Watch Them Die – “Bastard Son”
Looking for good thrash? No need to look further! This is the band’s second release and it’s certainly a pounding, thrashing album. There really are not that many good, straight-up aggressive thrash bands, and veteran bands like Overkill aren’t exactly getting any younger. Also, some bands that are considered thrash, like The Haunted, have way too much punk and hardcore. Watch Them Die has been reading the minds of Slayer fans. If you thought this band was metal-core, think again, because I hear no core, only thrash in the music, with some short moments of slow parts. The vocals are pretty growled, not shouted, borderline death metal, if anything, but you can make out relatively easy what Pat Vigil is saying. The drumming is from the Exodus/Slayer school of speed: not that technical, but energetic and pounding. The guitar riffs lash out fast and they move quickly into other riffs, while the vocalist is going nuts screaming. It’s certainly good to hear a newer band getting to work and thrashing, not messing around. They cover “Armageddon” and sound good doing it. It doesn’t sound particularly black-metal or Bathory-like, but it sounds raw and thrashy. Most importantly, the band sounds electrified.