Album Review: Violblast – Theater of Despair (Hostile Media)

Based out of the Barcelona area in Spain the thrash quartet, Violblast have been going little over five years, and with the release of an EP followed by their debut full length Conflict, these guys have been taking the thrash scene by storm.

The second Violblast full length, Theater of Despair, contains no less than ten blistering aural onslaughts with all the trademarks that makes the thrash genre so damned great. Fast, heavy, ferocious and unwavering from start to finish! The album will be released worldwide on 11th January 2019 via Hostile Media.

“This album represents a new level for the band,” states guitarist Sebas Silvera. “It was written in a different way than the previous albums, in a more natural way. Santi and I usually write all the instrumental parts, and as we were in a difficult time for personal reasons, we just let the riffs flow, not trying to sound like A or B, but more open minded and free to express ourselves in some kind of way. The lyrics follow the same pattern, they are personal to our vocalist Andrew who has written all of them.”

There are no surprises here for thrash metal fans. Violblast wreck shop for ten tracks and while it is far from unique or fresh sounding, it is pretty damn good.

Kicking off with some really hefty heaviness on Trivialization of Murder. The underlying groove of the guitars against some nasty vocals really gets the blood flowing. It’s a banger of a start and really makes you cross your fingers that it’s not just a one-off.

Happily it is not as the ferociousness of Slayer, Testament and Death are combined to give Violblast their own thrash edge. The title track is a real throwback song while New Orphans Elegy is head-banging gold. Seriously, I want to be in the pit as the latter goes off. It’s got so much meat on the bones.

These lads absolutely nail what it is to be heavy while still having some serious song-writing chops. Secret Reality, Prevail and Painless are a trio of tracks that showcase the unbridled rage that Violblast can barely keep contained. Brilliant stuff.

They have set the thrash bar very high for 2019 already.

Violblast – Theater of Despair Full Track Listing:

1. Trivialization of Murder
2. Theater of Despair
3. New Orphans Elegy
4. Martyrs Without a Cause
5. Secret Reality
6. The Shadow No Longer Rests
7. Prevail
8. Broken Scepter
9. Painless
10. Scopaesthesic

You can order the album via Hostile Media here and merchandise via Big Cartel here. Keep up to date with news via Violblast’s Facebook Page.