Released By : Self-Released
Genre : Thrash Metal
Link : https://www.facebook.com/terrorempire
Lineup:
Ricardo Martisn – Vocals
Rui Alexandre – Guitars
Rui Pugga – Bass
Goncalo Marques – Drums
Siergo Alves – Guitar
Tracklist:
01. Dirty Bomb
02. My Element
03. Redemptive Punishment
04. The Brave
05. Submission By Fear
06. Last Fire
With so, so many Thrash Metal related releases coming through the metal system these days, sometimes it can get a bit hard to think of new things to say about each new album. Let’s face it, Thrash Metal as a genre doesn’t really allow for all that much flexibility and usually a new band in the genre will either fly the flag for old-school, or take the more modern approach.
Portugal based thrashers TERROR EMPIRE sit somewhere in the middle and their debut E.P FACE THE TERROR may not add anything new to the genre but it’s definitely worth looking into if you are a fan of all eras. There’s plenty of old-school vibes on the E.P which is mainly noticeable in the Deathy aggression of the vocal approach. The Portugese accent also gives vocalist Ricardo Martins a bit of an early day Max Cavalera feel, which in turn gives the disc a slight SEPULTURA feel in places…something I certainly won’t complain about. Then there’s the clear influence of the newer-school train of thought which is made evident mainly in the modern metal drumming and the occasional groove metal sections that remind me of bands like MACHINE HEAD and even a little bit of LAMB OF GOD. It’s a good mix that ensures the E.P has a modern and relevant feel while still clearly paying homage to the early days of the Thrash Metal genre.
There’s also a slight technical element to the band’s sound too. It’s not prevalent enough to be able to call them a Tech-Thrash outfit or a Progressive outfit, but there are certainly elements of this to be found in sporadic patches across the E.P. There are even one or two lead break sections that reminded me ever so slightly of the mighty VOIVOD. There’s a whole lot of Thrash Metal available these days and it’s almost impossible to keep up with it all, but do yourselves a favour and don’t forget to have a little look at what TERROR EMPIRE are doing, I will keenly await a full-length release sometime in the future.
Written By ZeeZee