There are no weak moments. At this time, I will not hesitate to call this my album of the year, and most likely will remain so till years end. I cannot urge you enough to seek this out.

The band is firmly entrenched in the worlds of 1980s German thrash and the San Francisco Bay area style, which of course, produced thrash’s biggest names. So what you’ll hear here is tight, blazing drums from former Emperor drummer Faust and fast technical guitar work from frontman Pete Evil and rhythm guitarist Dor Amazon. OK, so their stage names could use some work, but it’s the musicianship we’re talking about here, and that’s not in question.

Blood Tsunami can rip out aggressive, almost melodic death metal blasts as on the opening track “Evil Unleashed,” and undeniable grooves as on the Exodus-influenced “Devoured by Flames.” Sometimes they do it in the same song – check out “Rampage of Revenge,” which is probably the strongest track on the record with one foot in each world. “Infernal Final Carnage” opens with a riff that could have been pulled straight from Metallica’s “Kill ’Em All,” but the band throws a curve when Evil unleashes a black metal rasp for the vocals. And that’s the real departure from the classic thrash sound. Pete Evil is screeching and rasping and occasionally bassist Bosse throws out a deep death metal rumble which serves as a nice counterpoint and adds that little needed punch in the gut to several of the songs.

Like most of the thrash bands of the 1980s, Blood Tsunami has to offer up the epic 10-minute number. For this record, it’s “Godbeater,” which clocks in at 10:01. It’s a surprisingly strong performance, as the band backs off on the throttle a little bit and goes for a chugging, heavier riff to open the song. The black metal influence comes through again on the atmospheric parts of the song, and you’ll even catch a stray death metal touch here and there. But this is true classic thrash, reminiscent of Metallica’s “Orion” (right down to a wah-wah-laden solo straight from the Kirk Hammett songbook), and probably the best instrumental thrash piece that I’ve heard since Metallica quit doing them.

True, there’s nothing really original or groundbreaking here. It’s more of an homage to a bygone era, but it’s a goddamned good one. It does an old thrasher’s heart good to hear the music played like this again. Long live thrash and long live Blood Tsunami.