Album Review: Bonded – Rest in Violence (Century Media Records)

If there is something certain about the careers of guitarist Bernd “Bernemann” Kost and drummer Markus “Makka” Freiwald it is their being consistent and authentic. Being active for more than 30 years both are deeply rooted in what could be considered the origin of German Thrash Metal – the infamous Ruhr-Area. With their history as musicians in bands such as Despair, Angel Dust, Voodoo Cult, Kreator and last but not least Sodom they look back on an arsenal of experience in terms of songwriting, production and performance.

Since continuity is the major thread in their career they wouldn’t be who they are if they weren’t to return with a new band after their split with Sodom. Bonded is emblematic for a creative bond of musicians with the approach to deliver Thrash Metal that is both grounded and versatile, yet bonded to their origin without being stale.

In 2018 Bernemann and Makka teamed up with Chris Tsitsis (ex-Suicidal Angels, Destroy Them) as second guitarist, Marc Hauschild on Bass and Ingo Bajonczak of Assassin (ex-New Damage, ex-Supersoma, ex-Lord of Giant) on vocals.

Together they are Bonded and on January 17th 2020, they will release Rest in Violence via Century Media Records.

Oof, with that kind of line-up in Bonded it should come as no surprise that what we have here is a heavy-ass album. A modern thrash metal classic coming from artists who understand what ‘classic’ means. Yes, you can hear the old-school elements of thrash littered throughout the 10 tracks but to call this a throwback would be doing them a serious dis-service.

What it does do is follow a familiar formula, one that has served the scene so well and certainly isn’t broke so hardly needs fixing. We’re talking gargantuan riffs, drums that sound like a march to war, intense roars of vocal power, bass hooks that dig deeply, screeching solos and more. It’s the stuff of thrash metal dreams…or nightmares depending on your perspective.

Regardless of if this is your sort of thing, few can deny just how god-damn solid it is from beginning to end. It’s the sort of head-banger that takes things back to a simpler time but something generations can rock out too.

Fear not, there’s no surprises here. No sudden shifts into melody or an extended proggy jam session. That’s not Bonded and their unwillingness to shift too far from the thrash metal playback is surprisingly endearing. Going off this record, it’s not just the band who are bonded by thrash but the fans will be too.

Bonded – Rest in Violence Full Track Listing:

1. Godgiven
2. Suit Murderer
3. Rest In Violence
4. Je Suis Charlie
5. The Rattle & The Snake
6. No Cure For Life
7. Where Silence Reverberates
8. Galaxy M87
9. Arrival
10. The Outer Rim

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