Call Down the Thunder

I first came across this band from youtube during a time in my life where I was exploring the lesser known 2000's thrash metal bands. I found Nihilist formula with this album and others to be pretty basic, but done well and very convincing. The formula being mostly you're classic bay area and west coast thrash bands along with Priest, AC/DC, and Motorhead. Nothing really new hear but a refreshing example of the early thrash metal spirit. The thrash bands that seem to be the most influential to this band would have to be early Metallica, early Exodus, and some Slayer here and there. The Exodus influence mainly lies in the lyrics and the uncompromising thrash metal spirit that exist on albums like "Bonded by Blood", a good example of this is the songs like "Nihilist Kills" which is a poser destroying, return of thrash anthem. It seems many bands from this time had songs dedicated to the genres vengeful resurgence, Fueled by Fire's Thrash is Back is another example. If your are mainly into the the raw, speedy, or aggressive kind of thrash you may find this album well written but boring. If you like catchy riffs, solos, and strong intros then this album nails it on the head. I have not listened to this album in a couple years and I can remember the main riff and even the solos to most of the songs. The album is structured well with the first song being a good opener and the last song having a slow build up then a burst of energy to leave you thinking about a second listen, I would say the album ends at the right time, one more song would have made things start to feel repetitive.

Musically the guitar riffs were the best part of the album. They lyrics, bass, and drums were also really nice and enhanced the overall quality of the album. The guitars were written in a way that kept you thoroughly interested on some level throughout the whole album and with fast and or squealy solos that did not sound repetitive. I will also say the bass had some shining moments when the guitar wasn't stealing the show. The bass tone was excellent since it was tonally in between the guitar and drums. The drums were solid and the snare sounded nice and tight especially when played during some of the slower parts. The vocals were good, though nothing special which is totally ok with this genre, they were convincing and he belted out the lyrics in a way that captured my interest. The lyrics were well written and enjoyable, however, not too original and basic. The recording and production were nothing to really complain about as it wasn't badly recorded and was not over-produced which is all you need for this type of thrash. The Judas Priest cover was a nice attempt and was enjoyable, however in my opinion didn't seem natural for this band, oh well.

If you want to hear a solid tribute to 80's American thrash from a newer perspective(even though this is no longer new) then I would recommend giving this album a listen, this formula has been done many times but they did it very well.

Favorite tracks: Nihilist Kills, The Assault