God May Show You Mercy...We Will Not

Minotaur formed in 1983 pretty much with the first wave of Thrash bands that was breaking big all over the world in the early part of the 80s. Somehow though, the band never did manage to break out and they remained relatively unknown. This is my first taste of the band and God May Show You Mercy…We Will Not is only the band’s second album in over twenty five years of existence.

Minotaur are pretty much your typical left over from the 80s thrash scene. Vulcano were occupying this space last month with a re-issue of one of their more recent albums and this month its Minotaur continuing the case for the great thrash revival. Unfortunately, pretty much like that Vulcano album God May Show You Mercy… is an exercise is competent but wholly unremarkable thrash. The band’s press release calls them a mix of Dark Angel and Possessed and for once that’s pretty much hitting the nail on the head. Unfortunately, the band doesn’t have the power of Dark Angel or the manic energy of Possessed that could have pushed this album into essential territory. Instead, this entire album is wrapped in an atmosphere of competence. The riffs are fast and aggressive thrash but nothing we haven’t heard before, the drumming is straight from the 80s school of thrash and it’s only the vocals which are more like rabid snarls that actually stand out.

I’d mention some stand out tracks but unfortunately, nothing really sticks in my head. It’s all good, workmanlike thrash metal that would be okay to listen to in the background if you’re calling a bunch of friends over for a few beers but on its own, listening to this is a bit redundant. This album has all been done before and honestly done much better in the 80s.
Minotaur sounds like a bunch of old friends getting back together and playing the music they love and if you like thrash you shouldn’t have anything to complain about. At the same time, on God May Show You Mercy… there just isn’t much to praise

Originally written for http://www.kvltsite.com